I gradually became familiar with the production and politics of steel. I visited all the steel plants in India, getting to know an aspect of the country about which I had no previous knowledge. It did not take long for me to learn that the production of steel depended on the politics of steel. Each plant had several powerful trade unions—the CPI ran one group, the Congress another, the CPI (M) yet another. Discipline was abysmal; punctuality was a casualty. The steel mafia was more than a nuisance. One exception was the Tata Plant at Jamshedpur. There, Russi Mody allowed no trade union
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