On a sultry afternoon in mid October, the citizens of Mumbai were treated to a thrilling air show of fighter planes, jets, sukhois, MIGs and the Suraya Kirans as they zipped across the skies performing mind boggling twists turns and pirouettes while the crowds cheered from below. The Air Show commemorated two great pioneers of civil and military aviation, JRD Tata and Air Marshall Subroto Mukherjee. It  was to mark the occasion of the birth centenary of JRD Tata and the golden jubilee celebrations of the first head of the Indian Air Force.

Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee was the first Indian citizen to command a flight, a squadron, a station (Kohat) and eventually, the service itself; while JRD Tata was the first Indian civilian  to hold a flying licence.

The year 2004 is also a year of celebration and fond memories for the Tata group of companies as it is also the death centenary of Jamshetji Tata and the birth centenary of  Naval Tata who was the cousin of Jamshetji Tata and went on to become the Chairman of Tata Electric Corporation. The Tata Group of companies is  one of India`s largest conglomerates. Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata founded the Tata Iron and Steel Company in Jamshedpur. It began in the 1860`s and the Tatas pioneered several firsts in the Indian industry.

Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata, popularly known as JRD and Jeh to his friends, was born on July 29 1904 to a Parsi father and a French mother. He spent his childhood in Paris but returned to India when the First World War broke out in 1914.

J.R.D. Tata took over the Chairmanship of Tata at the mere age of 34. He was a college dropout but was an avid reader who educated himself better than any formal institution could have done.

As an industrialist, JRD has been credited with placing Tata on the world industrial map. But that was not his sole achievement. He was a patron of arts, a philanthropist and was an enthusiastic aviator. In fact, it was due to JRD`s efforts that our national carriers, Indian Airlines and Air India came into being. Under JRD`s tutelage, the Tatas became the biggest buyers, promoters and supporters of the art world in India. JRD had varied interests and when he was not working, he preferred to spend his time reading books on aviation, military warfare, motor car racing and even crime fiction and other lighter books.

In 1930 JRD competed in the Aga Khan trophy in which he was the first Indian to fly solo from India to England . JRD took off from Karachi bound for London. He landed at Aboukir Bay in Egypt and found that another contender, Aspy Engineer who was also competeing was stranded in the desert for want of a spark plug. JRD happily lent him a spare one and both continued on their flights. Aspy beat JRD  by a couple of hours . JRD was later heard to say, `I am glad he won, because it helped him get into the Royal Indian Air Force. Later Aspy was to be the second Indian to be the chief of the Indian Air Force.