Celebrated industrialist Ratan Tata, who, in a recent Facebook post on the popular page Humans of Bombay, spoke about his childhood and love life, opened up about how he conceived the idea of Nano in another post.
The chairman emeritus of Tata Group said when he was made chairman of the Tata group, his focus was on creating "creating something that was bigger than us all and on giving back."
"Ever since, my life has been for and about growing the company. When I was appointed Chairman, it was widely believed that it was my surname that got me the position, but my focus was on creating something that was bigger than us all and on giving back, which has been entwined in the TATA DNA since the very beginning. With Jamshedpur for instance, we realised that while our workers were thriving, the surrounding villages were still suffering. It became our goal to uplift their quality of life as well… things like these came naturally to us," he wrote.
"I remember seeing a family of four on a motorbike in the heavy Bombay rain," he wrote while talking about how he conceived the idea of offering an alternative for motorbikes.
"Even with the Nano – I remember seeing a family of 4 on a motorbike in the heavy Bombay rain — I knew I wanted to do more for these families who were risking their lives for lack of an alternative. By the time we launched the Nano, our costs were higher, but I had made a promise, and we delivered on that promise… Looking back, I’m still proud of the car and the decision to go ahead with it."
"That’s what my life has been about — work became a lifestyle. I was either always at Bombay House or travelling, I guess that’s why even though on the personal front I came close to marriage with 2-3 different partners, but I couldn’t go through with it because they would have to really change and adjust to my lifestyle and that didn’t sit right with me.”
“Now that I’m retired, that lifestyle has changed again,” he writes, while revealing the details about his retirement. He says retirement isn't about playing golf, or lying on a beach, reading whilst sipping on a cocktail, but it is about continuing to learn.
People often ask if I’m truly ‘retired’ — and to that I say — there’s no doubt about it. I’m enjoying the separation from the company — I don’t look at newspapers and worry about the bad stuff anymore. But let me tell you, retirement isn't about playing golf, or lying on a beach, reading whilst sipping on a cocktail. In fact, never before has the urge to do more, been greater. From affordable cancer treatment, to looking into making the lives in rural India easier — I’m looking forward to this chapter of making it happen at the Tata Trusts. I’m trying to enjoy myself to be honest — I’m spending time with friends — old and new, across all age groups, who I’m constantly learning from.
At 82, I’m still learning, so when you ask me to give a piece of advice, I feel like the ‘right advice’ changes over a period of time — but the one thing that remains unchanged is the desire to do the right thing. So I’ll say this — leave the advice aside and do what is the right thing, even if it isn’t the easiest thing to do. When you look back at your life, that’s what’s going to matter the most. Doing the right thing.”
