India Loses It's Ratan: 10 Interesting Facts About Industrialist Ratan Tata

Mumbai: A visionary, an extraordinary human being, and a philanthropist, Ratan Tata — India's most beloved Ratan and the Chairman of Tata and Sons emeritus — breathed his last on Thursday evening at the age of 86 at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital due to age-related illness.

Here are 10 interesting facts about Ratan Tata - the entrepreneur who turned one of India's oldest business houses into a massive conglomerate:

• Born on December 28, 1937, Ratan Tata in Mumbai to Naval and Sooni Tata was raised by his grandmother Navajbai after his parents separated in 1948 when he was 10
• He was the great-grandson of Jamsetji Tata - founder of the Tata Group
• He studied at Campion School in Mumbai till class 8, after which he continued his education at Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai. He pursued his higher education at Bishop Cotton in Shimla and eventually studied at Harvard Business School and Architecture at Cornel University in the US
• As per Humans of Bombay, Ratan Tata confessed that he fell in love while he was working in Los Angeles but the girl's parents opposed their marriage due to the 1962 Indo-China War. However, despite coming close to marriage four times, Ratan Tata remain unmarried.
• As per the 360 ONE Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2023, Ratan Tata was the most followed entrepreneur in India with over 12 million followers on X (erstwhile X)
• In 2009, Ratan Tata fulfilled his promise to make the world's cheapest car Tata Nano priced at ₹ 1 lakh to make it accessible to the middle class.
• Ratan Tata has received two of India's highest civilian honours - the Padma Vibhushan (2008) and the Padma Bhushan (2000) - for his immense contribution towards nation-building
• Ratan Tata continued sheltering stray dogs during the monsoon season, a practice initiated by Jamsetji Tata.
• Ratan Tata took TCS public in 2004 and led acquisitions with Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus, British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover, and British tea giant Tetley.
• In 2014, the Tata Group donated ₹95 crore to IIT -Bombay, establishing the Tata Centre for Technology and Design (TCTD) to create design and engineering concepts for underserved populations.

Tata, who led the salt-to-software conglomerate to new heights had an unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity, and innovation. Tata was considered a man with a vision who left a lasting mark on both business and philanthropy.