OREANDA-NEWS. October 7, 2011. Tata Steel, in a move to  reaffirm its commitment to its long standing Values, collaborated with the  O.V.A.L. Trust to formally dedicate the 'Charkha' to the Nation, on the  occasion of the birth date of Mahatma Gandhi, 02nd October, 2011.

A 30ft high steel  structure, spiraling into the air, the ‘Charkha’ has been erected at the Cross  Maidan Garden (Churchgate side). The Garden is between the Churchgate  Station and the business hub of Flora Fountain through which area thousands of  commuters pass.  This makes it accessible to vast numbers of people, as it  is in a public recreation ground. The Charkha is an award winning sculpture  designed by architect Nuru Karim for the architectural and engineering design  competition, the ‘Notions of India’.

This competition was  conceptualized by leading brand of Tata Steel – Tata Structura – and I&B  (Indian Architect and Builder), to create an icon for India that would express  its contemporary dynamism while holding steadfast to its values and ideals.

The unveiling of the  Charkha was done by Mr R K Krishna Kumar, Director, Tata Sons, in the presence  of Mr B Muthuraman, Vice Chairman, Tata Steel , Mr H M Nerurkar, Managing  Director, Tata Steel along with the Trustees of the O.V.A.L. Trust, Ms Shirin  Bharucha and Ms Nayana Kathpalia.

Mr. R K Krishna Kumar,  Director Tata Sons on the eve of the unveiling of the Charka said “The idea of India as a ‘Happy and Free  nation’ is no longer a dream. Today’s youth is an observer of new energy,  dedication and enthusiasm and the Charkha is a symbol to that very relevant  symbolical generation.”

Mr. H.M Nerurkar, Managing Director, Tata Steel Ltd. said  that “the Charkha is a constant source  of inspiration and it is the symbolic identity of contemporary India. Tata  is the foundation of corporate culture and serving the community and ‘Be the  change’ is Tata’s way of doing things.”

The ‘Notions of India’  competition provided a space for the architecture and engineering fraternity to  give expression to their creative and innovative ideas that inspired and  symbolized the essence of contemporary India.

The ‘Charkha’, by Nuru  Karim was selected as the winning entry from over 120 entries involving a  three-stage stringent appraisal and a final review by the Master Jury.

For Mahatma Gandhi, the  charkha symbolised nonviolence and epitomized the spirit of liberation. The  design of the Charkha is complex in its simplicity. Its spiral trajectory is  analogous to the spirit of the spinning wheel; its multiple sections mirroring  the incredible spectrum of social and cultural aspects of our country.

Tata Steel's Tubes SBU  took up the challenge of fabricating the multiple facets of the sculpture  consisting of steel hollow sections (Tata Structura) of varying dimensions. The  steel facets have been configured to Nuru Karim's design of the Charkha to  perfection by Sushil Singh of Sewri Engineering Pvt. Ltd.

Established in 1907 as  Asia's first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel Group is  amongst the leading steel manufacturers in the world with an annual crude steel  capacity of over 28 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). It is now the world's  second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26  countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Tata Steel Group,  with a turnover of USD  26.64 billion in FY '11, has over 81,000 employees  across five continents and is a Fortune 500 company. The Group’s vision is to  be the world’s steel industry benchmark in “Value Creation” and “Corporate  Citizenship” through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and  overall conduct.

Underpinning this vision  is a performance culture committed to aspiration targets, safety and social  responsibility, continuous improvement, openness and transparency. In 2008,  Tata Steel India became the first integrated steel plant in the world, outside  Japan, to be awarded the Deming Application Prize 2008 for excellence in Total  Quality Management.

Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur  works produces hot and cold rolled coils and sheets, galvanized sheets, tubes,  wire rods and construction rebars. To differentiate the premium quality steel  products and 'decommoditise' steel, Tata Steel has introduced several brands in  its Flat, Long, Tubes & Wire Product segments. The Company has introduced  brands such as Tata Structura & Tata Pipes in Tubes, Tata Tiscon in Long  products, Tata Steelium, Tata Shaktee & Galvano in Flat products and Tata  Wiron in Wire products. Besides this, TATA Agrico, a division of Tata Steel, is  the pioneer manufacturer of superior quality agricultural hand tools and implements  in the country since 1925.

Tata Structura steel hollow sections provide  better compressive strength than the traditional open structurals because of  their lower slenderness ratio and higher yield strength.