On September 23, Ratan Tata's paternal grandmother, whose birth anniversary was marked last week, was a woman who stood tall. She was the first woman director of Tata Sons, a position she assumed in 1925 and was known to be a generous philanthropist. The group paid tribute to Lady Navajbai Tata last week.
Harish Bhat, the brand custodian of Tata Sons, took to social media to share snippets of her life as a tribute to Lady Navajbai Tata.
She was the first woman director of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group. She was appointed a director in 1925 and held the position until her death in 1965, according to the post.
Lady Navajbai Tata was married to Sir Ratan Tata, who was the younger son of Jamsetji Tata. She was widowed in 1918, at the age of 41 years, but managed the vast estate after that.
Navajbai was also known for her generosity, according to Bhat. When a social worker requested her to establish a convalescent home, she donated her manor in Matheran, Homestead for the cause, along with a donation of Rs 3 lakh. The amount was large for that time.
She established the Sir Ratan Tata InstituteTata Institute RTI in Mumbai in 1928. The objective was to provide employment to the poor and needy women, and to provide them with livelihoods. Bhat said that the needy women were trained in the cookery, hand embroidery, tailoring and laundry divisions.
In 1932, Lady Navajbai Tata became Chairperson of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.
JRD Tata was consulted on all important developments of the firm and always received sound advice. She used to make sure that the company was in line with the principles and ideals set by Jamsetji Tata.
Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts and Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons had once said that she was a wonderful, wonderful person of the old world, from whom one learnt a lot. I owe her an enormous amount of gratitude for what she did for me throughout my life. In a post, Bhat wrote that Lady Navajbai Tata's generosity touched many people, but her achievements have only been known to a handful. Navajbai Tata was born to the Sett family, known for its philanthropy. Both Ratan and Navajbai Tata lived partly in England and were personal friends of King George V and Queen Mary. They got married in 1892. Sir Ratan Tata was knighted in 1916 for his service to humanity.