Who is Jamshed J Irani?

Jamshed J Irani, known as the Steel man of India, died on October 31 in Jamshedpur. He was 86.

Irani was associated with Tata Steel for over four decades, retiring in June 2011, and leaving behind a legacy of 43 years. The Nagpur born completed his Bachelor's and Master's there, before going to Sheffield to get a master's and a doctorate in metallurgy.

Despite getting a start to his professional career at British Iron and Steel Research Association in Sheffield in 1963, Irani wished to contribute to India's progress, which saw him return to the country and join what was then The Tata Iron and Steel Company in 1968. He started as the Assistant to the Director in-charge of Research and Development before moving on to become the General Superintendent, then General Manager, and eventually President of Tata Steel. Irani then became the Joint Managing Director of Tata Steel and Managing Director before retiring in 2001. However, he was a non-executive director from 2001 till 2011, when he stepped down.

Read | Jamshed J Irani: The Steel Man of India passes away at 86

Tata Steel has described him as a "visionary leader" who was at the forefront, leading India's economic liberalisation in the 1990s, and contributed to the "growth and development of the steel industry" in the country.

Irani is looked upon as the "change agent" who overhauled the "old lady", transforming it into the sophisticated steel company it is at present - in terms of attitude and physical form, domain-b reported.

He was one of the doyens of the quality movement in India and enabled Tata Steel to reinvent itself, focusing on quality and customer satisfaction. This made the company "the lowest-cost steel producer in the world with quality that could compete in the international market".

Irani received several awards for his life's work including the Padma Bhushan for his contributions to the industry and the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions in the field of metallurgy.

He passed away at Jamshedpur’s Tata Main Hospital. Irani in a 2014 interview with The Economic Times had extolled not just the virtues of Jamshedpur but also of Tatas.

Irani asked "In which other part of India do you have assured electricity supply for 24 hours? Where do you get water round the clock? Which city takes care of all your civic amenities in such an organised and efficient manner?", adding, "When I retired, I was given an option to either stay in Mumbai or Delhi or any part of south India. But I chose to stay in Jamshedpur. It’s one of the best planned cities of India. Tatas have got the lease of land in Jamshedpur for 100 years. So till 2056, the city will remain as organized and methodical as it’s now. It won’t turn into a chaos as is unfortunately on other side of the river. And God will take care of it after 2056."