National News
“Goodbye, my beloved lighthouse”: Ratan Tata’s trusted aide Shantanu Naidu
Shantanu Naidu was the general manager at Ratan Tata’s office and is the fifth generation of his family to work at the Tata Group.
Delhi: Shantanu Naidu, the general manager at former Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata’s office, wrote an emotional post to bid goodbye to his “beloved lighthouse”. His post comes after the 86-year-old industrialist passed away on Wednesday, leaving behind an over two-decade-long legacy of handling a variety of verticals within the Tata Group.
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“The void this friendship has now created inside me is one I will spend the rest of my life trying to fill. The price of love is suffering,” Mr Naidu, an MBA from Cornell University and founder of the Goodfellow startup, wrote in a post on LinkedIn.
Read | Ratan Tata to be cremated with full state honours, Maharashtra declares day of mourning
Shantanu Naidu, 28, is the fifth generation of his family to work at the Tata Group.
Meanwhile, Mr Tata’s body was taken to the National Centre of Performing Arts in Mumbai, from where it will be taken to the Worli crematorium where he will be cremated with state honours.
Read | National icon Ratan Tata dies at 86
Born in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1937, Mr Tata, educated at Cornell University, was known for his willingness to take risks.
He took over the family empire in 1991, riding the wave of radical free-market reforms introduced by the Indian government that year. During his tenure the salt-to-steel conglomerate expanded its global footprint to include British luxury brands such as Jaguar and Land Rover.
Read | From Tetley Tea to BigBasket: Tata Group’s greatest achievements under Ratan Tata’s leadership
The industrialist later devoted his time to running the group’s charitable arm and funding some of India’s best start-ups.
Read | “Learned philanthropy in Tata household”: Sudha Murthy remembers Ratan Tata
