Ratan Tata, Noel Tata related to Tata Group founder Jamshedji Tata? New book claims their father was…
Navajbai Tata, the wife of Sir Ratan Tata — Jamshedji’s second son– had adopted Naval Tata after her husband passed away. Naval Tata was the father of Ratan Tata and his half-brother Ratan Tata.
Updated: November 3, 2024 11:04 AM IST
By Gazi Abbas Shahid | India.com
Ratan Tata and Noel Tata’s father, Naval Tata, shared a common ancestor with Tata Group founder Jamshedji Tata. (File)
Ratan Tata, the late Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group. and his successor and half-brother, Noel Tata, share a direct bloodline with Tata Group founder Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata, a new biography of Ratan Tata has claimed. In his book, Ratan Tata: A Life, author Thomas Mathew, claims that Naval Hormusji Tata, the father of Ratan and Noel, who was adopted from extended family, shares a common ancestor with Jamshedji Tata.
Naval Tata directly related to Jamshedji Tata?
Naval Tata’s mother was the niece of Jamshedji Tata, but there is no previous evidence or documentation of him sharing a direct bloodline with the Tata Group founder.
Navajbai Tata, the wife of Sir Ratan Tata — Jamshedji’s second son– had adopted Naval Tata after her husband passed away. Notably, Naval’s birth mother, Ratanbai– the daughter of Jamshedji Tata’s wife, Cooverbai– was Sir Ratan Tata’s favorite cousin. Naval had documented his genealogy in ‘My Branch of Tata Family’, wherein he had claimed that his great-grandfather Navroji Tata was the second cousin of Jamshedji Tata, but the claim could not be established, owing to which the lineage of his father, Hormusji, remains a mystery.
According to the book, RP Narla, archivist of the Tata Archives in Pune, has confirmed that Naval Tata had prepared the genealogy document, but the archive had no reference to his ancestry, beyond his father. However, the author states that he examined historical records kept by Parsi priests in Navsari, Gujarat, which allegedly established a clear link between Naval Tata and Jamshedji, and proved that the two were related by blood.
“While writing this book, we thought that it would be interesting to dive deep and see where it would lead us, especially because there were many satraps who had tried to run Ratan down in the initial days saying that he was not even a Tata,” a report by the Economic Times quoted Thomas Mathew, the author as saying.
“Finally, after a lot of perseverance and pleading, we were able to unearth the ancestry and establish that both Jamshedji and Naval Tata have a common ancestor in Bhikha Tata,” he claimed.
Tata family lineage and common ancestry
Mathew’s book, citing “original records” of Tata family’s ‘genealogy’ of the Tata, which are under the custody of ‘Bhagarsath’ sect of Parsi priests at the Navsari Atashbehram and Vadi Daremeher Fund, clearly reveal that Bhikha Tata was the common ancestor of Jamshedji Tata and Naval Tata.
The revelation, if proven, makes the late Ratan Tata the only Tata Sons chairman, who was directly related to the founder of the group by blood (paternally) and by association (maternally), the book states.
“In other words, they come from the same blood line, something that is important in family- promoted conglomerates or companies,” Mathew was quoted as saying.
Homi Ranina, a former trustee of Parsi Panchayat back Mathew’s observation, stating that Tata lineage matters to the Parsi community which takes great pride in the Tata name.
“Earlier, Parsis would have eight to ten children, unlike today. The Tata family is from Navsari and Naval was adopted because he shared the same bloodline with with Tatas. Both JRD and Ratan did not have children, but Noel and his family will keep the name and values going,” ET quoted Ranina as saying.
New twist in Ratan Tata and Noel Tata’s family history, new biography reveals…
“We thought it would be interesting to dive deep, especially because some doubted Ratan’s Tata heritage. After years of searching, we confirmed Naval and Jamsetji shared a common ancestor,” Mathew was quoted as saying in the report.
Published: November 4, 2024 11:41 AM IST
Days after Ratan Tata’s death, Noel Tata takes big decision at TCS, set to affect over 40000 people as….
New Delhi: The family legacy of Tata has witnessed an unexpected turn. A recently launched biography reveals a previously undocumented connection between Ratan Tata and his half-brother Noel Tata, both sharing a direct bloodline with Tata Group founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata. The revelation is detailed in Ratan Tata: A Life, authored by retired bureaucrat Thomas Mathew.
Mathew explains the historical records trace back to a shared ancestor named Bhikha Tata, confirming that Naval Tata, the father of Ratan and Noel Tata, is indeed connected by blood to the Tata founder. It is important to note that Naval Tata was adopted in the family and was initially known for his connections through his mother, a direct paternal link had not been established until recently.
As per The Economic Times report, the book also reveals the documents kept with Parsi priests in Navsari, Gujarat, which detail this ancestry. “We thought it would be interesting to dive deep, especially because some doubted Ratan’s Tata heritage. After years of searching, we confirmed Naval and Jamsetji shared a common ancestor,” Mathew was quoted as saying in the report.
The latest information has added a layer to the Tata family’s narrative. It matters, particularly for the Parsi community, where lineage is deeply significant. Homi Ranina, ex-trustee of the Parsi Panchayat, told ET, “A clear Tata lineage matters. Earlier, Parsis had larger families, but today, Noel and his children will carry on the Tata name and values.”