Comments
Rustomji Homusji Mody, popularly known as Russi Mody, former CMD of Tata Steel, passed away late on Friday night at a nursing home in Kolkata. He was 95.
Mody, though known as “man of steel” for his 53-year long stint at Tata Steel, also served as Joint Chairman of Air India and now defunct Indian Airlines.
Born in Mumbai, Mody, a bachelor, chose to live alone in Kolkata after his retirement from the Tata Group in 1993. Mody, a student of history, was a self-confessed admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte. Mody began in career at Tata Steel’s (then TISCO) Jamshedpur plant as a khalasi (manual worker) in 1939. His junior colleagues have described him as a man manager. He practised human resource development before it entered the management curriculum in India.
Mody’s rise through the ranks lent him a sense of empathy and appreciation for the fellow worker.
His role in Tata Steel, according to a company statement, won him and the company international acclaim in various fields especially in industrial relations.
“Through his method of practical wisdom and pragmatic decision-making, he led from the front, winning hearts and minds alike,” the statement said.
Son of Sir Homy Mody, Russi completed his education from the Harrow School and Christ Church College, Oxford. Russi Mody was also the initiator of the technological turnaround at Tata Steel.
Ratan N Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons Ltd, said, “Russi Mody was an institution at Tata Steel. Under his leadership Tata Steel grew significantly and he instituted many human resource initiatives.”
Cyrus P Mistry, Group Chairman, Tata Sons, said he steered Tata Steel to become one of India’s most respected corporations.
Jamshed J Irani, who succeeded Mody as Managing Director of Tata Steel said, “Russi Mody left his stamp on every activity that he touched. He was a giant among men, and never failed to act convincingly in a manner that he thought was right. For most of the 40-odd years that I knew him, and worked with him, he guided me in my duties and we were great colleagues”.
The Indian Chamber of Commerce said Russi Mody’s skill as a man manager was on display when he led the chamber as its President in 1960. The Bengal Chamber said that India has lost a true giant whose human touch endeared him to many hearts.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.