Here are some extremely heart warming instances of when Ratan Tata proved he’s more than just a business man.

1. When he urged his followers to stop online hate and basically stopped cancel culture dead in its tracks.

In 2019, Ratan Tata had posted a picture of himself where he was seen sitting on the floor, candidly smiling, it was a post uploaded to mark his 1M milestone. Unfortunately though, among many of the congratulatory comments there was a comment that received a lot of hate. It was by a woman who had called him ‘Chhotu’ while congratulating him. The comment was simply a miscommunicated wish, but online trolls began lashing out at her. Just when things started getting ugly, Ratan Tata came through, and replied to the comment and said, “There is a child in each one of us. Please treat this young lady with respect.”

2. When he provided support to help relieve the impact of COVID-19.

Earlier last year, when COVID-19 hit us, Ratan Tata came forward to extend a helping hand by donating a large amount of money to fund essential items for health care workers who were handling the pandemic directly. He decided to set aside ₹ 500 crore for Personal Protective Equipment, respiratory systems, testing kits, et cetera. 

3. When he appealed to his fans and followers to adopt and lookout for abandoned pets.

The fact that he always stands up and advocates for animals on his social media accounts, and even incorporated a kennel room at Tata Group’s Bombay House to shelter stray doggos is testament to how much he loves animals. He is also vocal about animals who are mistreated or abandoned and always articulates this by raising awareness about these issues on his Twitter and Instagram accounts. He also supports many NGOs and animal shelters. 

4. When he visited a sick former employee. 

On 5th January, 2021, Ratan Tata was seen visiting a former employee who has been sick for the last 2 years. The fact that he made the effort to fly from Mumbai to Pune during a pandemic, shows just how compassionate and considerate a human being he is. 

5. When he busted fake news about himself and interrupted a trail of misinformation from snowballing. 

In April, 2020, Ratan Tata, very wisely shed light on an issue that can easily cause havoc and unnecessary friction- fake news. He did so by catching and clearing the air about a fake news article about himself that was being widely circulated on social media platforms, where he warned and pleaded for people to stay alert and woke. Though there was nothing wrong with the quote used in the article but he still made it a point to clarify the fact that those were not his words.

6. The time he decided to battle enormous issues such as malnutrition among the children of our country.

Long back in 2012, Ratan Tata had spoken about how much child malnutrition plagues our country. In his exact words, he said ‘’My most visible goal is to do something in nutrition to children and pregnant mothers in India. Because that would change the mental and physical health of our population in years to come.”

Over the years, we’ve seen Tata Trusts interject and kick start their plans to solve the problem. The plan is in accordance with the UN sustainable Development Goal 2 and the trust has partnered with other stakeholders such as non-profits, philanthropic organisations, and private organisations for the plan. Thirteen states are already being effectively covered.

7. When he decided to uplift and help students who need financial aids for their higher education.

I guess we’re all familiar with how the Tata Trusts also provide financial aids and scholarships to students. From the J.N Tata Endowment, to the Sir Ratan Tata Scholarship and Tata Scholarship for Indian students applying to international universities, there are multiple scholarships provided by the trust that assist students in achieving their educational goals. What could be a nobler way to help society than to use one’s wealth to help and uplift the youth and future of our country?  

8. When he chose to fly economy class. 

In 2016, a picture of a man and Mr. Ratan Tata in an economy class of an airplane went viral. The picture was taken when Air Asia inaugurated their flight route to Goa in 2014. Clearly the legendary tycoon sets an example by acting on his principles silently and gracefully without necessarily gabbing about it.

9. The time when he personally visited the families of all the 80 employees who were affected during 26/11.

Not only did he visit their families personally, but every employee was fully compensated and their children’s educational expenses were covered too. All required and essential medical facilities were provided for their families and dependents for the rest of their lives. They were also provided with waivers for all the loans and advances irrespective of the amount, and were assigned with counselors for the entirety of their lives (for each person).

10. He always chooses to sit next to his driver.

Ratan Tata’s ability to always stay humble and grounded was also visible when he was seen sitting next to his driver. Not only does he always sit next to his driver, but he also enjoys driving himself around, whenever the opportunity presents itself.

11. The time he worked his way up by first working as a blue-collar employee at his own company.

Let’s not forget the time when Mr. Ratan Tata worked his way up by gaining work experience at his own company. He started as a blue-collar employee, at Tata Steel, Jamshedpur, in 1971, after he had declined an offer from IBM at New York. He handled blast furnaces and shoveled limestone during his early days and then slowly moved up at work. 

Did you know all these wonderful things about him?