The doyen of the Indian industry, Ratan N. Tata passed away in a Mumbai hospital, where he was earlier stated to be in a critical condition.
He will be accorded a state funeral, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced.
The passing away of Ratan Tata, who was the Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group, from 1991 until his retirement on December 28, 2012, marks the end of an era for the Indian industry.
During his tenure, the group’s revenues grew sharply, totalling over $100 billion in 2011-12.
After his retirement, he was conferred the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, Tata Industries, Tata Motors, Tata Steel and Tata Chemicals.
He was on the international advisory boards of Mitsubishi Corporation and JP Morgan Chase. He also served on the board of trustees of Cornell University and the University of Southern California.
After receiving his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell University in 1962, he worked briefly with Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles before returning to India in late 1962. He also completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 1975.
The Government of India honoured him with its second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008. He has also received honorary doctorates from several universities in India and overseas.
With inputs from tatatrusts.org/Ratan Tata’s picture: tatatrusts.org
