Ratan Tata’s funeral was held with full state honours
#News Bureau October 10,2024
Veteran industrialist and honorary chairman of Tata Sons Ratan Tata was cremated with full state honours on Wednesday evening. Ratan Tata died on Wednesday night. He was 86 years old. 86-year-old Tata breathed his last at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has proposed that Tata be awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously. This proposal, approved at the state level, will be sent to the central government. Veteran business leader and chairman of Tata Sons For crores of Indians, whether rich or poor, if Tata means ‘salt of the country’, then there should be no hesitation in calling Ratan Naval Tata ‘chamak of the country’. A quiet, inspiring leader, Ratan Tata molded the Tata Group in his image over the past several decades as it expanded the scope of business from salt to steel, software to automobiles and aviation. The Tata Group, which established its trust among Indians, also became a corporate giant. It was the public who was marketing it. Ratan Tata took that trust to new heights.
Ratan Tata had all the qualities. He was an industrialist under whose leadership Tata Group’s revenue grew 40 times. He was an entrepreneur who invested in a large number of start-ups. He was also a trained pilot who flew F16. He was also a philanthropist who led the construction of Tata’s cancer hospitals.
He became the chairman of Tata Sons, the parent company of the Tata Group, in 1991 and led it till 2012. Since then, he remained chairman emeritus. Born on December 28, 1937 in Mumbai, Ratan Tata was the first to head one of India’s largest conglomerates, Tata Sons. He was the son of Naval Tata and Sooni Tata. Naval Tata was adopted by the family of Ratanji Tata, son of Tata Group founder Jamsetji Tata, at the age of 13.
Ratan Tata was just 10 years old when Naval and Sooni got married and separated and was raised by his grandmother and Ratanji Tata’s widow Navajbai Tata. Ratan Tata received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Cornell University in 1962.
According to a 2008 report in The Guardian, “America held a special fascination for the young Ratan Tata. He studied architecture at Cornell University and travelled across the US, even washing dishes in hotels.” “Ratan Tata admitted he fell in love with a young woman in the US,” the report said.
He worked briefly with Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles and returned to India in late 1962. He studied higher management at Harvard Business School in 1975.
After returning to India, he joined Tata Steel, where he worked his way up to the shop floor and then became chairman in 1991. It was under Ratan Tata’s leadership that the brand’s telecommunications business, Tata Teleservices, was set up in 1996. Then came Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in 2004. Under Ratan Tata, the Tata Group acquired Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Anglo-Dutch steel maker Corus, giving the Tata Group a global image. The acquisition of British beverage maker Tetley was one of the first major international acquisitions made by an Indian company. With this, the Tata Group became a global competitor. The JLR acquisition made Tata a global automotive player. Then came the deal with a US company to manufacture fighter jet F16 in India.
Ratan Tata was passionate about cars. According to The Guardian, “He didn’t drink or smoke. But he did like to drive fast cars, fly jets and race his speedboats around Mumbai’s harbour on weekends. He thought every Indian should be able to afford a car. That’s why Tata Motors launched the Nano, the world’s cheapest car, in 2008 at a price of Rs 1 lakh
Prime Minister Modi said, “Ratan Tata ji was a visionary business leader, a kind soul and an extraordinary human being. He provided stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses. At the same time, his contributions went far beyond the boardroom. He was beloved by many for his humility, kindness and unwavering commitment to improving our society.”
