Ratan Tata & his 'personal' side: Love for dogs, cars, connect with youngsters

Ratan Tata was a businessman par excellence, who inspired everyone with his leadership style. He catapulted the Tata Group from an Indian company into a globally recognised powerhouse. Since taking over as Tata Group's chairman in 1991, Ratan Tata made several key decisions that shaped the conglomerate that's worth ₹30-lakh crore today. It is said that he changed the group for the better in a "more substantial manner than any of the Tata luminaries" since its inception in 1868. A truly humble and visionary leader, Ratan Tata was known for keeping his personal life 'private' until he stepped down as the chairman of Tata Sons, after 50 years with the Tata Group, in 2012.

Life's stories via Instagram

After a gap of around 7 years, Ratan Tata returned to the public eye and surprised everyone when he joined Instagram in 2019. His first post made headlines when he said he looked forward to exchanging stories and creating something "special". "I don’t know about breaking the internet, but I am so excited to join all of you on Instagram! After a long absence from public life, I look forward to exchanging stories and creating something special with such a diverse community!" he said in his first-ever Instagram post.

Since then, Instagram become his go-to medium to share personal stories and anecdotes that he never shared in public before, advice to young people, and his love for dogs. In fact, his second Instagram post was about his late dog, Tito. He said those who strive for the welfare of the voiceless, "truly have my respect". "Today would be the 14th birthday of my late dog, Tito. I still come home to two kind souls and meet so many others in and around the office. While few have the comfort of families, many struggle on the streets, and yet somehow, their affection remains the same," he posted in 2019.

Ratan Tata's Love for Dogs

One can find several of his posts on dogs on his Instagram timeline. In most of them, he was asking people to adopt dogs abandoned by their owners. "Of all the different sufferings that animals today have to go through, my heart truly breaks for the ones that get abandoned by families," he said in one of his posts.

He cared for and loved dogs so much that through his posts, he helped find homes for several dogs. "After having changed families multiple times, “Sur” no longer has a family to look after her. The last time, all of you generously helped me find Myra a loving family. I hope together we can do the same for “Sur”," he said in his 2020 post.

Striking Chord with Youngsters

Through his posts, Ratan Tata always tried to strike a chord with young people. In one of his posts about the picture of his young self, Tata said: "I was going to post this yesterday, but I was then told about “throwbacks” and how they occur on Thursdays. So here is a throwback from my days in LA, not long before I happily returned to India."

He also shared a snippet from his yearbook at Riverdale Country School in 1955. "Throwing far back to my school days this Thursday, thinking about my friends Lou and Rudy."

In a beautiful picture reminiscing his childhood days with his brother Jimmy, Ratan Tata in his 2023 post said: "Those were happy days. Nothing came between us. (1945 with my brother Jimmy)."

It is overwhelming how quickly time passes, he said in a 2019 post, adding that be it the struggles of yesterday or the good days close to heart, everything seems to have happened not very long ago. "Life should be full of these because the years can truly be elusive."

He even shared a photo of him flying the F18 Super Hornet at the Bangalore Aero Show. "It is not just the end of a year, but the end of a decade too. 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 favorite moments from this decade, flying the F18 Super Hornet at the Bangalore Aero Show."

Love for India-made Cars

His love for cars, especially Tata-made cars, was undeniable. He took immense pride in showcasing India's brainpower. Posting about Tata's first indigenous car 'Tata Indica', Ratan Tata in 2019 posted: "Everyone told us it couldn’t be done without having a joint venture or a partnership with an international company. That if I did this, I would be linked to failure. But we went ahead anyway. There were technical issues and many lessons we learned. It was a wonderful experience to be breaking new ground. The chances to give up were many. We stayed the course, worked out each issue, and that was the birth of India’s 1st indigenous car, The Tata Indica."

In another picture on JRD’s 117th birth anniversary on July 29, 2021, Ratan Tata said: "Mr. JRD Tata dreamt of the Tatas producing a “Tata” car. Mr. Sumant Moolgaokar shared in this dream. This picture was taken at the launch celebration of the TATA ESTATE at the Pune plant. One of Jeh’s many dreams became a reality. On that day, TELCO too achieved another dream for India."

How Rata Tata wanted to be remembered

Two days ago, when the tycoon was admitted to a Mumbai hospital, news started circulating regarding his health. Tata took to Instagram to thank people for "thinking of me".

"I am currently undergoing medical check-ups due to my age and related medical conditions. There is no cause for concern," he said, requesting media to refrain from spreading misinformation.

Humility was at his core, a quality rarely seen in the fast-paced lives of big businessmen. In one of his interactions in Kolkata in 2014, the tycoon had said he "would like to be remembered as somebody who had never hurt others and done work to the best interest of business".