The passing away of industrialist Ratan Tata has struck a chord with the nation. The philanthropist was famous not only for his determination and success but also for showing the world the power of kindness.
Shantanu Naidu, his trusted associate and the youngest general manager of Tata Trusts, was a firsthand witness to Tata’s compassionate nature. The techie shared an emotional post for the icon hours after his death stating that he would spend the rest of his life trying to fill the hole left by his mentor’s absence. He further said in his post, “Grief is the price to pay for love.”
Earlier in 2021, Naidu penned a memoir titled, ‘I Came Upon A Lighthouse: A Short Memoir Of Life With Ratan Tata’. In the book, he shared his experience of meeting the businessman as a young software employee in Pune.
The unique friendship blossomed over their mutual love for dogs and Naidu revealed that he met Tata after he penned down a letter to him.
The young professional shared that he specifically purchased a shirt from luxury brand ‘Brooks Brothers’ to impress Tata during a farewell dinner held before he left to pursue higher education at Cornell University in the US.
He noted that he bought the shirt after noticing that Ratan Tata wears them too. He admitted that he had to spend half of his monthly salary on the shirt and identifying the brand itself included a ‘lot of squint-eyed staring at the logo’. However, he said that the shirt did not suit him as he was feeling unwell at the time.
The story, however, didn’t end here. Later, when Tata found out that Naidu had accidentally torn the shirt, the businessman found the same shirt at a store in the US and insisted on buying it for Naidu. When the latter tried to argue at the billing counter, Tata responded, “Can’t I give my friend a shirt?”, displaying his compassionate and generous nature.
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