On the 28th of February 1908, near the confluence of two peaceful rivers, one of which sported the romantic name of Subarnarekha (River of Gold), a worker dug his spade into the earth unaware of the historical importance of his act. Yet at the moment began the quiet patch of Bihar jungle into the great Steel works and the industrial town of Jamshedpur as we know them today.” This poetic description of the birth of Jamshedpur, written by the longest serving chairman of the Tata Group, JRD Tata, describes the birth of India’s first modern planned city, Jamshedpur. Once Sakchi, a village in the princely state of Mayurbhanj, it was rechristened Jamshedpur by Lord Chelmford in 1919 in honour of the Founder of the Tata Group, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, and Tata Steel’s contribution to the British war effort in World War I.
The Steel City is being decked up to pay tributes to its founder Jamsteji Nusserwanji Tata on his 180th birth anniversary on March 3. It commemorates the vision of Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata after whom the steel city took its name nearly a century ago. This year also marks 100 years of naming of the city as Jamshedpur.
“The journey of Jamshedpur from a small village to commercial hub is inspiring. The pioneering industrialist, who founded the Tata Group, had written to his son about his dream of a big city in the erstwhile village of Sakchi, which was finally renamed as Jamshedpur in 1919 by a British statesman,” said an official of Tata Steel.
The entire Jubilee Park, including the Jayanti Sarovar and Upvan, is being decked up for the week-long festivities. Instead, there will be a complete representation of the founder Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata’s global visions based on the theme ‘Technovation’. It’s not Tata Steel alone but, Steel city at large is gearing up to celebrate the Founder’s Day, the birth anniversary of J N Tata on 3rd March, the founder of the steel major and the one who laid the foundation of the semi cosmopolitan city of the erstwhile Bihar. Inside works floats would demonstrate how the departments have incorporated their working based on Tata philosophy.
Tata Steel’s subsidiary, Jusco which looks after civic amenities in the city area, has already started giving facelift to Jubilee Park, Bhetiya Park (Kadma), Dorabji Tata Park (Northern Town), and Nildih Park (in Nildih near Telco).
Work has begun for illumination at Jubilee Park where light artistes from Chandernagore, Bengal, will start transforming the parks into fairy land. Other popular green lungs like Bhetiya Park (Kadma), Dorabji Tata Park (Northern Town) and Nildih Park (near Telco) will also be lit up for the big day. An exhibition by Tata Steel near the Children’s Corner of Jubilee Park on March 2 will have the same 100-year theme as well.