{"id":331,"date":"2021-04-21T14:45:50","date_gmt":"2021-04-21T14:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tafe.com\/blog\/?p=331"},"modified":"2026-01-22T10:52:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T10:52:27","slug":"the-tafe-saga-60-years-of-cultivating-the-world-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tafe.com\/blog\/the-tafe-saga-60-years-of-cultivating-the-world-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The TAFE Saga: 60 Years of Cultivating the World"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

This year TAFE celebrates its Diamond Jubilee, 60 glorious years of work and a way of life and work that celebrates values and people first.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

On a cool morning, December 15, 1960 to be precise, Mr. S. Anantharamakrishnan announced at a press conference in Chennai his plans to manufacture tractors and implements at Simpson\u2019s Industrial Estate, starting the Green Revolution \u2013 the mechanization of farming in India.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It is only fitting that we pay tribute to S Anantharamakrishnan, fondly called J and to the people who followed him in taking TAFE to its present leadership position through a spotlight series \u2013 6 in all.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It plots the genesis of TAFE \u2013 the hard work of men and women of TAFE, the pioneering spirit of J, the gentle giant that A Sivasailam was, the gender bender that Mallika Srinivasan proved to be and the story of cultivating a dream that after 60 years is Cultivating the World.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Chronicle 2: The \u2018J\u2019ourney Continues<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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The small hamlet of Alwarkurichi was to give India one of its greatest Industrialist<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Alwarkurichi is a small hamlet in the deep south of India, at the foothills of the Western Ghats. A pristine paddy dotted, mountain lined little paradise where the society was predominantly agricultural and the way of life – simple. There were no overt signs that out of this lesser known hamlet would emerge a colossus, who would put South India on the industrial high table of the world. That man was S. Anantharamakrishnan or \u2018J\u2019 as he was called fondly later in life. He was like the \u2018saaral\u2019.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The \u2018saaral\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Agrarian even today, Azhwarkurichi shaped the values of J. It gave him a ringside view of rural India<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

And like the Saaral, a breezy, gentle, intermittent hide and seek of drizzle and sunshine that is unique to this region, J invigorated, bought newness and freshness to everything he touched. His demeanor with people, his candidness, and his adherence to fair play helped him achieve the heights that he did eventually.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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J came to Madras in the 1930s and for a man from a small village it was remarkable he felt at home in the world of business. Confidence and an open mind to progress remained his hallmark<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Comfortable in the field, inside the boardroom and in the corridors of power, J was impeccable in his sartorial ways or in the way he moved with people.<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Straddling two Indias<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

J\u2019s life can be divided into two phases, the initial years with the British at the helm of affairs in corporate India and the post British, the independent India.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It goes to J\u2019s credit that he straddled both these worlds and rose to be a leader, pioneer and an industrial giant.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

While his natural flair, straightforwardness and inclusive approach earned the trust of the British businessmen, his rootedness that came from his village heritage made him a role model for all Indians. Now everyone could aspire and dream, J\u2019s own life was proof, he gave that confidence.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

J in the first phase of his business life nursed the legacy that the British left in his hands to create, consolidate and build an enduring conglomerate, The Amalgamations Group. Today this group is one of India\u2019s most admired for its consistent adherence to values, the importance of harmonious relationships, inclusiveness and growth which puts fair play, transparency and the good of all at its nucleus and core.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Back to the roots & the green shoots<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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With TAFE, J gave back to his roots by putting farmers and farming into a nation\u2019s consciousness. It was recognizing the farmer as a hero.<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In the second phase, J\u2019s life completed a cycle when he gave wings to TAFE. Agriculture and farming were an intrinsic part of his childhood and he held farmers close to his heart. His passion for agriculture undoubtedly sprang from his formative years spent in Alwarkurichi.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

He had a deep understanding of agriculture\u2019s role as the fulcrum on which a country\u2019s fortunes, livelihood, food security, health and well-being would swing, swivel, and balance as it took strides towards fulfilling its role of cultivating the world. And the TAFE tractors were the vehicles towards this vision.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

TAFE\u2019s foundation stone was laid by J in 1960 with a joint venture manufacturing tie-up with the world\u2019s leading Tractor manufacturer Massey Ferguson. And in the span of a year, the first tractor rolled out of TAFE\u2019s Sembium Factory. \u00a0Today, TAFE has manufacturing bases across the world. Its Dodballapur and \u00a0Madurai factories are benchmarks for manufacturing processes and practices. The joint venture with Massey Ferguson broke all records for successful partnerships and continues today as TAFE celebrates its 60th<\/sup>\u00a0Diamond Jubilee year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n
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TAFE is India\u2019s pride and a true multinational – innovative, pioneering and a consistent proponent of a sustainable world in matters food, farming and the farmer<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A new era unfolds<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

J was at the helm of TAFE for a short period but he laid the foundation for TAFE, explained its mission and vision and put in place the map for the way forward. He lived to see some of TAFE\u2019s early achievements and he would have been proud of where TAFE stands today. How J\u2019s dreams were given shape, built upon to create a world leader with a global footprint is another riveting story involving the growth architect of TAFE – Mr. A Sivasailam.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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A Sivasailam was the real spirit behind TAFE. If J turned on the ignition, Sivasailam made it go places<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year TAFE celebrates its Diamond Jubilee, 60 glorious years of work and a way…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=331"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1249,"href":"https:\/\/www.tafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331\/revisions\/1249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tafe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}