‘He treated us as equals, greeted us hands folded,' Mumbaikars mourn Ratan Tata

(Left) Abhishek Ghamande travelled from Pune to pay his respects (middle) Ashok Gunjal, who worked at The Taj hotel for 23 years (right) Sanchita Bandhare has never met Tata but came to pay her respects

It is said that how you treat others defines you. When people across the social strata expressed their love and respect for Ratan Tata by visiting his home and the NCPA, where his mortal remains were kept on Thursday, showcased how great a human being he was. Harikesh Singh, a newspaper vendor, narrated his small meetings with Tata on many mornings when he used to deliver newspapers to his home. "My family has been in this work for over 40 to 45 years.

Earlier my brother, Ram Suraj Singh would deliver papers to Tata's home. He had subscribed to 12 to 14 English newspapers. In 2001, I started delivering the papers. If he (Tata) was in the garden, he would smile at me and sometimes ask me general questions. There was minimal security and no one ever checked me. They had that much confidence in people like us. Once I asked for help to treat someone in my village - Jodhpur in UP. He immediately asked one of the trusts to help and the person received a grant of Rs 5 lakh. He was a great human," said Singh, who was outside the Tata home near Sassoon Docks since early morning for a final glimpse of Tata.

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Ashok Gunjal shared the same sentiment for the industrialist who he saw on numerous occasions during his 23-year service at The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Though Gunjal never personally interacted with Tata, he has a fond memory of him. "Whenever he came, he greeted us with folded hands. He used to come to the hotel driving his car. He liked Thai food and usually ordered the same. But whenever he ate, he paid the bill from his pocket. He never scolded any employee. Such a down-to-earth person he was."

Sanchita Bandhare and her friend expressed the same feeling of attachment to Tata, even though they never met him. "We came to meet him to show our respects. The one thing which we loved about him is that we both are animal lovers and the love he had for animals inspired us a lot. Recently, he also opened a hospital for animals," said Sanchita who came to NCPA.

Not only Mumbaikars but also people who got inspired by Tata's personality came all the way from Pune to just see him for the last time. Abhishek Ghamande travelled by the Shiveneri bus service from Pune to Dadar in the early morning to reach in time. "I was very passionate about the whole Tata family as my mother used to tell me stories about them. I have been in touch with him and his team through email since 2015. I shared my experiences in the UK and got replies to every email. I wanted to meet him once but couldn't. After hearing the news on Wednesday night I decided to come to see him for the last time."

Sunanda Mokashi, an activist, said she once met Ratan Tata. "I met many politicians and they had given many promises, but hardly anything came true. But Tata had done so much for our society that I thought to pay him last respect," she told mid-day.