Page 13 - SeniorsToday October

or small without Apeksha, will be blessed Group briefly for four years from 2012,
with Dhanabhandam or coffer, several
times over, setting in motion an unending
chain of charity. It is not just about the care
for humans, but for the mute as well. One
of the last acts of kindness of Ratan Tata
was the setting up of a charitable veterinary
hospital for animals in Mumbai. He was
repaying the kindness and friendship of the
four-legged (he liked dogs and had a few of
them). If the animals could speak like they
did in Jataka Tales, probably one of them
would have written this eulogy, rather than
me. You just have to see the heartwarming
video of one of his desolate pets looking
haplessly at his repose body.
With his Bombay House dogs. (Goa – on the right– passed
away 3 days after his master)
Photograph: @ratantata on Instagram
For sure, like any other mortal, Ratan
Tata had had his share of controversies
like the West Bengal Singur plant ( for the
small car Nano project ) walk out, Tata Tea
ULFA run-in with the Assam government,
unsavoury fall out with Cyrus Mistry
(now deceased) who helmed the Tata
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #64 | OCTOBER 2024
the defamation case filed by Nusli Wadia
on being ejected from the Tata Sons board
due to his support to Cyrus Mistry, the
Nina Radia tapes imbroglio in connection
with the telecom policy and scam involving
A Raja, the then telecom minister. A few
others may have something unsavoury to
say, but it is best dismissed as sour grapes.
A canny and mature public dissects,
filters and remembers the larger good of a
person rather than the smaller chinks in an
otherwise rock- solid armour of Ratan Tata.
In any case, these controversies had either
been satisfactorily closed or settled.
A Throwback photo from his LA days.
Photograph: @ratantata on Instagram
One may wonder at the relevance of my
reference to Navaratri and Dasha Hara in
an article dedicated to Ratan Tata. Quite
simply, in my eyes, Ratan Tata scores a
remarkable 8 out of 10, in not having at
least eight of the 10 negative traits, going
by his known acts and demeanour in public
domain. Probably any semblance of the
balance two traits may be so miniscule that
Ma Durga may well overlook them and
take him in her arms. There can be no one
more deserving of this celestial embrace
than Ratan Tata, the mark of a man
extraordinaire. No paeans to this Parsi can
be plenty.
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