During teen age ,one would hear a lot about
three companies or houses rather distinctly : Birla, Bata and Tata. With the
passage of time, Bata has become somewhat non- visible and Birla is playing a
subdued role as compared to some houses that have emerged in last five
decades .
2) Tatas, however, have remained a prominent
group and a force to reckon with not only in country but also abroad.Credit for
it especially over 22 years goes to Ratan Naval Tata(RNT), Chairman Emeritus of
the gigantic group.
Unfortunate Demise
3) Unfortunately, the humble man who donated 102
Billion Dollars to charity(more than Bill Gates & Buffet), breathed his
last on 9th October. Born on 28th December,1937,he was 86.
In the words of Prime Minister," he was a
visionary business leader,a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human
being. He provided stable leadership to one of India's oldest and most
prestigious business houses".
The Israeli P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu too mourned
his death and called him " Proud Son of India."
4)Further, N.Chandrasekharan, Chairman of Tata
Sons said " It is with a profound sense of loss that we bid farewell to
Mr.Ratan Tata, a truly uncommon leader whose immeasurable contributions have
shaped not only Tata Group but also the very fabric of our nation.His
contribution to philanthropy and development of society has touched the lives
of millions."
Jamshedpur Connection
5) Thousands of citizens and employees of Tata
Group at Jamshedpur paid rich tributes to RNT ,who considered Jamshedpur his
"second home." Afterall,he began his career in this town in 1963-64
at TELCO(now Tata Motors). A rare combination of humility and humanity, he
visited Jamshedpur 26 times. Tatas had excellent reputation in this area. A job
seeker would prefer Tatas as opposed to a Government organisation.
Early Life & Education
6)A nephew of JRD Tata, he had an unhappy
childhood as his foster parents got separated rather early.He was ,therefore,
brought up by his Grand Mother.Upon schooling in Mumbai, he completed
Graduation in Architecture & Structural Engineering from Cornell
University.He also secured an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.He was also a
trained pilot who could fly F-16 fighter.
Standing in favour of ethical business, he was
simple, soft spoken and extremely dynamic.He was a legend of modern India and
became the most respected corporate leader.
He could lead 350,000 employees in more than100
countries.
Reforms & Takeover Steps
7)As a successful captain of Indian industry,
not only he strengthened companies of the group in country but also succeeded
in taking over some companies abroad.These were Tetley, Corus, Jaguar- Land
Rover and Brunner Mond. As the British banks declined to provide finance, he
had to rely on Indian banks,such as SBI .In 2004 Tata Motors bought the South
Korean Daewoo Motors commercial vehicle arm for 102 million Dollars. Soon the
company began making dyes for Jaguar, Ford and Toyota. Besides such takeovers,
Tatas supported research on Sustainable Development.
He thought differently as far as ventures inside
India were concerned. His iconic projects in this regard were:Water
Purifier Swach, Indica and Nano cars, Ginger budget hotels, Big Basket and
Westside.
Nano :Common Man's Car
8)He was deeply committed to customer
satisfaction and service.As a philanthropist, he touched the lives of millions
in India. He thought of making cheapest car on seeing a family of
four getting wet in Mumbai rains in 2003.Thus Nano car came into BEING.When
Nano car project moved from West Bengal to Gujarat under compelling
circumstances, RNT did not lose heart. Rather,he fulfilled the promise of
setting up a world class Tata Medical Centre at Kolkata.
Challenges Within
9) His gradual rise to top was not palatable to
top heads of Tata companies : Russy Mody(uncrowned king of Jamshedpur)at TISCO,
Ajit Kerkar at Indian Hotels and Darbari Seth at Tata Chemicals.Besides Nani
Palkhivala too was a force to reckon with.
In addition, he successfully tackled various
challenges that came in the wake of economic liberalisation in the country.In
his opinion, group companies had to work according to changed ethos of 1991
reforms.He succeeded in increasing the share of Tata Sons in Tata Steel by 34%,
in Tata Motors by 36% and in TCS by 72 percent. Tata Motors has now become
market leader in manufacturing electric vehicles.
Setbacks
10) RNT too had to face couple of setbacks
during his career. His dream of manufacturing Nano sparked a political storm in
West Bengal. Later the plant had to be shifted to Gujarat. But frequent
electrical challenges to new car and delay in delivery compelled the
company to finally shelve the project in 2018.
11) Another bitter disagreement within the
group which became public, involved Cyrus Mistry, new Chairman of Tata
Sons. He was accused of failing to turnaround poorly performing businesses. On
the other hand, he accused RNT of interfering and creating an alternative power
centre.He had to be ousted ultimately. In the legal battle that followed, RNT
proved victorious.
Civil Aviation Interests
12) RNT played a vital role in developing Tata
group's aviation interests.When they could not launch an airline of their own
due to red tapism, Air Asia and Vistara, both having foreign collaborations
were supported and pushed forward by them. Ultimately, they took over Air India
when Govt.of India decided to privatize it owing to it's large work force
and mounting losses.
Crisis Management
13)RNT was known for maintaining calm and
fostering decisive leadership during crisis situations. During 26/11 Pak
terrorist attack on Taj Mahal Palace Hotel he personally was present and
focused on ensuring safety of employees and trapped occupants. He energised his
personnel to resume hotel's operations within 21 months.
RNT, A Lonely Man
14) RNT never married. He kept his personal life
private.Nevertheless, once he had deep connection with an American woman while
working in Los Angeles. His Grand mother's illness and Indo- China war of 1962
are reported to have played a spoilsport. Later Simi Grewal, a Hindi film
actress claimed to have been in relationship with him.
RNT, nevertheless, is reported to have admitted
that he longed for a wife and family at times. A pet dog by the name of Goa
gave him company for the last 11 years. Santanu Naidu, one of the youngest
G.M.'s of Tata Group was also seen being close to him for a couple of years.
Last Rites
15) He was cremated with full State honours and
not left at Tower of Silence as per Parsi customs. Lakhs of people offered
floral tributes.It included his officers & employees, family members,
corporate heads, politicians, film stars, social activists etc.
End Of An Era
16)With his departure an era has come to an end.
It would be difficult to find such a polite, unassuming and helpful person with
a
clean heart. A person of deep compassion,
his public persona was larger than life. He had commitment to excellence,
integrity and innovation. Overall, he was a firm believer in ' Action speaks
louder than words'.
17) He once said " Slow success builds
character, fast success builds ego".
When JRD Tata retired, an Air India hoarding in
Mumbai stated:
"TATA DOESNOT MEAN GOOD BYE".
The above message equally applies to Ratan
Naval Tata.
R.I.P.
RATAN TATA: A HUMANITARIAN INDUSTRIALIST
04:15 AM Oct 16, 2024
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