Indian business honchos mourn the passing of 'most illustrious' industrialist Ratan Tata

Ratan Tata/PTI

India's top industrialist on Wednesday grieved the death of the veteran industrialist Ratan Tata, with RIL Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani calling him one of India's most eminent and kind-hearted soul, PTI reported.

Tata Group's chairman emeritus Ratan Tata, who led the salt-to-software conglomerate to new heights passed away at Breach Candy hospital late on Wednesday night at the age of 86.

Besides Ambani, billionaire Gautam Adani as well as auto legend Anand Mahindra grieved Tata's demise.

"It is a very sad day for India and India Inc. Ratan Tata's passing away is a big loss, not just to the Tata Group, but to every Indian," Ambani said in his condolence message. "At a personal level, the passing of Ratan Tata has filled me with immense grief as I lost a dear friend."

Speaking of his many conversations with Ratan Tata, saying it "inspired and energised" him, he described Tata as a visionary industrialist and philanthropist who constantly pursued the larger good of society.

Interactions with him "enhanced my respect for the nobility of his character and the fine human values he embodied," Ambani said in a statement, PTI cited.

"With the demise of Mr Ratan Tata, India has lost one of her most illustrious and kind-hearted sons. Mr Tata took India to the world and brought the best of the world to Bharat. He institutionalised the House of Tata and made it an international enterprise growing the Tata group over 70 times since the time he took over as Chairman in 1991," he added. "Ratan, you will always remain in my heart."

Gautam Adani said India has lost "a giant, a visionary who redefined modern India's path".

"Ratan Tata wasn't just a business leader - he embodied the spirit of India with integrity, compassion and an unwavering commitment to the greater good. Legends like him never fade away. Om Shanti," he said in a post on X.

Anand Mahindra said India's economy stands on the cusp of a historic leap forward and Tata's "life and work have had much to do with our being in this position".

"Hence, his mentorship and guidance at this point in time would have been invaluable," he said. "With him gone, all we can do is to commit to emulating his example. Because he was a businessman for whom financial wealth and success was most useful when it was put to the service of the global community."

Bidding him farewell Mahindra said, "Goodbye and Godspeed, Mr. T. will not be forgotten. Because Legends never die."

Rahul Bhatia, the founder of Indigo Airlines and the Group Managing Director (MD) of InterGlobe Enterprises, said, "I had the occasion to engage with Mr Ratan Tata when I returned from college in 1985 and discuss the opportunity of a three-way collaboration on manufacturing digital telephone switches (exchanges) between the TATA Group, Nortel (then known as Northern Telecom) and the earlier avatar of InterGlobe. While the initiative didn't come to fruition, Mr Tata's refreshing openness and disarming humility left an indelible impression on me. As we all know, Mr Tata had a deep passion for flying machines and I was only too pleased to see Air India return to where it truly belonged. While I am much too small a man to say this, in tribute to Mr Tata's love for flight and his vision for the future of Indian Aviation, IndiGo will, ever so modestly, walk alongside Air India to secure India's rightful seat at the center-stage of global aviation. At this very difficult moment, my thoughts are with the Tata family, and the employees of the TATA Group."