[volkman10]

Official statement on the late Mr. Ratan Tata from his beloved family:

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Attachment 2665412


Sayonara Mr. Tata!

This picture says it all.
The loss feels so personal - growing up with Tata salt (iodised), a titan watch when i scored well in class 10, voltas our first ac, 2 generations of Nano cx and twist, currently nexon, tanishq jewellery and countless other TATA products in our lives. He made tata the omnipresent brand it is today.
Not very often, do we get to witness such greatness in our lifetime - we mostly learn about them from history books. Im glad to be part of the generation that got to see this legend in his lifetime.

[mobike008]

The only 2 Indian industrialists that I ever respected was Mr. Ratan Tata and Mr. Azim Premji and both for the same reasons- Simplicity, Visionaries, Making a Difference to the world and most importantly, impact of their work in improving the society.

I had the honor of meeting both of them.

Thanks to Team-BHP, I met Mr. Tata at the Paris Motor Show in 2012 where I was representing us for the Jaguar F-Type launch.

Have met Mr. AHP multiple times and also had lunch with him in a small group and there are several anecdotes that I can share about him (perhaps save it for a new thread), his simplicity and his visions, it just blew me away that such people are still in this world.

Mr. Rata Tata passing away leaves a deep void in our society and hope the current generation industrialists take a leaf out of his way of life and they too make a similar difference to our country.

May he rest in peace. !!!

[romeomidhun]

Rest in peace.

A man of courage. A man of love to the fellow beings. A shining star among the Indian industrialists.

A true indian. A real inspiration.

[visionrider]

Sir thank you for creating an empire that made India. Thank you for telling, showing and setting an example between what is the difference between a businessman and an Industrialist. Thank you for making every Indian know that big dreams can be achieved. May you R.I.P.

[CarCar]

A sadness that is un-understandable, never knew him personally, yet throughout the day tears welled up at every tribute that i came across by so many countrymen today. Except my father's passing, I don't think I felt this sense of loss for anybody, Om Shanthi

The impresssion that he was a good man is over powering... that's all! Farewell Sir
Sir Ratan N Tata (bows down in reverence)

[jayeshdamle]

There are few people in this world, whom you don't know them personally or in any way you are related, but their passing away feels bad and it hits a cord. Sir Ratan Tata is one of those because of whom you always have a feeling that this world is a better place or would be even better due to this person. Felt the same sadness when Major Bipin Rawat passed away a couple of years ago.

I am sure there will be a lot of wagging tails on the other side of the rainbow bridge welcoming their true hero.

[GTO]

Mr. Tata, after your last rites were performed, even the skies were crying last night. Thunderstorms lashed Mumbai hard @ 9 PM:







Thank you for planting the seeds that resulted in Tata Motor's enormous success today . You bid farewell, seeing Tata Motors on a high. While the EVs & Safari / Harrier are special, the Sumo / Sierra / Indica / Nano were truly something else for their time.

Rest in peace, sir.

[BhaskarG]

Thank you Ratan Tata Sir for everything you have done.
I remember his fairly recent initiative in Assam. At the time when we were watching reels of star studded weddings, this was him:



A social media status that someone had shared has a lot of meaning:



What makes it greater is that he had been active in philanthropic activities till 86 years of age. RIP Sir!

[navin_v8]

Reading through this thread moved my heart. It is also surprising to read so many of our members have interacted with Sir Ratan Tata. Goes to show how simple and down to earth he was.

I remember a close family friend of ours who was blind and used to work for Nelco (A Tata Company) during the late 80's and early 90's. He used to say that Ratan Tata was a very good and humble human being. He used to have breakfast with him on many occasions. I was a kid at that time, and it really surprised me that India's biggest industrialist was having breakfast with him. Ratan Tata also helped that uncle set up a shop in Secunderabad after he retired from Nelco and left Bombay. Its hard to imagine that Sir Ratan Tata has touched so many lives in a positive and inspiring way.

His demise is an irreparable loss. Truly, end of an era.

May God Bless his soul. Rest Easy and Rest in Peace Sir Ratan Tata. You did well beyond your capacity.

[sheelRP]

Ratan Tata Sir, a once a generation icon who touched all of us. Such an outpouring of grief by everyone and most importantly, genuine words shows what he meant to our country. Truly remarkable.

RIP sir. May god bless his soul.

[AMG Power]

Ratan Tata..In His Own Words:

“I had a happy childhood, but as my brother & I got older, we faced ragging because of our parent’s divorce, which in those days wasn’t as common. My grandmom brought us up.

"Soon after, when my mother remarried, the boys at school started saying all kinds of things about us. But our grandmother taught us to retain dignity at all costs, a value that’s always stayed with me. It involved walking away from these situations instead of fighting back.

"And if it weren’t for grandmom, I wouldn’t be half the person I am today.

"My father and I couldn’t agree on the same thing – I wanted to go to college in the US, he insisted on UK. I wanted to be an architect, he insisted on me becoming an engineer. If it weren’t for my grandmother, I wouldn’t have ended up at Cornell University in the US. It was because of her that even though I enrolled for mechanical engineering, I switched majors & graduated with a degree in architecture. My father was upset, but I was finally my own, independent person in college & it was my grandmother who taught me that courage to speak up can also be soft.

"After college, I landed a job at an architecture firm in LA, where I worked for 2 years. It was a great time – the weather was beautiful & I loved my job. It was in LA that I fell in love & almost got married. But at the same time I’d made the decision to move back, at least temporarily, since grandmom wasn’t keeping too well. So I came back to visit her & thought that the person I wanted to marry would come to India with me, but because of the 1962 Indo-China war her parent’s weren’t okay with her making the move anymore & the relationship fell apart.

"After the move, I did spend some time with my grandmom. I’d run with my dog, catch up with her & we’d have long chats. I’m glad I got that time with her before she passed, because right after I moved to Jamshedpur for an internship at what’s known as Tata Motors now.
It was a waste of time – I was moved from one department to another & since I was a family member, no one told me what to do – I spent 6 months trying to be ‘useful’.

"It was only after I moved to Tata Steel that I got specific work & my job got interesting. I started from the floor & understood the plight of those working there. So years later, when we downsized Tata Steel from 78,000 to 40,000, we ensured to pay them their present day wages until retirement–it’s been in our DNA to serve those who serve us.

"Then, in 1991, JRD stepped down as the Chairman of Tata Industries and then from Tata Sons, there was vicious criticism.
There were other aspirants, who were vocal of him having made the wrong decision. I had been through this before, so I did what I knew best–maintained silence & focused on proving myself.
The criticism was personal–JRD got clubbed with nepotism & I, as the wrong choice. I was under scrutiny, but the time I spent on the floor served as a big plus – I hadn’t gotten there from nowhere!

"All in all, it was a big move. I remember after I was appointed Chairman, I walked with JRD to his office, where he told his secretary that he had to move out. I said, ‘No, J, don’t move out, this is your office for as long as you want.’ He said, ‘Where will you sit?’ I said, ‘Where I’m sitting today–I have an office down the hall & that’s fine.’

"I was lucky to have him there. He was my greatest mentor & the years that he was alive, I used to go into his office & say, ‘J, I wish this had happened 10 years ago, we have such a great relationship.’ He was like a father & a brother to me & not enough’s been said about that.

"Ever since, my life has been for & about growing the company. When I was appointed Chairman, it was believed my surname got me the position, but my focus was on creating something bigger than us all & on giving back, which has been in the TATA DNA since the start.
With Jamshedpur for instance, while our workers were thriving, the surrounding villages were suffering. It became our goal to uplift their quality of life as well … things like these came naturally to us.

"Even with the Nano – I remember seeing a family of 4 on a bike in the heavy Bombay rain—I wanted to do more for these families who were risking their lives for lack of an alternative. By the time we launched the Nano, our costs were higher, but I’d made a promise & we delivered. Looking back, I’m proud of the car & the decision to go ahead with it.

"That’s what my life has been about—work became a lifestyle. I was always at Bombay House or travelling, that’s why even though I came close to marriage with 2-3 different partners, I couldn’t go through with it because they’d have to adjust to my lifestyle & that didn’t sit right with me.

"Now that I’m retired, that lifestyle has changed again. People ask if I’m truly ‘retired’ & to that I say—there’s no doubt about it. I’m enjoying the separation from the company—I don’t look at newspapers & worry about the bad stuff anymore.

"But let me tell you, retirement isn't about playing golf, or reading on a beach, whilst sipping on a cocktail. In fact, never before has the urge to do more, been greater. From affordable cancer treatment, to making the lives in rural India easier—I’m looking forward to making it happen at the Tata Trust. I’m trying to enjoy myself to be honest— I’m spending time with friends —old & new, across age groups, who I’m constantly learning from.

"At 82, I’m still learning, so when you ask me to give advice, I feel like the ‘right advice’ changes over a period of time—but the one thing that remains unchanged is the desire to do the right thing.

So I’ll say this —leave the advice & do the right thing, even if it isn’t the easiest thing to do. When you look back at your life, that’s what’s going to matter the most. Doing the right thing.

Source: Deccan Herald, HT

[ss11011988]

Absolute gem of a person. He will be missed. Quite a sad day for the Indian automotive industry and for the auto enthusiasts alike.

RIP Sir Ratan, may you live through our memories and may your deeds and legacy continue to pioneer the automotive industry for the years ahead.

[AnAntinspired]

I believe to live amongst dogs is to live amongst gods.

A quick toon I've made to represent what I'm sure his four legged friends would have to say on his passing. By combining CAR with CARE he has left behind lessons on how we could all be a little more responsible while driving to dogs...

[ergon_9700]

Even though like many of us won't be gutted by deaths of celebrities or industrialists, Mr. Tata's death gutted me. I was genuinely shocked when I saw the newspaper with his photo and when I read the headlines. The other person who evoked a similar emotion from me was late playback singer SPB.

Ratan Tata sir's contribution is immense. When I read he was in the Frontlines during the dreaded 26/11 concerned for his employees was enough to convince me that he is the man whom we should emulate. His ethics and concern and how he imbibed his employees with them is a testament of his character.

The Nano even though it was a failure, remined us of his ethics and even more so was his admitting of its failure to penetrate the market.

Om Shanti! Shanti! Shanti!