It was 2008. There were protests against Tata’s Nano factory in West Bengal. Eventually, the factory had to be relocated from Singur to Sanand in Gujarat. This was a challenging situation for Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata. But Ratan Tata’s patience, strength, courage and foresight were put to the test in 1988. The workers then went on a violent strike. For Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata, this was one of the loneliest times of his life. Ratan Tata’s biography ‘Ratan Tata: A Life’ has been released recently, in which author former IAS officer Thomas Mathew mentioned these things in an interview to NDTV. Harper Collins India has published this book. Tata was one of the best looking industrialists. Mathew said that he met Tata for the first time in 1994-1995. He took over as the chairman of Tata Sons in 1991. As you know, Ratan Tata was probably one of the best-looking industrialists… over six feet tall, with brown eyes. I remember, on a Monday in 1995, he came into my office – I was the private secretary to the industry minister at the time… When he walked in, it was as if a Greek God was entering the room. But what impressed me was his humility. We have remained in touch since then. Mathew said – Tata’s “childhood was not very good” Mathew said that this biography is an attempt to “uncover the complexities of an ordinary person”. The former IAS officer said that Tata “did not have a very good childhood” but the strongest force in his early life was his grandmother Lady Navajbai Tata. He was embarrassed in school when his parents separated In his childhood, Ratan Tata’s parents separated which caused him a lot of pain. Not only was he embarrassed in school, he was also socially ostracized. But, a determined person and with the protection of his grandmother, he faced the challenge well. Tata used to scare co-passengers by switching off the engine in the sky Tata studied in a school named Riverdale in New York. After completing his schooling, he studied mechanical engineering. Mathew says that many stories related to his flying are famous. He used to scare his co-passengers by switching off the engine in the sky. Ratan Tata loved dogs very much Mathew said that when Ratan Tata was 12 years old, he got a fox terrier and he loved it very much, but his grandmother never liked that dog. But when Tata moved to America for his schooling, his grandmother developed an interest in dogs. Ratan Tata died on 9 October 2024 Ratan Tata, the head of India’s oldest business group, died on 9 October 2024. He was the honorary chairman of Tata Sons. He breathed his last at the age of 86 in Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital. He joined the family business in 1962.
