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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Mumbai announced a day of mourning, with funeral ceremonies set for Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n
“A titan of Indian industry,” said The Hindu on its top page. “India loses its crown jewel,” the Hindustan Times reported.<\/p>\n
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.”<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u2018Visionary\u2019<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He took over the family business in 1991, just as India was implementing radical free-market reforms.<\/p>\n
During Tata’s 21-year tenure, the salt-to-steel company increased its global presence.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The Tata Group stated that his humanitarian efforts “touched the lives of millions.”<\/p>\n
“From education to healthcare, his initiatives have left a deep-rooted legacy that will benefit generations to come,” according to the business.<\/p>\n
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Tata as “a visionary business leader, a compassionate soul, and an extraordinary human being.”<\/p>\n
Modi thanked Tata for giving “stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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