The time Ratan Tata chose a plain room over a plush suite

If there ever was a living legend in India, it was Ratan Tata. There are myriad stories of his generosity, humility, personal and professional achievements, loyalty, and patriotism. Some are well known, and many unknown.

Some time ago, I came across a story where he gave Tata trucks free of cost to Sikh truckers who lost their vehicles in 1984. The writer said the 'story never hit the press, was never publicised by Tata Motors...it just remained etched in the memories of these truckers'. And today, when I read that this giant had left us forever, a small slice of memory from my Washington DC days as the Defence Attache resurfaced.

It was July 2005 when the then Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, visited the US at the invitation of President George Bush. A prime-ministerial visit to a nation, and that too, to the world’s only superpower, is the most important event for an Indian Embassy. All other work literally comes to a stop for more than a month prior. So during the summer of 2005, it was all decks on hand at 2107 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington DC, with every man jack focused on making the visit most fruitful.

A key area during the mega visit was the creation of a CEO Forum comprising 10 captains of industry from each country representing a cross-section of industrial sectors. While the US was represented by CEOs of Xerox, Pepsi, Honeywell, Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase, among others, the high-powered  Indian team included heavyweights like Mukesh Ambani, Kiran Mazumdar, Dr Pratap Reddy, Deepak Parekh, Nandan Nilekani, Baba Kalyani, Ashok Ganguly, Yogesh  Deveshwar and Analjit Singh. Not surprisingly, our team was led by the doyen of Indian industry, Ratan Tata.

While we were aware that these powerful CEOs had their own staff to take care of their logistics and needs  in Washington DC, the embassy offered them our assistance to organise hotel rooms, transport, and so on. Among those who accepted our offer was Ratan Tata.

One of the finest hotels in downtown Washington DC is the historic Willard Inter Continental, built in 1847 on Pennsylvania Avenue. It was here that Abraham Lincoln stayed just before his inauguration as President in 1861, and Dr Martin Luther King gave the finishing touches to his famous 'I Have A Dream' speech. And it was at this hotel that we booked a suite for the Chairman of the Tata Group.

I was at the lobby the evening prior to the CEO Forum meeting when I saw Mr Tata, carrying his own briefcase, and without a retinue of followers, or even an aide, moving towards the elevators. Seeing me in uniform, he smiled and said 'Jai Hind'. Even after 20 years, the next five minutes of the conversation, where he asked me about my military life, are indelibly printed in my mind.

The next morning, while coordinating the upcoming  activities, one of my staff members went up to escort Mr Tata. He was back in a few minutes with a worried look and told us that the suite was empty and there were no sign of either him or his luggage. Everyone was flummoxed, not knowing where the captain of the Indian team had vanished. Finally, the GM of Willard informed us that Mr Tata, on the previous evening, had called up the reception, and asked to be moved out of his plush suite into a smaller single room. When the perplexed management asked why he wished to do that, he replied, 'I’m sorry for the inconvenience but I just cannot justify the expenditure on this expensive suite to my shareholders!'

This single act of personal integrity and probity had a profound impact on us. Like many stories about him, this one is unknown to most Indians. But then, that is Ratan Tata for you — a legend in leadership.