When Ratan Tata first joined Tata Industries in 1962, JRD Tata had asked for his resume: 'Typed out a resume on electric typewriter'

Ratan Tata, the iconic former Chairman of Tata Sons, passed away in Mumbai on Wednesday at the age of 86. Leading the Tata Group from 1991 until his retirement in 2012, and briefly returning as interim Chairman from 2016 to 2017 during a critical time, his legacy is etched in India's history. However, when Ratan Tata first joined Tata Industries in 1962, his journey began with an unexpected moment—JRD Tata, his predecessor, asked him for a resume. What followed was a pivotal career that played a crucial role in defining the trajectory of Indian business history.

Ratan Tata's education journey began in Bombay, where he attended Campion School and later Cathedral and John Connon School.?

After completing his schooling, he headed to Cornell University in the United States to study architecture and structural engineering.

Initially, Tata spent his first two years studying engineering, following his father's wishes, even though it didn't align with his true interests.

CREDIT: AP

Eventually, he switched to architecture, much to his father's dismay.?

Remarkably, though, he managed to complete both programs in less than seven years.

Ratan Tata? was all set to build a life in Los Angeles when fate intervened—his grandmother, Navajbai R Tata, fell ill, and he had to return to India.

Upon his return, Tata had a job offer from IBM, but JRD Tata, his predecessor who had led the Tata group for over half a century, wasn't pleased.?

Credit: Tata.com | JRD Tata and Ratan Tata at a Founder's Day function in Jamshedpur

Ratan Tata recalled, "He called me one day and he said you can't be here in India and working for IBM. I was in [the IBM office] and I remember he asked me for a resume, which I didn't have. The office had electric typewriters so I sat one evening and typed out a resume on their typewriter and gave it to him."

That moment marked a turning point. In 1962, Ratan Tata was offered a job at Tata Industries, the very foundation of his extraordinary career - and the rest is history.

In a 2018 interview, when asked how he would like to be remembered, Ratan Tata humbly said, "As a person who made a difference. Not anything more, not anything less."

And that, indeed, he will be.

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