MUMBAI: Ratan Naval Tata, under whose long-standing leadership the Tata Group grew into a global powerhouse, has passed away Breach Candy Hospital on Wednesday evening around 11 p.m. The 86-year-old was admitted on Monday due to dehydration problems.
Tata's death marks the end of an extraordinary corporate journey that not only reshaped the Tata Group but also set new benchmarks for Indian industry on the global stage.
Under his leadership, the group's revenue grew from $4 billion in 1991 to over $100 billion in 2012 when he retired, becoming the first Indian conglomerate to achieve such a milestone.
Ratan Tata was born during British rule in Mumbai (then Bombay) to Soonoo and Naval Tata and grew up in Tata House – now the Indian headquarters of Deutsche Bank – in Fort. A teetotaler and non-smoker, he was a bachelor who almost married three times but remained single all his life.

He is survived by two brothers, Jimmy and Noel, and their families, as well as his stepmother Simone Tata.
Ratan Tata was educated at three prestigious institutions including Campion School and Cathedral and John Connon School in South Mumbai and Bishop Cotton in Shimla. He shared classrooms with notable personalities like music maestro Zubin Mehta and business tycoons Ashok Birla and Rahul Bajaj, Duke owner Dinshaw Pandole and Cipla's Yusuf Hamied.
He then earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University and, at his father's urging, initially began studying engineering. Disappointed with engineering, he switched to architecture after two years, worked briefly at Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles and turned down a job offer from IBM. In 1962, he joined the Tata Group as an assistant at Tata Industries and after 29 years rose to the top to become chairman of Tata Sons.

His tenure was marked by a concerted effort to eliminate the old guard of satraps and position Tata Sons as the nerve center for the strategic direction of the entire group. Under his leadership, Tata Sons also tightened its grip on group companies, requiring them to pay royalties for use of the Tata brand.
He led the group into new sectors such as telecommunications and passenger vehicles and was instrumental in driving innovation with landmark projects such as Indica, India's first indigenous car; Nano, the world's cheapest vehicle; and Ginger, a budget hotel chain, while overseeing more than 60 acquisitions that expanded the group's reach. He also took Tata Consulting Services publicly, the only major Tata company to do so.
However, Ratan Tata's legacy was not without controversy. His decision to appoint Cyrus Mistry as his successor in 2011 sparked one of the most controversial chapters in the group's history. He then picked N Chandrasekaran to head Tata Sons after Mistry's sharp exit in 2016. Furthermore, his dream of building the world's cheapest car (Nano) faced political opposition in West Bengal, resulting in the shifting of production to Gujarat.

In 2008, Ratan Tata was awarded the Padma VibhushanIndia's second highest civilian award.
Despite his many successes, Ratan Tata remained remarkably humble and often attributed his successes to the efforts of those around him. He believed in staying away from politics and once remarked, “Like my mentor JRD Tata, I had never thought about politics. I am not cut out to be a political person and I will not get involved in it.”
Outside the boardroom, he was known for his quiet but determined demeanor, often preferring to stay out of the spotlight. His contributions extended far beyond business as he carried out numerous philanthropic initiatives Tata Trustswhich has a tacit but significant impact on sectors such as healthcare, education and rural development.

In retirement, he kept a low profile and made sporadic public appearances – the last was on August 15 this year when he visited the Tata Fire Temple in Bandra to celebrate the Parsi New Year.
In the years following his retirement, Ratan Tata also became an angel investor in numerous startups, including Upstox, FirstCry and Ola Electric – a testament, if any, to his continued commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship. Through Tata Trusts, he also significantly focused on philanthropy, changing the organization's funding approach to prioritize large-scale social initiatives, such as setting up cancer hospitals and setting up India's largest tertiary care center for small animals, including strays, in Mumbai.
Although his physical activity has decreased in recent years and public appearances have become even more rare, he retained his sharp eyesight and participated in virtual meetings for both official and charitable purposes.

Beyond business, Ratan Tata had a personal passion for aviation and held pilot licenses for both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. He was also an enthusiastic scuba diver and practiced until health problems limited his mobility. He also had a deep love for dogs and built a special swimming pool for his pets at his residence in Colaba, Halekai.
Ratan Tata himself designed Halekai and its 2,000 square meter beach bungalow in Alibaug. His connection with architecture also extended to two other houses that he designed in Jamshedpur on Road No. 10, Circuit House (East). One of the houses belonged to Soli Devitre, brother-in-law of then Tata Sons director Jehangir Ghandy, and the other belonged to former Tata Steel executive Cawas Mehta and his wife Perin C Mehta. The properties now have new owners.
And just as these homes will always bear his aesthetic stamp, Indian business will bear the stamp of Ratan Tata.