Soft-spoken yet steely in resolve, Ratan Tata, who reshaped the Tata Group while remaining anchored in its century-old ethos of trust, nation-building and compassion, would have completed 88 years today. In an age of flamboyant tycoons, Tata, who passed away on October 9, 2024, stood out — understated, principled and deeply humane — and has left behind a legacy that extends far beyond just balance sheets, and permeating deeply into the imagination of India Inc.Tata’s life and career were remarkable and eventful, and his vision and strategic clarity propelled the Tata Group to new heights.Building and expanding Tata empire:After taking full control of the group, Tata led from the front in globalisation of Indian business houses in the early 2000. The first was the Tata Tea acquisition of Tetley in 2000. Tata then went on an acquisition spree buying as many as three dozen small and big companies. Then came Tata Steel’s takeover of Anglo-Dutch steel maker Corus, and the British automobile marquee Jaguar and Land Rover by Tata Motors from Ford Motors. However, the group’s Corus acquisition faced troubles while JLR became profitable. The integration of Jaguar and Land Rover in the consolidated books of Tata Motors was achieved and the company has not looked back since then.On the domestic front, Tata consolidated the Tata group’s stake in various companies. In Tata Steel, the Birlas had more stake than Tata Steel once upon a time. However, Tata Sons increased the stake to 33.19 per cent in the steel maker. Various group companies went in for expansion and acquisition and the group’s turnover and market capitalisation rose over the years. Tata Motors, which was earlier known as a commercial vehicle maker, started manufacturing passenger cars during his tenure. Tata took the initiative for the TCS listing on the stock exchange in 2004, which eventually became the second most valuable company on the bourses. He also backed the acquisition of Air India in 2022.On bachelorhood:When Ratan was asked if there was some link between his decision to stay a bachelor and the divorce of his parents, he paused to think, then replied, “I have not thought about any link so far, but it is a fact that all the children of my mother are single, none has married. I need to think about it.’ But there is nothing to show that he would have been anything but a great husband and a wonderful father. The love and affection he bestows on those who are around him leaves little room for any other conclusion,” Ratan is quoted as saying.Tata got perilously close to wedlock more than once. “Yet, it is a little unusual that he, his brother, Jimmy, and his sisters, Shireen and Deanna, are all unmarried,” writes former IAS officer Thomas Mathew in his biography, ‘Ratan Tata: A Life’.School days:Both Ratan Tata and his brother Jimmy Tata were ragged and humiliated in school by their peers. Ratan recalled that they were made to feel ‘conspicuous and outclassed’. After his mother remarried, he said that boys of the school said ‘all kinds of things about both of them. Ratan hardly had any friends in Cathedral and John Connon School because his mother and father were separated and his brother and he would always tag along with his father (Naval Tata), so his friends became their friends. “I hardly ever had any friends [of my own]. Of the three he says he had, Zubin Mehta, the famous orchestral conductor, and his brother, would occasionally come to Tata House. The other friend, Behram Dubash, is now a veteran in the shipping industry and involved in his family construction business,” Ratan is quoted as saying.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Ratan Tata: How the introvert, dark horse rose to become India’s most respected businessman – and how he stayed on topNano car ‘blunder’:On the Nano car, an expert even dubbed it as “a monumental marketing blunder.” It was a problem that Ratan admitted to as well. When asked about his most memorable day of his life, in an instant he said, “Amongst the happiest and most fulfilling would be the creation of the Nano.’ It was ‘because everyone said that a one lakh car was not possible, and we did that.” In an interview in 2012, Ratan said that the low point for Tata Motors was its failure to leverage the wave of global interest and attention that the Nano had already generated. “The Nano has not realized its potential, largely because it’s just being marketed and sold like any other car,’ he said. ‘It’s a different car and it has to be dealt with differently,” the book quoted him as saying.Dog lover:His love for dogs saw him provide a home for the strays in the iconic Bombay House, the headquarters of the Tatas. During the nine-month-long renovation, while the employees of Tata House were briefly shuttled between the headquarters and their temporary office, even the four- legged occupants were taken along. When the renovated building was inaugurated in July 2018, the dogs got a room of their own. It was well-stocked with feeding bowls, chewies, toys, dog biscuits, treats, mattresses and a plush resting area, besides water and food.Tata, the prankster:As a prankster, no one would expect the reclusive, reticent, media-shy Ratan to be a prankster. “But he is one, and incorrigible at that. His age never restrained the child in him. He would play pranks on his colleagues with great delight. During long board meetings, when he discovered that some of the ‘old guard’ would clandestinely relax by kicking off their shoes, he would kick their shoes as far away as he possibly could,”26/11 terror attack:Story continues below this adWhen the 26/11 terrorist attack on the iconic Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai happened, Ratan spent half the night watching and waiting outside on the footpath, pacing between the hotel and the adjoining Gateway of India. Ratan stood on the road looking up in horror, with ‘tears in his eyes’ as flames engulfed the more-than-a-century-old landmark. He was horrified and told himself, ‘I cannot believe the hotel is burning down. It is just not possible,”The beginning:Tata, who was born on December 28, 1937, joined the Tata group in 1962. After serving in various companies, he was appointed Director-in-Charge of the National Radio and Electronics Company in 1971. In 1981, he was named Chairman of Tata Industries, the group’s other holding company, where he was responsible for transforming it into a group strategy think tank and a promoter of new ventures in high-technology businesses.After taking over as Chairman of Tata Sons in 1991 from the legendary JRD Tata, Ratan Tata was at the centre of many a battle in Bombay House, the headquarters of the Tata group. Pugnacious Tata took on satraps who considered their companies as their personal fiefdoms and they were shown the door one after another.Tata received a B.Arch degree from Cornell in 1962. He worked briefly with Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles before returning to India in late 1962. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1975.On the day Mistry was sacked:Story continues below this adOn the day (October 24, 2016) Cyrus Mistry was sacked as Chairman, Ratan had met Mistry and requested him to step down but the latter had declined. With this introduction, he renewed the request to Mistry to reconsider his decision (not to resign) before the formal meeting started. Mistry ignored the request and attempted to draw Ratan into the proceedings by requesting him to speak. But the effort failed. The chairman emeritus politely declined, stating that he would prefer to be an observer.Noel Tata:When Ratan Tata was searching for a successor, the Parsis in the company, as also the ‘traditionalists’ in the community, pushed for Noel’s appointment as they considered him to be one of them. They contended that it would prevent the break of a more-than-125-year-old tradition of only a Tata, or at least a Parsi related to the founder, heading the group. “Ratan, however, did not have any such concern. For him, only the talent and the values of the person mattered. Religion, community or the region they came from were hardly of relevance. He made it known that he was open to the (selection) committee even considering foreigners if they had the right qualifications,” his biography says.