Tens of thousands flock to NCPA to bid adieu to Ratan Tata

Mumbai: Corporate titans, political leaders, film stars, employees of Tata Sons and hundreds of ordinary Mumbaikars lined up outside the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) on Thursday to pay their last respects to industry leader and philanthropist Ratan Tata, who died after a brief illness on Wednesday at the age of 86.
The Maharashtra government, which recommended that Tata be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour, observed a day of state mourning.
Tata’s body arrived at the NCPA around 10:30 am, after which it was lowered into a glass coffin and draped in the Indian flag. The sharply outlined nose and the red Parsi dagli topi over his head marked a visage that India had come to instinctively respect and admire. The snaking queue leading into the NCPA was dominated by Tata employees, who came bearing bouquets and placards honouring him. “We are lucky to have known him, and we will miss him,” said one of them.
In the VIP enclosure, Tata Sons chairperson N Chandrasekaran and Ratan Tata’s half-brother and chief of the conglomerate’s retail company Trent, Noel Tata, met with other business leaders such as Mukesh Ambani, Kumar Mangalam Birla, and Harsh Goenka, union home minister Amit Shah, commerce minister Piyush Goyal, and Maharashtra’s top leadership. Cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Ravi Shastri, actor Aamir Khan, and RBI governor Shaktikanta Das were among those present.
Tata’s friend and close aide Shantanu Naidu stood to one side, stoic in his grief, as did Tata’s younger brother Jimmy. Several members of the family broke into tears when Tata’s pet dog Goa, a stray he had adopted from the state, was raised to the coffin to pay his last respects.
But the sombreness notwithstanding, there was also a quiet undercurrent of celebration of a rich life and career that has for decades been an intrinsic part of Indian public life.
“We drove here from Pune to pay homage to the man to whom we owe our livelihoods,” said P Devre, who has worked at Tata Motors for over 25 years. “We had the pleasure of meeting him once, more than a decade ago, when he visited the automobile plant [in Pune]. During COVID-19, through the unavailability of hospital beds, shortage of medicines and job cuts, Tata took care of all of us. A person like him is rare to find.”
“Ratan Tataji will always be remembered as a beacon of patriotism and integrity. As an industrialist respected across the world, he steered Tata Group into global prominence. His life and commitment to the nation stand as a polestar in India’s industrial landscape,” posted Amit Shah on X after he placed a wreath on the coffin on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The tributes came in from far and wide. Former US president Bill Gates called Tata a “visionary leader whose dedication to improving lives left an indelible mark on India—and the world. I had the privilege to meet him on several occasions, and I was always moved by his strong sense of purpose and service to humanity.”
For many in the crowd, the loss felt deeply personal. “I was with the Reserve Bank of India when I first met Mr Tata, and then I worked alongside him when I was on the board of directors at the Indian Hotels Company Limited for a decade,” said J Kapoor, who had bought along a bouquet of flowers he wanted to shower on the vehicle departing for the last rites. “I will so miss him.”
Amid praise for his work and philanthropic spirit, what stood out to those who knew him was the special attention Tata paid to them. “He was like a friend to me, and always addressed me by my nickname ‘Nani,’” said Kesineni Srinivas, a former member of parliament from Vijayawada, where Tata had adopted many villages and funded free healthcare and drinking water, among other things. “Despite it being his birthday, on which he has a tradition of spending with family in Mumbai, he came to Vijayawada on the morning of my elder daughter’s wedding to bestow his blessing. She worked with the Tata Group,” he recalled.
Minoo Mody, former CEO of Tata Sons, who came in the traditional Parsi sadra kusti and dagli, called Tata “a true gentleman”. Ram Chandra, who started working with the Tatas in the 1970s and is still associated with the firm, said what was irreplaceable about Tata “is how he fostered such a considerate work environment that is pulling so many people towards him even in death. There is no satisfaction greater than that.”
Dr Pravin Amin, who was Tata’s doctor since 1998, recalled his extraordinary determination at work. “Ratan had taken me with him to Geneva when they were launching the Nano. He had a terrible back then but he soldiered on with several injections.”
The personal recollections of those gathered ranged from his favourite food—mutton dhansak and steamed pomfret—to anecdotes about how people’s lives had been touched and altered by Tata’s generous attention. “We met first in Jamshedpur at the Dealers’ Hostel when Tata was 24. He helped me out and really built me up,” said Mohini Dutta, who has known Tata for over 60 years.
As the afternoon sun inched westwards towards the sea, amid multi-faith prayers, the funeral cortege moved to Worli crematorium for final rites.