Ratan Naval Tata, the iconic industrialist and philanthropist, and former chairman of Tata Sons, passed away at the age of 86. Tata, who was the chairman of the Tata Group from 1991 to 2012, and interim chairman from October 2016 through February 2017, continued to head its charitable trusts until his demise.
Born on December 28, 1937, Tata was raised by his grandmother, Navajbai Tata, after his parents separated in 1948. He studied architecture at Cornell University, followed by a management course at Harvard.
Tata became chairman of the $100 billion steel-to-software conglomerate in 1991 and ran the group founded by his great-grandfather more than a hundred years ago until 2012. He founded telecommunications company Tata Teleservices in 1996 and took IT company Tata Consultancy Services public in 2004.
In 2009, Tata fulfilled his promise to make the world’s cheapest car accessible to the middle class. The Tata Nano, priced at ₹ 1 lakh, became a symbol of innovation and affordability.
Tata was twice the Chairperson of the Tata Group conglomerate, from 1991 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2017. Although he stepped back from the company’s day-to-day running, he continued to head its charitable trusts.
In 2008, he received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour. He had received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest, in 2000.
Tata’s death marks the end of an era in Indian industry. His contributions to the Tata Group and to the nation will be remembered for generations to come.
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