India Pays Emotional Tribute to Ratan Tata: Celebrating His Legacy of Humility and Enterprise

Ratan Tata, a revered figure in India's business landscape, was given a heartfelt farewell in Mumbai. Thousands, from ordinary citizens to prominent personalities, gathered to pay their respects. The final rites took place with full state honours at a crematorium in Worli, following his passing at a city hospital. This marked the end of an era for the 86-year-old former chairman of the Tata Group.

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After his death on Wednesday night, Tata's body was moved to his residence and then to a cultural centre. This allowed the public to pay their last respects. The Maharashtra government had announced that the funeral would be conducted with full state honours. The casket was draped with the tricolour, and the Mumbai Police gave a gun salute.

Tributes from Across India

Union Home Minister Amit Shah paid floral tributes at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), where Tata's remains were kept for most of the day. He stayed until the evening when the last rites concluded. The Ambani family, led by Mukesh Ambani, also paid homage to Tata. Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar visited Tata's Colaba home before the body was moved to NCPA.

The Maharashtra Cabinet has urged the Centre to award Ratan Tata the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. This resolution reflects his immense contribution to industry and philanthropy. Among those who paid their respects were industry leaders like Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Shaktikanta Das, Kumar Mangalam Birla, and S N Subrahmanyan.

A City Mourns

Top politicians such as Sharad Pawar, Eknath Shinde, N Chandrababu Naidu, Bhupendra Patel, Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, and Raj Thackeray attended the tribute at NCPA. From Bollywood, Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Madhur Bhandarkar, and Rajpal Yadav were present. Despite Mumbai's usual hustle and bustle, people maintained discipline at the venue.

Ordinary citizens, especially students and youth, formed long queues at NCPA to honour Tata. Abhishek Gabhne, a 23-year-old student, expressed feeling as if he had lost a family member. "He did a lot for the people and the country," he said emotionally. Many Tata Group employees also attended to pay their respects.

A Final Journey

As preparations were made for Tata's journey from NCPA to Worli crematorium, a touching scene unfolded. His pet dog Goa refused to leave his side. The procession included a flower-adorned van and police vehicles. Chants of "Amar Rahe," "Bharat Mata Ki Jai," and "Vande Mataram" echoed as they moved northwards.

At the crematorium's Prayer Hall, where Tata was cremated in an electric furnace, crowds had to be managed due to high turnout. Once dignitaries left, people rushed in but were stopped about 100 metres inside. Members of the Parsi community and Tata's extended family soon departed after performing Zoroastrian rituals.

Legacy of Ratan Tata

Peri Khambatta, a priest involved in the final rites, noted that more rituals would follow at Tata's residence over three days. Anticipating large crowds at NCPA, Mumbai police enhanced security and imposed traffic restrictions in Nariman Point. Ratan Tata is credited with transforming his 156-year-old business group into a global powerhouse.

The Maharashtra government declared Thursday a day of mourning in honour of this veteran industrialist who passed away after a brief illness at Breach Candy Hospital.