Omkar Dattatray
The passing away of Rattan Tata ,the great industrial leader and philanthropist is an irreparable loss to Indian economy, society and the country at large .His death has created a big void which is difficult to fill. Rattan Tata will be remembered for his valuable and outstanding contributions to India’s economic and social development .He was the tallest leader of corporate social responsibility and had given much importance to business’s responsibility towards society .Rattan Tata was a doyen of industry and a tall philanthropist and his towering socio-economic contribution and honesty and integrity will continue to inspire Indian industrialists and economic leaders .He was in fact an institution in himself and his death is a very big loss to the country and with his death an era has come to end .Rattan Tata has played commendable role in transforming Indian economy and society .Rattan Tata was the son of Naval Tata ,who was adopted by Raranji Tata ,son of Jamshedji Tata ,the founder of the Tata Group .He graduated from Comell University collage of Architecture with a bachelor’s degree in architecture .He joined the Tata Group in 1961starting on the shop floor of Tata Steel .He was born on 28 December 1937 in Bombay ,British India -present day Mumbai & passed away on October 9,2024 at the age of 86 years after a brief illness at Mumbai .His death is mourned by the Industrial circles ,political leaders ,the government and the society at large .He was an Indian businessman who became chairman -1991-2012 & 2016-17 of the Tata Group ,a Mumbai -based conglomerate .He was widely admired not only for his stewardship of the one of the country’s largest conglomerates but also for his personal ethics and philanthropic activities .Tata was regarded as a visionary leader ,and his legacy is one of compassion and innovation that transcends the confines of the corporate realm to impact millions of ordinary lives .In his life time he received two of India’s highest civilian honors -the Padma Vibhushan 2008 & the Padma Bhushan 2000.Rattan Tata was a member of a prominent family of Indian Industrialists and philanthropists ,credited with pioneering much of country’s industrial establishments and practices .His grandfather Jameshdji Tata founded the Tata Group in 1968 -the businesses under this umbrella ,including Tata Steel ,played a key nation building role when India achieved independence from British rule in 1947.The Tata Group was later expanded by Ratan Tata’s uncle J.R.D Tata ,who founded prominent subsidiaries such as Tata Consultancy services ,Tata Motors ,and Tata Salt .Among the pioneering achievements of the Tata Group were the establishment of the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel {1903,Mumbai},India’s first hotel with electricity ,and the founding of Air India -1932 as well as the country’s first indigenous cosmetics brand,Lakme-1952.Rattan Tata became chairman of Tata Sons at a crucial period of India’s growth story -the liberalization of its economy .His ascent was impeded by the stiff resistance from existing senior leadership .He consolidated power by implementing a retirement age policy ,changing reporting structure ,and terminating certain executives .Tata aggressively sought to expand the conglomerate , and increasingly focused on globalizing its businesses .In 2002 the group acquired London -based Tetley Tea for dollar 431.3 million .and in 2004 it purchased the truck -manufacturing operations of south Korea’s Daewoo Motor’s for dollar 102 million .Tata Steel completed the biggest corporate takeover by an Indian company when it acquired the giant Anglo-Dutch Steel manufacturer Corus for dollar 11.3 billion in 2007.The following year Tata oversaw Tata Motor’s purchase of the elite British car brands Jaguar and Land Rover from the Ford Motor company .The dollar 2.3 billion deal marked the largest -ever acquisition by an Indian automotive firm .In December 2012 Tata retired as Chairman of the Tata Group .He briefly served as interim chairman beginning in October 2016 following the ouster of his successor ,Cyrus Mistry .Tata returned to retirement in January 2017 when Natarajan Chandrasekaran was appointed chairman of the Tata Group .Rattan Tata left a legacy of Philanthropy .Tata belonged to the Indian community Known as the Parsis ,followers of the Zoroastrian faith and well known for their public service work .He was greatly admired for his philanthropic interests ,which included supporting research and improvement in the field of education ,medicine ,and rural development .He established and enhanced hospitals and research centers that helped advance cancer care .He was also committed to reducing social and economic inequality .In 2004 the Tata Group announced plans to build India’s first indigenous semiconductor manufacturing facility in the state of Assam ,which generated employment for more than 25,000 local residents .Donations by the Tata Group and the related philanthropic collective called Tata Trusts have led to the establishment of a variety of institutions and scholarships in U.S Universities .These include a biological and physical sciences research facility at the University of California ,San Diego ,and an executive center at Harvard Business School -both are named Tata Hall .An endowment to Cornell University provides financial aid to students from India .A donation from Tata Consultancy Services to Carnegie Mellon University funds research into cognitive systems and autonomous vehicles .The Tata Center of Technology and Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology works on providing solutions to challenges faced by communities that have limited access to electricity ,low income ,and poor literacy .Tata was known for his love of animal ,dogs in particular .Tata advocated for animal welfare all his life .During his life ,Tata invested in over 30 start -ups ,primarily in a personal capacity ,with some through his investment company .Rattan Tata was a supporter of education ,medicine and rural development and considered a leading philanthropist in India .Tata supported University of New South Wales Faculty of Engineering to develop capacitive deionization to provide improved water for challenged areas .In short Rattan N Tata was among India’s respected and loved industrialists ,who took Tata Group to new heights and touched the fabric of the nation through his contributions across different areas including philanthropy .One of the most internationally well-known Indian business leaders ,Rattan Tata was known for his humility and compassion while also his vision ,business acumen ,integrity and ethical leadership .The passing of Rattan Tata ,Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons ,has left significant leadership gap at Tata Trusts .In fact his passing left Indian economy and philanthropy orphaned .It will take many years to fill the void created by his death .It is no exaggeration to say that Rattan Tata was a half business magnate and half saint. May God send many such industrial and social giants so that India will continue its economic and social development .Rattan Tata’s philosophy will continue to inspire the corporate world as well as society. May his soul rest in peace.
(The author is a columnist,
social and KP activist).