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Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, died at the age of 86 in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday.
Ratan Tata, head of India’s oldest business group, has passed away. He was the honorary chairman of Tata Sons. He breathed his last at the age of 86 at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. He was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday itself. There was also news of his going to the hospital on October 7, but he had posted saying that he was fine and there was nothing to worry about.
Under the leadership of Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awardee Ratan Tata, Tata Group launched the country’s cheapest car and recently bought debt-ridden Air India in a cash deal worth Rs 18,000 crore. Ratan Tata, who was very successful in business, liked simplicity in his personal life and lived in his small flat in Mumbai.
Parents separated in childhood, raised by grandmother
- Born on 28 December 1937 to Naval and Sunu Tata, Ratan was the great-grandson of Tata Group founder Jamsetji Tata. His family belongs to Parsi religion. His parents separated when he was young and he was raised by his grandmother. In 1991, he was made the chairman of Tata Group.
- Ratan Tata got married four times. Tata says that he would have got married once when he was in America. At that very moment his grandmother called him by phone. Due to the outbreak of the India-China war at that time, he could not go back to America. After some time that girl married someone else.
He remained chairman for 21 years, Tata Group’s profit increased 50 times.
- Joined the family business in 1962. Initially he worked on the shop floor of Tata Steel. After this he continuously advanced to management positions. In 1991, J.R.D. Tata stepped down and the command of the group went to Ratan Tata.
- Upon turning 75 in 2012, Tata stepped down from executive functions. During his 21 years, Tata Group’s profits increased 50 times. Most of this revenue came from overseas sales of popular Tata products like Jaguar-Landrover vehicles and Tetley.
- After leaving the post of chairman, he appointed 44-year-old Cyrus Mistry as his successor. His family was the largest individual shareholder in the group. However, over the next few years, tensions between Mistry and Tata increased.
- In October 2016, after less than four years, Mistry was ousted from Tata’s board with the full support of Ratan Tata. Tata stepped down as chairman until a new successor was named in February 2017.
Used to talk less, book lover and fond of cars.
- Tata liked little conversation since childhood. He used to talk only about formal and important things. He was a book lover and loved reading success stories. In an interview, he had said that after retirement he is devoting time to his hobby.
- He liked to listen to songs of 60-70s. He used to say, ‘I would be very satisfied if I could play classical music. I like Shoppen. Symphony also sounds good. I like Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, but I wish I could play them on the piano myself.
- When asked about cars, Tata had said that he is very fond of cars. He had said, ‘I am fond of both old and new cars. Especially there is a deep interest towards their styling and their mechanisms. That’s why I buy them, so I can read them.
He himself drove his friend 50 years younger to him for dinner.
Shantanu Naidu (left) was Ratan Tata’s closest friend. He is the General Manager of Tata Group.
- 30 year old Shantanu Naidu, considered closest to Ratan Tata, had shared many aspects of his personality in a conversation with Bhaskar. Shantanu is the General Manager of Tata Group. He told that I had gone to dinner with Tata.
- He himself drove the car and took me to ‘Thai Pavilion’ in Mumbai. During dinner I asked Tata, when I graduate, will you come to my graduation ceremony? On this Tata said that he will try his best and he also came.
- Shantanu said that I met him for the first time when I was going to America to pursue MBA at Cornell University. Seeing my injury, he jokingly said, ‘Did a dog bite me?’ He immediately apologized and said it was a very bad joke.
Donated Rs 500 crore during COVID-19 pandemic
Ratan Tata was deeply involved in the Tata Trusts, the group’s philanthropic arm. This arm of Tata Group works in sectors like education, healthcare and rural development.
Throughout his career, Ratan Tata made it a point that 60-65% of Tata Sons’ dividends be used for charitable causes. Ratan Tata had donated Rs 500 crore to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ratan Tata donated $50 million to Harvard Business School to establish an executive center. He studied from here. His contributions have earned him respect globally, further enhancing his legacy as a philanthropist and visionary.
3 stories from Ratan’s life
7 pictures of Ratan Tata
Ratan Tata (left) with his brother Jimmy, 1945 photo. While sharing this picture on his Instagram on January 10, 2023, he wrote – Those were happy days.
This photo was taken when Ratan Tata was a student at Cornell University. In his social media post, he wrote that he was excited by the lessons he learned during his time at the university.
JRD Tata appointed Ratan Naval Tata as his successor after leading the group for nearly 50 years.
Ratan Tata photographed during the launch of “India’s first indigenous car, the Tata Indica”.
Ratan Tata with JRD Tata. Ratan Tata used to say about his group – He enjoyed the love and affection he received from both the workers and supervisors there.
On his Instagram page, Ratan Tata has written in detail about this photo – It was taken when he was on leave from college.
Ratan Tata was the first Indian civilian to fly on the F-16. He was the co-pilot of a fighter plane belonging to Block 50 of the US Air Force for about 40 minutes.
Some things about Tata company
Tata Group was established 156 years ago: Its products are a part of our lives from morning to evening.
Tata Group was founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868. It is India’s largest multinational company, its 30 companies do business in 10 different businesses in more than 100 countries of the world. Currently N Chandrasekaran is its chairman.
Tata Sons is the principal investment holding and promoter of Tata companies. 66% of the equity share capital of Tata Sons is held by its charitable trust, which works for education, health, art and culture and livelihood generation.
The total revenue of all Tata Group companies in 2023-24 was Rs 13.86 lakh crore. It provides employment to more than 10 lakh people. Its products are included in our lives from morning to evening. From drinking Tata tea after waking up in the morning to using Tata Binge service on television, and using countless products made from Tata Steel.
Ratan Tata used to say…’The biggest risk is not taking risk’
- ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go long distance, go together.’
- ‘Take the stones that people throw at you and use them to build a monument.’
- ‘I don’t believe in taking right decisions. I take decisions and then prove them right.
- Face challenges with patience and perseverance as they are the cornerstone of success.
- ‘The biggest risk is not taking risks. In a rapidly changing world, there is only one strategy that can fail, and that is not taking risks.
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Who will handle the legacy after Ratan Tata’s departure, now the command of the group is with N Chandrasekaran.
Till now, the highest position in the Tata Group has been held by a member of the Tata family. In such a situation, the question is arising that after Ratan Tata’s departure, who will handle his legacy? At present the command of the group is with N Chandrasekaran. He is not from Tata family. Read full news,
Reaction on Tata’s demise: Adani said – great men never disappear, PM said – was visionary and compassionate
Veterans from every field, from business to politics, have expressed grief over the demise of Ratan Tata. President Draupadi Murmu has expressed his condolences. At the same time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke in detail about his relations and rapprochement with Tata. Read the full news…
