The Story of TATA: 1868 to 2021

by Peter Casey

In 1868, Jamsetji Tata, a visionary of his time, lit the flame that went on to become Tata and its group of companies. This business grew into an extraordinary one. One that some may even call 'the greatest company in the world'. Over the decades, the business expanded and prospered under the leadership of the various keepers of the flame, such as Sir Dorabji Tata, J.R.D Tata and Ratan Tata, to name a few. But, one day, the headlines boldly declared that the chairman of the board of Tata Sons, Cyrus Mistry, had been fired.What went wrong?In this exclusive and authorized book, insiders of the Tata businesses open up to Peter Casey for the first time to tell the story. From its humble beginnings as a mercantile company to its growth as a successful yet philanthropic organization to its recent brush with Mistry, this is a book that every business-minded individual must read.

Genres: Business, Biography, History, Nonfiction, India

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 23, 2021

Reviews

[Vinod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Towards the end, one might feel Peter Casey was in a hurry to finish the book “The story of TATA from 1868 to 2021”. It’s not just a story about one company; it’s a giant conglomerate, the very essence, and identity of India. Do 180 pages justify the exceptional journey of TATA’s? The answer is an emphatic NO but at the same time since Mr. Casey has written another book on Tata’s, I assume he might have done it there and for me, he has done a decent job here. But thanks to peter casey, though not from India, he captures quintessential stories of Tata’s for a new reader. This is a promising essay on the capitalist yet compassionate giant at best.

Of course, for a visionary “living entity” which embodies the ethics and values of doing honest business, there would be countless stories to be told during 150 years of journey. It’s difficult to get into the minds of visionaries who envisioned a bright future for the nation and wanted to keep that spirit of flame burning. The storytelling part of the book could have been better with more substance added to it. These 180 pages could be called a Summary of Tata’s work towards Nation/Society/Mankind as a whole. I felt the attention on Cyrus was excess than required but the author justifies it neatly on the WHY aspect of ouster.

It’s humbling at the same time overwhelming for what Tata’s have done in building today’s India, how they have served the society adhering to grand old Zoroastrian altruism despite playing the role of a global capitalist competitive player. Jamsetji's belief was "what comes from the people must be returned to the people".

Thank you Tatas for having gone and beyond in solidifying the belief and trust.

[Pratik Samant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read a couple of books written on Tata Family and Industry. This book was much different to what I’ve read earlier.

It was very interesting in terms of reading lesser known facts about Ratan Tat, but on a broader level I had to push myself multiple times to complete this book. I was expecting a lot of business insights and facts behind taking key decisions and rapid expansion on Tata Sons during Mr. Ratan Tata’s tenure as a chairman. Even though the book touched upon some of the factor, but I was definitely expecting more.

[Pooja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book give you the basic of how TATA started how there were always a clear vision, ethics and motivation behind running it. But to understand Tata and the way they run their business we need more detailed study.

[Aditya Kulkarni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and simple biographical account of India's most prominent and respected business conglomerates. If you are a fan of the Tatas, you'll definitely appreciate this book :)

[Deepak Yadav]

Good book with great insights into the Tata Group.

[Jayaram Anandha · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the poorly written book I ever read.

[Pratik Khare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Casey has presented a brief account of the history of the Tata company, from its inception by Jamsetji Tata to its current chairmanship by Ratan Tata and Natarajan Chandrasekaran, in this book. It is a well-researched book, true to its scope albeit a bit biased in favor of the Tatas. Clearly, the author is a big Tata family fan and justifiably so; the Tatas are industrialists and philanthropists first, and businessmen second. The founding principles of Tata company are steeped in philanthropy. They believe that a business should be created to service the nations and her people first and that the money should only be a favorable by-product.

The history of the Tatas from its inception by Jamsetji, through its successors which involve his sons- Dorabji and Ratanji, followed by Nowroji Saklatvala, RJD and finally Ratan Tata was very refreshing to read. My knowledge on Indian industries, entrepreneurs and business is limited and after reading about Ambani's tainted history in a banned book, I was not expecting the Tatas to be so starkly different. Each chairperson of Tata Sons as well as the Tata Trust has brought something new to the company. Each chairperson has had to guide the Tata group of companies through tough challenges, and Peter lists them all very clearly and concisely. The latter-half of the book focuses on Ratan tata's life, not only as a chairperson of Tata Sons but also his childhood, college-going years and his time as a mere employee at Tata Steel. Another major focus of the book is the muddled and unsavory tenure of Cyrus Mistry as the chairperson of Tata Sons succeeding Ratan Tata, in which I thought the author has presented a very one-sided viewpoint against Cyrus.

All in all, this book is a brief, solid read especially for those wanting a short account of events, both recent and historical pertaining to the Tata family and ultimately the Tata conglomerate.

[Prabhat Gusain · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essence of the company founded by Jamsetji Tata is summed up in Jamsetji's founding belief that 'what comes from the people must be returned to the people'. True, Tata Sons has publicly traded companies, but all the companies under the Tata Sons umbrella must contribute to Tata Sons dividens, if they make a profit. Tata Sons, in return, must distribute 90 per cent of its net income to charitable causes. (It has the option of retaining 10 per cent for up to five years.)

Tata Group's values are rooted in the family's Zoroastrian faith. Ratan Tata did not see these values as ancient, or modern, or even religious. They are timeless, and they are right. JRD, Ratan points out, set these down years ago in a document he called 'Guiding Principles'. Even till his last day, Ratan kept a copy close to him:
1. Nothing worthwhile is ever achieved without deep thought and hard work;
2. One must think for oneself and never accept at their face value slogans and catchphrases to which, unfortunately, our people are too easily susceptible;
3. One must forever strive for excellence, or even perfection, in any task however small, and never be satisfied with the second best;
4. No success or achievement in material terms is worthwhile unless it serves the needs or interests of the country and its people and is achieved by fair and honest means;
5. Good human relations not only bring great personal rewards but also are essential to the success of any enterprise.

[Yash Dongare · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend told me 'Peter Casey did amazing job on this book', I told him the 'Tatas did amazing job in their lives'. The writing was indeed great, never did the author went too much in detail where not necessary, and the book is brief(about 200 pages). The summation of facts and dates were well put. It tries to showcase how truly virtuous the TATAs were and still are. Twice the family did not have any heirs, but were so blessed that it is still thriving, and it has now came to a point where it the growth and sustenance of the companies is autonomous.

[Sidharth Mishra · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional book on the illustrious Tata Group. The book focuses on the ethos and foundation of this timeless conglomerate, the various chairmen starting from Jamsetji Tata.

In the recent times the book focuses on Ratan Tata, what shaped him and how he shaped the group, how he shaped India's industrial scenario and all the while staying true to the ethos of the group. The book then goes on to focus on the appointment of Cyrus Mistry, the accompanying conditions and how some of the conditions were not met which led to the remove and change of guard at Tata Sons.

[Agni Banerjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the book mentions the complete history of the Tata Industrial family as well as the history of the Tata Enterprise, this book is about Ratan Tata in particular. The book captures Ratan Tata's life in great detail, his upbringing, his education, his relationship with past stalwarts of Tata. The book follows Ratan Tata's career at Tata very closely, the several challenges he faced and business lessons that can be learned as a result.

[Shankar Daruga · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read explaining the founding and operating philosophy of the Tata group of companies. Hope the group continues to keep the founding ethics, philosophies and the purpose of its businesses alive well into the future with changing generations and the leadership. The book also instills some hope that genuine businesses upholding true patriotic values devoid of corporate greed & corruption still exist in India.

[Sid · Rating 2 out of 5]

A solid 2.75 .
There are better books on the Tata stories. I’m pretty sure ready last 10 years of any of the 3 AR you will come out appreciating the group (if not the indicual businesses ) but this reads like a biased book and not anythign insightful or original except for the detailed history of the tata family .

[Monis Shakeel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found parts of this extremely boring, particularly certain sections which go into a lot of historical details which I am not sure are relevant.
I believe it could have been a more interesting book.
Also felt one-sided with a lot of personal admiration seen in the book by Peter Casey towards the Tata's and an equal amount of aversion towards the Mystry family.

[Neelanjan Ghosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliantly articulates the legacy of TATA. The book seems to do the firefighting work for the conglomerate post the Cyrus Mistry fiasco. However, the book will surely ignite a sense of pride for the TATA group and the man Ratan Tata.

[Ninad Bhangle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring. Rich history explained in an eloquent and lucid manner. The leadership traits as well as ethos of Tata have been captured beautifully. The chapter on 26/11 adds to the respect & awe about this wonderful organisation.

[Sambasivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Casey’s main objective is to talk about the Cyrus Mistry case and explains the story in an elaborate manner.

Alongside the backdrop of all Tata legends are brought out.
Quite a few rare facts are strewn across the book.

Worth a read.

[Akshata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say this is one of the best book I have read. The only thing is I did not understand much about who is who on the family. And the family tree is given at the end of the book which ideally should be at the Starr of the book. Otherwise it's a good learning.

[Aakriti Ananya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storytelling is a bit off!

Starts on a good note but dwells on daily chores without giving enough room for imagination. Well, I understand this is not a fiction read but I am a regular business book reader too!

It doesn't help my mind to retain the USPs of Tata more than I already know

[Vivek Kumar Bharathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of the TATA group starting from Jamsetji Tata to Ratan including all the events of Taj Attack, Cyrus Mistry removal and COVID-19. Not much focus on JRD Tata though. Told how a company did well by doing good and got through with the ups and downs. TATA is built on values and trust.

[ANIMESH KUJUR]

Delighted

Wonderful read
The book highlights the family tree of the Tatas and their functioning as an ethical organisation.
Enlightening read

[Subhankar Hotta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felt a bit more substance could have been added to JRD's tenure as chairman.

[Apeksha Chiplunkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptional. The difference between 2 CEO's can be seen clearly. There is a reason why people have such faith on Tatas, this book is a compilation of all those reasons.

[Anshul Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focuses more on ratan tata than anything else

[Rhino · Rating 4 out of 5]

It covers what it intends to along with it gives additional information on various other families which are also part of growth story of India as a country.

[Sanjay Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book

[Rency M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read into the tata story, right from the beginning to the Cyrus Mistry debacle.

[Shravani Sawant · Rating 3 out of 5]

<3.5/5>
A decent book to understand basics of the Tata story. Nothing too insightful, a brief read.

[Future · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Brief about the family businesses and how it started and survived through turmoil. Good read

[Manoj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent language, a must read one.