When Ratan Tata visited an ailing ex-employee at Pune’s Friends’ Colony

In 2021, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata, travelled 150 kilometres from Mumbai to Pune by car, not for a business meeting or a public appearance, but to visit a former employee who had been ill for two years. Tata was 83 years’ old at the time. This gesture, made sans any media fanfare or security entourage, sums up just how extraordinary Tata was, both as a business leader and a human being.
As Yogesh Desai, founder, Prima Verse, posted on social media about the billionaire industrialist’s commitment towards his workforce at the time: “Sir Ratan Tata (83 years’ old), living legend, greatest businessman alive in India, visited the Friends’ Colony in Pune all the way from Mumbai to meet his ex-employee who has been ailing for the last two years. This is what legends are made of. No media, no bouncers, only commitment towards loyal employees. There is a lot to learn for all entrepreneurs and businessmen that money is not everything. What matters is being a great human being. Hats off Sir! I bow my head in respect.”
This is just one of the countless such anecdotes from the visionary leader’s much storied life. Prominent scientist Dr Raghunath Mashelkar recalled his association with the designing of the Tata Nano. “He (Ratan Tata) was a very close friend and an idol for me. I was at Tata Motors for 10 years and was part of the Tata Affirmation Committee, and he knew me since long as we interacted often. I would like to mention that I had received a scholarship of ₹60 per month from the Tata Group for six years and could not have become what I am today had it not been for this scholarship programme,” Mashelkar said.
“The most important event being March 17, 2000 when President K R Narayanan, who is himself a Tata scholar, awarded the Padma Shri to Ratan Tata and me. He (Ratan Tata) was rich by heart and was simple to the core and believed in high thinking. As an industrialist, he had created an unparalleled global footprint by acquiring international brands like Jaguar. Tata gave maximum jobs to Britain, a country which once upon a time ruled the world. Talent, technology and trust defined his personality,” Mashelkar said.
Not many people know that Ratan Tata has a bungalow in Pune where he would spend quiet time despite his hectic schedule in the 1980s and 1990s. He would also visit Tata Motors’ Tata Lake House in Pimpri, a private property that one can visit by invitation only. Located in a forest, the Tata Lake House is a guest house with three beautiful lakes on the premises and is currently reserved for very important persons (VIPs), top employees and overseas guests of Tata Motors. The property also houses a lounge, restaurant, meeting rooms, driving track and office area. Due to the lush environs, it is home to many exotic and migratory birds.