By A.K.Srivastava
Dr. R.N. Sharma was born on 15th March 1924 into a noble family. After completing his degree in Mining, he joined Tata Steel in the Mines Division. When the Government of India nationalised coal mines, he was appointed Managing Director of Western Coalfields in Dhanbad by the Ministry of Coal.
Through his untiring efforts, deep devotion to work, and relentless focus on quality production and productivity, he rose to become the Chairman of Coal India. He held a brilliant and highly respected position during his tenure in both the coal industry and the Coal Ministry.
Later, Tata Steel invited him to serve as Advisor to the Managing Director. He subsequently held several key leadership roles including President of Tata Steel, Managing Director of Tinplate, Chairman of TAYO, and other prominent positions.
Dr. Sharma was also a dedicated member of the Lions Club. He served as District Governor in 1969–70, during the time when Bihar and Nepal were part of the same Lions district. He also held multiple Council Chairmanships.
I have known Dr. Sharma since 1961, when I was posted at Dehri MSO (Dalmia Nagar) as part of the industrial extension team. I was close to Dr. M. Pathak, a renowned physician and friend of Jagjivan Ram, then Minister of Railways, Government of India. My association with Mt Jagjivan, where I contributed to social work under Dr. Pathak’s guidance, brought me into familiar contact with Dr. Sharma.
Later, when I was transferred to Jamshedpur and the Lions Club of Adityapur was founded in 1972, Dr. R.N. Sharma was already known for his humility and his passion for serving underprivileged communities. As a charter member of the Lions Club of Adityapur, I came into closer contact with him when he joined Tata Steel. I was an active Lion, moving steadily towards district leadership. With the blessings of Dr. R.N. Sharma and my mentor, the late Narayan Mukherjee, Registrar of XLRI, I had the honor of serving as District Governor in 1987–88.
Since then, I remained under his guidance and mentorship. I was fortunate to attend his 100th birthday celebration at Telco and, today, I had the solemn privilege of attending his funeral rites at Parvati Ghat.
May God bless his soul and grant peace to his loved ones.
In addition to his legacy in Lionism and his association with the Tata Group, Dr. Sharma also served as a National Professor in Human Relations. He was an avid golfer and a devout vegetarian.
(Author is President, Jamshedpur Citizen Forum.)
