When Ratan Tata Became Beacon of Hope For His Newspaper Vendor: A Tale of Compassion

Mumbai: Receiving the tragic news about the death of Ratan Tata, Harikesh Singh, who was the newspaper vendor for the industry giant recalled anecdotes of generosity of his “favourite customer”. 

According to Harikesh Singh, Ratan Tata became a lifesaver for his relative when he learned about their health condition. Singh’s relative was suffering with a cancer.

‘Ratan Tata Referred My Cancer-Suffering Relative To Tata Memorial Centre’ 

The moment Ratan Tata got to know about this episode, he immediately referred his relative to the Tata Memorial Centre for quick treatment, and also gave him Rs 5 lakh as financial assistance. 

"He was a very good man, a messiah for the poor," Singh, who delivered newspapers for Tata for nearly two decades was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. 

Singh’s association with Ratan Tata began in 2001, he started delivering newspapers at Tata's address which was an apartment in Colaba's Bakhtavar building. Later it shifted to Halekai, a private bungalow next to it.

Singh recalls seeing Tata in the mornings, sitting in the garden of the bungalow, reading the newspapers he delivered, always with a friendly smile. 

“He would wave at me and occasionally check in on how I was doing. These brief exchanges are etched in my mind,” Singh said.

On Thursday, Singh completed his newspaper deliveries a little earlier and joined the hundreds of others lining up in the Colaba bylane to pay their final respects to the most distinguished person in the neighborhood.

Ratan Tata's Car Washer Shares Anecdote

Not only the newspaper vendor, but Hussain Shaikh (57) who used to clean Ratan Tata’s favourite Mercedes Benz for years was also a recipient of veteran industrialist’s genorisity. 

After getting to know that Shaikh’s daughter is getting married, Tata gave him Rs 50,000. 

“The last time I met Tata was 15 years ago,” he said while adding that everyone in the crowd had their own personal connection with Tata, which inspired them to come out on a working day to pay their final respects.

The final rites of renowned industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata were performed with full state honours at a central Mumbai crematorium on Thursday evening.

The Mumbai police paid tribute to Tata with a gun salute.

The industry titan's family members, including the half-brother Noel Tata, and top executives from the Tata Group like chairman N Chandrasekaran, were present at the crematorium in Worli.

(With inputs from PTI)