On Wednesday, the renowned industrialist and philanthropist, Ratan Tata passed away at the age of 86 in Mumbai. Ratan Tata is well-known for taking India to new heights and for his social work. His demise marks the end of an era and a notable loss for India.
Ratan Tata Biography
Ratan Naval Tata was born on 28 Dec 1936 in Bombay, now Mumbai in a Parsi family, originally from Gujarat. He was born when India was under the rule of Britishers to Naval Tata and Sooni Commissariat. His father Naval Tata was adopted by Ratanji Tata, who was the son of Jamshedji Tata who founded the Tata Group.
When Ratan Tata was 10 years old, his parents got separated, and he was raised & adopted by his grandmother Navabaji Tata. Ratan Tata has siblings as well, his younger brother Jimmy Tata, and half-brother Noel Tata from his father’s second marriage.
Ratan Tata became chairman of Tata Group between 1991 and 2012, and interim chairman between 2016 and 2017. He was awarded the highest Civilian honor in India, Padma Vibhushan, and the second honor Padma Bhushan.
His demise on 09 Oct 2024, followed by his admission to Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai due to deteriorating health in old age. According to the news, he was admitted to the hospital a few days back due to health issues and later moved to the ICU.
Full Name | Ratan Naval Tata |
Age | 86 year |
Date of Birth | 28 December 1937 |
Place of Birth | Bombay, Bombay Province, British India |
Occupation | Industrialist, Former Chairman of Tata Group |
Father | Naval Tata |
Mother | Sooni Commissariat |
Spouse | Never Married |
Predecessor | Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata |
Highest Civilian Honor | Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan |
Death | 09 Oct 2024 |
Ratan Tata Education & Personal Life
Ratan Tata came from a family of philanthropists and is a famous Indian Industrialist who has played an important role in Indian business. He did his schooling at Campion School, Mumbai till 8th grade and continued his high school in Cathedral and John Cannon School in Mumbai and the Bishop Cotton School in Shimla.
After his schooling, he completed his B.S. in Architecture and Structural Engineering at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York in 1961. Later on, he pursued a management program at Harvard Business School. When Tata was studying at Cornell University he became a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity, over the years he has donated the largest amount as an international donor to the University.
Ratan Tata has never married, nor does he have children. As per his interviews, he did fall in love with a girl in LA, but as her family did not allow her to come to India, he remained unmarried as his commitment.
Ratan Tata Career
Ratan Tata joined the Tata group in 1961 and started working on the shop floor of Tata Steel. In 1972 he took the role of manager in the group and achieved success in his role. In 1991, the JRD Tata declared him his successor as he stepped down from the Chairman position of Tata Group. It was a big responsibility for Tata to step into the shoes of JRD Tata, who was known as the Father of Indian Aviation as he founded India’s First Commercial airline.
In starting of his tenure, Tata faced resistance from the Tata Subsidiaries as he invoked new policies such as having subsidiaries report directly to the group office, implementing the retirement age policy, and many more. During his Chairmanship, Tata focussed more on innovation and trusting younger talents. His leadership and business operations have grown the revenue of Tata Group 40 times in 21 years and profit over 50 times.
During his leadership, Tata Tea acquired Tetley, Tata Steel acquired Corus, and Tata Motors acquired Jaguar Land Rover, which put India at the forefront of global business. Ratan Tata is and will always stay a prominent figure in India not only as an industrialist but also for his social work.
Before his demise, his last project was working for the welfare of small animals, he was famous for his love towards animals and his work to make their life better. During his leadership, he invested in strengthening the Indian education system and rural development, he offered the Tata Scholarship Fund at Cornell University for Indian students to support at least 20 students at one time.
Ratan Tata’s Net worth
According to Top Company Leader, Ratan Tata’s net worth is ₹3,800 crore but he never made it to the list of richest billionaires of India. He was known for his charitable work and investing his personal savings in supporting young talent.
After he left the Tata Group and Tata Sons, he invested in many Indian startups, such as Cash Karo, Snapdeal, Ola Cabs, Dospot, and many others.
With the demise of Ratan Tata, India truly lost a gem and kind soul who always worked for the betterment of the country and Indian people. His integrity, business vision, way of living a life, and perspective of life are a lesson for everyone.