Shantanu Naidu reveals Ratan Tata's two qualities which 'can make you like him'. Watch video

Ratan Tata's millennial manager Shantanu Naidu has revealed two qualities of veteran business tycoon and national icon which he tries to follow. The 30-year-old software engineer, general manager at former Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata's office, in a candid interview spoke about two qualities of Ratan Tata which can help people become like the industrialist.

In an old video with the Mindsetter, Shantanu Naidu says, "One thing is when you are doing acts of kindness, you should do it for people who can do nothing for you. You will always see him doing things for people who can do nothing for him..who cannot return that in any form or favour. Acts of kindness should not have any expectation of any return."

"And the second one I think would be the gravity of promises. One very important thing about Mr Tata is keeping his word or promise. There is no circumstance I have seen him go back on that. However difficult it becomes because of him due to changing circumstances, to keep a particular promise, he will always deliver because he has given his word," he said.



Naidu, who bonded with Ratan Tata over their mutual love for dogs, further added that he tries to follow these lessons but it's very "challenging". "But for him, it comes it with so much ease because he has practiced these all his life," he said.

ALSO READ: When Shantanu Naidu spent his 'half salary' to impress Ratan Tata

Shantanu Naidu-Ratan Tata friendship

Shantanu Naidu in his 2021 memoir "I Came Upon a Lighthouse: A Short Memoir of Life with Ratan Tata, described how he, a young software employee in Pune, became one of Ratan Tata's closest friends. The two bonded over their mutual love and concern for dogs and it was a letter from Shantanu Naidu to Ratan Tata that led to their first meeting.

The memoir also reveals how Naidu tried to imitate Ratan Tata and imbibe some of his best qualities during the time they spent together. In his memoir, Naidu also admitted to spending his half month's salary to buy a shit from the luxury brand- Brooks Brothers- when Ratan Tata invited him for a dinner. He specially purchased a shirt from Brooks Brothers, a brand favoured by Ratan Tata, one he had noticed Tata wearing during their previous meetings.

ALSO READ: Shantanu Naidu's heartfelt post on 'lighthouse' Ratan Tata's death: "Will spend the rest of my life..."

Hours after the news of Ratan Tata's death broke out, Shantanu Naidu, an MBA from Cornell University and founder of the Goodfellows startup, wrote in a post on LinkedIn, "The hole that this friendship has now left with me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to fill. Grief is the price to pay for love."

Shantanu Naidu and Ratan Tata became friends after Naidu wrote to the business icon for funding his start-up and Tata invited him to Mumbai to work together. Naidu became Ratan Tata's assistant and the youngest manager at Tata Trust. Naidu also helped set up Ratan Tata's Instagram account.