Naval Godrej

Naval Pirojsha Godrej (1916-1990), fondly known as Naoroji, was born on 3 December 1916. The father of Jamshyd Godrej, the Managing Director & Chairman of Godrej & Boyce, Naval was the youngest son of Pirojsha Burjorji Godrej - an Indian industrialist who was the younger brother of Ardeshir Godrej, the founder of the Godrej Group.

The Godrej Group is celebrating Naval’s Birth Centenary year from 3rd Dec 2016 – 2nd Dec 2017. Driven by the dream of India’s industrial self-reliance, and an ardent believer of Make in India even before the phrase became popular, Naval pioneered the all-Indian manufacture of a number of products including typewriters, machine tools, forklift trucks and refrigerators. A self-taught man, Naval was a mechanical genius. His natural affinity for machines led him to develop the Godrej Tool Room and to initiate the manufacturing of indigenous products that would go on to make Godrej a trustworthy, household name.

He was also instrumental in setting up the Indian Machine Tools Association and established an international exhibition of machine tool manufacturers, IMTEX. He was the President of IMTMA from 1971 to 1973.

It was his forward-thinking and vision that led to Godrej partnering with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). With the expertise of the tool room and Naval’s support, Godrej got its first order to manufacture satellite components from ISRO in 1986 and since then there has been no looking back.

In keeping with the Godrej family’s deep commitment to social welfare Naval played a leading role in setting up the Industrial garden township of Piroshanagar. He also initiated the Foundation for Research in Community Health, the Foundation for Medical Research (that focused on leprosy treatment) and supported hospitals, clinics and schools in Mumbai and elsewhere.

Instrumental in building Godrej into an industrial powerhouse, Naval was truly a giant among men. It has never ceazed to amaze those who knew him, how a man who achieved so much was so little known among his peers. Naval was a celebrity and yet, he wasn’t. The dictionary defines a celebrity as a person of distinction and fame. Naval indeed was a man of distinction but he was also a very private person. He believed in his work, in doing good work. He never gave interviews and speeches and diligently kept out of the spotlight, leaving his elder brother to be the spokesperson. Nobody puts it better than eminent man of letters and jurist Nani Palkhivala who described Naval as- ‘All his life he cared for honour and not about honours.'

In recognition of his service to society and to the nation, he was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 1976.

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