PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, July 29: Tata Steel today celebrated the 118th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna JRD Tata by paying homage to the legend and organising a host of activities like sports, quizzes, plantation drives, events for the community, etc. across all its operating locations.
Homage was paid to JRD Tata at Sonari airport in Jamshedpur by socialite Ruchi Narendran along with other dignitaries.
The celebration was organised in a hybrid mode wherein employees also paid homage virtually through the company’s intranet besides homage in-person at various other locations of the company.
Given JRD’s life-long support for sports, employees and cadets of Tata Steel-run sporting facilities along with other stakeholders across all locations participated in various sporting activities like running, walkathon, badminton, athletics, archery, football, karate, volleyball, etc.
Tata Steel Sports Department organised a walkathon for citizens of Jamshedpur at the JRD Tata Sports Complex.
A total of 248 people participated in the event. Additionally, a first-of-its-kind athletics event that included a track and field meet for trans employees was organised at JRD Tata Sports Complex as a run-up to the main event. A total of 52 trans employees participated in the athletics meet.
Students of Tata Steel Karate Training Centre took part in the 2nd Jharkhand State Open Karate Championship on July 27-28 at JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur.
The championship, organised by the Jharkhand State Karate-Do Association and supported by Tata Steel Sports Department to mark the occasion, saw the participation of 52 cadets of Tata Steel Karate Training Centre participating in this Championship.
Apart from Jamshedpur, a run was organised at Kalinganagar and Gopalpur in Odisha and Jamadoba in Jharkhand. Football tournaments were also organised in five locations for U-17 Boys & U-16 Girls.
The Naval Tata Hockey High-Performance Centre at Bhubaneswar organised a JRD Tata Friendship Cup 2022 tournament at Kalinga Stadium to mark the birth anniversary of the legend.
Tata Steel Foundation organised an Inter-School Football Tournament for Under-14 boys at Agrico ground wherein senior office bearers of Tata Workers’ Union were also present on the occasion.
On July 28, an inter-school quiz competition was also organised at the Centre for Excellence based on the life of JRD Tata.
A total of 19 schools in Jamshedpur participated in the competition. Around 100 children from five Masti Ki Pathshala centres at Jamshedpur were also taken to Sonari airport where aero modelling was showcased for them.
They also interacted with the winners of the inter-school quiz competition. Masti Ki Pathshala is a bridge school for school dropouts run by Tata Steel Foundation. Quiz competitions for school children were also organised in five operating locations including one on the life of JRD Tata for school children in one of the villages at Meramandali, Odisha.
Sit and draw essay writing, and painting competitions were organised in Sijua at Jharia Division in which a total of 80 youth from the villages participated.
Tata Steel organised plantation drives at Kalinganagar, Meramandali and Noamundi. A blood donation camp was also organised in a few locations to mark the day. The company also distributed aids and appliances to over 30 leprosy patients at SPARSH Centre, Jamadoba. Multi-speciality health check-up camp was also organised by Tata Steel Hospital, Noamundi at Dudhbila Village.
Besides, a quiz on JRD Tata, article writing, and photography contests was organised for the first time for media persons of Jamshedpur by the Corporate Communications department, which received an overwhelming response.
JRD’s legacy continues to inspire millions of Indians and youth all over the world due to his unique leadership and down-to-earth management style.
A pioneering aviator and a philanthropist, JRD was also the longest-serving chairman of Tata Steel (1938-1984)
