Tata Salt’s ‘Maine Desh Ka Namak Khaya Hai’ Campaign recites ‘The Tale of India’s inspiring Heroes’

~ Tata Salt & actor Priyanka Chopra felicitate Shravani Pawar from Hubli for her innovative enterprise – ‘Safe Hands’ ~

Hubli, September 12th, 2014: India’s relationship with salt colors its rich history and in particular, its relationship with Tata Salt is illustrated by the “Desh Ka Namak” campaign that was launched in 2002. The local idiom that refers to the values of loyalty and integrity, which people associate with salt, has been embraced by Tata Salt.

“Maine Desh ka Namak Khaya Hai” the latest campaign featuring boxer, MC Mary Kom, is a continued expression of the brand’s faith in the people of India who manifest these values. Mary Kom founded a boxing academy to train youngsters who have gone to become state and national champions. The Campaign celebrated five similarly committed individuals who have risen against all odds and gone beyond their own success to contribute to nation building in their own areas of work.

Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan, Director, & Vice Chairman, , along with actress Priyanka Chopra who plays reel-life Mary Kom in her recent movie, felicitated these heroes. All the five individuals felicitated shared a common thread with Tata Salt’s mission and that is the strong desire of making a difference to the society. One thing that all the five winners have in common is extra-ordinary willpower coupled with a strong desire for change. Ms. Shravani Pawar from Hubli, Karnataka, was one of five inspirational icons who was felicitated by Tata Salt. Ms. Pawar with her initiative ‘Safe Hands’, is shifting the women and work paradigm by training women-only security task forces. Started in 2009 with an objective of creating permanent livelihood for rural women, ‘Safe Hands’ aims at providing employment opportunities to women in an area that has always been dominated by men. Today, the initiative employs nearly 400 people and provides service to 48 clients in Karnataka. The others that were felicitated by Tata Salt were Chetna Sinha from Mhaswad, Satara district in Maharashtra; Subhashini Mistry from Hanspukur, West Bengal; Meera Badve from Pune, Maharashtra, and Akshay Saxena and Krishna Ramkumar from & Delhi. “Integrity and loyalty are core values of Tata Salt or Desh Ka Namak that derives its strength from the ethos of building the community we live in. The stories of people like Mary Kom and Tata Salt’s celebrated icons inspire us to come forward and do our bit for the society. It is very important to acknowledge and highlight the efforts of these people. I am touched by these stories,” said Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan, Vice – Chairman, Tata Chemicals, expressing his pleasure on meeting the inspiring heroes.

Delighted to introduce the nation’s little known heroes identified through Tata Salt’s ‘Maine Desh Ka Namak Khaya Hai’ campaign, Ms. Richa Arora, COO – Consumer Product Business, Tata Chemicals said,

“Tata Salt is “Desh ka namak” because 600 mn Indians have demonstrated their faith in Tata salt and through the ‘Maine Desh Ka Namak Khaya Hai’ campaign, we are proud to honor some of the real Indians who have become inspiring icons for their remarkable work for the nation.”

On her association with this effort by Tata Salt, campaign ambassador Mary Kom, five-time world boxing champion, Olympic winner and an inspiration herself, expressed her delight, “The Tata Salt campaign honors everyday heroes in our society and I can relate to their stories of achieving their dreams through sheer hard work and determination, and striving to contribute to the nation.”

‘Maine Desh Ka Namak Khaya Hai’ Campaign is a call-of-action to all Indians to bring about a change or make a difference to the society through living the values of honesty and integrity, and to lead by examples like Tata Salt’s now celebrated heroes.

About Tata Chemicals A part of the over US$ 100 billion Tata Group, Tata Chemicals Limited, in its 75th year, is a global company with interests in businesses that focus on LIFE —Living, Industrial and Farm Essentials. The story of the company is about harnessing the fruits of science for goals that go beyond business.

TCL is a global company with interests in businesses that focus on LIFE —Living, Industrial and Farm Essentials. The story of the company is about harnessing the fruits of science for goals that go beyond business.

Through its Living Essentials portfolio the company has positively impacted the lives of millions of Indians. Tata Chemicals is the pioneer and market leader in India’s branded Iodised salt segment. With the introduction of an innovative, low-cost, nanotechnology based water purifier; it is providing affordable, safe drinking water to the masses. Extending its portfolio from salt to other food essentials, TCL unveiled India’s first national brand of pulses in 2010. Tata Chemicals has been rated as one of the top 10% in Business and Consumer brands across all industry and consumer brand categories in India by Superbrands.

The company’s Industry Essentials product range provides key ingredients to some of the world’s largest manufacturers of glass, detergents and other industrial products. Tata Chemicals currently is the world’s second largest producer of soda ash with manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. Starting April 1st 2011, these key international subsidiaries have been rebranded as Limited (TCE), Tata Chemicals Magadi Limited (TCM), Tata Chemicals South Africa Pty Limited, Tata Chemicals North America Inc. (TCNA), and Tata Chemicals (Soda Ash) partners (TCSAP).

With its Farming Essentials portfolio the company has carved a niche in India as a crop nutrients provider. It is a leading manufacturer of urea and phosphatic fertilizers and, through its subsidiary Rallis, has a strong position in the crop protection business.

The Tata Chemicals Innovation Centre is home to world class R&D capabilities in the emerging areas of nanotechnology and biotechnology. The company’s Centre for Agri-Solutions and Technology provides advice on farming solutions and crop nutrition practices.

The company has also entered into a joint venture with Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory Ltd. Singapore (JOiL) to develop jathropa seedlings to enable bio fuels capability.

For more information please contact:

Keya Muriya Mehak Kapur/Sneha Dev Tata Chemicals Ltd. Rediffusion/ Edelman Tel: 022-66437400 9910039670 / 9958000706 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]