Ratan Tata: Proud of Nano and our decision to go ahead with it

He furthur spoke about Tata Nano and why he wanted to build an affordable vehicle.

Pic/Humans of Bombay

Industrialist Ratan Tata, in the third part of his interview with Humans of Bombay spoke about his life after retirement, the reason behind not getting married and how did he get the idea for Tata Nano.

He picked up from being appointed Chairman of Tata Group and said, "Ever since, my life has been for and about growing the company."

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He furthur spoke about Tata Nano and why he wanted to build an affordable vehicle. He said that he saw a family of four travelling on a motorbike in heavy rains and that made him want to do something for them as they were "risking their lives for lack of an alternative."

He added that by the time, Nano was launched, the costs increased but since he had made a promise, he delivered it. "Looking back, I'm still proud of the car and the decision to go ahead with it."

On the personal front, he revealed that even though he had close to getting married twice or thrice, he decided to not go ahead as he was completely dedicated to his work. He said, "I was either always at Bombay House or travelling," he said. "I came close to marriage with 2-3 different partners, but I couldn't go through with it because they would have to really change and adjust to my lifestyle and that didn't sit right with me."

 

 

 

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(3/3) “Ever since, my life has been for & about growing the company. When I was appointed Chairman, it was believed my surname got me the position, but my focus was on creating something bigger than us all & on giving back, which has been in the TATA DNA since the start. With Jamshedpur for instance, while our workers were thriving, the surrounding villages were suffering. It became our goal to uplift their quality of life as well… things like these came naturally to us. Even with the Nano–I remember seeing a family of 4 on a bike in the heavy Bombay rain—I wanted to do more for these families who were risking their lives for lack of an alternative. By the time we launched the Nano, our costs were higher, but I’d made a promise & we delivered. Looking back, I’m proud of the car & the decision to go ahead with it. That’s what my life has been about—work became a lifestyle. I was always at Bombay House or travelling, that’s why even though I came close to marriage with 2-3 different partners, I couldn’t go through with it because they’d have to adjust to my lifestyle & that didn’t sit right with me. Now that I’m retired, that lifestyle has changed again. People ask if I’m truly ‘retired’ & to that I say—there’s no doubt about it. I’m enjoying the separation from the company—I don’t look at newspapers & worry about the bad stuff anymore. But let me tell you, retirement isn't about playing golf, or reading on a beach, whilst sipping on a cocktail. In fact, never before has the urge to do more, been greater. From affordable cancer treatment, to making the lives in rural India easier—I’m looking forward to making it happen at the Tata Trust. I’m trying to enjoy myself to be honest—I’m spending time with friends—old & new, across age groups, who I’m constantly learning from. At 82, I’m still learning, so when you ask me to give advice, I feel like the ‘right advice’ changes over a period of time—but the one thing that remains unchanged is the desire to do the right thing. So I’ll say this—leave the advice & do the right thing, even if it isn’t the easiest thing to do. When you look back at your life, that’s what’s going to matter the most. Doing the right thing.”

A post shared by Humans of Bombay (@officialhumansofbombay) onMar 3, 2020 at 4:29am PST

Ratan Tata currently serves as Chairman of Tata Trusts, the philanthropic arm of Tata Group. He joined social media in October last year.

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