Lakshmi Mittal's on his visit to Jamshedpur (Jharkand)
I visited Jamshedpur over the weekend to see for myself an India that
is fast disappearing despite
all the wolf-cries of people like
Narayanamurthy and his ilk. It is one thing to talk and
quite another to do
and I am delighted to tell you that Ratan Tata has kept alive the legacy of perhaps Indias
finest industrialist J.N. Tata. Something that some people doubted when Ratan took over the
House of the Tatas but in hindsight, the best thing to have happened to the Tatas
is unquestionably
Ratan. I was amazed to see the extent of corporate philanthropy and this is
no exaggeration.
For the breed that talks about corporate social
responsibility and talks about the role of corporate India, a visit to Jamshedpur is a must.
Go there and see the
amount of money they pump into keeping the town going; see the smiling faces of workers in a region
known for industrial unrest; see the standard of living in a city that is almost
isolated from
the mess in the rest of the country.
This is not meant to be a puff piece. I have
nothing to do with Tata Steel, but I strongly believe the message of hope and the message
of goodness that they
are spreading is worth sharing. The fact that you do have companies in India which look at
workers as human beings and who do
not blow their software trumpet of having changed lives.
In fact, I asked Mr Muthurman, the managing director, as to why he was so
quiet
about all they had done and all he could offer in return was a
smile wrapped in
humility, which said it all. They have done so much more since I last visited Jamshedpur, which was
in 1992. The town has obviously got busier but the values thankfully haven't changed. The
food is still as
amazing as it always was and I gorged, as I would normally do. I visited the plant and the
last time I did that was with Russi
Mody.
But the plant this time
was gleaming and far from what it used to be.
Greener and cleaner and a tribute to environment
management. You could have been in the mountains. Such was the quality of air I inhaled!
There was no
belching smoke; no tired faces and so many more women workers, even on the shop floor.
This is true gender equality and not the kind
that is often espoused at seminars organised by
angry activists. I met so many old friends. Most of them have aged but not grown old. There
was a spring
in the air which came from a certain calmness which has always been the hallmark of
Jamshedpur and something I savoured for a full two days in between receiving messages of
how boring and decrepit the
Lacklustre Fashion Weak
was.
It is at times such as this that our city lives seem so
meaningless. Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata had created an edifice that is today a
robust company
and it is not about profits and about valuation. It is not about who becomes a millionaire
and who doesnt'. It is about getting the job
done with dignity and respect keeping the age-old
values intact and this
is what I learnt.
I jokingly
asked someone as to whether they ever thought of joining an Infosys or a Wipro and pat
came the reply: "We are not interested in
becoming crorepatis but in
making others crorepatis."
Which is exactly what the Tatas have done for
years in and around Jamshedpur. Very few people know that Jamshedpur has been selected as
a UN Global
Compact City, edging out the other nominee from India, Bangalore. Selected because of the
quality of life, because of the
conditions of sanitation and roads and welfare. If this
is not a tribute to industrial India, then what is? Today, Indian needs
several Jamshedpurs but it also needs this Jamshedpur to be
given its fair due,
its recognition. I am tired of campus visits being
publicised to the Infosys and the Wipros of the world. Modern India is being built
in Jamshedpur
as we speak. An India built on the strength of core convictions and nothing was more
apparent about that than the experiment
with truth and reality that
Tata Steel is conducting at Pipla.
Forty-eight tribal girls (yes, tribal
girls who these corrupt and evil
politicians only talk about but do nothing for)
are being educated through a residential program over nine months. I went to visit them
and I spoke to
them in a language that they have just learnt: Bengali. Eight weeks ago, they could only
speak in Sainthali, their local dialect. But
today, they are brimming with a confidence that
will bring tears to your
eyes. It did to mine.
One of
them has just been selected to represent Jharkand in the state archery competition. They
have their own womens football team and whats
more they are now fond of education. It is a
passion and not a burden. This was possible because I guess people like Ratan Tata and
Muthurman havent sold their souls to some business management drivel, which
tells us that
we must only do business and nothing else. The fact that not one Tata executive has been
touched by the Naxalites in that area talks
about the social respect that the Tatas have
earned.
The Tatas do not need this piece to be praised and lauded. My
intent is to share the larger picture that we so often miss in the haze
of the slime and sleaze that politics imparts. My submission to those who
use phrases such as "feel-good" and "India Shining" is first
visit Jamshedpur to understand what it all means. See Tata Steel in action
to know what companies can do if they wish to. And what corporate
India needs to do. Murli Manohar Joshi would be better off seeing what
Tata
Steel has done by creating the Xavier Institute of Tribal
Education rather than by proffering excuses for the imbroglio in the
IIMs. This is where the Advanis and Vajpayees need to pay homage. Not to all
the Sai Babas and the Hugging saints that they are so busy with. India
is changing inspite of them and they need to realise that.
I couldn't
have spent a more humane and wonderful weekend. Jamshedpur is an
eye-opener and a role model, which should be made mandatory for replication.
I saw corporate India actually participate in basic nation-building, for
when these tribal girls go back to their villages, they will return with
knowledge that will truly be life-altering.
Corporate India can do it but
most of the time is willing to shy away. For those corporate leaders who
are happier winning awards and being
interviewed on their choice of clothes, my
advise is visit Tata Steel,
spend some days at Jamshedpur and see a nation's
transformation. That is
true service and true nationalism.
Tata
Steel will celebrate 100 years of existence in 2007. It won't be just a
milestone in this company's history. It will be a milestone, to my mind of
corporate transparency and generosity in this country. It is indeed
fitting that Ratan Tata today heads a group which has people who are
committed to nation-building than just building inflluence and power. JRD
must be smiling wherever he is. And so must Jamsetji Nusserwanji. These
people today, have literally climbed every last blue
mountain. And continue
to do so with vigour and passion. Thank god for the Tatas!
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