Tata Scholars back Tata Trusts

The JN Tata Endowment for the Higher Education of Indians was  set up in 1892 by Jamsetji Tata, founder of the Tata Group. For the past 120 years, it been helping  meritorious Indian students receive world-class education.

It is the first Tata benefaction in the field of education, and possibly the first of its kind in the world. There are now more than 5,000 JN Tata Scholars all over the world.

Over the years,  JN Tata scholars have distinguished themselves in various walks of life.  Their ranks include luminaries like President K R Narayanan, Dr Jayant V.  Narlikar, Dr Raja Ramanna, Dr J J Irani, Dr Freddie Mehta and others.

The Tata Trusts hold 66% of the shareholding in Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group. Dividends from Tata Trusts provide the wherewithal for the Trusts to carry out their wide-ranging philanthropic and charitable activities.

Several Tata Scholars have come out in support of the Tata Trusts and their unexceptionable service to society.

Said Janantik Shukla, filmmaker: “As Tata Scholars, we are pained by the current events. As an institution, Tata Trusts tower over the rest because Tata is synonymous with trust and credibility. “

Said development activist Dr R. Balasubramaniam, who is also a Mason Fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School and a Fellow at the Hauser Center for Non-Profits at Harvard, “Tata Trusts are a reputed institution which has redefined social development initiatives in India for the last several decades.  Tata Trusts have impacted the lives of millions of people directly and indirectly.  Many of the JN Tata Scholars who have all been supported by the Trust are today well known for the contribution to public service and this a great national contribution. “

He added: “People should know and assess the Trusts by the enormous work that has been done by them in various sectors in India.  They need to realise that there is no parallel in the Indian eco-system wherein so much work is being done so quietly as the Tata Trusts. What needs to be known and celebrated is this enormous social development work to build a resurgent India. “

Dr Vikram Raut, Consultant Liver Transplant Surgeon at Medanta The Medicity, Gurgaon, spelt out how being a JN Tata Scholar transformed his professional career: “10 years ago, thousands of patients with end-stage liver disease in India were dying due to lack of definitive treatment options, such as liver transplantation. Hence, I was looking for a scholarship everywhere to undergo specialized training in liver transplantation surgery. Only Tata Trusts helped me at that time. Scholarship from the J N Tata Endowment helped me in my fellowship at Kyoto University Japan and Hopital Beujon, Paris. And today, I am associated with world’s second largest center for liver transplantation in India. This change was impossible without timely help from Tata Trusts. “  

Added Dr Vikram Raut: “ The Tata culture is beyond business and profits. It has made a pivotal contribution to society through multiple means. It is unfortunate that selective information was leaked in media to malign Tata Group, including  the Trusts,  who are known worldwide for their ethics, values and culture.”