New Delhi: Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata is also known as JRD Tata. Today is the death anniversary of this great personality. The industrialist, India's first licensed pilot and the founder of the country's first commercial airline, was a director of the Tata Group for decades. He developed steel, engineering, hotel, aircraft, and other industries in India. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1957 and the Bharat Ratna in 1992.   

JRD Tata was born on July 29, 1904, in Paris, France. He was the second child of his father Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata and his mother Suzanne Brierre. His father Ratanji was the cousin of the country's leading industrialist Jamsetji Tata. His mother was French, so most of his childhood was spent in France, and French became his first language. He received his early education from Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai, and then went to Cambridge University to study engineering. He also received a year of compulsory military training in the French Army and wanted to continue working in the Army, but, he had something else to do so he had to leave the Army.

JRD Tata started working as an intern at Tata and Sons in 1925. With hard work, vision and dedication, he became the head of Tata and Sons, India's largest industrial conglomerate, in 1938. He had started leading the group with 14 industries and by the time he stepped down as chairman on July 26, 1988, the Tata Group had become a vast conglomerate of 95 enterprises. He was a trustee of 'Sir Dorabji Tata Trust' for more than 50 years and under his guidance established many institutions of national importance. Prominent among them are The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Tata Memorial Centre (Asia's first cancer hospital), and National Centre for the Performing Arts. Under his leadership, Tata Motors was established in 1945, and in 1948, 'Air India International' was started as India's first international airline. In 1953, the Government of India appointed him as the Chairman of Air India and Director of the Board of Indian Airlines. He held this position for the next 25 years.

The Indian Air Force awarded JRD Tata the honorary rank of Group Captain and later promoted him to the level of Air Commodore and then awarded the post of Air Vice Marshal on 1 April 1974. He was awarded several awards for his outstanding contribution to the field of aviation, including the Tony Janus Award (1979), the Gold Air Medal (1985) by the Federation Aeronautics International, the Edward Warner Award (1986) by the Canada-based International Civil Aviation Organization, and the Daniel Gugneinim Award (1988). The Government of India awarded JRD Tata the Padma Vibhushan and India's highest civilian honor, 'Bharat Ratna' in 1992.

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