Editorial

There was something about Ratan Naval Tata that set him apart, especially so in the context of the responsibilities he had as leader and torchbearer of India’s most storied business house — his grace and dignity, his quietude and humility, his essentially private nature and how he navigated the high tide of life in the public eye.

This special edition of Horizons is an effort to frame these many facets of a remarkable business titan and just as remarkable a human being.

We have the new chairman of the Tata Trusts, Noel N Tata, setting the tone with a tribute that recounts Ratan Tata’s allegiance to the cause of social development, the making of a better India and the values of the Tata group. That’s a legacy of substance and, as Noel Tata reiterates, it behoves all of us to pledge our commitment to its enrichment.

Our photo feature section has been crafted to convey a sense of the life that Ratan Tata lived, from childhood to youth, from his days at Cornell University to the time he found for his passions, from finding his feet in business to becoming a trailblazer who led the Tatas during a time of tumult and transformation.

Also in this issue are remembrances of Ratan Tata by those who knew him closely — his classmates at Cornell, family and friends — interviews that illuminate his views and concerns on a range of subjects, and how he influenced the course that the Tata Trusts have taken to enhance the impact of their social uplift initiatives.

We do hope, dear reader, that there is much of Ratan Tata here — the known and the not so well known — that will stay etched in your memory.

Christabelle Noronha

We hope you will help us make Horizons better with your valuable feedback. Please do write to us at horizons@tatatrusts.org.