Features
A truly great and noble Indian
When booking, the hotel asks for the reason of selecting the Taj, Mumbai. My son’s answer earned us many special privileges, like an upgraded room, daily fresh flowers and fruit and the use of a rest room where coffee was available free and after dinner, brandy and chocolates. The people serving were smartly dressed, conversant in English and always ready to chat. Most info was obtained from young Viren who was a guide to the hotel and made friends with us. We joined his two guided tours: the hotel and its fabulous art work- furniture, paintings, sculpture and carpets. Most interesting was a room for parties engaged in the business of an arranged marriage with a special sofa for the prospective couple to get to know each other.
The hotel, of course smaller than its large two units of the Taj Palace and Tower, but with its iconic dome was built by Jamsetji Nusservanji Tata (1839-1904) of Persian descent who avoided the family option of being religious leaders to venture into business; and founded the Tata Group which became India’s largest conglomerate. He also established the city of Jamshedpur. It was said he was refused entry to the Taj Hotel, then the preserve of the British Raj. Insulted, he built a bigger hotel very close by.
This story according to some is fabrication; JNT went into the hotel business for financial returns. He was succeeded by his son and then his grandson Ratanji Tata. When he, Ratanji Tata, was due to retire he appointed the son of Naval Tata who he had adopted. This son– Ratan Tata – was then an architect passed out of Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, and ready to start life in Los Angeles. He even had a steady American girl friend. But his grandmother, close relative of JNT and Ratanji, wanted Ratan to return to India and he did so to please her who had been a foster mother to him; his parents divorcing and going their separate ways when he was ten years old.
The chain of Chairmen is as follows: Jamsetji Tata – Founder (1868–1904); Sir Dorabji Tata (1904–1932); J RD Tata (1938–1991); Ratan Tata (1991–2012); Cyrus Mistry (2012–2016); Interim Chair – Ratan Tata (2016 -17). The current Chairman of Tata Sons is Natarajan Chandrasekaran (2018 -)
Service in the Tata Group
Ratan Naval Tata (1937- October 9, 2024) joined the company in 1962 starting on the shop floor of Tata Steel. He rose rapidly in favour and entrepreneurship to succeed JRD Tata as chairman of Tata Sons in 1991. He expanded the company with very clever moves during his 21 year chairmanship to be a world recognized conglomerate. Tata Group’s revenue grew over 40 times and profit 50 times. On reaching age 75, he resigned his post in 2012 having served the company from 1962, and as its chairman from 1991. Due to dissent towards the new chairman appointed – Cyrus Mistry – he took over as interim chairman from 2016 to 2017.
His successful business moves were often bold but the Tata Group proliferated acquiring many other companies in diverse fields such as Tetley Tea, Jaguar Land Rover, and Corus. His aim was to expand Tata Group from a largely India-centric group into a global business. He succeeded. But though he walked with royalty and talked with wealth his heart and part of his mind was focused on the less privileged. He was a benign employer. Once Jaguar and Land Rover brought in money and prestige, he saw how millions rushed about in buses and families moved around in trishaws. So he had designed a family car which cost around one lakh of rupees – the Tata Nano car – cheapest car worldwide.
Philanthropy
His sharing of his personal wealth and benevolence through the Tata Group are immense. He was especially supportive of education, medicine and rural development and thus the schools and hospitals in their hundreds built and furnished under his direction. Ratan Tata is a respected name worldwide, but more specially in the US, being the highest international donor to Cornell University.
In 2000 Ratan Tata was awarded the third highest honour in India – the Padma Bushen and in 2008 the second highest – Padma Vibushen. Doctorates have been conferred on him from several universities. The greatest honour for this most admirable Son of India was being given a state funeral.
Personal
Ratan Tata was known to be shy by nature and reluctant to face the glare of publicity or be in the limelight. He was an extremely private person. It is known he had two girlfriends while in America and may have married and settled down to a very ordinary life as an architect. But no; his grandmother called out to him and he obeyed. The heavy cloak of chairman of a huge cnglomerate was wrapped around his shoulders. He excelled as innovator, leader, businessman but with a huge heart and gentle manner. Most beautiful actress – Simi Garewal – is said to have shared a romantic relationship. I saw a couple of videos on her and an interview she had with him.
Speaking to the hotel staff in Mumbai when Ratan Tata was their overall CEO, it emerged they were all so loyal and in praise of him as he not only saw to their proper payments but was equally concerned about their families. I heard many personal anecdotes of his concern and generosity. He often visited sick employees.
The Taj Mahal Palace was invaded by Pakistani terrorists on November 26, 2008, who came by boat, and invaded the Oberoi and another hotel plus a Mumbai railway station. They were defeated within the day except in the Taj where they held staff and residents hostage up until the police succeeded in overpowering them, killing all but one of the terrorists, on Nov 29.
Persons who had been held hostage said that not one of them – employees of the hotel – left the premises although escape routes through kitchens etc were open to them. Their loyalty to management and personally to Ratan Tata kept them serving people, not only with food but courage and confidence. Service and loyalty in the face of torture and death was what motivated them.
Another touching anecdote was told me by Viren when I commented on the most striking silk saris the female staffers wore in the reception area. Vibrantly designed in red and green, they were both elegant and eye catching. Viren said that when the decision was taken to major re-furbish all Tata hotels around the globe (may have been around the 2010s), weavers were sought for uniforms, saris etc. Ratan Tata got to know of a village in Kashmir that was impoverished due to no weaving orders nor sales for woven material coming in. There would surely have been investigation et al but the order was given by the chairman himself to get the silks woven in this village. Result was that the village was saved and its silks again in demand. This is further proof of Ratan Tara’s immense humanity, compassion and concern for others. Everyone knows how he canceled a meeting with then Prince Charles because one of his dogs was ill. The heir to the British Throne commiserated with him.
I listened to many videos of interviews with Ratan Tata, comments on him by such as S Jaishankar, Indian Minister of External Affairs. Watched a video clip on the last rites performed according to Persian custom but not leaving the remains to vultures in the Tower of Silence. This was the method selected so no damage was done to the environment. However, this great Indian’s state funeral ended with him being cremated in a particular manner. The world saluted this great and good person who died at 86.
The policy of the Tata Group as set down by its founder JN Tata reads thus: “In a free enterprise the community is not just another stakeholder in business, but is in fact the very purpose of its existence.”