Read the story of the man from the Ratan Tata family who joined the French army and served as a soldier; Ratan Tata was his successor.
Born on July 29, 1904, in Paris, Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata, commonly known as JRD Tata, was an influential Indian industrialist and philanthropist. He was a prominent member of the Tata family and played an important role in shaping the Tata Group, one of India’s largest and most respected conglomerates. Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata was the second of four children of Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (Jamsetji Tata’s first cousin) and his wife, Suzanne Briere, a French woman.
It is said that JRD spoke French better than English and both better than any Indian language.
J R D Tata spent his early life in several countries, including France, India, Japan, and England, where he completed his education.
JRD, the second of four children, was educated in France, Japan, and England before being drafted into the French army for a mandatory one-year period. According to the official website of Tata, JRD wanted to extend his stint in the forces (to avail of a chance to attend a renowned horse-riding school), but his father would have none of it. Leaving the French army saved JRD his life, because shortly thereafter the regiment he served in was wiped out while on an expedition in Morocco.
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