Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 10 : After the demise of Ratan Tata, Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman S Somanath said on Thursday that veteran industrialist has been one of the leading industrial figures having huge respect and admiration from everyone and "this loss is definitely something we should all be very sad about."
Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons, passed away at the age of 86 on Wednesday night at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai.
"That tradition of an ethical way of doing business has been one of the very characteristics of Tatas. Ratan Tata symbolizes the same nature of the leadership that they have been giving to Tata's institutions. I also studied in a Tata institution, called Indian Institute of Science (IISc), that was called Tata Institute long back, created out of funding from Tata. That shows that they gave importance not only to creating institutions but also to creating a culture of involvement of staff and people, creating education and philanthropy play a very important role in their business ecosystem and do it in a manner which is more democratic and involves everyone," Somanath said.
"Ratan Tata by his personality has been one of the leading industrial figures having huge respect and admiration from everyone. I think this loss is definitely something we should all be very sad about," the ISRO chief added.
Meanwhile, the mortal remains of veteran industrialist has been kept at the lawns of National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) at Mumbai's Nariman Point to allow the masses to pay their last respects before the funeral ceremony.
According to a statement from Tata Trust, the mortal remains will be taken on its final journey at 4 pm today.
According to an official statement from Maharashtra Chief Minister's Office, the state government has declared one day of mourning.
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Chief Ministers of almost every State have condoled the demise of the icon.
Ratan Tata, born on December 28, 1937, in Mumbai, was the Chairman of Ratan Tata Trust and Dorabji Tata Trust, two of the largest private-sector-promoted philanthropic trusts in India.
He was the Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, from 1991 until his retirement in 2012. Then he was appointed Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons.
He was honoured with the country's second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008.