The news of Ratan Tata’s passing away has impacted so many of us personally. There is, suddenly, a void in our lives. Because for millions of Indians, he was not just the man who had been Chairman of the Tata group or the leading face of Indian industry. To so many of us, he was much more - a role model, a man we admired for all the values that he represented, a man we loved for all that he gave to the nation at large.
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One of my college professors encapsulated our feelings when he wrote to me this morning – “There are many peaks in the world but there is only one Everest. There are many industrialists in the world but there is only one Ratan.”
Born in 1937 to Soonoo and Naval Tata, Ratan Tata was appointed as Chairman of Tata Sons on 25th March, 1991. He began the transformation of the Tata group at a time when the liberalization of the Indian economy had just begun. Thereafter, for more than two decades, he led the rapid growth and transformation of India’s leading business house. He guided the Group’s trajectory, while remaining a strong protector and guardian of all the values that Tata has stood for, ever since the Group was founded by Jamsetji Tata 156 years ago.
All his actions reflected a deep love for India, an abiding care for the people whom he worked with, and a complete commitment to doing what he believed was right.
Way back in the 1990s, when he announced that Tata Motors would build the first indigenous Indian car, the rest of the industry was sceptical that India could make its own car. Yet he went forward boldly, and led the creation of the Tata Indica, a car that spelt pride in our nation. He later went on to say – “History may say that it failed. Or history may even say that it succeeded. All we know is that we thought of it, and we did it – we produced India’s first car.”
The Tata Finance crisis
A few years later, in 2001, when Tata Finance, a publicly listed company, faced a perilous financial crisis because of improper and bad acts of its management, Ratan Tata stood up and announced that the Tata group would stand behind every single depositor, big or small. Nobody would lose their savings. He followed up on this commitment by ensuring immediate injection of the required funds into Tata Finance. He also ensured that the lapse was addressed squarely and objectively, telling his leadership team: “There is to be no cover up, and the guilty must be punished.”
Later during that decade, he led the globalisation of the Tata group, with a string of acquisitions - such as Tetley, Corus and Jaguar Land Rover – which drove the growth trajectory of the Tata group, and also made the nation proud. In 2008, he launched the Tata Nano, which emerged from an audacious small car project that achieved what was then considered impossible.
When the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai was attacked and set ablaze by terrorists in 2008, Ratan Tata stood outside the hotel for around three days, sharing the agony of the people within the hotel. In the words of his close confidant, late RK Krishna Kumar, Ratan Tata was feeling “helpless, yet determined to endure and to extend a helping hand.”
He also ensured that the Taj reopened in all its glory within a month of this attack. Speaking on this occasion, he said, “By opening the Taj tower block today…we will have sent a message that resonates strongly among us – that we can be hurt but we cannot be knocked down. The Taj will stand for another hundred years, and will stand as a tribute to the tenacity of our people.”
Indeed, his tenacity and determination were legendary. As was his deep resolve to contribute to the nation at large. As Chairman of the Tata Trusts, he led many philanthropic initiatives, foremost amongst which was the fight against cancer. The Trusts, under his leadership, have spearheaded the creation of several cancer care centres and hospitals across the country.
Grace and humility
In 1987, when, fresh out of college, I was selected to join the Tata Administrative Service, Ratan Tata was on the committee that interviewed me at Bombay House, the headquarters of the Group. This was a formidable committee, and I still recall that he went out of his way to put me at ease during that interaction. Thereafter, I have had the opportunity to interact with him a few times during my career with the Tata group, and I have always come away struck by his grace, humility and thoughtfulness. When you spoke to him, you instinctively knew that he cared. That is why he is not just admired and adored, but deeply loved.
Rest in peace, Sir. We will miss you very much. We will strive to always live by the ideals you have espoused. We will always love you, and fondly remember you until the end of time.
(Harish Bhat is an Advisor and Director at the Tata group. He was previously the Brand Custodian at Tata Sons)