The Maharashtra government has decided to honor the Indian industrialist Ratan Tata, who passed away yesterday at the age of 86, with a state funeral: the Interior Minister Amit Shah will also participate in the ceremony, which will be held today in Mumbai, representing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The prime minister – who is traveling to Laos for the summit of Asean-India and East Asia leaders – remembered the tycoon who transformed the Tata Group into a global economic power, calling him “a visionary leader, a compassionate soul and a extraordinary human being.”
Messages of condolence for the death of the captain of industry and philanthropist arrived from all Indian political leaders and personalities from all over the world.
One of the world’s most influential industrialists, Ratan Tata controlled more than 30 companies in 100 countries around the world, but was known for his shy lifestyle, and called a “secular saint” for his proverbial integrity.
In addition to his extraordinary successes as an entrepreneur, Tata was known for the philanthropic activities he promoted through the Tata Trusts, from schools to the prestigious Tata Institute for Social Sciences, and in which he was often personally involved.
The empire he created ranges from cars, of which he owns, among others, the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, to jewellery, from airlines (the group owns the luxury low-cost Vistara and Air India, the former recently reacquired flag), to restaurants and luxury hotel chains such as Taj, from mines to steel, from electronic products to tea, to services and insurance.