PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Sept 23: Tata Steel today remembered Lady Navajbai Tata, the first woman director of Tata Sons on her 144th birth anniversary.
She was born on September 23, 1877. Navajbai Tata belonged to the philanthropic Sett family. In late 1890s, Navajbai married Sir Ratan Tata (younger son of Jamsetji N Tata).
Lady Navajbai Tata was appointed as the director on the Board of Tata Sons in 1924, a position she held till her death on August 20, 1965.
She was the first woman to be appointed as a director on the Board of Tata Sons.
Ratan Tata and Lady Navajbai Tata were connoisseurs of fine art and collected a valuable collection of jade, paintings, and other artifacts through their journeys around the world.
After the death of Ratan Tata, Lady Navajbai managed his estate. In 1928, she played a prominent role in establishing the Sir Ratan Tata Institute, which was intended to discourage charity in the form of doles and instead, provided employment to poor and needy women through training and offering them opportunities for employment.