Happy birthday Ratan Tata: 10 interesting things you probably didn’t know about the industrialist

Born on 28 December 1937, Ratan Tata is one of the most successful businessmen in the country. He is as renowned for his philanthropy as much as he is for his business ethics.

Here are 10 things you need to know about the business tycoon on his 84th birthday:

1. Ratan Tata was born in 1937 in Surat, Gujurat. His father’s name was Naval Tata while Sooni Tata was his mother. Naval Tata was the adopted grandson of Jamsetji Tata, founder of the Tata Group.

2. Tata was raised by his grandmother after his parents got separated in 1940, when he was was just 10 years old.

3. Tata’s first job was at Tata Steel in the year 1961. His work included managing the blast furnace and shovelling limestone.

2. He received a B.Arch. degree from Cornell in 1962.

3. Before returning to India in late 1962, he worked briefly with Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles.

4. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1975.

5. In 1981, he was named Chairman of Tata Industries. During his tenure, Tata Tea to acquired Tetley, Tata Motors acquired Jaguar Land Rover, and Tata Steel acquired Corus, in an attempt to turn Tata from a largely India-centrist group into a global business.

6. Ratan Tata is extremely fond of flying. In 2007, became the first Indian to pilot F-16 Falcon.

7. In 2009, Ratan Tata promised to make a car that would cost only a lakh and can be afforded by the middle class. Out of this promise, the Tata Nano was born.

8. He is also very fond of cars. His collection includes high-end cars such as Mercedes Benz S-Class, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes Benz 500 SL, Jaguar F-Type, Jaguar XF-R among others.

9. In 2010, Ratan Tata donated USD 50 million to construct an executive centre for the Harvard Business School. The hall was named Tata Hall.

10. Tata is the recipient of two of the highest civilian awards of India, the Padma Vibhushan (2008) and Padma Bhushan (2000).

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