A diamond forever!

Ratan, derived from its original word 'Ratna' in Sanskrit, means ‘precious stone’. The meaning and the name though couldn't have been more apt for a man who literally proved to be a jewel of the Indian industry in particular and India in general.

As I look back on my career I realise that perhaps the most profound professional impact on me was left by Mr. Ratan Tata. I first met Mr. Tata at The Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi where he had come to announce to the press his decision to bid for Air India during its first disinvestment attempt under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2001. Our public relations agency was mandated to handle the announcement on behalf of the Tata Group and I was the point man there along with my boss. As I waited with baited breath to see the man in flesh, the wait seemed like never ending. I was deputed by my boss to greet and usher him in at The Chambers of The Taj. Press and guests came in droves but I kept waiting. I was told he had a delayed flight from Mumbai and was coming straight for the presser from the airport. As a young man I fidgeted and paced up and down, while I grew impatient. And suddenly the elevator opened and out came Mr. Tata. He smiled at me and thrust his hand forward saying "Hi, I am Ratan Tata." His smile and eyes captivated me while I tried to gather my composure, unsure how to respond. Surely he needed no introduction. Finally I mustered some courage and reached out to him for a handshake while announcing, " Hi Sir, I am Sudeep Purkayastha". His handshake was firm and strong yet his smile was genuine and disarming.

Post my first meeting, I met him many times again as the agency I worked for was given the media relations and communications mandate of the Tata Group in 2001. I was put in charge by my boss as the client servicing person to look after the communication strategy and media relationships of Tata Sons and Chairman's office. It was during this tenure through many interactions with him that I started learning more closely about his values, principles and vision. He was without doubt a man of principles who was head and shoulders above many others in the Indian Industry. Gentle yet firm, open to ideas yet unyielding on his values, possessing a world changing vision with his feet firmly grounded, and above all, a caring and compassionate human being.

Surprisingly, he was also someone who was always ready to accept his trivial mistakes (if any) and acknowledge them, a quality which seems so rare and precious like his name. I recall once we were meeting on a weekend afternoon in a crisis situation in Mumbai and he asked me for a particular mail which I was supposed to send him. I informed him that I have shared it with him. He enquired if I had sent it to the correct mail address, which I confirmed. He asked me to send it again as he had not yet received it. Few days later we met again on some other matter and the first thing he said to me was “I owe you an apology”. I was taken aback. I said “Sir, why are you saying this to me”. To which he replied “I checked my mailbox again and your mail was there three days back. I must have missed it somehow.” I couldn’t believe that the tallest business leader of India just apologised to me due to an overlooked email. The lesson he imparted to me was invaluable. If you are open to learning and humble to acknowledge your mistakes however small (if any) you only grow taller in your character and stature.

Another aspect of his unique character was his penchant for his values and principles. No matter what the situation, he always put it through the litmus test of his values and principles.

His humility was yet another aspect which was exemplified to me when I went to his residence once to deliver some important documents. This was my first visit to his residence and I had no clue what to expect. With his stature, I was expecting a big palatial house of opulence. I was dumbfounded when I reached Colaba in Mumbai as I was ushered into an unassuming flat. As I entered, I saw a simple flat with minimalistic items tastefully placed. And he was having his breakfast sitting on the dining table with Tito (his beloved dog) at his feet. He waved at me, gesturing to join him. At the same time, Tito had taken some interest in me and started to growl mildly. Mr. Tata noticed Tito and then my discomfort. He smiled and jokingly told me “Tito doesn’t like too many hands and legs around here”. We both burst out laughing and I politely (and hastily) bid him goodbye to escape Tito’s further attention. I learnt that humility and simplicity costs you nothing but earns you everything. He epitomised these virtues effortlessly.

Along with a sharp and astute mind, he also possessed a great sense of humour. Once he had three public engagements with media presence on the same day for different unrelated events. I was present in each event to oversee the media details and interactions. During the last event of the day he took me aside and said to me with a straight face “you seem like a bad penny which keeps turning up everywhere”. I was taken by surprise as my first thought was that either I have crossed a red line or something has gone terribly wrong at one of the media engagements. I must have frozen over the comment as he was intently observing my face and then burst into laughter by saying “I am just kidding”. What a sigh of relief as I also burst into laughter. When I look back I often ask myself a question, how many leaders of such stature share such candour and good hearted laugh with young, insignificant people?

He was always unassuming with no airs about him. Once, during the roadshow of a big IPO of a Group company, we had to travel to Singapore for an important media interaction with a leading global media channel. As I was waiting for him outside the media office, I noticed a car rolling in with a single passenger. He stepped outside alone holding a bunch of papers. No one else was there with him. We walked into the studio, he gave the interview and left for another meeting. Before leaving he asked me whether I have been to Sentosa island recreation park or not. When he learnt that I have not been there, he encouraged me to go there and see for myself what Singapore has created for recreation and the infrastructure to support it. There was almost a child-like excitement in his tone when he asked me to take the tour. I learnt from him that no matter who you are, the child-like spirit in each one of us must be kept alive at all times.

His gentlemanly manners and goodness was almost infectious. It was something that came naturally to him and the goodness spread to others too. At the Tata HQ, Bombay House I saw many times that he would mostly be sitting on the passenger seat next to his chauffeur. At times he would himself drive to the office or other places in an Indica or Nano. Similarly, I also noticed that many times he would see off or receive his guests at his office himself. This was unusual as mostly the office staff of the Chairman’s office would do this. This goodness must have rubbed off onto others too as I noticed some senior Group officials also adopted such practices. Similarly many distinguished visitors at the reception area of Bombay House were greeted with the sight of homeless canines resting on the corridor. They were not shooed away or driven out. Infact, they found a resting place in Bombay House from the scorching heat or the heavy showers of Mumbai, thanks to Mr. Tata’s love and compassion. It taught me that goodness is infectious and a virtue worth living for.

Much has been written about his business acumen and sharp skills. But many may not be aware that he actually wrote a strategic plan for the future endeavours of the Tata Group as a young man sitting beside his ailing mother’s hospital bed. I was fortunate to have seen and gone through the half handwritten, half-typed first strategic plan penned by him. To my astonishment he had foreseen super computers, alloy metals, IT services and many other strategic areas of growth for the Tata group in the early 1980s. Unfortunately, I learnt that it was not greenlit by the board at that point in time. If that plan would have been implemented then, the Group, in my most humble opinion, may have been perhaps 10 times its size today.

I can go on with many more such anecdotes but that must wait now. As Mr. Tata embarks upon yet another journey in another world, I pray that his next journey is equally extraordinary and blissful. Reams have been written about him and his exceptional legacy. But what will always remain with me will be his gentle demeanour, goodness and humility. He was truly a Ratan of India, a jewel in the crown of India – a diamond forever.

The writer is Former Executive Director of Vaishnavi Corporate Communications. Views expressed are personal