THE ROMANCE OF TATA STEEL

The hand of history has woven the tapestry of the Tatas. Just over a hundred years ago Jamsetji Tata requested the Secretary of State for India, Lord George Hamilton, the co-operation of the British Raj in starting India’s first steel works. On the hundredth anniversary of the registration of Tata Iron & Steel Company, the company won the bid to purchase the Anglo-Dutch steel giant CORUS. And so the wheel has turned a full circle.

R.M. Lala traces a hundred years and more of the exciting history of Tata Steel – from men searching for iron ore and coking coal in jungle areas, traversing in bullock carts before the site was found, to the company’s modern status as a world-class company. He brings to life a seldom-voiced account of the courage, vision and commitment of the men who created India’s first modern industrial venture which was to be the fountainhead of its industrial growth.

Few are aware that an American consultative firm told Tata Steel in a confidential report in the early 1990s that if it did not act speedily the steel plant could close down. It was at this point of time that Dr. J. J. Irani took over as Managing Director and with great skill and leadership turn round the company and in 2001 it became the No.1 steel plant in the world according to the bible of the steel industry, “WorldSteel Dynamics.”

CELEBRATION OF THE CELLS – Letter from a Cancer Survivor

The mind and body together possess enormous resources and strength to counteract the negative impact of any serious illness. Mr. Lala’s narration will convince most people of the invaluable contribution of a synthesis of the mind and body which we all can bring to bear in times of physical stress. I am certain that Celebration of the Cells will provide much needed confidence, composure and comfort to those afflicted and to their families.

- Praful Desai, Professor Emeritus and former Director, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai.

Mr. Lala addresses us all, the healthy and the sick alike, urging us to let go of fear and celebrate life.

- Dr. S. H. Advani, from his Foreword.

The first part of the book deals with the author’s experiences and how he met with the situation time to time as it arose.

The Second part deals with sources of strength within which include, among others, a Journey to a Faith, Streams of Silence, Cultivating Joy, Laughter and Humour, A Sense of Purpose and Prayer and Healing.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam calls it “very inspiring”.

THE JOY OF ACHIEVEMENT – Conversations with J.R.D. Tata

This book is not a substitute for the biography Beyond the Last Blue Mountain. Rather, it is supplementary to it. The biography was about the life and achievements of JRD. The Joy of Achievement is about his thinking on various matters and about intimate talks between the biographer and JRD, especially in the two years after the biography was completed.

Most of these conversations did not appear in the biography and if mentioned were covered only briefly. As Director of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and an advisor to the J.R.D. Tata Trust the author intercted frequently with JRD even after the biography was pubished. Some of these meetings gave invaluable insights into his personality, especially those occasions when he would say to the author: “Oh! Put these files aside, I like to talk to you.” Throughout his long life J.R.D. Tata continued to grow in mind and spirit, even when his body weakened. Way back in 1955 in a letter to Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) he predicted the demise of communism and that the communist would one day turn to a market economy. He lived to see that happen. Perhaps the one area he was weak in, and he admitted as much to a respected theologian, Fr. Balaguer, is that he had not read or thought enough about religion. Even a fortnight before he left India for good, he had a lengthy moving discussion with the author on the hymn Abide With Me. This was played at his funeral.