A PROMISE IS A PROMISE

One of the favorite stories of the automobile internet involves the legendary Indian businessman Ratan Tata and the American automobile brand Ford's chairman Bill Ford, and their infamous meeting in 1999.

- SUJITH VASUDEVAN

The story goes like this. In the epilogue of the last century, Ratan decided to sell Tata Motors' passenger car division to Ford and flew to the Mecca of Ford Motor Company, Detroit. During the meeting, Bill Ford apparently made a condescending remark that Tata Motors lacked the expertise to succeed in the passenger car segment. Ratan Tata, feeling humiliated, decided not to sell the division and instead plotted the resurrection of Tata Motors. Eventually, that humiliation led to the turnaround of the company's passenger car division to the tune of Tata acquiring Ford's luxury brands, Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR).

But there is only one little problem. The aforementioned story was authored by an internet wordsmith who didn't care about the truth. In fact, both Bill Ford and Ratan Tata have clarified that this story is fake and has been created by the internet. The truth is that Ratan Tata never required any extra motivation to break ground and build amazing things that make the country proud; that's almost his favorite hobby. The only part that is really true about the story is that Tata acquired Ford's luxury brands, Jaguar and Land Rover, in a $2.3 billion deal. The acquisition of JLR not only boosted Tata Motors' global presence but also helped the company become a major player in the luxury car market. As a proud owner of a Tata car myself, I can vouch for the unbelievable transformation the legendary Indian brand has undergone in terms of both its driving experience and high-tech features.

The transformation of Tata Motors is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the achievements of Ratan Tata. His biggest achievement must be the lifelong love he received from India, his people.