SIMONE TATA
This issue will no doubt contain well-deserved praise and serenades for all the achievements of our retiring chairman. And whatever I could write here would be just a repetition.
In fact, I find it rather difficult to write about someone whom I have known for so long, in family situations, as well as in business and social situations. I guess you have heard the saying “There is no hero to one’s valet”. One gets used to great people!
I have known Ratan since he was a teenager and followed his life through very many years. I have observed his habits, which have been quite consistent, his likes and dislikes, equally consistent. So, I am writing these few lines hoping I will not reveal any undue secrets.
Let’s talk first of his sartorial habits. When I came into the family, Ratan was in school in the United States. Once, arriving for his summer holiday, he sported a straw hat, which was a replica of Frank Sinatra’s. It was rather fun to see a gangly Parsee youth disguised as an American star.
SIMONE TATA
I am told that even as a small child, he was quite fussy about his clothes! Ever since, his appearance has always been very consistent. The serious business suit, preferably dark, and on week-ends his cowboy checked shirt and chinos.
From then on, the safari suit slowly disappeared from Bombay House. The colours of his surroundings have been also most predictable: White, red and black, be it in his house or his office (except for his cars, thank god!).
Ratan always had a passion. At first it used to be airplanes (he had many models surrounding him) but on getting into Tata Motors, he switched to cars and assembled a great personal collection (not of models, but the actual stuff). These he airs on Sundays when he takes a few of them on a tour of Marine Drive. Now think for a moment! Had Tatas gone into the aviation business, what would have happened to Bombay! Thank you Tata Motors! Let us consider that his fleet of cars are all very big and beautiful beasts and having so many of these he did something for once unpredictable: he conceived the smallest and cutest car, the Nano, by now so familiar to all of us.
We all know that Ratan never loses his temper or shouts at anyone. Instead his eyes turn the colour of steel and like a steel blade they may slash through your flesh and bones or banish you to the Tower of London. God help if you try to argue! Since he mixes with all the great souls of this world, presidents, chairmen, bankers, scientists, etc, who are you to disagree with him? This, coupled with a superb memory, is no doubt what great leaders are made of.
Ratan is awfully generous too. He always has his hand in his pocket to help people around him. Generous not only with his own money and his time, but generous with his thoughts. He does spend a lot of time taking the lead in the work of the Tata foundations, thinking through how to help the lot of the disadvantaged, the challenged farmers, the sick and on improving the education system of India. He obviously reads a lot and consistently on development. Where does he find the time? My guess is that in the thousands of hours he spends flying around the world, apart from catching up on his sleep, he has devoured a huge amount of books on scientific and human problems.
Following the footsteps of JRD Tata was no easy task, but we can thank the lord to have sent us another great chairman. Alleluia!