Nuggets about Naval

"You speak Gujarati (then) I have to think of your navjote,” industrialist Naval Tata (1904-1989) jokingly told his Man Friday K. D. Skandan when he overheard the assistant informing Tata’s friend and Gujarati industrialist Jayakrishna Harivallabhdas that Tata "Tran, sava tran vaagé aavsé [will be back by 3.00 or 3.15 (p.m)].” Skandan, who has authored the 1999 publication Naval Tata Remembered, detailed over emails to Parsiana this and other incidents of his 40-year association between 1960 and 2000 with the Tatas.
When a film producer wanted to shoot a part of a film at Naval and his Swiss wife Simone’s residence, Tata Palace, and include the couple in the movie, Naval was tempted. But Simone told him, "Naval, remember you are no longer a Rajesh Khanna, and I a Zeenat Aman.” She added in a note that the film crew would "make the whole place dirty with their cameras, electrical equipment, hundreds of people walking across and what not.” Her final sentence, comparing the couple to the reigning film stars of the period "was classic and hilarious,” according to Skandan.

Skandan says that he respected Russi Lala, a director at Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and chronicler of the business house. In turn, Lala "liked me and was very kind and helpful” whenever Skandan "approached him for financial help for education and illness” to assist the needy. Lala’s 2000 paperback The Joy of Achievement: A Conversation with J. R. D. Tata was a question-answer session with the ex chairman of the Tata Group, J. R. D. Tata (JRD), but "there was not a word about his deputy and colleague Naval,” recalls Skandan. On questioning Lala why this was so, the author told him that JRD did not tell him (Lala) anything about Naval. "But you could have asked him,” Skandan retorted. An "upset and annoyed Lala did not say anything further.” When Simone enquired of Skandan why he had asked Lala about the non-inclusion of Naval in the book, Skandan replied, "I asked him only a genuine and valid question because after reading the book, I was upset.” Simone is reported to have retorted, "you and your big mouth.”
The faithful Man Friday reports that "Lala wrote a condolence letter to Simone, which I reproduced and The Afternoon Despatch and Courier published.” Lala was "very pleased and thanked me,” says Skandan.
Skandan reveals that he was instructed to send his 1999 publication on Naval to all Tata directors. "After some days, I met Darbari Seth (who led the chemical businesses of the Group) in the lift…he was returning to his office after lunch and we were alone.” Seth thanked him for the book and started a conversation... "I want to ask you one thing… you worked both for the father (Naval) and son (Ratan, chairman of the Group, 1991-2002)… whom (did) you (like) most?” Maintaining his cool, the secretary answered in Shakespeare’s words: "It is not that I loved Caeser less, but I loved Rome more!”
An adopted son of Sir Ratan Tata, Naval, who started his career with the Tata Group in 1930, led the textiles and electricity ventures of the Group and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. Awarded a Padma Bhushan, the section on "Tata titans” on the Group website states he "symbolized all that is best in the Tata spirit of giving back to society and the communities in which its enterprises grow.”