The Ledger
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Tata's Tetley Deal Was First Major Global Brand Acquisition by Indian Firm
“Until then, no Indian company had acquired a global brand of any significance. This had not been done before.”
Bhat: Tata bought and relocated a disused Nissan Australia plant
“They found a disused Nissan plant in Australia, which was being run for only 15 minutes a day to keep it going. They were able to negotiate and buy that plant at one-fifth to one-sixth the cost of a new plant. Brick by brick, they disassembled that plant in Au…”
Jamsetji Tata Building Taj Hotel Over Racial Discrimination Is a Myth
“That is an apocryphal story, but I have researched that and that's not a true story.”
J.R.D. Tata Persuaded Ratan Tata to Reject IBM For Tata Group
“And when he came to India, he had a job offer from IBM at that time. But then J.R.D. Tata, who was the chairman of the Tata Group at that time, persuaded Ratan Tata to join the Tata Group.”
Ratan Tata Mandated Business Excellence Assessments Across All Tata Group Companies
“So he established what was called the GRDQV program, which later became the Tata Business Excellence Model, which required companies of the Tata Group to go through what is called a Tata Business Excellence Model Assessment. Where each company of the group is …”
Ratan Tata Made Tata Companies Earn Brand Usage Through Conduct Codes
“He put in place what is now called the BBP, the Brand Equity and Business Promotion Program. And companies had to sign on to be able to use the Tata brand. And if they wish to use the Tata brand, they had to commit to the Tata business excellence model, and th…”
Tata Tea's Initial Mid-1990s Bid for Tetley Failed Over Funding Constraints
“Tata T did try once in the mid-nineteen nineties to acquire Tetley. Unfortunately at that time it did not succeed, and I have narrated that story in one of my earlier books, Tata Log. Because they could not put the funding together.”
Tata Group Revenues Grew From $6B to $100B Under Ratan Tata
“During the 20 years that he was the chairman of the Tata group, the revenues of the group grew from six billion US dollars to hundred billion US dollars.”
Tata's Taj Welfare Fund Supported All 26/11 Victims, Not Just Employees
“When he created the Taj Public Service Welfare Fund after the 26 11 terror attacks at the Taj, Ah, and ensured that this fund took care not just of the families of the Taj employees who had lost their lives, but of every family in Bombay who had lost someone i…”
Ratan Tata Skipped Royal London Award Because His Dog Was Sick
“When he decided not to go to London to receive an award from Prince Charles at that time, because one of his dogs was unwell, that was a mark of care and compassion.”
Bhat: 97% of Parts for Tata Indica Were Sourced Indigenously at Launch
“There are about 3000 discrete parts which go into a car. And when the Tata Indica was launched, 97% of these parts were created indigenously.”
Bhat: Tata Punch Is the Highest Selling Car Model in India in 2024
“In fact, this year, the Tata Punch in 2024 is the highest selling car of any model within the country”
Tata Trusts are building 20 cancer hospitals across seven Indian states
“Even as we speak, 20 cancer hospitals across seven states are coming up under the auspices of the Tata Trust, who work hand in hand with state governments to create these hospitals.”
Bhat: Dubious investments caused a 500 crore hole at Tata Finance
“Investments of a dubious nature, and when those had collapsed, it had left behind a 500 crore hole in the balance sheet of the company.”
Bhat: Tata Sons injected over 600 crores into Tata Finance
“Therefore, within the next few days, Tata Sons injected more than 600 crores into that company, into Tata Finance, through cash and through corporate guarantees.”
Bhat: Tata Finance kept a helicopter on standby to disburse cash
“The company actually kept a helicopter on standby. To fly the funds to smaller towns if required. If at all, people came asking for their money.”
Bhat: Ratan Tata stood outside Taj Hotel for three days during 26/11
“Of course, the police would not permit him entry into the Taj, but he stood outside on the pavement for around three days.”
Bhat: Taj Public Welfare Trust was established within 15 days of 26/11
“Made sure that the Taj public welfare trust was established within 15 days.”
Bhat: Ratan Tata personally met families of every 26/11 Taj victim
“He made sure that he personally met the families of every person who had lost his or her life in the Taj.”
Bhat: Tata Group's acquisitions of JLR, Corus, Tetley were unprecedented in India
“He himself led the globalization of the group, the acquisition of global brands such as Jaguar Land Rover, Chorus. Tetley. Those were global acquisitions which, ah, you know, Where pioneering acquisitions had never happened before that in the history of India.”
Tata Trusts own more than 66% of Tata Sons equity
“And until now, more than 66% of the equity of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group, is owned by the Tata Trusts.”
Bhat: Jamsetji Tata used ring spindle technology before Britain
“He did that by using innovations like the ring spindle technology that was not even used in Britain at that time, ah, to enhance the productivity of his unit.”
Bhat: Tata Charitable Trusts own 66% of Tata Sons
“So until now, we are 66%, the Tata Group is 66% owned by the Tata Charitable Trust, which means when Tata Sons issues a dividend out of the profits that it makes, 66% goes back to the Tata Trust”
Harish Bhat: Average Fortune 500 company lifespan is 40 years and declining
“The average age of a Fortune 500 company today is 40 years and it's declining, which means in 40 years time, an organization grows, plateaus, and then starts declining.”
Jamsetji Tata Conceived Four Historic Firsts in Indian Industry and Education
“He built, he conceived of India's first integrated steel plant. He conceived of India's first University of Higher Education in Science, which is in this very city, Bangalore, in the Institute of Science. He conceived of India's first major hydroelectric proje…”
Tata Memorial Hospital opened in 1941 as India's first cancer hospital
“They went on then to inaugurate in 1941. What is known today as the Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel in Mumbai. That was India's first cancer hospital”
Tata Memorial Hospital treats 70,000 patients annually, mostly for free
“I am told that each year today about 70,000 patients are treated at that hospital, and a large majority of them are treated free of cost.”
Tata Trusts partnered with Assam to build seven cancer hospitals
“Assam there were seven hospitals that were inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi just a couple of years ago. And these are hospitals coming up with the Tata Trust and the state governments Playing a collaborative role with each other.”
British Chief Engineer scoffed he would eat any steel Tatas produced
“The chief engineer of the British Railways at that time was a gentleman called Sir Frederick Upcott. And he notably said, he said, oh, do you think the Tatas will make their own steel? He said, if the Tatas make their own steel, I will eat every pound of it.”
Bhat: Jamsetji Tata and Swami Vivekananda collaborated to build IISc Bangalore
“One of the outcomes there was a collaboration between the two of them in the building of the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore between Swami Vekananda and Jamshedji Tata.”
Harish Bhat: J.R.D. Tata personally piloted Tata Airlines' inaugural 1932 flight
“The first flight of Tata Airlines was in 1932, more specifically, 15th of October, 1932, from Karachi to Mumbai via Ahmedabad, and JRD Tata piloted that flight himself.”
Air India was voted world's best airline in 1960s London survey
“Which is why in the 19 sixties, Air India was voted, ah, the best airline by consumers across the world in a survey done by the Sunday Mail of London.”
Tata Trusts Partnered With State Governments to Build Cancer Care Infrastructure
“Mr. Atantata launched a full-fledged cancer care program in the Tata Trust, which included a cancer awareness program, which included investment in new cancer hospitals, many of them in conjunction with state governments of the different states in India and wh…”
Bhat: Bombay House maintains a ground-floor kennel for stray dogs
“So that's why, you know, Bombay house until today has a kennel for dogs on the ground floor.”
Bhat: Ratan Tata believed India's future would be driven by startups
“From what he did for startups and from how passionately he spoke about startups, I could see that he believed that the future of India, a large part of the future of India would come through startups that young people like you are setting up within this countr…”