Ratan Tata (28 December 1937 – 9 October 2024) was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist, who was the chairman of Tata Group and its subsidiaries. Ratan Tata received Padma Bhushan in 2000 and Padma Vibhushan in 2008. Tata Motors, under his leadership, produced India’s first indigenous car, Tata Indica, in 1998 and India’s cheapest car, Tata Nano, in 2008. He died due to age-related illness on 9 October 2024 in Mumbai.
Wiki/Biography
Ratan Naval Tata was born on Tuesday, 28 December 1937 (age 86 years; at the time of death) in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India (now Mumbai, Maharashtra, India). His zodiac sign is Capricorn. Ratan Tata completed his schooling at Campion School in Mumbai, Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, and The Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai. Later, he went to the United States of America, where he enrolled at Cornell University in New York. There, he earned a bachelor’s degree in science in architecture in 1962.
Ratan Tata (right) during his college days
After completing his graduation, he worked at Jones & Emmons in Los Angeles for a short while. He completed his Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in Massachusetts, the US, in 1975.
A photo of Ratan Tata taken during his young days
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Hair Colour: Salt and Pepper
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Ratan Tata with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Family
Ratan Tata was born into a Gujarati business-class Parsi family in Mumbai.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Naval Hormusji Tata, was a businessman, who served as the director as well as the deputy chairman of Tata Sons. He passed away on 5 May 1989 in Mumbai due to cancer. Naval Tata was adopted from an orphanage by Ratanji Tata’s wife Navajbai after his father and mother passed away.
Naval Tata with son Ratan Naval Tata
His mother’s name is Sooni Commissariat (deceased). Ratan’s parents got divorced in 1948 when he was only ten years old. After their parents’ divorce, Ratan and Jimmy were raised by their grandmother Navajbai Tata.
Ratan Tata with his grandmother
While talking about his parents getting separated, Ratan said that he and his brother got bullied and faced a difficult time because of it. Talking about it, he said,
I had a happy childhood, but as my brother and I got older, we faced a fair bit of ragging and personal discomfort because of our parents’ divorce, which in those days wasn’t as common as it is today. But my grandmother brought us up in every way.”
A photo of Sooni Commissariat
His brother, Jimmy Tata, owns a share in the Tata Group. His half-brother, Noel Tata, is the chairman of Trent and Tata Investment Corporation, the managing director of Tata International, and the vice chairman of Titan Company and Tata Steel.
A photo of Ratan Tata (left) with Jimmy Tata taken in 1945
A photo of Noel Tata
Wife & Children
Ratan Tata never got married. According to Ratan, he backed out of marriage on four occasions.
Other Relatives
His paternal great-grandfather, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, was an Indian industrialist and the founder of the Tata Group.
A photo of Jamsetji Tata
His paternal grandfather, Ratanji Jamsetji Tata, was a philanthropist, businessman, and financier. He passed away in 1919 following which Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT) was established.
A photo of Sir Ratan Ji Tata
His paternal grandfather’s elder brother, Dorabji Tata, was a businessman, who played a key role in the development of the Tata Group.
A photo of Dorabji Tata
His stepmother, Simone Tata, is a businesswoman who co-founded Lakmé.
Simone Tata’s photo
Family Tree
The family tree of Tatas
Click here to learn more about the Tata family.
Relationships/Affairs
In an interview, Ratan talked about his past affair and said that while pursuing a bachelor of architecture in the US, he met a woman in Los Angeles with whom he fell in love. However, after completing graduation, Ratan had to move back to India to care for his ailing grandmother, who was on her deathbed. He proposed to the girl to get married to him and move to India; however, the girl’s family did not agree to her moving to India as the situation in India was volatile back then due to India’s defeat in the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Eventually, their relationship broke and they got separated. Talking about it, Ratan said,
Well, you know one was probably the most serious was when I was working in the US and the only reason we didn’t get married was that I came back to India and she was to follow me and that was the year of the, if you like, the Indo-Chinese conflict and in true American fashion this conflict in the Himalayas, in the snowy, uninhabited part of the Himalayas was seen in the United States as a major war between India and China and so, she didn’t come and finally got married in the US thereafter.”
In 2011, actress Simi Garewal made a statement in which she claimed that she and Ratan were once romantically involved but due to some reasons, they decided to end the relationship. She went on to claim that they both were great friends even after separation. She talked about it, in an interview, and said,
Ratan and I go back a long way. He’s perfection, he’s got a sense of humour, is modest and is the perfect gentleman. Money was never his driving force. He’s not as relaxed in India as he is abroad.”
Simi Garewal and Ratan Tata during one of the episodes of Rendezvous with Simi Garewal
Religion
Ratan Tata followed Zoroastrianism.
Address
Ratan Tata resided at WR7F+C8G, Colaba Causeway, Azad Nagar, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra-400005.
Signature/Autograph
Signature of Ratan Tata
Career
In 1962, Ratan returned to India from the United States of America, where he began working at the Tata Steel plant in Jamshedpur as a blast furnace manager and limestone shoveller.
Ratan Tata (rightmost) at the steel plant at Jamshedpur
Later, he worked at Tata Iron and Steel Company (Tisco), now known as Tata Steel. He went to Australia as a resident representative of the Tata Group in 1969. In 1970, he came back to India and joined Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Thereafter, he worked in the Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company, now known as Tata Motors, as an assistant. In 1971, Ratan became the director-in-charge of National Radio & Electronics Company Ltd, which was renamed NELCO in 1999. After joining NELCO, Ratan made numerous amends in the working policies that led to a rise in the profits earned by NELCO between 1972 and 1975. However, the company began incurring losses in 1975 after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed a nationwide emergency. In 1980, NELCO was locked down for seven months by Ratan after the workers union, which was affiliated with Shiv Sena, created a ruckus in the factory by attacking the senior officials. While giving an interview, Ratan talked about it and said,
For three years from 1972 to 1975 Nelco made a profit and wiped out some of its past losses, then in 1975, the Emergency came and consumer goods demand just disappeared, not just for Nelco, but for everybody. This was followed by an industrial relations problem since 1977. So, while demand improved, there was no production. Finally we confronted the unions and, following a strike, we imposed a lockout for seven months. Now that the lockout has been lifted we hope to improve production by 50 per cent over the past year …”
Ratan was sent as a director to Empress Mill in 1977 to help the mill cut its losses; however, the mill was later shut down after the senior executives rejected Ratan’s policies that would have helped the mill generate profit. From 1986 to 1989, Ratan served as the chairman of Air India. In 1991, at a time when India was undergoing economic liberalisation, Ratan Tata succeeded Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata as the chairman of the Tata Group. His appointment was questioned by many senior officials working in different subsidiaries owned by Tata Group as they earlier worked with independence, whereas, after Ratan’s appointment, their freedom got curtailed as the officials were now required to report to him.
A photo of Ratan Tata taken with J. R. D. Tata
Under his leadership, Tata Motors produced India’s first indigenous car Tata Indica in 1998. While talking about it, he said,
Everyone told us it couldn’t be done without having a joint venture or a partnership with an international company. That if I did this, I will be linked to failure. But went ahead anyway. There were technical issues and many lessons we learned. It was a wonderful experience to be breaking new ground. The chances to give up were many. We stayed the course, worked out each issue, and that was the birth of India’s first indigenous car- Tata Indica.”
To maintain its significance in the “newly opened markets” in India, Tata acquired numerous companies including Tetley in February 2000, Daewoo Commercial Vehicle in March 2004, The Ritz-Carlton: Luxury Hotels and Resorts in November 2006, and Jaguar Cars and Land Rover in March 2008. Ratan Tata ventured into the aerospace and defence sector and established Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) in 2007. The industry has worked in close coordination with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in producing Kestrel, also known as the IPMV (Infantry Protected Mobility Vehicle), Tata LSV, Tata Mine Protected Vehicle, and a drone named ALS-50.
An image of Tata Kestrel taken during DefExpo
In 2008, Tata Motors, a subsidiary of Tata Group, launched India’s most affordable car Tata Nano; however, due to many reasons, the production of the vehicle was discontinued in 2018.
A photo of Ratan Tata taken during the launch of Tata Nano
In 2011, he implemented a policy according to which the retirement age of a non-executive director was reduced from 75 years to 70 years. By 2012, the company’s revenues grew over 40 times and profits over 50 times. Ratan stepped down as the chairman of Tata Group on 28 December 2012 following which Cyrus Mistry was appointed as the company’s chairman.
Ratan Tata with Cyrus Mistry
Ratan was made the interim chairman of Tata Group after Cyrus was removed from the company; he served as the interim chairman till Natarajan Chandrasekaran’s appointment as the chairman on 12 January 2017. Ratan later invested in several companies including Ola, Lenskart, FirstCry, CarDekho, Paytm, Snapdeal, and Urban Company. Ratan Tata served on the jury panel of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the board of trustees of Cornell University, a board of governors of the East-West Center, and a member of the board of the International Advisory Council at Bocconi University.
Social Activism
In 2010, under Ratan Tata’s leadership, the Tata Group donated $50 million to the Harvard Business School (HBS) for the construction of Tata Hall for undertaking several mid-career Executive Education programs. To promote the provisioning of fresh water to the backward areas in Australia, Tata donated huge sums of money to develop capacitive deionization at the University of New South Wales Faculty of Engineering in 2019. Ratan had worked with governments of various countries and Indian states in the field of providing education, employment, clean energy, and more. Ratan Tata donates more than 65% of the profits earned by the Tata Group to charitable causes.
Controversies
Involvement in Tata Tapes
In 1997, the then Chief Minister of Assam Prafulla Mahanta accused the Tata Group of aiding the banned militant outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). In the same year, the Indian Express’ journalist Ritu Sarin published an article which contained excerpts from a telephonic conversation between industrialists Keshub Mahindra and Ratan Tata, Rajya Sabha member Jayant Malhoutra, and Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw; the conversation was regarding the issues faced by Tata Tea with the Assam government. According to the article, Tata Tea wanted the Indian government to help resolve the conflict between Tata Tea and the Assam government. The article further stated that Ratan Tata was aware of the location of Brojen Gogoi, a senior manager in the Community Development and Social Welfare wing of Tata Tea, who was under the Assam police’s scanner for working with the banned militant outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). Tata Tea was also accused of providing medical attention to the ULFA’s culture secretary Pranati Deka, who was arrested at the Mumbai airport along with two other accomplices. However, Paresh Barua, the commander of ULFA, dismissed the claim of Tata Tea giving special medical aid to Pranati and said that Pranati was getting medical treatment under Tata Tea’s medical program, which aimed at giving medical treatment to locals of Assam. The article further claimed that after Tata Tea officials came to know of the arrest warrant issued by Interpol, Ratan Tata went to New Delhi on 13 September 1997 to inform Chief Minister Prafulla Mahanta that Gogoi was in Chicago, attending a course at Harvard. Later, Mahanta, in a press conference, said that he had asked Ratan to ensure that Gogoi returned to India in two weeks. After arriving in India, Gogoi was admitted to Woodland’s Nursing Home in Calcutta, where he surrendered to the Assam Police on 24 September 1997.
Tata Nano controversy
In early 2006, Ratan Tata announced that Tata Motors would be producing India’s smallest and cheapest car in Singur, West Bengal. Following the announcement, the then-West Bengal government led by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee acquired approximately 997 acres of multi-crop farmland under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. In May 2006, farmers began protesting against the state government for forcibly acquiring their land. The anger amongst the locals brewed further after Tata failed to keep its promise of giving employment to 15,000 people who had lost their lands during the construction of the car factory in Singur. As per the reports, Tata could employ only a thousand people. The protests intensified further after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee joined the locals in their protests and staged a hunger strike in July 2006. On 3 September 2008, Tata announced that it had suspended work in Singur to look for land, where the manufacturing of Nano could continue peacefully. On 3 October 2008, Tata Motors announced its exit from West Bengal after acquiring land in Sanand, Gujarat.
Radia Tapes
In November 2010, Ratan Tata’s conversation with Niira Radia, a corporate lobbyist, was leaked to the media, which released the transcripts of the conversation to the public. In 2011, Ratan filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking the court to not allow the media to release more of the tapes to the public as it infringed upon his right to privacy. The Supreme Court, in 2017, gave its judgement unanimously in favour of Ratan Tata, stating that privacy is a constitutional right.
Awards, Honours, Achievements
2000
- India’s third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India
A photo of Ratan Tata taken when he was receiving the Padma Bhushan
2001
- Honorary Doctor of Business Administration from Ohio State University
2004
- Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay from the Government of Uruguay
- Honorary Doctor of Technology from the Asian Institute of Technology
2005
- International Distinguished Achievement Award from the B’nai B’rith International
- Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Warwick
2006
- Honorary Doctor of Science from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras
- Responsible Capitalism Award For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST)
Ratan Tata receiving his Responsible Capitalism Award
- Maharashtra Bhushan from the Government of Maharashtra
2007
- Honorary Fellowship from The London School of Economics and Political Science
- Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Leadership Business Award from the Governor of Maharashtra
Ratan Tata receiving the Leadership Business Award
2008
- India’s second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, from the Indian government
A picture of Ratan Tata receiving the Padma Vibhushan
- Honorary Doctor of Law from the University of Cambridge
- Honorary Doctor of Science from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
- Honorary Doctor of Science from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
- Honorary Citizen Award from the Government of Singapore
- Honorary Fellowship from The Institution of Engineering and Technology
- Inspired Leadership Award from The Performance Theatre
2009
- Life Time Contribution Award in Engineering for 2008 from the Indian National Academy of Engineering
- Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic from the Government of Italy
2010
- Honorary Doctor of Law from the University of Cambridge
- Hadrian Award from the World Monuments Fund
- Oslo Business for Peace Award from Business for Peace Foundation
- Legend in Leadership Award from Yale University
- Honorary Doctor of Laws from Pepperdine University
- Business for Peace Award from the Business for Peace Foundation
- Business Leader of the Year from The Asian Awards
2012
- Honorary Fellow from The Royal Academy of Engineering
- Doctor of Business honoris causa from the University of New South Wales
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun from the Government of Japan
- Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rockefeller Foundation
2013
- Foreign Associate from the National Academy of Engineering
- Transformational Leader of the Decade at the Indian Affairs India Leadership Conclave
- Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Lifetime Achievement Ernst & Young
- Honorary Doctor of Business Practice from the Carnegie Mellon University
A photo of Ratan Tata taken during the ceremony at Carnegie Mellon University
2014
- Honorary Doctor of Business from the Singapore Management University
- Sayaji Ratna Award from the Baroda Management Association
- Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) by Queen Elizabeth II
Ratan Tata receiving the Knight Grand Cross Order of the British Empire (GBE)
- Honorary Doctor of Laws from the York University, Canada
Ratan Tata’s photo taken during the ceremony at York University
2015
- Honorary Doctor of Automotive Engineering from the Clemson University
- Sayaji Ratna Award from the Baroda Management Association, Honoris Causa, HEC Paris
A photo of Ratan Tata receiving the Sayaji Ratna Award
2016
- Commander of the Legion of Honour from the Government of France
2018
- Honorary Doctorate from the Swansea University
2021
- Assam Baibhav, the highest civilian award in the state of Assam, for contributing to cancer care in the state
2022
- Honorary Doctorate of Literature from the HSNC University
A photo of Ratan Tata receiving the D.Litt degree at HSNC University
- ‘Sewa Ratna’ from the RSS-affiliated Sewa Bharti in October
2023
- Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) by King Charles III
Australian gazette announcing the bestowing of Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) on Ratan Tata
- Order of Australia (AO), Australia’s highest civilian honour, in April
Australia’s High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell conferred Order of Australia (AO) honour to Ratan Tata in April 2023
- Maharashtra’s first Udyog Ratna award, presented by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar on 19 August 2023
Ratan Tata while receiving the Udyog Ratna award at his residence in Mumbai
2024
- PV Narasimha Rao Memorial Award for philanthropy work
Ratan Tata receving the PV Narasimha Rao Memorial Award for philanthropy work in 2024
Car Collection
- Tata Indigo Marina
A photo of Ratan Tata standing next to his Tata Indigo Marina
Salary/Income
For the fiscal year 2011-2012, Ratan Tata received approximately Rs. 68.4 lakhs + a sitting fee of Rs. 2.4 lakhs and a commission of Rs. 66 lakhs by Tata Power.
Net Worth
In 2021, Ratan Tata’s net worth was estimated to be Rs. 3,500 crores. According to the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List, Ratan Tata was ranked as the 421st richest person in India.
Death
Ratan passed away in the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on 9 October 2024 due to age-related illness. As per sources, he was admitted to the ICU after his health deteriorated on 7 October 2024. His body was then put on display for the people to visit at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in South Mumbai. He was cremated with state honours on 10 October 2024.
A photo of an ambulance carrying Ratan Tata’s mortal remains
Although his last rites were conducted according to Parsi rituals, he is among the few Parsis to have opted to be cremated instead of having a sky burial in the Malabar Hill-situated Tower of Silence.
Favourites
- Food: Masoor Dal cooked with lots of garlic, Mutton Pulao Dal, and Nut-rich baked custard
- Holiday Destination: California
Facts/Trivia
- Ratan Tata’s forefathers were Parsi priests. His family came into the limelight in 1868 after Jamsetji Tata established a textile mill in Gujarat. In the mill, the workers received perks such as pensions and accidental covers, comparable to modern standards.
- While studying in the US, Ratan used to work at restaurants, where he washed dishes to make ends meet.
- While giving an interview, Ratan revealed that he shared a stormy relationship with his father. While talking about it, he said,
I wanted to learn to play the violin, my father insisted on the piano. I wanted to go to college in the US, he insisted on the UK. I wanted to be an architect, he insisted on me becoming an engineer. If it weren’t for my grandmother, I wouldn’t have ended up at Cornell University in the US.”
- Ratan Tata was a licensed pilot. He became the first Indian to fly in a US-made F-16 fighter aircraft during the 2007 Aero-India.
Ratan Tata in the cockpit of the F-16
- Ratan Tata neither consumed alcohol nor smoked.
- Since Ratan was a qualified architect, he designed his as well as his mother’s beach-facing houses in Mumbai.
- Despite serving as the chairman of Tata Group, Ratan had purchased less than 1% of the company’s shares.
- In an interview, Ratan revealed that he had a fear of speaking in public.
- Ratan was offered a job at IBM; however, he rejected the offer to work in his family business.
- Ratan Tata was an avid animal lover. On his orders, the Bombay House, the headquarters of Tata Group, lets the stray dogs in during the rains. He owned two German Shepherds named Tito and Maximus as pets.
A photo of Ratan Tata with his pet German Shepherd Tito
- Ratan Tata owned many houses including a house worth Rs. 150 crores in Colaba, Mumbai, and the Ratan Tata Officers Holiday Home (RTOHH) in Ooty, Tamil Nadu.
- Ratan Tata followed a non-vegetarian diet.
- Many well-known artists and politicians paid their tributes after his death in October 2024.
- While performing live in Germany on 10 October 2024, Diljit Dosanjh paused his concert for a minute to pay his tributes to Ratan Tata, who passed away on 9 October 2024. Diljit is considered an admirer of him.
- Soon after, Simi Garewal took to social media where she wrote a heartfelt farewell post on Ratan’s demise.
They say you have gone ..It’s too hard to bear your loss..too hard.. Farewell my friend..#RatanTata pic.twitter.com/FTC4wzkFoV
— Simi_Garewal (@Simi_Garewal) October 9, 2024
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education