Indian tycoon Ratan Tata has died aged 86, it has been announced by Tata Group, the conglomerate he led for more than two decades
Tata was one of India's most internationally recognised business leaders, and the Tata Group is one of the country's largest companies
During his time as chairman the firm bought high-profile brands such as UK-based car maker Jaguar Land Rover and the world's second-largest tea company Tetley
Tata retired as chairman of the Tata Group in 2012, though he later served in an interim capacity for a few months; he was chairman emeritus at the time of his death
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Tata as a "visionary business leader, a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human being"
India's Ratan Tata: In his own words
Image source, Getty ImagesBollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan paid rich tributes to Ratan Tata, saying "an era has ended".
Describing him as a "most respected, humble yet visionary leader of immense foresight and resolve" in a post on X, the actor remembered "some wonderful moments" they had spent together.
Quote MessageWe can be hurt, but not knocked out. The building has been damaged, but the spirit has survived."
Ratan Tata was speaking at the reopening of the Taj Mahal Hotel.
The iconic hotel, run by his group, was attacked in the 2008 attacks and was badly damaged.
It was rebuilt and opened for business after a few months.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Jason Koski/Cornell UniversityRatan Tata at the Tata Scholars Reception at Cornell in 2012
Cornell University, from where Ratan Tata graduated in 1962, has issued a statement after his death.
“Ratan Tata has left an extraordinary legacy in India, across the world and at Cornell, which he cared about deeply,” interim president Michael I Kotlikoff said.
Tata joined Cornell to study structural engineering as per his father's wishes, but switched to architecture two years later.
He was a former Cornell trustee and the university's largest international donor. Tata supported scholarships and research aimed at reducing rural poverty and malnutrition in India, as well as promoting technological innovation.
“His generosity and concern for others enabled research and scholarship that improved the education and health of millions of people in India and beyond, and extended Cornell’s global impact,” Mr Kotlikoff said.
People have lined up outside the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) to pay tributes to the tycoon.
Tata spent the later years of his life serving the community, focusing on philanthropic initiatives and empowering those in need.
Image source, ReutersPeople line up outside NCPA to pay their tributes to Tata
The Tatas enjoy immense goodwill in India, partly due to their philanthropic work. The Tata Trusts, which engages in philanthropic activities, holds 66% of the equity of Tata Sons', and dividends are used to support the trusts' work.
For several decades, the company has regularly donated to sectors such as education, health and environment, funding many prestigious institutions both in India and abroad, either fully or in part.
Ratan Tata carried on this legacy.
He donated 5bn rupees ($59.5m; £45.5m) to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, assisted victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, and established several cancer detection centres in remote areas of the country.
In his personal capacity, he has donated millions to his alma maters, Harvard Business School and Cornell University.
Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla group, paid respects to Ratan Tata at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), where his body has been kept.
Birla remembered Tata as a "frugal" man who always thought "in the interest of the country".
"It's a great loss for the country - not just for corporate India but the country as a whole," he said.
"The impact of his work is quite unparalleled. We should remember him through the richness of his work," he added.
Image source, Getty ImagesTata and Birla attended an investors' summit in 2017 in Jharkhand
...here's a quick recap:
Stay with us as we bring you the latest.
Image source, Ratan Tata/InstagramRatan Tata during his time in Cornell University, New York City
Tata was born in a traditional Parsi family in 1937. He studied architecture and structural engineering at Cornell University in the US.
Image source, Ratan Tata/InstagramRatan Tata in Los Angeles before he returned to India
Image source, Ratan Tata/InstagramRatan Tata's yearbook photo from Riverdale Country School in New York City in 1955
Image source, Ratan Tata/InstagramRatan Tata at the Telco plant, Jamshedpur
In 1962, he joined Tata Industries - the promoter company of the group - as an assistant and spent six months training at a company plant in Jamshedpur.
From here, he went on to work at the Tata Iron and Steel Company (now Tata Steel), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and National Radio and Electronics (Nelco).
Image source, Ratan Tata/InstagramRatan Tata with his mentor JRD Tata
In 1991, JRD Tata, who had led the group for over half a century, appointed Ratan Tata as his successor.
Image source, Getty ImagesMamata Banerjee at a 2007 protest in Delhi against the acquisition of land in Singur
As more tributes poured in, one that stood out was from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who once fiercely opposed the setting up of a Tata Motors plant in the state.
Describing him as the “foremost leader of Indian industries” and “a public-spirited philanthropist", Banerjee said she was saddened by his death.
In 2006, the then Communist government in the state acquired land from farmers for the Tata Group to set up a Nano manufacturing plant. But the acquisition sparked violent protests and Banerjee, who supported the farmers, was at the forefront of these. It became a key moment of her challenge to the Left, which had governed the state for more than three decades.
Tata eventually shifted the plant to the western state of Gujarat.
Image source, Getty ImagesRatan Tata
Quote MessageWe must ask ourselves, can we make a difference? Can we be innovative and creative and not just look at the money value of what we've done but the contribution it has made to our humanity and our human population in India? So we should be humble, at the same time, attentive to the needs, looking for opportunities.
Ratan Tata
Ratan Tata's casket draped in Indian national flag
The businessman will receive a state funeral on Thursday evening in Mumbai.
Image source, ANIThe Indian flag being draped over Tata's casket
People in Mumbai are heading to the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) to pay tributes to India's most beloved businessman.
Police have barricaded the road leading to the venue to manage the crowd, which is expected to grow as the day progresses.
Videos show people gathering around his casket, which has been wrapped in the colours of India's flag.
The state funeral is expected to take place after 16:00 India time (10:30GMT) on Thursday.
We'll bring you more details as the day goes on.
Tata inherited a love for flying from his grandfather JRD Tata, who founded Air India, once India's flagship carrier.
Tata was a licensed pilot, known to occasionally fly the company plane. He was also spotted flying fighter jets at the defence ministry's Aero Show in Bengaluru.
Image source, Getty ImagesIn 2013, the tycoon flew AirAsia chief Tony Fernandes to Delhi from Mumbai ahead of the launch of AirAsia India. Tata was the chief adviser to the AirAsia India board.
Fernandes later tweeted, "My new Pilot Sir Ratan Tata flying me to Delhi. Another way AirAsia cuts costs. The adviser is a pilot.”
Image source, Getty ImagesVikas Pandey
Reporting from Delhi
Many on social media are describing Ratan Tata's death as a personal loss. It's not surprising because he had the ability to connect with the masses.
A mild-mannered man with a disarming smile, he never flaunted his wealth unlike other Indian billionaires. He was rarely seen in a long motorcade of expensive cars and he didn't make headlines for hosting Bollywood and cricket stars at his home.
In the past decade, he spent most of his time on philanthropy and coaching start-up founders.
He also knew how to keep up with the latest trends - he joined Instagram and other social media outlets in recent years and kept people updated about his life. He also regularly posted words of advice for the young.
The Punjabi megastar was performing in Germany when he took a moment to praise Tata's outlook on life.
Singer Diljit Dosanjh pauses concert to pay tribute to Ratan Tata
...here's a recap.
India has lost one of its most internationally recognised business leaders with the death of Ratan Tata. He was 86.
Tributes are pouring in for the tycoon, who led one of India's largest business conglomerates for more than two decades.
His body has been kept at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai for people to pay their tributes until 15:30 India time (10:00GMT).
He will be given a state funeral on Thursday evening.
Image source, Getty ImagesBillionaire Mukesh Ambani said Tata's death had "filled me with immense grief as I lost a dear friend".
"Ratan Tata was a visionary industrialist and a philanthropist, who always strove for society's greater good," Ambani said in a statement.
The businessman called Tata's death a loss "not just to the Tata Group, but to every Indian".
With his death, "India has lost one of her most illustrious and kind-hearted sons", he added.
Nikhil Inamdar
India Business Correspondent
Tata will be best remembered in the words of historian Mircea Raianu for “globalising, centralising and modernising” the Tata Group.
While most of the conglomerates that held sway on Indian business before liberalisation in 1991 are today a shadow of what they once were, under Tata’s leadership the family business he inherited has only gone from strength to strength.
He globalised the group by punching far above its weight - acquiring giants such as Corus Steel and Jaguar Land Rover. But he also organically worked at recasting a traditional salt-to-steel conglomerate into a tech-focused modern business house.
Tata Consultancy Services is today India’s largest software services major and contributes the biggest chunk of the group’s revenue.
And the Tatas continue to remain at the frontier of the new economy taking mega bets in areas such as semiconductors - another bold attempt at integrating the firm into a truly global ecosystem.
Image source, Getty ImagesTata began working with Tata Industries - the promoter company of the group - in 1962 at the insistence of his grandfather JRD Tata.
He worked as an assistant and spent six months training at a company plant in Jamshedpur.
From there, he went on to work at the Tata Iron and Steel Company (now Tata Steel), Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and National Radio and Electronics (Nelco).
In 1981, he was appointed the chairman of Tata Industries. A decade later, JRD Tata appointed him as his successor.
"He [JRD Tata] was my greatest mentor... He was like a father and a brother to me - and not enough has been said about that," Tata later told an interviewer.
Quote MessageIt was never conceived of as being the cheapest car. It was conceived of as being a car that would give the people of India an opportunity to own a car that had not been within their reach before.
Tata at the launch of Tata Nano in 2008.
Image source, ReutersTata with Narendra Modi, then Gujarat Chief Minister, at the inauguration of a Nano factory in 2010