Memorials

(Late) Mr. Naval H. Tata
Founder Chairman

Naval H. Tata was born in Bombay in 1904. He graduated from Bombay University in Economics and proceeded to London for a course in Accountancy. On his return to India in 1930, he joined the Tata Organization in very junior positions.

After several promotions, over the years he becomes Chairman of the textile group, the three electric companies, as well as Deputy Chairman of Tata Sons Ltd.

The activities of Naval Tata were not confined to the companies he was associated with. His interests covered a much wider field, notably Labour relations which in those days occupied a very important part in the industrial life of the nation. As President of the Employers Federation of India and as a member of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation, he took a leading role in industrial relations. He was also a very keen student of world affairs and took part in a number of meetings at the United Nations in New York.

He also contributed to sports, notably hockey and was President of the Indian Hockey Association for a number of years.

Among the many activities he was associated with in social, educational and welfare fields, the Indian Cancer Society was of a very special interest to him. In 1951 he became its Founder Chairman, a post he held till his death in 1989, involving himself deeply in the working of the organization and securing it financial position at every step. The irony is that cancer also took away his life.

Naval Tata was known for the kindness he showed to all those he met, his affability, his broadmindedness and his high moral values which never wavered.

(Late) Dr. D. J. Jussawalla
M.S., F.R.C.S., F.A.C.S.,
F.A.M.S., F.N.A., F.A.Sc.
Founder Director of the Institute

Dr. D. J. Jussawalla born on 13th April 1915, started his career as a Cancer Surgeon from 1948 when he was appointed at the Tata Memorial Hospital. He was one of the Founder Cancer Surgeons of the country and made his name as a Radical Surgeon and mastered the techniques of all extensive major operations.

He was a visionary and opened many other avenues of Cancer besides it's therapy. To help the poor and under privileged cancer patients, he founded the Indian Cancer Society in 1951. He nurtured and expanded it's activities during the next over 48 years by establishing Cancer Detection Centres, Population Based Cancer Registry (1963) and a full-fledged Cancer Rehabilitation Centre (1968). He was the first to establish a Department of Cytology and a Department of Chemotherapy in India at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai in 1956. He also started the Indian Journal of Cancer (1963) and the Indian Association of Oncologists (1977).

He was associated actively with UICC from 1954 and also with WHO. He worked with these prestigious organisations in various capacities.

He became the Director of the Tata Memorial Centre in 1973 and served in that capacity for 7 years. During this period, he undertook expansion of the Centre and introduced Regional Specialisation in Surgical Oncology.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions in the field of Cancer in India, he was honoured with many national awards including 'Padmabhushan'.

He was Advisor to multiple Cancer Organisations and Hospitals in India besides being an active Member of many National and International Associations connected with Cancer. He was also President of some of these Associations.

He was Professor of Oncology at the Bombay University and during his life time trained many surgeons who have dissipated the expertise in cancer surgery across the country.

He had multiple publications to his credit in National and International Journals.

Inspite of his exceptionally outstanding achievements, he remained a humble human being all along. As a person, he was most soft spoken, very humane and particularly kind and considerate to poor and under privileged patients. Out of his deep concern for their welfare, he created multiple facilities to provide them with free food, medicine and shelter.

He established the Lady Ratan Tata Medical & Research Centre in 1984, which is also the National Headquarters of the Indian Cancer Society. He remained Director of this Centre till his end.

In the Indian context, he was a pioneer in the field of Cancer and worked relentlessly to initiate newer avenues and left behind a great legacy for others to emulate and draw inspiration.

He breathed his last on 29th January, 1999 after a brief illness.