Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed profound sorrow on Thursday about the demise of former Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata. In a letter to Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, Singh hailed Ratan Tata as a colossus in Indian industry.
Singh remembered their collaborations and said Tata was more than a business icon. He shared his great vision and humanity through the various charitable causes he supported throughout his life.
“He dared to speak truth to power,” Singh said in his letter regarding Tata’s integrity and commitment. He expressed his heartfelt condolences and wished Tata’s soul to rest in peace.
Ratan Tata died at the age of 86 on Wednesday night at a hospital in Mumbai. He had been admitted to the intensive care unit on Monday. A Padma Vibhushan awardee, Tata joined the family business in 1962 after completing his architecture course at Cornell University. A decade later, he became chairman of Tata Industries and succeeded his uncle, JRD Tata, as chairman of Tata Group in 1991.
Under his helm, the Tata Group transformed from a modest textile company in 1868 to a global company, expanding operations across various industries that range from steel and software to power and airlines.
N Chandrasekaran, while talking to the media, said, “A mentor, guide, and friend has left us. No words can describe the grief with which we are departing as the century-old, immeasurable contributions that the late Mr Ratan Naval Tata made to the Tata Group and the very fundamentals of our nation.”
