'Great Son of India; Mentor to Akash': Nita Ambani Remembers Ratan Tata at Reliance Industries Annual Diwali Dinner

Iconic industrialist Ratan Tata, who passed away at the age of 86 on October 9, was fondly remembered by the Ambani family at the Reliance Industries annual Diwali dinner on Tuesday.

Nita Ambani, Mukesh Ambani, other family members, the Reliance leadership, and thousands of employees paid tribute to the late industry stalwart.

In her speech, Nita Ambani described Ratan Tata as a “great son of India”.

“Four days ago, we lost a great son of India. The passing of the Mr Ratan Tata filled us all with immense grief. He was a dear friend of my father-in-law, of Mukesh and our family. He was also a mentor to Akash. He was a visionary industrialist and philanthropist who always strove for society’s greater good,” she said.

Everyone present also observed a minute of silence in honour of Ratan Tata.

Ratan Tata, born on December 28, 1937, in Mumbai, was the chairman of Ratan Tata Trust and Dorabji Tata Trust, two of the largest private-sector-promoted philanthropic trusts in India. He was the chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, from 1991 until his retirement in 2012. Then he was appointed Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons.

He was honoured with the country’s second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008.

Following his death, the Tata Trusts, in an official statement, confirmed the appointment of Noel Naval Tata as its new chairman last week.