Remembering JRD Tata: Maverick entrepreneur and visionary par excellence

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July 29 marks the 116th Birth Anniversary of Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata, popularly known as J.R.D Tata who was more than just an industrialist. Tata was a visionary man who strongly believed in the welfare of employees. JRD was the son of eminent businessman Ratani Dada Dadabhoy Tata and Suzanne Briere. Interestingly, is mother was the first woman in India to drive a car.

Here are some interesting facts about JRD Tata on 116th Birth Anniversary: 

1. Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata was born on July 29, 1904, in Paris. He is the second child of Parsi father Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata and his French wife, Suzanne Briere. 
2. In December 1925, JRD enters the Tata as an unpaid apprentice. In 1926, JRD is on the board of Tata Sons, the group's flagship company. 
3. In 1929, JRD received the first pilot license in India, the culmination of a childhood fascination with flying and with legendary aviator Louis Bleriot. In 1932, JRD pilots the first flight of the subcontinent from Karachi to Mumbai. 
4. In 1932, he inaugurates Tata Airlines. At 34, he is the youngest Chairman in the group's history. 
5. In the 1940s, he established Tata Motors and Air India International. 
6. In 1955, he received the Padma Vibhushan award. 
7. In 1962, he flew solo to mark the 30th anniversary of Tata Airlines' first flight. In 1968, he established Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). 
8. In 1974, he earned the ranks of honorary Air Vice-Marshal. 
9. In 1982, to mark the 50th anniversary of the first flight. JRD commemorated this by taking to the skies again. 
10. In 1984, he established Titan Company Ltd.
11. 1992, he receives the UN population Award and India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. On November 29, 1993, JRD passed away in a Geneva Hospital.