A standing ovation for Ratan Tata

My late husband Vikram and I were in deep awe of Ratan Tata. I was very overwhelmed every time we met him at business forums. But even in such gatherings, I was moved by his warmth and unassuming ways.

We had more opportunities to meet with him after our daughter’s wedding, and learnt much from his simplicity, both in his living and in his thinking. In his humility and his huge commitment to philanthropy.
When he came home for a family dinner, the day before the wedding, he greeted our three dogs just as he greeted the guests. They wagged their tails in return, without their characteristic barks on meeting strangers, whom they always found suspect.


The love they showed him in return was exemplary!

His compassion was a guiding force in his life and work. It’s as if it was born of a metaphysical connection to the universe.

Tata resonated deeply with the ordinary. That was an amazing trait. He inspired deep respect from the masses across. It was iconic. Evident in the emotional outpouring of millions. Respectful, not hysterical or violent. Before, during, and after his funeral.

He lived with that integrity and he departed with it.

The massive expression of the young at his loss, especially strikes me as a sign of a changing India . Who seek role models not just from the fields of popular culture, sport , cinema, but from fields far afield like industry, science, technology, the arts and social service.

Over the coming decades, as India celebrates its milestones on the road to Viksit Bharat, all of us will give Ratan Tata a standing ovation. As one of the architects of Viksit Bharat, and his stellar contribution to it.

The writer is chairperson-MD, Kirloskar Systems