Tatalog

TATAlog presents eight riveting and hitherto untold stories about the strategic and operational challenges that TATA companies have faced over the past two decades and the forward thinking and determination that have raised the brand to new heights. From Tata Indica, the first completely Indian car; to the jewellery brand Tanishq; and Tata Finance, which survived several tribulations, TATAlog, written by a Tata insider, reveals the DNA of every TATA enterprise—a combination of being pioneering, purposive, principled and ‘not perfect’.

A diamond twice as large as the famous Kohinoor pledged to survive a financial crisis; meeting a 'relatively unknown young monk' who later went on to be known as Swami Vivekananda; a photograph that Kalpana Chawla carried along with her on her first mission into space; the fascinating story of the first-ever Indian team at the Olympics; how 'OK TATA' made its way to the back of millions of trucks on the Indian highways, and many more. #Tatastories is a collection of little-known tales of individuals, events and places from the Tata Group that have shaped the India we live in today.

‘Out of curiosity comes everything’ – Steve Jobs From Apple to Tata Tea, many leading brands have their roots in curiosity. The desire to know more often leads to new ideas and new perspectives; for a marketer, curiosity shapes the way one looks at products and their branding in innovative ways. In his new book, Harish Bhat brings his expertise on branding, communication and consumer insights to bear on a rapidly developing consumer-facing arena, exploring more than fifty products, places, people, books and publicity campaigns that excite him as a marketer. From brand marketing using aliens and flying saucers to going big with a delicious local product (banana chips or coconut water), from the interesting concept behind multicoloured socks to the metamorphosis of the Diwali shopper, Bhat touches on fascinating areas that marketers are targeting today. Immensely topical, this is a pleasurable read that will be of great interest to general readers, as well as students and professionals who work in the exciting area of marketing.

All that glitters is not gold, but Tanishq was determined to give India as much gold as its heart desired—and for that, it needed to glitter. It is no secret that Tanishq is one of the most successful jewellery stores in India today, but, at the beginning, as a first attempt at corporatizing the jewellery business, there were many challenges that the company had to face. The very first being, how could people trust a gold merchant if it was not a family business? Overcoming outdated dogmas about how a jewellery business should function, Xerxes Desai, the founder, would have to go quite a way until they could make it big in the market. In this detailed account of Tanishq's journey, Desai tells Bhat how his company arrived at its path to success. Read on, as Harish Bhat, brand custodian of the Tata Group, describes an account that will definitely inspire entrepreneurs, and those aspiring to become one, to create and preserve a successful business empire.

On 12 November 2008, Tata Steel was awarded the prestigious Deming Prize. Being one of the most difficult awards to win, the Deming Prize is one of its kind and is awarded to a company recognizing the quality of work done. There's a lot that goes into making a company so well-organized that it becomes worthy of winning the Deming Prize and no one knows that better than the managing director of Tata Steel at that time, B. Muthuraman. In Tata Steel Wins the Deming Prize, the MD not only describes how he heard the news and how much it meant for him to have won this award, but also throws light on what goes into the process of creating an organization that works in an efficient manner. Read on, as Harish Bhat, brand custodian of the Tata Group, talks about the company’s victory and how they set about achieving this goal.

When they drink a cup of 'magic' coffee, Rahul and Neha are entrusted with a quest that promises to lead to great treasure. As they race from the plantations of Coorg to Japanese graveyards, they are trailed by the Yamamoto brothers-bearing grudges and carrying swords. Accompanied by a friendly ghost and armed with an extreme love of coffee, Rahul and Neha discover their passion for warm frothy concoctions and each other. But will they manage to evade their Japanese assailants and find the treasure they first set out for?

| WINNER OF THE GAJA CAPITAL BUSINESS BOOK PRIZE 2019 | The nineteenth century was an exciting time of initiative and enterprise around the world. If John D. Rockefeller was creating unimagined wealth in the United States that he would put to the service of the nation, a Parsi family with humble roots was doing the same in India. In 1822, a boy was born in a priestly household in Gujarat's Navsari village. Young Nusserwanji knew early on that his destiny lay beyond his village and decided to head for Bombay to start a business - the first in his family to do so. He had neither higher education nor knowledge of business matters, just a burning passion to carve a path of his own. What Nusserwanji started as a cotton trading venture, his son Jamsetji, born in the same year as Rockefeller, grew into a multifaceted business, turning around sick textile mills, setting up an iron and steel company, envisioning a cutting-edge institute of higher learning, building a world-class hotel, and earning himself the title of the 'Bhishma Pitamah of Indian Industry'. Stewarded ably over the decades by Jamsetji's sons Dorabji and Ratanji, the charismatic and larger-than-life JRD, and thereafter the more business-like Ratan, the Tata group today is a 110-billion-dollar empire. The Tatas is their story. But it is more than just a history of the industrial house; it is an inspiring account of India in the making. It chronicles how each generation of the family invested not only in the expansion of its own business interests but also in nation building. Few know, for instance, that the first hydel power project in the world was conceived of and built by the Tatas. Nor that some radical labour concepts such as eight-hour work shifts were born in India, at the Tata mill in Nagpur. The Tata Cancer Research Centre, the Indian Institute of Science, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, as also the national carrier Air India - the family has a long, rich and unrivalled legacy. The Tatas is a tribute to a line of visionaries who have a special place in the hearts and minds of ordinary Indians. Written by seasoned journalist Girish Kuber, this is also the only book that tells the complete Tata story spanning almost two hundred years.

‘Russi has captured the “touch and feel” of events in Tata Steel from its early days . . . he also succeeds in bringing to life the human side of the company in a very readable and cogent manner. The book is a valuable and interesting record of the company’s evolution over its 100-year history, while at the same time being an enjoyable book to read.’ —From the Foreword by Ratan N. Tata ‘The hand of history has woven the tapestry of the Tatas. Just over a hundred years ago Jamsetji Tata requested the Secretary of State in PBI - India, Lord George Hamilton, for the co-operation of the British Raj in starting PBI - India’s first steel works. On the hundredth anniversary of the registration of Tata Iron & Steel Company, the company won the bid to purchase the Anglo-Dutch steel giant CORUS. And so the wheel has turned a full circle.’ R.M. Lala traces a hundred years and more of the exciting history of Tata Steel—from men searching for iron ore and coking coal in jungle areas, traversing in bullock carts before the site was found, to the company’s modern status as a PBI - World-class company. He brings to life a seldom-voiced account of the courage, vision and commitment of the men who created PBI - India’s first modern industrial venture which was to be the fountainhead of its industrial growth. The story Lala recounts is an eventful one of struggle for finances, of survival under unimaginable government controls, the evolution of incredibly humane labour practices (like an eight-hour work day much before it was a Western concept), the effort to compete as liberalization was ushered in, and Tata Steel’s ultimate triumph. For over a hundred years, Tata Steel has promoted a culture of philanthropy perhaps unequalled in the corporate PBI - World. The Romance of Tata Steel is a moving and fascinating account that draws upon extensive archival material and rare photographs to paint a compelling story that all PBI - Indians can be proud of. This informed and objective book is a fitting tribute to an exceptional PBI - Indian company in its centenary year.