India’s legendary industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata passed away yesterday on Wednesday, 9 October, at Mumbai Breach Candy Hospital. The 86 year old businessman is the recipient of India’s second highest civilian honour, which is the Padma Vibhushan. He was admitted to the hospital on Monday, to control his blood pressure and was being observed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as he was in critical condition due to his age as well as related medical conditions. India has lost a giant who served the nation at the best and the whole nation is mourning his death.
Ratan Tata Final Rites with Full State Honours
As per latest reports, the Maharashtra Government has announced a State Funeral for Ratan Tata. Ratan Tata’s mortal remains will be kept at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) that is located in South Mumbai from 10.30 am to 4 pm. At 3.30 pm, his last rites will be performed in the Worli area of Mumbai. The Maharashtra government has declared one day of mourning on October 10 in respect of Ratan Tata, followed by which all the government buildings shall have the national flag at half mast and no cultural or entertainment program of the government will be conducted today. Moreover, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has instructed to cremate Ratan Tata in the state ceremony.
Several public figures and renowned entities have poured their condolences including Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. He called Ratan Tata a visionary business leader, a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human being whose contribution went far beyond the boardroom. Furthermore, several others like Amit Shah, Dr Jaishankar, Rahul Gandhi, Anand Mahindra, Gautam Adani, Sundar pichai, Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag, Priyanka Chopra took up to X to write about their deep sadness at the loss of such a kind soul.
Marine Drive road is closed beyond The Oberoi hotel as the police have cordoned off the road leading to NCPA. Union Home minister Amit Shah will attend the funeral of Ratan Tata and represent the Government of India said an official source. ANI has also reported that former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar arrived at Colaba residence of the industrialist to pay his last respects. Ratan Tata’s trusted assistant and closest aide Shantanu Naidu, the youngest general manager at Tata Trust mourned the loss of his dearest friend by saying “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. Goodbye, my dear lighthouse”.
Ratan Tata contributions to Nation
Let’s take a look at some of Ratan Tata’s major contributions to society:
- Ratan Tata’s major contributions to India include the introduction of Tata Nano, the world’s most affordable car which was designed to make cars accessibility to India’s middle class.
- Tata brought Tata salt, India’s first branded iodised salt that promoted better public health which has now become a household name in India.
- Through the Tata trust, Ratan Tata has donated approximately 66% of the Tata Group’s wealth to charitable causes. Which is two-third of the wealth.
- Ratan Tata played a crucial role in expanding Tata Steel globally which later on acquired companies like Corue which led Tata Steel to become one of the World’s Top Steel Producers.
- The acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover from Ford is one of the bold moves made by Ratan Tata. Ford had reportedly insulted Tata when Tata motors attempted to sell its struggling Tata Indica to Ford. Ford had passed a remark saying “why start it when you don’t know anything about the passenger car business”. Ratan Tata humiliated by this, didn’t seal the deal and instead walked out of the meeting. Tata motors refocused and improved Indica which eventually became a success. However, in less than a decade, Tata motors acquired Jaguar Land Rover after Ford went bankrupt. This acquisition enhanced India’s Global business image.
- Ratan Tata played a crucial role in transforming Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) into a Global IT powerhouse creating fast job opportunities which significantly contributed to India’s economic growth and IT exports.
- In the healthcare sector, Ratan Tata led Tata Group’s investment in building World-Class hospitals like Tata Memorial, advancing Cancer research and treatment which further improved quality of healthcare in India.
- Ratan Tata supported multiple social startups as well as innovative projects that focused on providing solutions for the less privileged.
- He backed institutes like Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) to push advancements in scientific research.
Apart from the ones mentioned above, Ratan Tata made several other countless contributions to the society, to the nation and to the world.