Ratan Tata passed away at 86 after a brief illness at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. Known for his transformative leadership of the Tata Group, Tata also cherished his passion for aviation.
Ratan Tata died at age 86 at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday night after a brief illness. However, the industrialist, who is credited with transforming the Tata Group into a globally renowned conglomerate, has left behind a legacy that soars as high as his aviation exploits.
In February 2007, Ratan Tata was invited by US defence contractor Lockheed Martin to co-pilot an F-16 fighter jet, and this was when the titan took to the skies in a high-speed adventure at the Aero India Show held in Bengaluru.
It is noteworthy that Tata held licenses to fly both jets and helicopters.
Later, in December 2019, Tata took to social media and shared a picture of him in the fighter jet at the Aero India show.
“It’s not just the end of a year, but the end of a decade too,” he captioned his post on Instagram. Ratan Tata also called the moment one of his favourite moments from the decade.
“I look forward with excitement to the new decade ahead, which is a great time to be relevant, to stand for causes you believe in, to create something from scratch, make special connections, laugh, and write a little bit of history. Here’s one of my favourite moments from this decade, flying the F18 Super Hornet at the Bangalore Aero Show,” he wrote.
RATAN TATA DIES AT 86
The mortal remains of Ratan Tata were brought out of the Breach Candy Hospital in an ambulance escorted by police vehicles a little after 2 am on Thursday and taken to his residence in south Mumbai’s Colaba area.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra’s Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar and industrialist Mukesh Ambani were among those who rushed to the hospital after hearing about Tata’s death.
A statement quoting Chief Minister Shinde read the national tricolour on government offices in Maharashtra will be flown at half-mast on Thursday as a sign of mourning.
There will be no entertainment events on Thursday, the statement read.
Tata’s last rites will be performed in the Worli area of Mumbai later in the day.
