It was in the year 2004 that we decided to buy a flat. First time owning a house of our own. We arranged a bank loan and we were short of funds. Myself and wife were working with TCS. The Situation was becoming tougher. We had pooled money from my mom and sis as they were more than happy to help us acquire our first asset. Still, we were running short. That is when we received a heaven-sent letter which was signed by him.
That is when I received a special Diwali Bonus letter signed by Late Ratan Tata. It was a large amount, completely unexpected. We were overwhelmed with joy. We will not forget how that helped us in easing our situation. Having worked in a Tata company for 18 years I have seen the value system of Tatas. So the whole fascination for me to get into a Tata company was ignited when I was in Kolkatta in 1996. I had the opportunity to be in Jamshedpur aptly called Tata Nagar. On that visit, something changed in my mind. Looking back I believe I was enamoured with the impact of Tata’s in people’s lives. The common people were so proud of what Tatas had done in their daily lives. At one point in time when I had decided to give a shot at getting into a Tata company I believe I had sent my application to four Tata companies. Finally, one in Data Quest caught my attention and I got into TCS. I had the opportunity to see Tata House once and how people bow down in front of the statue of JRD Tata. I saw people touching the steps every day before they entered the office. No wonder Harvard Business School carried out a study of Tata on what makes them different. I take a lot of inspiration from the below quote of Ratan Tata as we navigate our lives.
On 9th October I was getting ready to take a morning flight. That is when my wife told me about the sad passing of Ratan Tata. That time in the car from home to the airport was all about reflections of my stint with the Tatas. How the organisation shaped my career. I must say that my father-in-law did not check anything the moment he knew that I was with TCS. There was one incident for a police verification and I remember in Mumbai how the policemen treated us knowing that we both were working with the Tata’s. When we were abroad I had the chance to open a meeting by playing the Salt to Software video of Tata group. Even today when I interact with Tata executives in business I discuss the impact it had on my life.
Post Ratan Tata’s demise there were so many stories I have seen and read online and offline on how he had made a big difference. It was also touching to see how the Dog Goa bid farewell to his master. There was one particular story which touched me and I thought that perfectly fits into my definition of a RICH Icon which appeared in the Economic Times.
The year was 1991. Ratan Tata had told Arun Nanda, the then chairman of Rediffusion, that he wanted a brand campaign for the Tata Group. This work, for which I assigned Rahul Bose and Nitin Berry as the core creative team, ended up giving me one of the proudest, most cherished moments in my career… and my life. The campaign called ‘The Company of Man’ (not really gender assigned, but it was a different time, of course) was about how the Tata Group helped people. And it wasn’t so much about the business, but the values of the group enshrined in Jamshedji Tata’s original vision that ‘the purpose of an enterprise was to serve the community’. This plaque can still be seen under his bust as you enter Bombay House. The campaign was beautifully written and art-directed. One day, Ratan Tata came in to meet us in what would’ve been a rare visit by him to an agency’s office. We were at Readymoney Terraces in Mumbai, and here, in a hobbit-sized conference room, I presented the campaign to him. He sat in the corner and as I read out the work, he had tears in his eyes. And then, that huge, kind person stood up and said something I will never forget. He said, “This is a great piece of work. But I will never release it. I asked why. He replied, “Because if you are a true healer, you do not go around telling people that you are a healer. You just heal.”
I went to my favourite book shop he told me to have a copy of the book, ‘Ratan Tata: A Life’, I did not think twice. I noticed that life has come full circle. In 2004 during Diwali eve we got that letter from him and today on this Diwali I am taking back home another gift. There are some books which need to be there on my bookshelf and I was sure that he belonged there. This is a RICH tribute to a visionary in the true sense, someone whom I could see from a distance during one of the airshows. He took the reins of the organisation when it was India’s movement in the 1990s and left when it was beginning to be India’s Moment. Mr Soft-spoken has left a void but his values enrich our day-to-day lives. The main one is compassion, which makes him a true healer.
