Ratan Tata, an adopted kid, not a Son of J. R. D. Tata, still how he became chairman of Tata Sons?

After Parents divorce, Ratan Tata's grandmother, Nawazbai Tata, formally adopted him through the J.N. Petit Parsi Orphanage.

Written by: Anirudha Yerunkar Edited by: Anirudha Yerunkar

Published: October 10, 2024, 8:12 AM IST

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https://www.india.com/business/ratan-tata-an-adopted-kid-not-a-son-of-j-r-d-tata-still-how-he-became-chairman-of-tata-sons-ratan-tata-death-7311931/ Copy

Ratan Tata passed away on Wednesday, October 9, at a hospital in Mumbai. He was the son of Naval Tata, the adopted grandson of Tata Group’s founder, Jamsetji Tata. Despite this, Ratan Tata rose to become the Chairman of the Tata Group. He was especially known for his humility and simplicity, traits that defined him throughout his life.

Though raised in a luxurious environment, Ratan Tata remained exceptionally humble. This humility helped him rise to great success, leading the Tata Group, a conglomerate that operates in more than 100 countries across six continents. The group has businesses in sectors including energy, automotive, engineering, and IT communications. Tata companies employ over 800,000 people globally. 

Ratan Tata, An Adopted kid, Raised By Grandmother

Ratan Tata was born on December 28, 1937, in Bombay, British India (present-day Mumbai), into a Parsi family. His parents were Naval Tata and Sooni Commissariat. When Ratan Tata was just 10 years old, his parents were divorced. 

After that, his grandmother, Nawazbai Tata, formally adopted him through the J.N. Petit Parsi Orphanage. Ratan Tata was raised alongside his stepbrother, Noel Tata (the son of Naval Tata and Simone Tata). He received his early education at Campion School, Mumbai, Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai, Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, and Riverdale Country School in New York City. He was an alumnus of Cornell University and Harvard Business School. Ratan Tata passed away on October 9 at the age of 86.

Ratan Tata Long Career

Even though he held degrees in architecture and structural engineering from Cornell University and had completed the Harvard Advanced Management Program, Ratan Tata started his career humbly in 1962 by working at Telco (now Tata Motors) and later at Tata Steel, where he worked in limestone quarries and as a member of the blast furnace crew. By 1981, Ratan Tata became the Chairman of Tata Industries and the successor to JRD Tata. From 1991 until his retirement in 2012, he served as Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group. Under his leadership, the group’s revenues soared, surpassing $100 billion in the fiscal year 2011-12.