When Ratan Tata Opened Up About First Encounter With Ex-Girlfriend Simi Garewal, Loneliness And Marriage

Ratan Tata's achievements are celebrated worldwide but the personal side of his life has remained largely private.

Ratan Tata, the legendary industrialist and philanthropist, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 86. His demise has left the nation in deep sorrow, with heartfelt tributes pouring in from all corners since the news broke. 

Simi Garewal on dating Ratan Tata

While his achievements are celebrated worldwide, the personal side of his life has remained largely private and lesser known. In 2011, veteran actress and talk show host Simi Garewal surprised many by revealing she had once dated the industrialist. She recalled their brief relationship from her early Bollywood days, noting that although they eventually parted ways, they remained close friends throughout the years.

Ratan Tata also appeared on Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, where he and Simi recalled their first meeting. Despite their past as a couple, they shared their memories, reflecting on a lasting friendship that had endured over the years.

In her caption for the interview, Simi Grewal wrote: "Ratan Tata was my first friend in Mumbai. We had both just returned from abroad into terra incognita; both at the threshold of an unchartered world that lay ahead. Decades of triumphs later, Ratan's intrinsic personality hadn't changed: a man with a commanding presence yet a disarming diffidence. Still shy, still reticent, but ever articulate and gracious."

Ratan Tata recalls first meeting with Simi Grewal

During the chat, Simi asked him why people see him as reserved or distant. Ratan Tata explained, "I suffer from that. It comes from being in the office all day, around a lot of people. I think there's some sense of serenity in having a departure from that." 

He added, "You remember when we met many years ago, walking on the beach, which I enjoyed. I still enjoy walking alone on the beach. And there is something in that solitude. A lot of thinking gets done and a lot on unwinding gets done in that process."

Ratan Tata on marriage

Ratan Tata, who chose to remain unmarried and without children, had a private personal life that rarely made headlines. In the interview, the late industrialist Ratan Tata also shared that there were several reasons behind his decision to remain unmarried.

He said, "A whole series of things, timing, my absorption in work at the time. I came close to getting married sometimes, but it didn’t work out.”

“There are many times that I feel lonely about not having a wife or a family, and sometimes I long for it. Sometimes I enjoy the freedom of not having to worry about the feelings of someone else or the concerns of someone else. On other times, it does get a little lonely,” Tata added.

Ratan Tata passed away at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital at 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday.