The True Bharat 'Ratan' - Legend Ratan Tata

Not sure how some people just affect you without you ever knowing them. As the nation and the world mourns the loss of Business Scion Ratan Tata, each one of us is feeling like we have all lost someone we knew.?

Like most of you all, I have also spent the last few days of how Ratan Tata has affected my life. From reading about personal experiences to watching his old interviews, RNT was a part of our lives more than we all realised. As Ankit Mehrotra very rightly put how Ratan Tata was a part of all our everydays - from our morning tea to the ticking of our watches, TATA lies in each one of us, and will be integral to our being always.

The brand of TATA is so much more than just a brand - RNT had once said how he only wants to be remembered as someone who made a difference - nothing less, nothing more. What is to note here is that when one aims to create impact, the sky is the limit, but sir Ratan Tata literally touched the sky and beyond.

In an era of digitisation and instant gratification, where ‘fame’ has become if not easy but more accessible, someone like Ratan Tata not only inspires but is thought provoking in every way there is to be.

His humility and nobility is known to all, but as my colleague Mandar Raut was telling me, Ratan Tata has been a father figure to all Tata Group employees.

With the stature he had, with the legacy he was already coming from, creating history from there seems almost impossible - and two days ago now we lost someone who had done that time and time again. He was in-touch with every common Indian whose heart has been hurting since.?

The Tata Nano was a foray into making a better lifestyle more available - and I have literally seen people bring in Tata Nano(s) to Jungle Safaris - a testimony to the durability and capability of the car. But spanning everything from the Tata Nano to acquiring the Land Rover from Ford and delving into a whole new era of ‘TATA’, the helm was a clear signage to how there is everything for someone, and maybe even more. If I am writing from an ESG perspective, there can be no one more all-encompassing, in a professional as well as a personal capacity than RNT. Probably the gatekeeper of the Triple Bottom Line. His vision and intent drove People to betterment in all aspects. Making a better lifestyle accessible and affordable, making #MakeinIndia dreams more real and tangible, he was a people’s person and as 1.4 Billion Crore Indians are feeling the same sentiment - that says more than most things. From Shantanu Naidu calling RNT his ‘Lighthouse’, to the values of the Tata group reiterating ethics, fair governance and making humanity more human? Ratan Tata stood for so much more than there is to see. The Tata Sustainability Group is truly a flagbearer of sustainability and holistic development, with them being the first company to bring electric vehicles to India, partnering with CSIR on Sustainable Aviation Fuel and creating quick response groups - the values reflected by the Tata group were integrity and though through and through - led by one man at the helm, Ratan Tata.?

From the 1990s to the early 2000s to as recent as redefining a premier experience with Vistara Airlines and the homecoming of Air India and the acclaimed Maharaja - Ratan Tata was in the truest sense a beacon of future and sustainable development.

Reimagining sustainability, what is it without thought and longevity, without ethics and perspective - and Tata seemed to be standing tall on every righteous aspect.?

Not sure if it was supposed to be a coincidence but for me, the news of Mr. Tata passing away was just when I had been reading a book on him and his forefathers - and as Mandar and I were also discussing yesterday, all it is is upbringing and the vision to do it. And so much empathy.

For a man whose last project was an advanced hospital for dogs and his confidante Shantanu Naidu venture of Goodfellows, it is difficult to even grasp the amount of empathy and kindness Mr. Tata would have.

I, like millions of others have known him through his work, his interviews, his presence wherever it would be but he was definitely a rare star. A star that still shines bright despite not being visible and a person whose charisma you can just feel without not even knowing it.

Who knows what makes a good leader - one can only aspire. He wanted to be remembered as someone who made a difference - well, imagine making a difference and such an impact on every Indian citizen.?

As RNT leaves the world in his mortal form, his legacy is left behind, and so is the intent, goodness and impact he spread in the world. The show must go on as they say, but some people should live on forever.? What do we take from a mean who has given so much, we can only learn - to do our bit, to make a difference in whatever way we can - to build with thought, values and virtue.

Rest in Power, Mr. Ratan Tata - thank you for touching all our lives more than one can realise.