No other businessman in India is respected as much as Ratan Tata.
His charity is legendary. In this article, the famed industrialist of India narrated his own story.
Ratan Tata starts his story by recalling his childhood, which he says was happy. But he also says that when he and his brother grew older, they were ragged. Their grandma brought up Ratan Tata and his brother.
Ratan Tata talks about his troubled childhood; thanks his grandmother for what he is.
He says, “When my mother remarried, my schoolmates started making nasty remarks about us. Our grandmother, on the other hand, instilled in us the value of keeping our dignity at all costs, which has stayed with me to this day.
It meant stepping away from these situations rather than battling them.
And without grandmom, I wouldn’t be half the person I am now.”
Ratan Tata expresses his inability to concur with his father on the same point.
He goes on to say, “He goes on to say, “Even though I intended to be an architect, Dad insisted on me being an engineer. I wanted to study in the United States, but my father insisted wanted me to study in Britain.”
If it hadn’t been for my grandmother, I would not have ended up at Cornell University in the United States. Despite enrolling in mechanical engineering, it was because of her that I changed courses and finished with a degree in architecture.
My father was dissatisfied, but by college, I had become my own, independent person, and it was my grandmother who taught me that the strength to stand up can also be soft.”
How Ratan Tata’s career started
The famous business tycoon then tells us how his career began. He also discussed a failed relationship he had in the United States. Ratan Tata claims that following graduation, he worked for two years at an architecture business in Los Angeles.
He says, “In Los Angeles, I fell in love and almost married. At the same time, I’d resolved to return, if only briefly, because grandmom wasn’t feeling well. So I went back to meet her, hoping that the girl I wanted to marry would accompany me to India, but owing to the 1962 Indo-China conflict, her parents were no longer willing for her to make the voyage, and the romance ended.”
Ratan Tata then recalls that he spent some time with his grandmother following the transfer. He also discusses his early days at Tata Motors.
He elaborates: “I’d go for a run with my dog, then speak for hours with my grandmom. I’m glad I got that time with her before she died since I relocated to Jamshedpur for an internship with Tata Motors. It was a waste of time – I was shuffled from one area to another & since I was a family member, no one told me what to do – I squandered 6 months attempting to be ‘productive’.
Ratan Tata recalls his time at Tata Steel
The diligent industrial says he enjoyed his job at Tata Steel. He also discusses how they looked after the employees of the firm when the workforce was reduced.
Ratan Tata says he started on the floor at Tata Steel and immediately realized how miserable the individuals who worked there were.
He continues, “So when Tata Steel cut its workforce from 78,000 to 40,000 people, we made certain to pay them their current income till retirement—in it’s our DNA to support those who serve us.”
Ratan Tata then claims that when JRD left as Chairman of Tata Industries and afterward Tata Sons in 1991, he was received scathing criticism. Other candidates were vocal in their conviction that he had made the wrong decision, he explains.
I’d been through it before, so I did what I knew best: I remained silent and focused on proving myself.
JRD was accused of nepotism, and I was labeled as the incorrect option.
I was being watched, but the time I spent on the floor was a great bonus – I hadn’t appeared out of nowhere!”
Rata Tata recalls a touching moment with JRD after becoming Chairman
, The diligent industrialist then talks about an incident that occurred between him and JRD. The incident occurred after Ratan Tata was appointed Chairman.
He says, “JRD told his secretary that he had to go when I escorted him to his office.
. ‘No, J, don’t quit; this is your place of employment for as long as you want,’ I said. ‘Where are you going to sit?’ he inquired.
‘Where I’m sitting today—I have an office down the hall, which is OK,’ I explained. I considered myself fortunate to have him present.
I used to stroll into his office and say, ‘J, I wish this had happened 10 years ago, we have such a lovely relationship.’ He was like a father and a brother to me, and I cannot emphasize that enough.”
Rata Tata finally says that ever since he has dedicated his life to expanding the business.
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