An exploration into the building of the nation-state of India and the role of that corporate philanthropy of the Tata Foundation provides fresh illumination to our American situation.
"What is the relationship between corporate philanthropy and the modern nation-state? Or, to put it another way, what kind of infrastructure does a nation need, and under what conditions do private corporations provide it? India offers a rich, yet little explored, historical terrain to consider these questions. Whereas in the United States the past, present, and future of corporate philanthropy is often told with reference to the names of Carnegie, Ford, Rockefeller, and Gates, in India one name stands above all others: Tata.
"Tata has long been India’s largest and most powerful corporation, its interests ranging from steel to automobiles, aviation, chemicals, hydroelectric power, information technology and consulting. In parallel, the Tata Trusts, established by founder Jamsetji Tata’s sons in the early twentieth century, supported India’s first higher education institute dedicated to science and technology, first professional school of social science, first specialized cancer hospital, and an Institute of Fundamental Research that served as the cradle of India’s atomic program. No account of the making of modern India is complete without understanding the role played by Tata."--Mircea Raianau, HistPhil
