Yesterday Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Naval Tata passed away at the age of 86.He breathed his final at around 11 pm on Wednesday. Ratan Tata was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday night. He died in the hospital itself. And he was suffering from age-related diseases.
Tata’s mortal remains are kept at the National Center for Performing Arts (NCPA) at Nariman Point. Here people can have their last darshan till 4 pm. And his last rites will be performed with state honors this evening.
Biography of Ratan Tata
- Born on 28 December 1937 to Naval and Sunu Tata, Ratan was the great-grandson of Tata Group founder Jamsetji Tata. He is from the Parsi religion. His guardians separated when he was young and he was raised by his grandmother. In 1991, he was made the chairman of Tata Group.
- Ratan Tata’s marriage kept happening. Tata had said that he would have gotten married once when he was in the US. But, his grandmother suddenly called him and at that very moment India’s war with China started. They stuck there and the girl got married.
- He liked to listen to songs from the 60-70s. He utilized to say ‘I would be very satisfied if I may play classical music. I like Shoppen. Symphony also sounds good. Like Beethoven, Tchaikovsky. But I wish I seem play them on the piano myself.
- Tata was also very fond of cars, he had even told about this in an interview that he is very fond of cars. He had said, ‘I am affectionate of both old and new cars. Especially there is a deep interest towards their styling and their mechanisms. That’s why I buy them, so I can read them.
Ratan Tata became the chairman of Tata Groups at the age of 21
- Joined the family business in 1962. Initially he worked on the shop floor of Tata Steel. After this he continuously advanced to management positions. In 1991, J.R.D. Tata stepped down and the command of the group went to Ratan Tata.
- Upon turning 75 in 2012, Tata stepped down from executive functions. During his 21 years, Tata Group’s profits increased 50 times. Most of this revenue came from overseas sales of popular Tata products like Jaguar-Land Rover vehicles and Tetley.
- After leaving the post of chairman, he appointed 44-year-old Cyrus Mistry as his successor. His family was the biggest individual shareholder in the group. However, over the next few years, tensions between Mistry and Tata increased.
- In October 2016, after less than four years, Mistry was removed from Tata’s board with the fullback Ratan Tata. Tata stepped down as chairman until a new successor was named in February 2017.
Tata Group companies
Tata Group was established by Tata in 1868. It was India’s largest multinational company and still is, these 30 companies do their business in 10 different businesses in more than 100 countries of the world. Currently N Chandrasekaran is its chairman.
Tata Sons is the primary investment holding and promoter of Tata companies. 66% of the equity share capital of Tata Sons is held by its charitable trust, which works for education, health, art and culture and livelihood generation.
In 2023-24, the total revenue of all companies of Tata Group was RS 13.86 lakh crore. This is a Tata company that provides employment to more than 10 lakh people. Its products are used in our lives from morning to evening. From drinking Tata tea after waking up in the morning to using Tata Binge service on television, and using countless products made from Tata Steel.
Ratan Tata says that
- ‘The biggest risk is not taking risks’
- ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go a long distance, let’s go together.’
- ‘Take the stones that people throw at you and use them to build a monument.’
- ‘I don’t believe in taking the right decisions. I take decisions and then prove them right.
- Face challenges with patience and perseverance as they are the cornerstone of success.
- ‘The biggest risk is not taking risks. In a rapidly changing world, there is only one strategy that can fail, and that is not taking risks.
Awarded with Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan
Ratan Tata was born in 1937. He joined Tata Group in 1962. In 1991, he was designated Chairman of Tata Sons. The Government of India honored Ratan Tata with the country’s two highest honors, Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan. This honor was given to him for his incomparable contribution in nation building.
Ratan Tata used to donate
Ratan Tata was profoundly included in the Tata Trusts, the group’s philanthropic arm. The Tata Group arm works in sectors such as education, instruction, healthcare and rural development.
Throughout his career, Ratan Tata made it a point that 60-65% of Tata Sons’ dividends be used for charitable causes. Ratan Tata had donated RS 500 crore to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ratan Tata donated $50 million to Harvard Business School to establish a Single Artists Centre. They were read from observation. His contributions have earned him global recognition, further scaling his legacy as a philanthropist and visionary.
