Crowds of mourners gathered in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, on Thursday for the funeral of industrialist Ratan Tata, known as a “titan” who managed one of the country’s greatest corporations.
Tata, who died on Wednesday at the age of 86, built the Tata Group into a massive international conglomerate with a portfolio spanning software to sports vehicles.
His coffin, draped with the Indian flag, was surrounded by a guard of honour, and a marching band of trumpets and drums led the procession.
Mumbai announced a day of mourning, with funeral ceremonies set for Thursday afternoon.
“A titan of Indian industry,” said The Hindu on its top page. “India loses its crown jewel,” the Hindustan Times reported.
Fellow businessmen paid tribute, including Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, who described Tata’s death as a “big loss, not just to the Tata group, but to every Indian.”
Tata was born in Mumbai in 1937 to a Parsi family, a proud but declining community that played a significant part in the city’s financial affairs during British administration.
‘Visionary’
However, an appeal from his grandmother persuaded him to return to India in 1962 to join the expanding family business, starting as a factory floor laborer and lodging in a trainees’ dormitory.
He took over the family business in 1991, just as India was implementing radical free-market reforms.
During Tata’s 21-year tenure, the salt-to-steel company increased its global presence.
His 2008 decision to buy Britain’s loss-making Jaguar and Land Rover carmakers for $2.3 billion boosted his image, as the Tata Group successfully rebuilt both brands and returned them to profitability the following year.
The Tata Group stated that his humanitarian efforts “touched the lives of millions.”
“From education to healthcare, his initiatives have left a deep-rooted legacy that will benefit generations to come,” according to the business.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Tata as “a visionary business leader, a compassionate soul, and an extraordinary human being.”
Modi thanked Tata for giving “stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses.”
