TMA organises Ratan Tata commemorative event

Trivandrum Management Association honors Ratan Tata's leadership and philanthropy, with speakers praising his integrity, ethics, and compassion.

The Trivandrum Management Association (TMA), a confederation of management professionals, held a commemorative event here on Monday in honour of Ratan Tata. The event had speakers who had the privilege of working with Ratan Tata recalling their association with the industry captain.

K.M. Chandrasekhar, former Cabinet Secretary and former board member of Tata Companies, said that compared to other corporate entities, Tata’s systems had integrity, great ethics and accountability that had genuine care and concern for all stakeholders. This, he said, was a defining characteristic of Ratan Tata’s leadership.

Former MLA K.S. Sabarinathan, spoke about Ratan Tata‘s focus on health care and nutrition. He spoke about the noble work being done by the Tata Institute of Cancer which started in Mumbai and how Ratan Tata ensured more hospitals were opened to serve the patients who would have to otherwise travel down to Mumbai and deal with long waiting lines. Ratan Tata wanted a ‘silver bullet’ that would combat malnutrition and personally urged and monitored teams set up for these projects, he said.

Madhavan Nambiar, former Aviation Secretary, recalled how Ratan Tata saved the sinking Air India when there were no takers. “He did it for India,” he said. He recalled how Ratan Tata had contributed significantly to Kerala, always ready to offer assistance whenever requested by the State government. Notable examples included the reconstruction of Sabarimala after the floods and the swift establishment of a hospital in Kasaragod during the COVID-19 pandemic, both undertaken at the request of the Chief Minister.

Dinesh P. Thampi, vice-president and Head of TCS Kerala, described how Ratan Tata guided and nurtured the TCS, and the manner in which he resurrected the Taj Hotel in Mumbai after the terrorist attack and always held the hands of those employees’ families who lost their lives in the attack. Ratan Tata was the embodiment of compassion and courage, he recalled.

TMA president G. Unnikrishnan and secretary Unnikrishnan Gopinath also spoke.