15 Instances When Ratan Tata Proved That He Is A True Gem Of The Country
A Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awardee, philanthropist and one of the most successful businessmen the country has ever produced, Ratan Tata¡¯s legacy speaks for itself. Apart from possessing remarkable business foresight, he is also known for his utmost simplicity and humanity. Moreover, his qualities like kindness and empathy make Ratan Tata a true gentleman.?
This 84-year-old Indian business tycoon has proved that he is much more than an industrialist and has surely taught us important life lessons that can help us become better human beings.?
On that note, here are some touching instances when Ratan Tata showed he¡¯s more than just a businessman.
1. When Ratan Tata choose to fly economy class
Kicking off luxury and taking a very public way is not what most rich people do but for the business tycoon, Ratan Tata luxury is just a matter of choice. The former chairman of Tata Sons apparently once travelled in economy class and for his co-passenger, it was a pleasant surprise.
The undated photograph shows Ratan Tata the former Chairman of Tata Sons travelling economy class on what looks like a domestic flight. An unnamed (and evidently star-struck gentleman requested to be photographed alongside the tycoon and Tata seems to have readily agreed.
ALSO READ: Here's What Ratan Tata's Other Family Members Are Doing Right Now
3. Ratan Tata on being called ¡®Chhotu¡¯
When it comes to being humble, all of us need to learn a thing or two from business tycoon, Ratan Tata.
The Chairman Emeritus of the Tata group, Ratan Tata shared a post of himself, sitting on the floor, cross-legged with a 'thank-you' note after reaching one million followers on the social media site.
"I've just seen that the number of people on this page has reached a milestone. This wonderful online family is not what I had expected when I joined Instagram, and I have to thank you for it," he wrote on Instagram. To this picture, one follower wrote, ¡°Congratulations Chhotu¡± with a heart emoji.
The comment met with criticism and while some said it was ¡°disrespectful¡±, others said it was ¡°shameful¡±. But Ratan Tata being the humble person that he is, decided to shield the woman from trolls and teach them a lesson in the most subtle possible way.?
In an Instagram story, he wrote, ¡°I appreciate and respect the heartfelt note that the young lady had left me, and hope she will not refrain from posting again¡±.? Rata Tata came to her aid amid the backlash. "There is a child in each of us. Please treat this young lady with respect," he wrote.
3. Fighting against children¡¯s malnutrition
Observing that malnutrition in India was not confined to villages but had become a national problem, Tata Group's Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata said corporates who are eager to please the shareholders need also to focus on social issues such as these.
In 2012, Ratan Tata talked about the malnutrition plagues. He said, ¡°My most visible goal is to do something in nutrition to children and pregnant mothers in India. Because that would change the mental and physical health of our population in years to come.¡±
4. Worked as an employee at his own company
Every successful person has a painful story, like Ratan Tata have, who worked in his own company as an employee during the struggling days of Tata Steel at Jamshedpur. Despite getting a high pay job offer from IBM, he chose to work at his own company and gain experience.
5. Taking? a step against fake news
Indian billionaire philanthropist and former Chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata, took to Twitter to clarify that a quote about the impact of the novel coronavirus on the Indian economy which had been attributed to him was, in fact, not written or said by him.
On Apr 11, 2020, he tweeted, "This post has neither been said nor written by me. I urge you to verify media circulated on WhatsApp and social platforms. If I have something to say, I will say it on my official channels. Hope you are safe and do take care."
6. Ratan Tata urged companies not to lay off employees during the pandemic
In the interaction with Your Story, Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Trusts, slammed companies that had laid off a large number of people. He said that was the companies¡¯ knee-jerk reaction to the pandemic and should certainly not have been an outcome of their loss of business. ¡°The initial tendency was to lay off people, but is that going to solve your problem? That¡¯s a knee-jerk reaction the traditional workplace, to lay off staff because the business is gone,¡± he said.
Tata added that this should be a learning for companies, going forward. ¡°I hope we never have another case but if we did, we¡¯d have a much better understanding of what people could do, and companies would be reacting much faster in the right way, rather than letting people go.¡±
7. Help needy students for their higher education
The Tata Group, under his leadership, endowed a scholarship fund of $28 million towards Cornell University to provide aid to undergraduate students from India.
8.? Always sits next to his driver
Business tycoon Ratan Tata is too humble and grounded to the earth. He sits next to the driver and enjoys the ride. Even he enjoys holding the front in the absence of his driver or whenever he gets an opportunity.
9. Funded hundreds of crores to fight against the pandemic
In 2020, Ratan Tata donated hundreds of crores from Tata¡¯s trust to buy essential health care items for frontline workers. Tata group funded around Rs 500 crores for all needs like personal protective equipment, testing kits, respiratory systems, and more.
10. Requested to adopt and lookout for abandoned pets
The country's renowned industrialist posted pictures of an abandoned dog on his Instagram page and requested his followers to help him find a home for it. Ratan Tata shared the pictures with the caption.
In the post, he thanked people who work for the welfare of these innocent creatures. Being one of the most respected people in the industry, his actions also set an example for people who strive to emulate him, and we could definitely use more kindness in this world. Ratan Tata himself owns two dogs and is clearly a dog lover.?
11. Ratan Tata personally visited families who were affected during the 26/11 attack
Ratan Tata is regarded as a respected living legend for helping families and dependent of the employee affected during the Mumbai attack. He personally visited the families of 80 employees who were affected by the 26/11 attack. Tata Group even compensates for the expenses of their children¡¯s educations. Ratan Tata also established a psychiatric cell in collaboration with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences to give counselling to the needy to recover fully from their losses.
12. Visited a sick former employee
Over the years, the octogenarian has been known for acts of kindness that often went the extra mile for the people around him. And Ratan Tata again showed us his caring, empathetic side, as the business icon took the time to visit the home of an ailing former employee, doing so without any fanfare as his style has been over the years.
84-year-old Ratan Tata travelled all the way from Mumbai to the Friends Society in Pune to visit a former employee who has been unwell for the last two years, according to a LinkedIn post. In no way was the private visit advertised, and there were no media present.
13. Spreading positivity and requesting fans to stop on online hate
Ratan Tata shared a compassionate post online, urging his fans and followers to put an end to online hate and virtual bullying. He asked people to be empathetic towards each other, instead of passing judgements and creating negativity in these times of crisis. He says instead of hating on one another, we must learn to be kind, sensitive and patient towards one another.
14. Requested people to refrain from demanding the Bharat Ratna for him
Veteran industrialist Ratan Tata requested people to refrain from demanding the Bharat Ratna for him.
Tata was responding to a social media campaign that has been gaining momentum in the past couple of days demanding Bharat Ratna for him.
The Chairman Emeritus of the Tata group asked social media users to stop the campaign that asked the government to confer on him the highest civilian award of the country.
"While I appreciate the sentiments expressed by a section of the social media in terms of an award, I would humbly like to request that such campaigns be discontinued," Tata said in a tweet.
"Instead, I consider myself fortunate to be an Indian and to try and contribute to India's growth and prosperity," he added.
15. When a Billion-dollar business tycoon bent down in his kneel
84-year-old Ratan Tata belongs to a wealthy family, but never took power or wealth for granted. According to LinkedIn Post by Subhadeep Paul, In 2012 2012, when the chairman of large group Ratan Tata presided as chief guest at the Induction of new joiners at the TAS leadership program and after that interaction with new joiners a request for group photograph was made.
The next moment, to everyone¡¯s pleasant surprise, the chairman of the company was kneeling on the ground with the front row. While it took people a moment to realise what happened, Ratan Tata's witty words broke the silence, "Please be quick. I can't kneel down for that long". Yes, it was Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of the Tata group, who has bent down and taken photographs with the employees.
Ratan Tata might not be the richest man but he definitely is the greatest man and winner of the hearts. He proved that being on the Forbes list doesn¡¯t make a person rich but actions definitely do.
For more interesting stories like this, click here.