Ratan Tata’s Demise Leaves a Void in Atma Nirbhar Vision

Ratan Tata, one of India’s leading business tycoons and industrialists, died on Wednesday at the age of 86 after a prolonged illness. He led the TATA group for 21 consecutive years from 1991-2012, the same period when the Tata conglomerate grew into a multinational giant.

On Ratan Tata’s death, his family in a statement mentioned, “We, the brothers, sister, and family, take solace and comfort in the outpouring of love and respect from all who admired him. While he is no longer with us in person, his legacy of humility, generosity, and purpose will continue to inspire future generations.”

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Throwback to Ratan Tata’s Pivotal Business Decision

Here is the flashback to Ratan Tata’s key business decisions:

Acquisition Of JLR

Under the guidance of Sir Ratan Tata, the conglomerate made the pivotal decision to acquire Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) for a net consideration of $2.3 billion from Ford Motors. Fast-forward to fiscal year 2024, and JLR booked a net profit of £2.6 billion.

Launch Of Nano

Ratan Tata launched the Nano project in 2008, pricing the car at INR 1 lakh to make it affordable for the masses. Despite its ambitious goal, the project struggled to gain traction and eventually failed due to declining sales.

Entering Telecom Business

Another pivotal decision made under Ratan Tata’s leadership was to enter the domestic telecom industry in partnership with Japanese major NTT Docomo. The joint venture launched Tata Docomo in November 2008, which Bharti Airtel later acquired.

Defence Business

Under Ratan Tata’s leadership, Tata Sons established Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. (TASL) to venture into the aerospace and defence solutions industry. Launched in 2007, TASL became one of the early private sector entrants into the defence sector.

Air India’s Acquisition

In 2021, when Air India changed ownership, Ratan Tata was no longer the chairman of Tata Sons, but he continued to hold the position of chairman emeritus. The struggling airline was acquired for Rs 18,000 crore. Fast-forward to today, when Air India Reduced its losses by 60% to Rs. 4,444 crores.

Awards and Achivement Of Rata Tata

Year	Awarding Body	Award
2000	Government of India	Padma Bhushan
2001	Ohio State University	Honorary Doctor of Business Administration
2004	London School of Economics and Political Science	Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay
2007	Carnegie Endowment for International Peace	Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy
2008	Government of India	Padma Vibhushan
2008	University of Cambridge	Honorary Doctor of Law
2008	Indian Institute of Technology Bombay	Honorary Doctor of Science
2008	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Honorary Doctor of Science
2008	Government of Singapore	Honorary Citizen Award
2008	The Institution of Engineering and Technology	Honorary Fellowship
2008	Indian Affairs India Leadership Conclave	Inspired Leadership Award
2013	Ernst & Young	Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Lifetime Achievement
2013	Carnegie Mellon University	Honorary Doctor of Business Practice
2014	Singapore Management University	Honorary Doctor of Business
2014	Baroda Management Association	Sayaji Ratna Award
2014	Queen Elizabeth II	Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)