A Jewel among the World Industrialists

My last salute to Ratan Naval Tata

I think that if India had not taken the socialist path but pursued a real free-market policy, without the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices (MRTP) Act, the Tatas would have been far, far higher than they ended up becoming,” said Ratan Tata in an article he wrote about Jamshedji Tata, the Founder of Tata Industries and JRD Tata, his predecessor.

How true.

The industrial development in the country became so staggered and bleak that C. Rajagopalachari, the last Governor General of India and a Bharat Ratna, founded Swatantra Party in 1959 to oppose Nehru’s socialist policies that had unleashed a government of “Licence and Permit Raj,” as he had called the Congress government. Those days there was a general belief that nothing would grow under a giant Banyan tree. And Nehru was a political Banyan tree. Naturally, Swatantra Party failed and soon exited.

Be that as it may, as we know, among the big industrial houses of those days, before Ambanis and Adanis appeared, much less were even heard of, there were only two names in the industrial map of India — Birla and Tata. Both are still the shining stars along with the new entrants — Ambani and Adani.

The one who was heading this Tata business and industrial house till 2017, Ratan Naval Tata, passed away on Oct. 9, 2024 at Mumbai. He was 86. Of course, Ratan Tata was the head of the flagship Tata Trust. Now it has been handed over to another Tata, his half-brother Noel Tata.

I do not know why, but whenever I read about Ratan Tata, his wisdom, compassion for mankind and animal world (his attachment to his pet dog by name ‘Goa’ is well-known and fabled) and his intuition in taking decisions, I think of the Navaratnas who embellished the Courts of Ashoka the Great and Akbar the Great. It is believed that these two legendary Emperors always turned to these wise Courtiers for advice on matters of administration, delivery of justice, war and peace. Ratan Tata, with an eponymous name as Ratan meaning a jewel, would have been a brightest jewel if there were Navaratnas in the Prime Minister’s core group of advisors. Let it be.

What Ratan Tata has achieved during his 21 years of Tata’s leadership is well-known. In personal life, he reflected his true nature of being transparent in words and works. He remained a bachelor all his life. Matches are made in Heaven, it is said. But in the case of Ratan Tata even Heaven seemed to have failed in finding him a suitable match!

Tata has always been an Indian industrial giant. In fact, in Mumbai (earlier Bombay), it used to be a part of general conversations among we friends that there was no Bombaite whose life Tata has not touched in his daily life. Tata Steel and Cement for house, Tata electricity for light, Tata gas (in Bombay it used to be piped like water), Tata water (distribution), Tata tea, Tata tooth-paste, soap, shampoo, hair oil, powder, perfume, Tata clothes (textile), leather bags and shoes, Tata City Bus Service (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport — BEST), Taj Hotel, no end. Over the years, this scenario might have changed but the image of Tata as a dominant industrial and business player who touched everybody’s life remains.

This said, we must remember it is Ratan Tata who had the ability to think globally and act locally as also to turn this India-centric Tata business and industry into a global enterprise. He acquired Tetley for Tata Tea, he acquired Jaguar and Land Rover for Tata Motors and he acquired Corus for Tata Steel. Indeed a giant leap into global arena from a small step rooted in India. Tata becomes a global player. Now the Modi Government itself is thinking on these lines to become a world leader, not merely as a Vishwaguru teaching Yoga but also in industrial manufacturing.

Who would remember a poor man riding a scooter when one is driving a car? Ratan Tata would. He decided to manufacture a four-wheeler Nano car at an affordable price of Rs. 1 lakh at a time it was a mere dream for the scooterwala. Soon, other car-makers jumped into the field to meet the competition and Nano faded away. That is another matter.

As I write this, I recall the Air Deccan (now defunct) and its Founder Capt. G.R. Gopinath, who remembered the middle-class people, who also dreamed to fly but could not afford the cost. Capt. Gopinath introduced Air Deccan that enabled even a humble farmer to fly. That this too faded away is another sad story of Indian aviation. Capt. Gopinath could not leave behind a legacy and missed being remembered as a pioneer in Air Transport.