Jayanti P. Datt at her office in Jamshedpur. Picture by Bhola Prasad

For nearly 18 years, she battled it out in a man?s world, winning recognition and grudging respect from her male colleagues.

Dealing with trade union leaders could have been a Herculean task, but Jayanti P. Datt?s firm yet polite attitude made it look like child?s play.

Datt, who is now manager (community services and education), Tata Motors, started her career in the personnel department of the company in 1980. ?I had to deal with practically everyone in the company. From interacting with trade union members to spending some time at the Central Employment Bureau, I have dealt with so many different types of people for 18 long and enriching years.?

?I also did a stint at the company?s security, finance and hospital sections. Interacting with summer trainees further widened my horizon,? she added.

Armed with a personnel management and industrial relations (PMIR) degree from the Xavier?s Institute of Social Service (XISS), Ranchi, Datt had joined the automobile giant as an assistant officer in the personnel department. ?During those days, it was not common practice to appoint a woman to negotiate with union members or interact with committee members. So, it was a challenge for me,? she explains.

?But being a woman helped to a certain extent. The members of the union never took me for granted. Moreover, I always made it a point to be polite but assertive with them. They patiently listened to whatever I had to say and we worked out several contentious issues quite comfortably,? she beams.

That she was popular is evident from the fact that union members still request her to step back into the shoes of personnel officer. ?That was fun and so is this. There is a time for everything I guess,? she adds.

Today, Datt manages four NGOs promoted by Tata Motors. ?Since 1998, I have been with the department and I feel great to be able to reach out to underprivileged people.?

Most of Datt?s time is spent planning welfare projects. Jayanti?s area of work is wide, from managing rural artisans at Gram Vikas Kendra to reaching out to the leprosy patients at the Navjagrat Manav Samaj. From launching the child survival project at Parivar Kalyan Sangh to managing schools under the aegis of the Shiksha Prasar Kendra, Datt has done it all.

Ever since she took over the reins of the community services department, she has tried to involve national and international funding agencies in the implementation of the welfare projects.

?Charity alone cannot support NGOs. Fund mobilisation will have to be strengthened for their successful running. We have tried involving both the state government and the Centre, along with organisations like Care, Unicef and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). They have chipped in with both funds and resources in different projects. I think the welfare projects undertaken in the Potka region is truly commendable.?

Datt is particularly happy with the total sanitation drive undertaken in East Singhbhum by the Gram Vikas Kendra in collaboration with Unicef and SIDA. More than 245 villages in the Potka block have been covered by the water and sanitation project. ?Dorgasai is one village that stands out as it has been fully sanitised. We have constructed proper toilets, installed sanitary pits and provided safe drinking to the villagers.?

Yet another project that is close to her heart is the child survival project launched by the Parivar Kalyan Sangh and Care. ?It is sad that Jharkhand leads in the infant mortality rate. Natal check up and child immunisation have reduced the problem to a certain extent. The high point of the project has been establishing target groups of pregnant women and children below two years. The self-help groups established by us in the villages have been doing a good job. We have been successful till now and hope to gain ground in the years to come? she said.

?Working with leprosy patients and rehabilitating them have been hectic, but it?s a uplifting experience. Sending cured leprosy patients back home is an uphill task. We are working on it and we have even tried to send children of leprosy patients to schools. There have been some initial hiccups. But schools, too, have begun to accept them,? she said.

Even with so much on her plate, Datt has played the perfect homemaker. Married to Arun Samuel Datt, an official with the human resources wing of Tata Steel, Datt is the mother of two.

Her daughter, Smita Jasmine Datt, is working with Canbay in Pune, while son Varun Datt is pursuing a hotel management degree in Bangkok. ?I could not have achieved so much without the support of my family. My husband has been my pillar of strength,? she said.

Today, Datt is busy chalking out different projects for the community services and education department. ?A project on women?s empowerment is definitely on my mind. Since Jharkhand is a predominantly tribal state, a project for their development is also on the cards. I had a privileged upbringing. So the least I can do is to give back something positive to society,? signs of Datt.

Savvy Soumya