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Former PM Manmohan Singh's tribute to Ratan Tata: ‘Had courage to speak truth to those in power’
Ratan Tata died at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday night. He was 86.
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday expressed his deep sadness at the death of Ratan Tata, former Tata Group chairperson.
In a letter to N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, Manmohan Singh, hailed Ratan Tata as a stalwart of Indian industry.
Manmohan Singh told Chandrasekaran that he has very fond memories of working closely with Ratan Tata on many occasions.
"He was much more than a business icon; his vision and humanity demonstrated in the work of several charities founded and nurtured during his life," the former prime minister wrote in the letter.
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Manmohan Singh praised Ratan Tata as someone who had the courage to speak the truth to those in power.
“He was having the courage of speaking the truth to the men in power. I have fond memories of working very closely with him on several occasions,” the former prime minister said. “I take this opportunity to convey my deepest condolences on this sad occasion. May his soul rest in peace.”
Ratan Tata dies at 86
Ratan Tata died at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday night. He was 86. A Padma Vibhushan recipient, Tata, was in intensive care at the hospital since Monday.
Tata joined the family firm after acquiring a B.S. in architecture from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, in 1962. He became chairman of Tata Industries a decade later and in 1991, took over as the chairman of the Tata Group from his uncle, JRD Tata, who had been in charge for more than half a century.
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With the opening of the Indian economy, Tata turned the group, which began as a small textile and trading firm in 1868, into a global powerhouse with operations spanning salt to steel, cars to software, power plants to airlines.
Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran expressed the company’s profound grief in a statement, describing Tata as "a mentor, guide, and friend."
"It is with a profound sense of loss that we bid farewell to Mr. Ratan Naval Tata, a truly uncommon leader whose immeasurable contributions have shaped not only the Tata Group but also the very fabric of our nation," Chandrasekaran said.
