Ratan Tata died in Mumbai on Wednesday at the age of 86. The industrialist was known for his integrity, ethical leadership and commitment to philanthropy, which made him an iconic figure in India and internationally. Following his demise, many people, whose lives he impacted in ways large and small, paid tributes to the industrialist. One of them was Congress leader Gurdeep Singh Sappal, who shared a poignant memory of his meeting with the businessman. Mr Sappal on x (formerly Twitter) recalled a visit to Mr Tata’s home in Colaba, Mumbai.
In his post, Mr Sappal recalled that in 2015, former veteran Congress leader Ahmed Patel had asked him to arrange a meeting with Mr Tata. “It was decided that the two would meet at Ratan Tata’s Colaba residence in Mumbai. Accordingly, Ahmed Patel ji and I reached his house as scheduled, a house with middle class furnishings! Mr. Sappal wrote.
Mr. Sappal said he noticed an initial uneasiness between the two men, revealing that they had never met in person before. He claimed he was surprised to find that the two men had never met before. “I was surprised to find that this was their first personal meeting! One was one of the top corporates in India and the other was one of the most powerful men during the UPA years! Yet they did not meet!” he wrote.
“This was unimaginable! But it made the personalities of both Ratan Tata and Ahmed Patel clear. Ratan Tata was not a supplicant for political power and Ahmed Patel never used his power to force top corporates to meet him! Such was the political decency of that era. My tributes to both great Indians!” Mr Sappal posted.
Several other social media users have also shared stories of their encounters with Ratan Tata hours after his death. A Silicon Valley executive paid an emotional tribute to the businessman, saying he “wouldn’t be here” if not for the billionaire. Speaking to X, Y Combinator principal Arnab Sahu said Ratan Tata’s scholarship programme gave him a chance to study in the US and pursue a career in the land of opportunities.
Notably, Mr Sahu is one of the students who benefited from Ratan Tata’s scholarship scheme, which helped him pursue higher education at Cornell University – an Ivy League college in New York.
Ratan Tata died late last night at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital at the age of 86. His death marks the end of an era in Indian business, where a man reshaped the country’s industrial landscape and turned his family-owned group into a global force.
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