Ratan Tata, the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, died on October 9 this year at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital. While he will always be remembered as a revolutionary businessman, little is known about his wit.
And now, an old video in which Ratan Tata fact-checked a journalist is going viral. The journalist questioned him about one of the quotes often attributed to him: “I don’t believe in making the correct decisions. I take decisions and then make them right.” In response, he laughs and adds that although the phrase has been attributed to him online, he never uttered it.
“I’m sorry. I am going to upset you. Facebook or Twitter made that statement. I never made the statement. It became a default statement. You know it when people read them back to you and there is no action that you can take with social media. So, you live with it. Some people think it is arrogant for you to have stated that and you don’t have a chance to defend by saying it. Some people think it’s a great statement to say and you quietly keep quiet,” Ratan Tata said.
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/lkVt6o3zogM
Ratan Tata quickly clarified that there was much anyone could do to stop these kinds of widespread misattributions. Tata’s ability to gracefully address misunderstandings and consider the effects of social media was evident throughout the interaction.
Ratan Tata began working for Tata in 1961, first on Tata Steel’s shop floor. After J R D Tata retired from Tata Sons in 1991, he went on to become the company’s chairman. Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover, and Corus were acquired by the Tata Group during his leadership, as part of an effort to transform the primarily Indian company into a worldwide enterprise. Following his 2000 receipt of the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian accolade in India, he was bestowed with the Padma Vibhushan, the country’s second-highest civilian honour, in 2008.
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