Page 4 - sands of time

4 SANDS OF TIME VOL. XVI, ISSUE 3, 2020

NANI A. PAlkhIvAlA - ThE MAN Of All sEAsONs...

FROM THE

From L to R: Nani Palkhivala, Russi Mody and Ratan Tata at the Nani Palkhivala with the TCS, USA team in 1994.
Annual General Meeting of TISCO. Also, seen in the photograph, F.C. Kohli (third from left)
identify and bring on board hundreds of independent
and S. Ramadorai (second from right).

COLLECTION
directors for its fifty manufacturing companies and Nani Palkhivala was closely associated with Tata
Consultancy Services right from the very beginning
hundred associate companies, almost instantaneously. since its establishment in July 1966, when it was called
The massive exercise was led by Nani Palkhivala. This, the “Computer Section” in Tata Sons. He was deeply
and the great taxation expert that he was, given the involved in the discussions, whether it be about the
planning, ensured his meteoric rise through the Tata purchase of the IBM A Computer in 1966 or about the
plethora of tax legislation and the importance of tax
establishment of a separate company for the computer
ranks. He soon became J.R.D.’s trusted lieutenant and unit and services or the question of its accommodation
in the available premises, which was examined by him in
occupied a cabin just next to him. OF THE
consultation with J.D. Choksi.
Nani Palkhivala was a Director on the boards of several When the Tata Computer Centre was set up in 1967, it
leading Tata companies, including, Tata Sons, Tata was decided that the computer services to be provided to
Industries, Tata Steel (TISCO), Tata Motors (TELCO) the Tata group of companies would be the responsibility
and Indian Hotels. He was also the Chairman of the of Tata Services. The computer, the unit record system
TATA CENTRAL ARCHIVES
Executive Committee of Tata Consultancy Services and punch card groups would also be a part of Tata
(TCS) for several years. He successfully guided these Services, providing facilities to the Tata Group of
companies and brought them to premier positions. Companies. It was also decided that a comprehensive
Business and Industrial Consultancy Group would be
formed which would be a division of Tata Sons and
would provide the entire range of specialist and skilled
services for business and industrial management,
both for the Tata Group of Companies and other
organisations. The details of this setup were worked out
by P.M. Agerwala, in consultation with N.A. Palkhivala.
Palkhivala also worked closely with F.C. Kohli,
giving the company a direction and helping it gain
international assignments. Spending time overseas
with Kohli, Palkhivala interacted with customers and
communicated the credibility that TCS brought with the
Tata brand.

Nani Palkhivala was on the boards of the Sir Dorabji
Testing a vehicle during one of his visits to TELCO. Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. He was also the

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