Ratan Tata - 1937 - 2024 Om Shanthi

Ratan Tata – Man Extraordinary

Reams have been written and spoken by many, and most are based on their interactions with this great man – so I, who have never met him, can add little except for what I call the WiFi connect with the person and what his name meant. The closest I came to meet him but failed to do so was at the wedding of a friend’s son in December 2015.

The Tata group, 156 years old, was established in 1868, by Jamsetji Tata. It remained a clutch of businesses till 1917 when Tata Sons was created. While Jamsetji and his brother Dorabji were Chairman of the “group” for 36 yrs and 28 yrs respectively, the Tata name became a real group only around 1917.

JRD Tata created the Tata group in the real sense, consolidated it over 53 years and when he died in 1991, it was still a sum of various parts and a group at the same time. During that period, it was essentially Indian, and Tata was not a “brand” in the classical sense. It was more a personal name with Jamsetji & later a “brand” with JRD. They carried the torch and the name, became famous and synonymous with JRD. To me, JRD was the real “brand” with the Tata name. It was JRD who created the foundation of the group, the holding company, the trusts and integrated them to look as a whole – even if they remained fiercely independent as time would tell. Then, JRD was in essence the Tata group.

Ratan Tata built the edifice that is Tata today, the brand, the group, the holding company, and he converted the house of Tata from a business Group into an Indian Institution respected and known globally, in just 21 years. He took the Tata Group from a revenue of 4 Billion dollars to over 100 billion dollars and is today 165 billion dollars. A 25x growth in 21 years is not something very many in global history can claim. If JRD was more idealistic, Ratan combined pragmatism and realpolitik with idealism. The institution he has created, epitomises his value systems which he has managed to embed into the DNA of each group company which is remarkable. Today, the Tata group is the Tata group, and the name Ratan Tata subsumed within. THAT in essence is his greatest contribution and legacy for the next 100 years.

While there are many stories about many a crisis and the face offs that Ratan Tata has had with different governments, politicians, some are worth remembering and I had written a blog on one.

• Air lifting of Tata employees and families from Assam when violence engulfed the state.
• The famous strike spearheaded by Rajan Nair in Pune.
• The Singur agitation by Mamatha Banerjee and his famous quote – “If somebody puts a gun to my head, you either pull the trigger or you take your gun away because I will not move my head.”
• The Mumbai terror attack at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel
• The Cyrus Mistry episode - The Mistry Affair

Ratan kicked the Tata name/brand/business upwards by multiple orbits and anybody who fills his shoes today, will have a Himalayan challenge to match. A brand, consolidation of ownership and a cohesive group have been created and the big question is - what can a new Chairman do to flip the Tata name to yet another orbit. Only time can tell the answer.

The awe, respect, commitment and above all, TRUST & GOODWILL he helped create, with the name Tata, across the general public, is beyond compare as the following will demonstrate.

1. 1983 or so my father wanted to buy a colour TV and while there were well known brands available, he blindly booked a TV from a company that was yet to launch its product – Nelco. His logic? - it’s a Tata company & the Regional Manager chappie he met looked very trustworthy.
2. Around 1998 when there was a nationwide buzz about the launch of the first "Indian" car, branded by the public as Indica, I attended a vendor meet at the Lucas TVS group. The Chairman of the group suddenly walked in during the proceedings and said he had a message to give us. He told the audience that the impending launch of India’s first homemade car by the Tata’s was a matter of pride for the nation and every one of us including his own company must support this historic achievement by doing whatever we could to ensure its success. He said his own company would supply components at cost and requested that every one of us also work in a similar way and it was our collective responsibility to fly the Indian flag high. The applause “surprised” me since rarely if ever, vendors at a vendor meet get excited, since 100% of the time such meets are about customers wanting a discount.
3. Sometime around 2005, I attended an exclusive presentation by Mr. JJ Irani, then MD of Tata Steel to describe how they achieved the goal of lowest cost of production of steel which took well over 10 years and reduced headcount by 50% with huge investments. I asked whether he could have achieved this goal in let’s say 3 years if the labour and other laws in India were like in USA. He became visibly angry, as he told me that they were talking of Human beings and even if they had taken double the time and money, they would still put the welfare of the employees first to retrain and settle them.
4. In 2009, sometime soon after the Mumbai terror attack, I had to suddenly rush to the airport from office to catch a flight and to my chagrin found I had left my wallet behind. The security chap at the entrance was polite but firm – I would not be allowed inside the airport without a ID. As I kept pleading, he suddenly noticed the dog tag around my neck. I was working for a Tata group company, and he looked at it and said – you are working with Tata, you can go in. To this day I cannot fathom what logic he used.
5. Around this same time, I was invited by TCS to bring some overseas experts to review security at their headquarters in Mumbai. As we walked in and were waiting for the lift, which arrived, I suddenly noticed that Mr. S. Ramadorai then Vice Chairman & MD of TCS standing next to me. I immediately invited him to enter the lift first and he firmly but politely told me – “you are the guests, please go in”. We did, only to find that there was no space for him. Flustered, I wondered what to do, when he smiled and said – I can wait.
6. In 2015 or so while on a visit to USA, in a small town, a colleague requested, at literally zero notice, if I could give a short talk to the kids at the school, where her daughter studied as a part of some assignment involving a “foreigner” that her daughter had to do. Clueless what to speak I tried to check what name associated with India the kids had heard, so I could talk on that. The only non- food/animal/monument name they had heard related to India was – Tata. I ended up speaking about the Tata group.

The friend I referred to in the beginning worked closely with Ratan Tata, held board level positions, is credited with scripting the turnaround of Tata Motors and leading global M & A activities. Yet, when you meet him, his wife, they would be the quiet couple blending in any crowd like any of us nondescript folks. The humility, grace, is amazing.

Each of these epitomise to me who and what Ratan Tata was, since finally, it is the leader who sets an example with his behaviour, conduct, grace which is often mirrored by the next line of leaders.

Few may know and fewer still comprehend the contribution of the Tata group in the development of India since most look at them as a business group. They are a business group, yes, but they more importantly built many a foundation of future India long back, even giving away many to the government.

Anything said and written about Ratan Tata, would do little justice to the man, but this closing comment sums it up.

“We didn’t know him, he was just another famous name, but yet, there is a profound feeling of sadness and loss, as if we have lost someone dear to us and for some strange reason, as we read and watch the news, tears form in our eyes”