Jharkhand mourns Ratan Tata, Jamshedpur turns sombre

JAMSHEDPUR: Jharkhand on Thursday observed a one-day state mourning to condole the demise of Tata Sons chairman emeritus and veteran industrialist Ratan Tata.

The 86-year-old veteran industrialist and philanthropist breathed his last at a hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday night.

As the news broke, chief minister Hemant Soren announced on his X handle, "A one-day state mourning has been declared following the demise of former chairman of Tata Group and Padma Vibhushan Shri Ratan Tata ji, who gave world recognition to a backward state of the country like Jharkhand."

'Gentle giant architect of economic strides & philanthropic work'

People cutting across the political spectrum heralded the "gentle giant" as one of the architects of not only the nation's first Steel City, Jamshedpur, but also the country at large - both in terms of economic strides and philanthropic work.

Jharkhand governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar thanked the "soulful entrepreneur" for his selfless contribution to the nation and society.

"Ratan Tata ji gave the country new heights with his far-sighted and selfless contribution in the fields of industry, education and social service. India made a world-class identity not only in the business world but also in the field of social service. Ratan Tata Ji's humility and spirit of philanthropy will remain a source of inspiration for centuries. His demise is an irreparable loss for the country," Gangwar said in a statement.

Echoing similar sentiments, leaders from both ruling and opposition camps called it "a sad day for the nation".

While Tata Steel organised a condolence meeting at the Centre for Excellence on Thursday, trade bodies, workers' unions and other entities paid homage to the "titan industrialist".

Many puja committees cancelled or rescheduled the cultural programmes as a mark of respect to the "towering humanitarian". Many organisers installed cutouts and photographs of Ratan Tata at their respective pandals.

Ratan Tata first visited Jamshedpur, founded by his great-grandfather Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata over a century ago, in 1963 during the undivided Bihar to look into the functioning of Tata Steel.

He attended the Founder's Day celebrations held in March each year since he became the chairman in 1993. In 1919, Lord Chelmsford renamed Sakchi Jamshedpur in honour of Jamshedji Nausserwanji Tata.


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