Pakistani musician and Nazia Haasan’s brother Zoheb Hassan took to Facebook to honour the late Ratan Tata, reminiscing about their first encounter. Zoheb, along with his sister Nazia Hassan, was approached by Tata to create an album for his new venture, CBS India. 


Ratan Tata, who passed away at the age of 86, left behind an unmatched legacy, influencing countless lives. Among those lives were Zoheb and Nazia Hassan, the duo behind iconic ‘Disco Deewane’. Tata reached out to the duo in the early 1980s, when he was establishing his music label, CBS India. The industrialist personally visited the siblings at their Wimbledon residence to discuss a potential collaboration that led to the creation of ‘Young Tarang’, which became one of the first music video albums in India and South Asia. 


How Ratan Tata reached out to Nazia and Zoheb Haasan


Zoheb fondly recounted how the initial contact was made through a phone call that their mother answered. "My name is Ratan, and I am starting a music company by the name of CBS India. I would like you and Zoheb to record an album for us if possible…," Zoheb quoted Tata.  


Soon after, Tata visited them, “impeccably dressed in a suit,” with a soft-spoken demeanor and a warm smile.  


Zoheb recalled, “He seemed so sincere when he spoke. We had no idea who he was and he never bragged about himself. He just said "if you guys agree then let's make it happen. I will get someone to get in touch with you regarding the agreement. Make sure you get a lawyer and your parents to look at the agreement. If you don't agree with anything speak to me directly’.” 


Young Tarang launched


This partnership would go on to become a landmark event in Indian pop music history. As Zoheb recounted, when 'Young Tarang' was launched, MTV had just debuted in the US, and the music videos from the album found a place on Indian TV screens, particularly on Doordarshan. The album achieved massive success, surpassing the sales of their earlier hit, Disco Deewane, and solidifying their place in the music industry. 



“The rest is history and we produced the #YoungTarang album with possibly the first music videos #India and #SouthAsia had ever seen. This was around the time #MTV had just launched in #usa . MTV called us and said they had never seen anything like this and asked if we had done anything in #english. #Doordarshan played the music videos in India and the album outsold even #DiscoDewane,” he wrote. 


When Nazia and Zoheb went for dinner at Ratan Tata's house


It wasn’t until the album launch at The Taj Hotel in Mumbai in 1984 that the siblings learned more about Tata’s illustrious background. After the event, Tata extended a dinner invitation to the Hassan family, and Zoheb shared a lasting memory of visiting Tata’s modest home.  


“After the launch of the album he invited Nazia and I to his residence for dinner. We thought he probably lived in a palace. When we reached we were taken aback that the most powerful industrialist of India lived in such a humble abode. A small 2 bed flat sparsely decorated. We met his sister, one servant and an #alsatian whom he loved dearly. It was a simple dinner with a great man which to this day I will never forget,” Zoheb shared. 


Zoheb also shared that he met Ratan Tata several times after that dinner but recalled a particular meeting. 


“I did meet Mr. Tata several times post this dinner. Once on #bondstreet in London while shopping. "How are you Zoheb? How is Nazia and your parents?" Hi Mr.Ratan they are fine thank you. What brings you to the UK?" He smiled and said "to look at some airplanes". Later I found out he came to purchase a few planes for #AirIndia which he also owned at that time,” he wrote. 


“Mr. Tata was living proof that one can be an iconic #businessman and still be a true #gentleman. Dearly missed. RIP,” he concluded. 



About CBS India 


CBS India was a joint venture between the Tata Group and the American media conglomerate CBS. It was established in the late 1980s and aimed to bring Western music to the Indian market. CBS India was not as successful as anticipated and eventually ceased its operations in India. 


About Nazia and Zoheb Haasan


Nazia and Zoheb Hassan were a dynamic brother-sister duo from Pakistan who made a significant impact on the music industry in the 1980s and early 1990s. Nazia was a renowned singer and actress, while Zoheb was a talented musician and composer. Nazia passed away in 2000 at the age of 35 after a long battle with lung cancer.