I was saddened to hear about the passing of Mr Ratan Tata, the former chairman of the Tata group, an industrialist & philanthropist. Just like his name, Ratan (meaning Gem), he was the shining Gem of India. I am writing this post with a heavy heart to pay my tributes to this legend who played a major role in the making of today’s India.
He moved on planet earth with such grace and elegance. He was a kind & gentle soul at the same time visionary. There are so many lessons to learn from his leadership.
How was he able to accomplish all that? How do some humans who look exactly like you and me are able to move mountains? Are people like Ratan Tata born with superhuman powers and intelligence? I always used to wonder? Let’s look at his life briefly!
When he moved back to India from Los Angeles with his architecture degree. He was an ordinary man like so many others. In no time under his leadership, Tata Group became a global business giant. There is no area of life that he did not venture in to. But he had special love for the manufacturing of cars. Besides already being so successful, he came up with his vision of making the cars affordable to the common man of India. He was laughed at by so many people, faced so many hurdles but persevered and succesfully manufactured Nano cars, the cheapest in the history making it possible for the people with not enough money fulfilling their dream of owning a car.
There are so many memorable stories with important life & leadership lessons about him. The one that I really stands out for me is the one when he was venturing into cars due to his passion. Tata Group manufactured a car called Tata Indica, but for some reason, it didn’t do well in the market. Company was incurring huge losses sustaning the factory and staff. Eventually it was decided by the board to sell the company. Mr RatanTata went to America and had a meeting arranged with Bill Ford and it was almost deciced that Ford were going to buy Tata’s Indica. However during the meeting, Bill Ford made a derrogatory comment and said “Why do you people engage with manufacturing something you do not have any knowledge of”. Tata left quietly without any response but decided not to sell the company to Ford. He came back, employed people to conduct the research, worked really hard, made changes, and it paid off. Tata Motors became one of the most successful stories. It took the whole Tata group to another level.
Only 9 years later when Ford group was on the verge of bankruptcy, Tata offered a helping hand and a meeting was arranged between Mr Ratan Tata and Bill Ford, but this time in Mumbai, India. Tata group agreed to buy cars such as Jaguar and Land Rover as a bail out for Ford. Unlike Bill Ford, Ratan Tata did not disrespect him and as a gesture of respect decided to keep the orginal names of the cars without adding the title Tata. This gesture was hugely appreciated. Tata motors has since turned Jaguar LandRover into a formidable global brand.
Over the decades Tata has played the most valuable role in the development of modern India through donations, cancer reseach hospitals, universities and the list is long…
Back to the same question, how was Mr Ratan Tata able to accomplish all of that? An ordinary human being became a legend, an inspiration for the masses? The answer to this is very simple but so hard to follow by many.
He did not suffer from the question WHAT ABOUT ME?
He did not think about himself. His happiness was in the happiness of others. He lived a simple life, wore simple clothes, travelled simply. He dedicated his life for the improvement of his country and people around him.
Though he has departed, his spirit remains with billions of people world wide, shining like a star in the night sky.
“May his soul Rest in Peace”
