Learnings from the doyen

A former Tata employee narrates the Ratan Tata way of doing things

- MADAN SABNAVIS

WHEN ONE PICKS up the biography of any celebrity, be it a business person or one associated with showbiz, there is always some apprehension as they tend to be eulogising.

This is a similar feeling one gets when picking up this book on Ratan Tata. But here the author, Harish Bhat, who has been associated with the company and also been marketing the brand, writes that Ratan Tata was not perfect and had his shortcomings. However, this book is about the person who headed the empire and expounds on what he stood for, which was remarkable. The Tata brand today is the most trusted one in the country and this image has been built over years. Ratan Tata not just cemented this, he made it a household name. The book is titled quite appropriately, 'Doing the right thing', as this is what Ratan Tata stood for till his last day. All business decisions taken were based on what he thought was right even when it clashed with the 'profit motivation'. This is something that is not easy.