Mumbai | India's financial capital on Thursday bid an emotional farewell to Ratan Tata, one of her most illustrious sons who defined both her enterprise and humility as thousands, from ordinary citizens to luminaries, paid tributes to him before his last journey.
The final rites of the industry titan-philanthropist were performed with full state honours at a crematorium in Worli in the evening after Mumbai police personnel accorded him a gun salute, a day after he died at a city hospital, marking end of an era.
The last rites were performed as per the Parsi tradition, one of the priests present at the crematorium said. After the funeral, there will be three more days of rituals which will be conducted at the late business tycoon's bungalow in Colaba, south Mumbai, he said.
After his death late on Wednesday night, Tata's mortal remains were taken to his residence in the early hours of Thursday, and from there to a cultural centre to allow members of the public pay their last respects.
Industry captains, top politicians, sports and film personalities and Mumbaikars came together to pay their last respects to the 86-year-old former Tata Group chairman.
As announced earlier by the Maharashtra government, the funeral took place with full state honours, as part of which the tricolour covered the casket covering the body and a gun salute was given by the Mumbai Police. The Maharashtra Cabinet passed a resolution urging Centre to confer the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, on the legendary industrialist.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah paid floral tributes at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), where the mortal remains were kept for most part of the day, and stayed put till the end of the last rites in the evening.
The Ambani family led by richest Indian Mukesh Ambani also paid homage to the departed business leader.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar was among those who visited the Colaba home of Tata to pay homage before the body was moved to the NCPA premises. At the famous cultural institution, the crowds had already swelled up in anticipation.
In a rare display of camaraderie, the A-listers joined in with the commoners in paying their last respects. Amongst the more recognised names from the business world who went to NCPA were Tata Group chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla and L&T chairman S N Subrahmanyan, among others.
Top politicians, including NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, Maharashtra Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray also went to NCPA.
Superstar Aamir Khan and his former wife Kiran Rao, director Madhur Bhandarkar and actor Rajpal Yadav represented the tinsel town in paying their respects.
In a city infamous for its jostling, the people's flow at the venue (NCPA) was very disciplined.
But more than the recognizable names, it was ordinary people, especially students and youth, who made a beeline at NCPA to pay their last respects to the tycoon. "I felt I have lost a family member. He did a lot for the people and the country," said an emotional Abhishek Gabhne (23), a B-school student.
Tata Group employees were also present in large numbers, like Siddharth Chandanshive, a third generation staffer of the salt-to-software global group, who came to pay their respects crediting the conglomerate for whatever they have achieved.
Ahead of the appointed time, as the casket was being readied for the over 5-km journey to the crematorium in Worli from NCPA, a very touching scene was witnessed as Tata's pet dog 'Goa' was refusing to move away from the mortal remains.
As the procession made its way out of NCPA, there were chants of 'Amar Rahe', 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram" as the cavalcade consisting of a van decked with flowers and some police vehicles made its way northwards.
At the crematorium's Prayer Hall, where Tata was cremated in an electric furnace, there was a huge stream of people which had to be restricted from entering the facility.
Once the important personalities, including politicians, left the facility, people ran in, only to be stopped about 100 metres inside. Members of the closely knit Parsi community and extended family of Tata soon left the crematorium.
Peri Khambatta, one of the priests who helped with the Zoroastrian rituals at the final rites, explained that the funeral is only the first step and there will be three more days of rituals which will be performed at Tata's residence.
In view of the heavy footfall anticipated at NCPA, the Mumbai police had stepped up security arrangements and imposed traffic restrictions in parts of Nariman Point, a business district in south Mumbai.
Tata, credited with transforming the 156-year-old business group into a globally renowned conglomerate, died at the Breach Candy Hospital after a brief illness.
The Maharashtra government has declared a day of mourning in the state on Thursday in honour of the veteran industrialist.
Mumbai | Until Wednesday, 39-year-old Harikesh Singh thought the COVID-19 pandemic was the cruelest blow he had faced. His newspaper distribution business suffered badly after the lockdown, and there were long days of uncertainty.
But the death of his favourite customer who subscribed to no less than 14 newspapers makes him rethink which was the stronger blow: the pandemic, or the death of Ratan Tata.
"He was a very good man, a messiah for the poor," Singh, who delivered newspapers for Tata for nearly two decades, told PTI.
When his association with India's favourite industrialist started in 2001, Tata's address was an apartment in Colaba's Bakhtavar building. Later it shifted to Halekai, a private bungalow next to it.
Singh remembers the sight of Tata sitting in the garden of the bungalow in the mornings, reading the newspapers he had delivered, and the smiling face.
Tata would wave at him, and sometimes ask how he was doing. These brief exchanges are etched in his mind, Singh said.
Some years ago, when a relative was diagnosed with cancer, Tata immediately helped Singh with a letter to the Tata Memorial Centre for quick treatment, and also gave Rs 5 lakh.
But the pandemic changed the reading habits of Ratan Tata too. The household stopped taking newspapers, Singh said, adding that Tata started getting only two newspapers which came in a paper bag from the nearby Tata Group-run Taj Mahal Hotel.
On Thursday, Singh finished his newspaper deliveries a bit early and joined hundreds of others who lined up in the Colaba bylane to bid final farewell to the most illustrious person in the neighbourhood.
Hussain Shaikh, 57, was in the same crowds. He had come all the way from the distant suburb of Andheri.
Shaikh used to occasionally clean Tata's favourite Mercedes Benz for years. When his daughter got married, Tata gave him Rs 50,000 through a staff member in the house.
Hussain used to work at the nearby President House from 1993 where he got the chance to work for the Tatas.
The last time he met Tata was 15 years ago, he said, and added that every person in the crowd has his or her own personal connection with Tata that made them travel on a workday to pay their last respects.
