The Story of Tata Steel
Commissioned history of Jamshedpur and the steel works.
Summary
The reference has not verified this book in detail; the summary states only what the title, author and subject establish.
Verrier Elwin, an anthropologist who spent his life in India, wrote this account of the Tata Iron and Steel Company for the company's fiftieth anniversary in 1958.
The subject is the founding of the works at Jamshedpur by Jamsetji Tata and his successors, the search for iron ore and coal deposits, the raising of capital from Indian investors when British finance would not fund an Indian-owned steel industry, the construction of the plant and the town around it, the company's role supplying steel during both world wars, and the labour and welfare arrangements the company established, which were unusual for their period.
The reference has not verified this book in detail. It is a commissioned anniversary history written with company cooperation, so it is celebratory rather than critical, and it predates the company's subsequent history including nationalisation debates, the liberalisation period and the acquisition of Corus. Readers wanting a critical business history of the Tata group should look elsewhere.
Key takeaways 6
- Tata raised capital for the steel works from Indian investors after British finance declined to fund an Indian-owned steel industry.
- The company built the town of Jamshedpur around the plant, including housing, schools and hospitals.
- Tata Steel supplied the British war effort in both world wars, which established its industrial importance and its political position.
- Labour and welfare arrangements at the works were unusual for their period and were part of the founders' stated purpose.
- The book is a commissioned anniversary history written with company cooperation and is celebratory rather than critical.
- The reference has not verified this book's contents in detail.
Who should read it
Readers interested in the founding of Indian heavy industry, with the caveat that this entry is not verified in detail and the book is commissioned.
Where it sits in the reference 2
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