It was January 2020 when an iconic photograph went viral, signifying the mutual respect and affection between two titans of India Inc — Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy touching Ratan Tata’s feet.
As Murthy presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Tata Sons chairman emeritus Ratan Tata, he bent down to touch his feet and seek his blessings in a rare show of humility among industry veterans. Tata had shared a video of the event on Instagram, saying: “It was an honor to be awarded by TIEcon at the hands of a great friend Mr. Narayana Murthy.”
On October 9, as Ratan Tata breathed his last at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital, a grief-struck Murthy remembered his “dear friend” and “moral compass”.
In a statement to Moneycontrol, Murthy said, “Losing a dear friend like Ratan is very painful. Ratan was a role model for me in value-based leadership. He was indeed a moral compass whenever I had some ambiguity and confusion in ethical issues.”
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He added: “He was concerned with the future of India and spent time with youngsters and entrepreneurs. Once I took my college-going daughter to him and he spent three hours with her answering every question of hers with patience, passion, concern and lucidity. May his soul rest in peace.”
At the TieCon event in 2020, Murthy described Tata as a humanist, industrialist, philanthropist and a perfect gentleman, who brought tremendous respect to the word ‘business.’
“He has received innumerable honours from countries and institutions all over the world. They were honoured themselves like TiE has honoured itself today by honouring him”, he had said then.
Tata was admitted to the Mumbai hospital since Monday due to a sudden drop in blood pressure and was in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
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The Tata family made the announcement of Ratan Tata’s death on Tata Group’s X handle. “We, his brothers, sisters 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,” the statement read.
Tata Group has informed that Ratan Tata’s mortal remains will be kept at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) Lawns in South Mumbai on Thursday from 10am to 4pm, allowing the public to pay their respects.
The industrialist’s death triggered an outpouring of grief by people from all walks of life, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, cricketers, Bollywood and India Inc.
