I often heard mentions of Tata’s and their legacy but knew close to nothing about vastness of their contribution to India’s foundation until I picked up this biography “Beyond the last blue mountain” by R. M. Lala.

After finishing this book I was left in a state of awe and admiration for J. R. D. Tata (Jeh). Its unbelievable that a person can be so humble yet so determined and has such humongous achievements under his belt.

Jeh is such an inspiring personality as he is so driven, action oriented and so good at cutting through noise while thinking clearly. Reading about him instills in you the sense of real patriotism and respect for the sacrifices made and work went into ensuring the freedom that we enjoy today.

What is good for India is good for Tatas.

This is the story of the man who gave aviation, laid out labor ethics, uplifted rural india, pioneered industries in various sectors and groomed so many competent leaders for India. It was not all very breezy, this was the time when government was against industrialization and circumstances were too harsh for businesses.

Author has done a splendid job of capturing details around incidents and phases of J. R. D Tata’s life. He has structured in a way that that brings out Tata’s colorful personality.

In the five years I have spent working on this book I have got to know him intimately. In this short span of time I have been able to see how his sympathies have widened. His sensitivity to other people has sharpened as one year yields to the next. The body weakens as it must, but the spirit shines brighter. And as the evening mellows and the shadows lengthen, somewhere above in the sky, in an invisible Puss Moth, is a voyager still pressing ahead to cross beyond the last blue mountain where a glorious sunset awaits him.
– R. M. Lala

Book covers a bit of Tata’s history, Jeh’s childhood, passion towards aviation, Indian politics, Jeh’s relations, ideologies and his vision for India and her future. Highly recommend reading this book!