J J Irani symbolized Tata

TATA has lost a blue-blooded son with the passing of Jamshed Irani (J J Irani), and I have lost a close friend and mentor. His stories were so filled in anecdotes. I really wanted to convince him to write a book, but I couldn’t. I filmed a four-hour interview about his life and career out of desperation. I said, half-jokinglywith, that if he did not respond, I would publish the main points of our conversation as a tribute to his life, which I am now doing.

Jamshed’s father taught him never to borrow money. His family wasn’t impoverished, but they weren’t wealthy either. Though he was unaware of it at the time, Jamshed’s father had the most impact on him. Jamshed, an only child, saw in his father a love of learning because he had just about finished high school and had begun working when he joined Empress Mills, a Tata textile company in Nagpur, at the age of 17. Jamshed bemoaned regretfully, “My regret is that I could not thank my father enough when he was alive. “I’ve had a moment to reflect and realise that this is what I would have liked to have spoken to him before he was unexpectedly snatched away. He passed away shortly after that.

The instillation of godliness through religion was another significant effect from childhood. Every night before dinner, Jamshed’s father would conduct his son’s navjote ceremony and then make J J Irani spend approximately 10 minutes praying. J J Irani acknowledged that he did not comprehend the prayers, but he took his father’s counsel that doing so would bring him peace. Later on, he acknowledged that it did provide him peace. He would take out his prayer book and perform the prayers that his father had taught him whenever something bothered him. Jamshed recalls with a twinge of pleasure that despite lacking a university education, his father in Empress Mills advanced to the second-most senior level.

Jamshed frequently used the phrase Tata-ness. The unique quality that unites Tata coworkers, he believed, could be lost in the TATA workplace culture in the future. J J Irani always invited recruits to Jamshedpur and insisted they read Russi Lala’s The Creation of Wealth whenever he saw them (even when I joined in 1998). That book did a great job of describing Tata-ness, which Jamshed would really like to see thrive in the future.

When Lalu Prasad was appointed chief minister of Bihar, Jamshed, the managing director of TISCO, requested a meeting with him. “I looked for a meeting. I explained to him in my bad Hindi that the development of Bihar and my steel industry were intertwined. That had been the situation for almost a century. The institutions will continue to function when we, as individuals, leave our existing positions. Let’s thus get this straight. Because we are in a manpower reduction mode at TISCO, I am now unable to offer any new employees jobs. We will, however, support any sincere effort that improves the neighbourhood. Jamshed expressed nothing but admiration for Lalu as a man of his word based on their dealings.

J J Irani

Jamshed frequently used the phrase Tata-ness. The unique quality that unites Tata coworkers, he believed, could be lost in the TATA workplace culture in the future. Jamshed always invited recruits to Jamshedpur and insisted they read Russi Lala’s The Creation of Wealth whenever he saw them (even when I joined in 1998). That book did a great job of describing Tata-ness, which Jamshed would really like to see thrive in the future.

When Lalu Prasad was appointed chief minister of Bihar, Jamshed, the managing director of TISCO, requested a meeting with him. “I looked for a meeting. I explained to him in my bad Hindi that the development of Bihar and my steel industry were intertwined.

An Odisha ferrochrome mine was formerly up for renewal. At the state level, everyone passed, and the papers were sent to Delhi. After receiving a call from Delhi one day, Jamshed went to see the minister. Everything ran smoothly. The minister’s aide made the decision to seek Rs 4 crore in order to make some money. J J Irani grieved that the company lost the mine because TISCO was unable to pay. A few months later, the minister’s assistant was reportedly arrested after being busted for another crime.

In terms of mental tranquilly, worrying events are a routine element of working a vocation. The distinction between a workplace and a home is blurred when a person resides in a university city.

J J Irani was aware of this potential and diligently made plans to keep work and family separate. He flatly refused to do office work at home and would not bring work with him. During business hours, he welcomed anyone from my organization who wanted to talk about work-related issues to come to his office. J J Irani would lock his briefcase once he got home at 7 o’clock. His children would receive his attention. The five of them—Jamshed, Daisy, the three kids, and they—would drive around town every night, if at all feasible. He gave the reason that he wanted to see what was happening in the town. It was, however, a fairly private drive. The family would play games, have some ice cream or chana bhatura, and discover something new together.

Jamshed’s time in the UK taught him the importance of keeping work and family separate. “That means the plant is dead for me when I get home. I occasionally received a call with a concern or issue. I would always say, “You have the responsibility; go take care of it,” to the caller. People soon realised that they could not force me to perform anything that was the responsibility of a person lower down since I never interfered with the job. You can change that person if you don’t give them the responsibility, but I wouldn’t take on their position. In the city, Jamshed was known as a man who made decisions very quickly. Once he made up his mind, he opted against interfering with the execution.