This article is about Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata, the father of J. R. D. Tata. For Ratan Naval Tata, the former Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, see Ratan Tata. For Sir Ratan Tata, the philanthropist and son of Jamshedji Tata, see Ratanji Tata.
Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (1856–1926) was an Indian businessman who played a pivotal role in the growth of the Tata Group in India. He was the first-cousin of Jamsetji Tata and one of the partners in "Tata Sons" founded by Jamsetji Tata. Ratanji was the father of renowned J. R. D. Tata.[citation needed]
Personal life
Ratanji was born in Navsari in the Bombay Presidency in 1856 to Dadabhoy Kawasji Tata & Bhikhibai Tata. Dadabhoy was the son of Kawasji Maneckji Tata and grandson of Maneckji Tata. They were all members of the extended Tata family. Dadabhoy's sister, Jeevanbai, was married to Nusserwanji Ratan Tata (a distant relative). Their son was Jamshedji Tata.
Ratanji was married to a Parsee woman at a young age. However, she died childless not long after the marriage. Ratanji was in his forties when he married a French woman, Suzanne Brière, in 1902. This was considered revolutionary in his times and was not welcomed by many in the Parsi community. They had five children: Rodabeh, Jehangir, Jimmy, Sylla and Dorab.
Opium trade
Under the name Tata & Co, Ratanji ran an opium importing business in China, which was legal at the time.[1] In 1887, he and other merchants such as David Solomon Sassoon presented a petition on behalf of the opium traders to complain about a Hong Kong Legislative Council bill that threatened to affect their trade.[2]
Director of Tata Steel
Tata Steel was conceived and commissioned by Jamsetji Tata. However, Jamsetji died before the completion of the project. Ratanji played an important role in the completion of the project along with Jamsetji's son Dorab and thus Tata Steel was established in Jamshedpur.
The Tatas supplied steel to the British during the First World War. However, after the war Tata Steel went through a difficult period in the 1920s as steel was dumped in India by Britain and Belgium. Ratanji, along with other directors successfully sought protection for the Indian steel industry from the colonial government of the day and steadied the operations of Tata Steel.
