Beyond The Last Blue Mountain - RM Lala

Written with J.R.D. Tata’s co-operation, this superb biography tells the JRD story from his birth to 1993, the year in which he died in Switzerland. Divided into four parts, the book explores all the most important aspects of JRD’s life. Part I deals with the early years, from JRD’s birth in France in 1904 to his accession to the chairmanship of Tatas, India’s largest industrial conglomerate, at the age of thirty-four. Part II looks at his forty-six years in Indian aviation (the lasting passion of JRD’s life) which led to the initiation of the Indian aviation industry and its development into one of India’s success stories. Part III illuminates his half-century-long stint as the outstanding personality of the Indian industry. And Part IV unearths hitherto unknown details about the private man and the public figure, including glimpses of his long friendships with people, such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and his association with celebrities in India and abroad.

Russi M. Lal started his career in journalism in 1948 at the age of nineteen. In 1959, he became the manager of the first Indian book publishing house in London and in 1964 he founded (with Rajmohan Gandhi) Himmat Weekly, which he edited for a decade. His first book, The Creation of Wealth, was published to critical and commercial acclaim in 1981. This was followed by other books, including Beyond the Last Blue Mountain: A Life of J.R.D Tata (1992), Celebration of the Cells: Letters from a Cancer Survivor (1999) and A Touch of Greatness: Encounters with the Eminent (2001). R.M. Lala’s books have been translated into several languages, including Japanese. He was the director of Tata’s premier trust, Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, for eighteen years, as well as the co-founder and chairman of the Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy.