Ratan Tata:A Jewel So Rare

Think Ratan Tata and one gets the image of a humble man who, despite hailing from a super rich family, continues to remain a symbol of strength, simplicity and humility. Born in 1937, it’s been a long battle of making a unique place for himself apart from his family’s heritage. Ratan Tata is the present chairman of Tata Sons and thus, Tata Group which is India’s largest corporation founded by Jamsedji Tata. He is also the present Chairperson of major companies under the stable of Tata such as Tata Steel, Tata Motors, to name a few.

The famous Tata family belongs to the Parsi family and undoubtedly Ratan Tata was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. However, such is his greatness that he never let this family tag come in the way of working hard and carving a niche for himself in the world. Jamsedji Tata’s grandson, Ratan’s life was not one without its own set of struggles. He had a difficult childhood and his parents separated when he was a mere child of seven years. He had to see his mother leaving the family and both Ratan and his younger brother were raised by their grandmother.

Ratan Tata is a dynamic and vibrant businessman and is considered to be one of the best managers and is well-known among business circles to never compromise on ethics and customer care. A businessman par excellence, Ratan joined the Tata Group in December 1962, soon after turning down a job with IBM on JRD Tata’s advice. He went on to work at Tata Steel in Jamshedpur where he worked along with other blue-collar workers on the factory floor, shoveling limestone and handling the blast furnaces. He is regarded as a shy man who is renowned for his simplicity and generosity despite the vast wealth that he has amassed over the years, adding to the family’s fortunes, most of which goes into philanthropy.

He was the recipient of the 2010 Business Leader of the Year Award at the Asian Awards in 2010 apart from featuring in TIME magazine’s 2008 edition of the World’s 100 most influential people.