Veteran industrialist and Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus, Ratan Tata, passed away at the age of 86 on Wednesday night. He was hospitalized at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital since Monday following a sudden drop in blood pressure and was in critical condition in the ICU.
In an official statement, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran described Ratan Tata as a “truly exceptional leader,” whose vast contributions not only shaped the Tata Group but also had a significant impact on the nation’s development.
Chandrasekaran added that Tata was much more than a chairperson to the group, referring to him as a “mentor, guide, and friend.”
How The 1962 Indo-China War Changed Ratan Tata’s Marriage Plans?
In an earlier interview with Humans of Bombay, Ratan Tata shared some lesser-known stories from his life, focusing on his college days and his relationships with his grandmother and father. The Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons revealed that he once fell in love in Los Angeles and nearly got married, but the relationship ended.
“It was in LA that I fell in love and almost got married. But at the same time, I had made the decision to move back, at least temporarily, since I had been away from my grandmother, who wasn’t keeping too well, for almost seven years,” revealed Tata in Part 1 of the interview series.
He added, “So I came back to visit her and thought that the person I wanted to marry would come to India with me, but because of the 1962 Indo-China war, her parents weren’t okay with her making the move anymore, and the relationship fell apart.”
When Ratan Tata Experienced A Fair Bit Of Ragging
Reflecting on his childhood, Tata said he had a happy upbringing but faced challenges due to his parents’ divorce, which was uncommon at the time. He and his brother experienced “a fair bit of ragging and personal discomfort.”
After their mother remarried, classmates made hurtful remarks, but their grandmother taught them to maintain their dignity.
Tata also spoke about his relationship with his father, noting that they often had differing views on his education and career choices.
“I wanted to learn to play the violin, my father insisted on the piano. I wanted to go to college in the US, he insisted on the UK. I wanted to be an architect, he insisted on me becoming an engineer. If it weren’t for my grandmother, I wouldn’t have ended up at Cornell University in the US,” he said.
He added that when he switched majors from mechanical engineering to architecture, it upset his father.
Since its publication, the Humans of Bombay post has gone viral, gathering over 22,000 reactions, 1,200 comments, and 2,300 shares within just a day.
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