On March 3, 2022, Jamshedpur, known as the Steel City, celebrated its glorious 183rd Founder’s Day with a glittering tribute marking the birth anniversary of the Founder of Tata group, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata. The celebrations commemorate the Founder’s vision, after whom the steel city was named, nearly a century ago. The theme of this year’s celebration was: ‘Life@TataSteel – Build The Tomorrow You Deserve’.
The celebrations commenced with Tata Sons Chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, paying homage to the founder and then inaugurating the illumination of Jubilee Park, on 2nd March, 2022, with a click of the remote. He was accompanied for the inauguration by top executives of Tata group, including CEO and MD, Tata Steel – T V Narendran. This year, though the Founder’s statue and some select locations in Jubilee Park had been illuminated, unlike earlier years, the decorations comprising the were not accessible for public viewing, in adherence to covid protocol. The usual pageantry or floats/ marching contingent organized in front of the Founder’s Statue at Postal Park in Bistupur were also cancelled in view of pandemic restrictions.
Instead of extensively decorating Jubilee Park, the focus was on embellishing historical structures, traffic islands and small parks in the residential areas. Four Solar Trees installed inside Jubilee Park made lighting function energy-neutral for the year. Over 30 landmark spots in the command area of the city, comprising heritage buildings, places of worship and roundabouts donned a glittery look. While illuminations in the Jubilee Park were limited to the statue area, the roundabouts and heritage buildings, which included – Tata Steel UISL office, Tata Workers’ Union, Fire Temple, Railway Station, Tata Main Hospital, Centre for Excellence, Beldih Church, Baptist Church, School of Hope and Tata Pigment Gate, among others – glowed resplendently, drawing a large number of enthusiasts flocking to the colourful islands to take selfies.
An exhibition at Steelenium Hall inside Jamshedpur Works was also inaugurated on March 3, 2022. While the lightings were in place from 2nd – 4th March inside Jubilee Park, the light décor at city landmark points will remain till 6th March, 2022.
On a separate note, the occasion also marked the screening of a seven-minute video on social media, titled ‘Bharat Ratan’, dedicated to the life and service of the Chairman Emeritus, Tata group, Ratan Tata, by an independent group of people. The video shows Air India aircrafts flying back stranded Indian students from war-zone Ukraine to India; images of the Taj Hotel under terrorist siege in Mumbai; medical oxygen cylinders exported on rails for treatment during the pandemic, etc.