The iconic former chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata, passed away last night at 86 in a Mumbai hospital and thus ended a remarkable chapter in India’s industrial history. His vision and lifetime contributions to business and philanthropy have truly left their marks on the nation and the world over. The late Tata has been so valuable in the business world and society due to his vision for the two. Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran authorized it and confirmed that Ratan Tata said, “He was a friend, a mentor, and a guide.” The circumstances that led to his death were not clear, but Tata was admitted to the hospital this week for routine age check-ups.
Tata’s death was seen as the end of the dinosaur age of the Indian business magnates. He was honoured because of the position he had occupied in one of the oldest conglomerates of India, which was well respected for its business standard. People have also seen his simplicity, kindness, and philanthropy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was a visionist leader whose impact transcended corporate boardrooms. Modi said, “Tata’s leadership gave stability to the Tata Group, but his personal qualities endeared him to millions.” He emphasized Tata’s “unwavering commitment to making society better,” recognizing his extensive charitable work.
Other business leaders from the rest of the world also sent tributes. Sundar Pichai of Google described Tata as an exemplary businessman and philanthropist, a superb business mind, and concluded Tata will be much missed because of his role in forming modern Indian leadership. Pichai reminisced about meetings with Tata on one specific occasion to discuss innovations like Waymo and showed gratitude for how much Tata envisioned for India’s future.
The chairman of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani, called it unbelievable not only for the Tata concern but for the country as a whole. Anand Mahindra, who is the chairman of Mahindra Group, has fed the same sentiment, saying that Tata’s business mantle will serve as a muse to generations of business leaders.
Tata has continuously made a significant impact in the Indian industry throughout his life. Tata Group is a holding company of almost 100 Tata enterprises which include Tata Motors Ltd, Tata Steel Limited, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, etc. Most importantly, during his tenure, he internationalized the conglomerate with the purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008 for $2.3 billion.
Tata’s forward vision extended far beyond the industry since he led the re-entry of Tata into commercial aviation as he bought state-owned Air India in 2021 and merged it with Vistara, a joint venture with Singapore Airlines.
Tata’s thinking most probably underwent a revolution due to the launch of the Tata Nano in 2009. The much-desired “People’s Car” was made for affordable, safe transport among middle and lower-middle-income families. Though it was officially declared as a milestone in automobile engineering, the vehicle was a commercial failure and the venture discontinued production in 2018. But Tata’s vision to bring such technology to the everyday consumer stayed at the forefront of his management.
Born in the Tata clan, he graduated in architecture from Cornell University and joined the Tata Group way back in 1961. He succeeded J.R.D. Tata was chairman in 1991 and led the conglomerate for over two decades, wherein it bloomed to become a global powerhouse. He retired as a chairman in 2012 but briefly returned to the company in 2016 after the controversy surrounding Cyrus Mistry’s controversial exit. Tata left permanently in 2017 when Chandrasekaran took over as the chairman.
Ratan Tata’s legacy will live far beyond the companies he helped create and through philanthropy and his contribution to India’s socio-economic development; his humility and vision transformed the business landscape into a figure that all Indians have ever loved in modern Indian history.
