Shantanu Naidu, a close associate of the late Ratan Tata and the youngest general manager at the Tata Trusts, has written a heartfelt note on Ratan Tata days after his demise. Naidu, who shared a unique bond with the business tycoon along with their mutual love for dogs, wrote, “Finally getting a chance to sit down and feel things. Still trying to accept the fact that I will never be able to see him smile again or give him a chance to smile.”
In his Instagram post, Naidu also said the number of messages he is receiving felt like there have been a long connection with people.
“In the last 3 days, I have received so many messages from stangers from across the country. Reading these, it feels as if you and I have been part of the family for years,” Naidu wrote.
Naidu also thanked Mumbai Police for their tribute to Tata during his cremation and said, “These generous policemen of Mumbai were so kind that they embraced the whole city. It felt like a farewell gift”.
Shantanu Naidu began his career at Tata Elxsi as an intern before realising his passion for helping stray animals. This led him to create reflective collars for dogs, a project that caught Ratan Tata’s attention. Their first meeting laid the foundation for a strong friendship, and by May 2022, Naidu was officially working as Tata’s personal assistant.
Earlier, Naidu said that the values of the Tata Group are part of a rich legacy that has been handed down through generations. “My family, having been exposed to that over generations, has allowed us to appreciate and respect that more, or have that as a central value,” he noted.
“So I think that overlapping legacy, where we have always respected and worked for the Tatas, through not one or two, but five generations, puts it in a different perspective for us.”
Tata, who remained the Chairman Emeritus of the sprawling salt-to-software conglomerate till his death, breathed his last at Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai at 11:30 pm on October 9. He was put under intensive care on October 7. Ratan Tata was laid to rest on October 10 with full state honours in Mumbai.
