Ratan Tata, the legendary industrialist who passed away at 86, was a man known for his reserved nature, but in a rare and candid interview with CNN, he shared intimate details about his personal life. Tata revealed that he had fallen in love multiple times and came close to marriage on four occasions, but each time, he backed away for various reasons.
“When you asked whether I’d ever been in love, I came seriously close to getting married four times, and each time it got close, I guess I backed off, in fear of one reason or another,” Tata told CNN.
One of the most significant relationships in his life occurred while he was working in the United States. He spoke about how he intended to marry an American woman, but global events derailed their plans.
“The most serious one was when I was working in the U.S., and we had planned to marry. I returned to India, and she was supposed to follow me… but that was the year of the Sino-Indian conflict. In true American fashion, this conflict in the Himalayas was seen as a major war between India and China. She didn’t come, and eventually, she married someone else in the U.S.,” Tata revealed.
Tata had returned to India in 1962 to care for his ailing grandmother, a move that also marked the beginning of his transformative leadership at the Tata Group. He would go on to oversee a business empire with more than 100 companies operating in over 100 countries.
Ratan Tata’s passing marks the end of an era in Indian business, where he reshaped the industrial landscape and turned Tata Group into a global powerhouse. Despite his success, Tata remained humble, living an unassuming life and always shying away from the spotlight.