Ratan Tata, the Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group, on Saturday took to Twitter urging social media users to discontinue a campaign seeking the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, for him. "While I appreciate the sentiments expressed by a section of the social media in terms of an award, I would humbly like to request that such campaigns be discontinued. Instead, I consider myself fortunate to be an Indian and to try and contribute to India’s growth and prosperity," Tata's statement read.
also read
- Tata Group will remain committed to integrity, innovation, social responsibility, says Chandrasekaran
- Ratan Tata refutes claims that he offered cash prize to Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan
- Ratan Tata unveils start-up Goodfellows to help senior citizens to make friends
- No discussion yet on second term for Chandrasekaran: Ratan Tata
The statement came in after the hashtag #BharatRatnaForRatanTata started trending on Twitter on Friday after motivational speaker Dr Vivek Bhindra tweeted about the campaign to confer the highest civilian award to Ratan Tata, who is known for his social causes and philanthropic efforts.
Tata, the chairman of the Tata Trusts that are among India's oldest, non-sectarian philanthropic organisations that work in several areas of community development, has been active in investing in personal capacity in startups and encouraging young entrepreneurs.
The 82-year-old industrialist and philanthropist is the recipient of two of India's highest civilian awards -- Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan.