“Dogs and Indians not allowed” Story of Tata and Air India

In today’s India when almost every Indian admires and knows the TATA family contribution to building our nation, very few know that R.D Tata who was one of the reasons why TATA Steel survived and thrived, his son, JRD Tata had to sell his house and most of his father’s property which he inherited, just to pay off his father’s debts after the demise of his father, that too when JRD Tata was just 21 years old. He was the eldest among four children and also had to take care of his siblings. Though JRD never got an opportunity for formal higher education because of all responsibilities, he was very fond of flying which at that time, only a few numbers of people, not just in India, but across the globe had expertise on. He became the first licensed pilot in India.

1948, June of 8, was a huge day in Indian history as Malabar Princess, the vision of JRD, was the maiden Indian flight to travel across seas and also thousands of miles to reach London from Bombay. Air India started with four staff members in 1932 and became one of the most iconic Indian airlines to serve. JRD’s vision was the only reason that India got it to place in connecting India with the world.

Punctuality was one of JRD's obsessions, Air-India flights used to arrive in Geneva at 11 a.m. He overheard one Swiss ask another ‘What's the exact time?' His companion looked out of the window and said, '11 o'clock.' 'How do you know? You haven't looked at your watch.' The other replied in a matter-of-fact way, 'Air-India has just landed.' These were the sort of things that made J.R.D. proud of Air India.

To promote tourism in India, many suggested the Taj Mahal, Agra to be the center of attraction for international tourists, but JRD had a different plan. He wanted to provide people to come and spend their leisure time, so he came up with the idea of Taj Mahal hotel in Goa which resulted in Fort Aguada hotel and Taj Village, some of the best and most hospitable hotels in the world.

This also takes us back to how his grandfather, Sir Jamshetji Tata, founder of Tata group, started the world-renowned hotel Taj Mahal in Bombay. One day when Jamshetji took a foreign friend to a hotel, he was denied entry, as the hotel was just for Europeans, and Indians were not allowed. That evening, Jamsheti decided to create a hotel that would be the pride of INDIA. And the result was TAJ MAHAL HOTEL MUMBAI, which was conceived even before the idea of Gateway of India existed.

But how his vision and his baby was taken from him? What were the reasons that Air India was on brink of collapse and how again did TATA come to the rescue and saved Air India?

To know more about the legacy of TATAS and the Journey of JRD, read, beyond the last blue mountains by R.M LALA, published by Penguin Books