Consultants Review Team

India's top industrialists mourned the passing of veteran industrialist Ratan Tata on Wednesday, with RIL Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani describing him as one of India's most eminent and kind-hearted souls, PTI reported.

Ratan Tata, the chairman emeritus of the Tata Group who guided the salt-to-software conglomerate to new heights, died late Wednesday night at Breach Candy Hospital at the age of 86.

Besides Ambani, billionaire Gautam Adani and auto legend Anand Mahindra mourned Tata's death.

"Today is a very sad day for India and India Inc. Ratan Tata's death is a great loss, not just for the Tata Group, but for all Indians," Ambani wrote in his condolence letter. "At a personal level, the passing of Ratan Tata has filled me with immense grief as I lost a dear friend."

He described Ratan Tata as a visionary industrialist and philanthropist who continually pursued the greater good of humanity, stating that his many interactions with him "inspired and energised" him.

Interactions with him "enhanced my respect for the nobility of his character and the fine human values he embodied," Ambani said in a statement quoted by PTI.

"With the death of Mr Ratan Tata, India has lost one of its most illustrious and kind sons. Mr. Tata introduced India to the world and brought the finest of the world to Bharat. He institutionalized the House of Tata and transformed it into an international corporation, increasing the Tata group's size by more than 70 times since his appointment as Chairman in 1991," he continued. "Ratan, you will always remain in my heart."

According to Gautam Adani, India has lost "a giant, a visionary who redefined modern India's path".

"Ratan Tata was more than just a businessman; he reflected the spirit of India through integrity, compassion, and an unshakable devotion to the greater good. Legends like him never go away."Om Shanti," he wrote in a post on X.

Anand Mahindra stated that India's economy is on the verge of a historic leap ahead, and that Tata's "life and work have had much to do with our being in this position".

"Hence, his mentorship and guidance at this point in time would have been invaluable," he told me. "Now that he's gone, all we can do is commit to following his example. Because he was a businessman who believed that financial prosperity and success were most valuable when used to benefit the global community.

Mahindra bid him farewell, saying, "Goodbye and Godspeed; Mr. T. will not be forgotten." Because legends never die.

Rahul Bhatia, the founder of Indigo Airlines and the Group Managing Director (MD) of InterGlobe Enterprises, stated, "When I returned from college in 1985, I had the opportunity to meet with Mr Ratan Tata and discuss the possibility of a three-way collaboration on manufacturing digital telephone switches (exchanges) between the TATA Group, Nortel (then known as Northern Telecom), and the earlier avatar of InterGlobe. While the project did not succeed, Mr Tata's refreshing honesty and disarming humility left a lasting effect on me. As we all know, Mr Tata had a strong interest in flying aircraft, and I was delighted to see Air India return to its rightful place. While I am far too little to say so, in honor of Mr Tata's love of flight and his vision for the future of Indian aviation, IndiGo will, ever so quietly, walk alongside Air India to guarantee India's rightful place at the forefront of world aviation. At this very difficult time, my sympathies are with the Tata family and the TATA Group employees."