Daily Telegraph business section on 5 June published a very readable and constructive report on Tata owner Jaguar by Alan Tovay. It’s 10 years since Tata Motors bought JLR for a huge price of £1.5bn in 2008. It was risky venture as well. JLR made 196,226 cars and a loss of £400mn with a revenue of £5bn.
Ford of USA was relieved to get rid of such a hot potato. British government, foolishly as it appears now, refused even a small support to Tata. But Ratan Tata, the last scion of the founding Tata Family, decided to follow in the footsteps of the pioneering Sir Jamshedji to enter the fray and has done almost a miracle. Last year JLR made 614,309 cars and turn over went 6% up to £25.8bn.
Such statistics surely can make Tata investors, extremely pleased, but so are, normally unpredictable workers of the British auto industry.
Let me quote Des Quinn, national Officer with UNITE, “Ratan delivered a good business plan, saying they were keen to keep steering the same course, learn from what the company was doing right and improve what it wasn’t,” he recalls and added, “But they weren’t going to take over, it was going to be at arms length.”
Ratan Tata and management have done that. This year, JLR is likely to sell more than 700,000 cars. In the past decade JLR has built new plants in U.K., another one in China. They are on the way to build factories in India, Brazil, Slovakia and Austria. Of course JLR have challenges, but they are surely ahead of times. No wonder Tatas with 40,000 employees are the largest in the manufacturing sector of U.K.
Tatas are welcome to Air India
Air India International was launched by JRD Tata. It was well managed by them, but in the “socialistic pattern of society” environment, it was nationalised and ever since it is on the downturn. Modi government like several other appropriate economic measure, decided to sell Air India, either wholly or partly. There are no takers. On the other hand Tatas also has made some overtures of a deal with Air Asia from Malaysia, who are somehow entering rather a sticky wicket because of alleged actions. Ideally Tatas should be approached by PM Narendra Modi, preferably Ratan Tata himself to re-enter the airline industry with the same gusto and professionalism as they have shown with JLR.
India is growing fast in the air travel sector especially in the last 3 years, more particularly. It’s 3 famous Ds- demand, democracy and demography has bright future for a reputable, safe and well managed Air India. Why not to go back to the stable, where it came from?
Doctors out, NHS down
World famous National Health Services has always and now increasing number overseas medics. At the last count there were over 30,000 doctors abroad and the largest number came from India. The present diabolical state of affairs in the health services is predominantly because of the management by government and its appointees. The present Health Secretary is trying his best. Along with the budgetary restraints, his hold back by the dogmatic approach on immigration especially that of our prime minister, who refuses to forget that for 6 years she was at the home office with immigration numbers as her ‘Maha mantra’. Thankfully of late May government has agreed to release additional funds, but inspite of demand of the Professionals, and more and more number of MPs, the prime minister’s resistance towards doctors beyond EU borders was unnecessary and unbecoming to say the least. The world is becoming more interdependent, to sell more goods and services, you need to welcome skilled man power, from near and far. The British government at least since 2010 has been unrealistic in giving over emphasis on immigration. Why carry on doing what is not workable today and possibly tomorrow.
Religion and Politics: Don’t mix chalk and cheese
Both separately are useful in their own ways. Even beneficial. But mix chalk and cheese and you have what is useless and difficult to destroy. In India the Archbishop of Delhi, perhaps inadvertently opened a Pandora’s box (see Asian Voice last week). Two days ago the top church person in Goa have followed on the same track. Very dangerous and divisive fray of bringing religion in politics of India. British split India encouraging religious divide. It is sad, but I believe it’s true. India inspire of its contradictions and challenges, has remained united, democratic and secular to a very large extent. I wish one could say the same thing about Pakistan or even Bangladesh. The finger will always be pointed at the last 4 decades of the British Raj.
In Britain today the scenario is much better but getting slightly murky. One of the tiniest minority in the U.K., Jews, were among the founders, intellectual and otherwise sustainers of the Labour Party. Somehow populism and short term aims have rightly or wrongly (too difficult to say in this short piece), made Labour Party perceived as anti-Semitic. On the other hand, the Conservative party has been accused as islamophobic. This is perhaps going too much over the top. No doubt extremist everywhere must be exposed or discarded, but in an extensive report in Asian Voice this week, we have attempted to illustrate, what can be lightly termed as a storm in a tea cup. I feel relaxed as a Hindu. We have some problems and challenges. Bob Blackman MP, perhaps overzealously, has made some errors but let’s not over react. Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists of Britain belong to an aged old faith tradition, evolved in India, thousands of years ago. These are not religions based on books. They are capable and they have shown to change along the way. Whatever are the cardinal principles of any faith, for Hinduism the journey begins from one thought - “There is one god, the names are different”. Let not religion of any tradition damage or throw dirt on modern Britain- democratic, tolerant (by and large) and multicultural country of ours. Long live Great Britain.
Anand Mela this weekend
This weekend Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar are organising its annual Anand Mela at the Harrow Leisure Centre. The mela, that has various stalls and cultural programme, bring together the community in a celebration. The Mela ticket sales raise funds for a chosen charity, and for last several years, we have raised a lot of money for several worthwhile causes at this mela and also at other events. The health and wellness expo can provide you with some vital health care options. Come and celebrate this summer fest with us on 9th and 10th June.
