Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy (JRD) Tata was born in Paris in 1904.
He was a French-speaking aviation pioneer who became India's first licensed pilot (1929).
He took over as the youngest chairman of Tata Sons at age 34.
He was a self-effacing leader who never used the black market, loved tinkering in a home metal workshop, and was buried in Paris after passing away in Geneva.
- Unpaid Apprentice: Despite being from the Tata family, JRD began his career at Tata Sons in 1925 as an unpaid apprentice.
- Literally "No. 1" Pilot: While not the first to register, he was the first Indian to graduate with the No. 1 pilot's license in 1929.
- Military Service: Before taking the helm at Tata, he served for a year in the French Army.
- The "Jay" Correction: When a friend addressed him as "Dear Jay," he corrected them, stating that as a noun, a "Jay" is a "noisy, chattering European bird" and requested to be called "Jeh," according to a Tata Group story.
- Passionate Tinkerer: He owned a 250-sq-ft workshop at home, loved woodworking, but preferred metalwork, once dismantling a British motorcycle just to understand its design.
- Refused Bribes: Despite operating in a highly regulated environment, he was renowned for strictly refusing to use the black market or bribe politicians.
- Initiated Relief Fund: In 1947, JRD suggested to Jawaharlal Nehru that a national fund for relief be established; this became the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.
- Cultural Enthusiast: He held a deep love for the arts and maintained a personal scrapbook of French and English poems, according to Tata Group.
- First to Suggest Worker Welfare: He pioneered the 8-hour working day, free medical aid, and employee provident funds long before they were mandated by law.
- Not a Child of India (Initially): He was born in Paris to a French mother and Parsi father, and renounced his French citizenship in 1929 to become an Indian citizen.
- Final Words: He accepted his death with grace in 1993, saying "Comme c'est doux de mourir" (How gentle it is to die).
- The first flight in the history of Indian aviation lifted off from Drigh in Karachi to Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) with JRD at the helm of a single-engined De Havilland Puss Moth on October 15, 1932.