Mourning the loss of a good citizen

IN the death of Ratan Tata, former chairman of Tata Sons, owners of the Tata legacy, the city of Mumbai has lost not only a tall leader but also, more importantly, a man who never flaunted his wealth nor his achievements, but remained rooted in the values that a resurgent India should strive for.

That the head of a big conglomerate could pursue a misdeed with such vigour and commitment restored my own fading belief in the choice of a right over a wrong that should guide a leader’s choice.

In Switzerland, near the city of Zurich, lies the university town of St Gallen. Every year, the university organises a symposium for students selected from universities outside Switzerland. Participants are picked up on the basis of essays they submit. The winners are invited to the University of St Gallen and exposed to the views of select individuals from across the globe on subjects ranging from business to politics to social mores.

Some years ago, student participants from India questioned one of the three invited speakers, Ratan Tata, (the other two being P Chidambaram and I), on how the Tatas could survive with their old-world values intact in the face of competition advanced by the then up-and-coming Ambanis.

I distinctly remember Ratan’s ready answer. “There is place for us (Tatas) at the table. We will continue to perform as per our norms. We do not comment on the practices followed by our competitors, except to the extent that we will not try to emulate or adopt practices that are repugnant to our philosophy.”

On another such occasion inside India, an occasion to which I was not invited, someone present said Ratan was asked the same question. He appears to have replied more directly that time, asserting that the Tatas were “industrialists” and not “businessmen”. That, I thought, said it all.

JRD Tata, the doyen who nurtured Ratan, as well as Ratan himself, never flaunted their wealth. Money earned was distributed not only to shareholders, who had a major stake in the profits, but also to the needy and the dispossessed through various charitable channels patronised by the Tata companies.

Recently, the two Tata Trusts, which own 65 per cent of the total shares in the companies managed by the conglomerate, set up their own special cell to perform the tasks that various NGOs to which they donated funds would undertake.

I met up with Ratan more closely when Mukund Rajan, a Rhodes Scholar and son of my IPS batchmate R Govindrajan, was the Tata Chairman’s principal aide. The occasion was an inquiry into the unethical conduct of one of Ratan’s own confidantes and managing director of a Tata company. The inquiry necessitated an expert from the world of computer technology who could recapture erased data.

Some former English police officers, who had served in the Hong Kong police and whom I had met during my stint with the Indian music industry’s Protection of Copyrights Cell, were up to the task. I introduced them to Ratan.

The Chairman’s spontaneous reaction to a crime committed under his very nose awoke my own desire for justice and fair play.

That the head of a big conglomerate could pursue a misdeed with such vigour and commitment restored my own fading belief in the choice of a right over a wrong that should guide a leader’s choice.

In the IAS and the IPS, there still are officers of integrity and principles, who are not willing to sell their souls in return for their own advancement in service and post-retirement sinecures. It is more difficult to find corporate houses that follow the right path for fear of having to exit the business altogether if they do not comply with questionable requests. It is refreshing to know that the mighty House of Tatas is still standing tall even as many around it fall like ninepins.

Governments in power may favour those corporates which seek shelter under their powerful wings. But they will continue to respect the House of Tatas and its leader for their uncompromising adherence to ethical practices in the cut-throat world of commerce and industry.

My friend and colleague SM Sukhtankar was chosen as chairman of the Tata Electoral Trust by Ratan. At the same time, I was entrusted with similar responsibilities as head of the Birla Electoral Trust by its chairman, Kumarmangalam. The arrangement worked smoothly till the BJP government of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah introduced the electoral bonds scheme to ensure that the donors remained anonymous!

I do not know how the Tatas dealt with the new rules on the funding of elections. I only know that I, for one, resigned from my job with the Birla Electoral Trust, which had a transparent and accounted form of donating funds at election time.

Rest in peace, my friend. Your father Naval was fond of me. I dare say you knew this. From time to time, when I was away in Punjab and then in Romania, I received personal letters from Naval inquiring about my well-being. I cannot fathom to this day why Naval Tata took a liking to me. But, all the same, I was truly delighted. Who would not be?

The tiny Parsi community of Mumbai has lost a colossus of a human being. The citizens of Mumbai are poorer for the loss.

The men and women of India should grieve because it is more and more difficult these days to find individuals wedded to principles and values that should matter as the world becomes more complex and, alas, more cruel.