Shantanu Naidu, Ratan Tata’s trusty assistant, expressed grief at the national icon’s death in a message uploaded early this morning. Ratan Tata, the chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, one of India’s largest businesses, died late Wednesday night following a brief illness. He was 86.
Ratan Tata, a towering figure of industry and philanthropy, died as a national loss, lamented by business magnates such as Anand Mahindra and Harsh Goenka. However, those closest to him experience genuine grief.
Shantanu Naidu, Ratan Tata’s close aide, wrote on LinkedIn about their deep friendship rather than his many commercial triumphs.
“The hole that this friendship has now left with me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to fill. Grief is the price to pay for love. Goodbye, my dear lighthouse,” wrote the 30-year-old General Manager at the Office of Ratan Tata. He also shared a throwback photo which shows the two of them together.
Shantanu Naidu’s unlikely friendship with Ratan Tata blossomed over their shared love for animals. The two met in 2014, when Naidu developed reflective collars to protect stray dogs from being hit by cars at night. Impressed by his initiative, the chairman emeritus of Tata Sons invited Naidu to work for him.
Over the last 10 years, Shantanu Naidu became a close and trusted friend to Ratan Tata, who never married and had no children.
During his last few years, Ratan Tata was frequently accompanied by Naidu in his rare public appearances.
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Source: HT
