Even after retirement, Tata remains as busy as before

On January 28 this year, a month after his retirement, Ratan Tata
tweeted: "Life has been wonderfully pleasant. There's been more time
to be at home, play with my dogs, and catch up on smaller things that
I never found time to do earlier."

Nearly a month and a half later, the former chairman of Tata Sons
seems to be catching up on much bigger things, too. He has been
jet-setting to New Delhi regularly, meeting policy makers - Civil
Aviation Minister Ajit Singh among them, ostensibly to discuss the
airline venture to be launched by AirAsia in financial collaboration
with the Tatas. It's not a coincidence that AirAsia promoter Tony
Fernandes has repeatedly gone public with his desire to have Tata as
the the joint venture's non-executive chairman. The man himself,
though, has been silent on this.

The day the Foreign Investment Promotion Board gave the venture its
go-ahead, Tata, now chairman emeritus of Tata Group, tweeted the nod
showed the government's true investor-friendly stance. It was an
unusual show of elation by a man known to be reticent.

Last week, in a publicised move, he met Raj Thackeray, head of the
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. As photographers took Tata's pictures
admiring the pugs in the Thackeray household, many wondered what could
be the real reason for the meeting. It was, however, labelled just a
courtesy visit.

Many expected Tata to look jet-lagged (on the contrary, he was raring
to go), as he had just landed from Geneva, where he'd gone to meet
some old friends. He displayed a special interest in Ferrari's
first-ever hybrid, costing $1 million. When asked if he would buy one,
he joked he did not have the money for the super car.

"Unlike JRD Tata, who retired much later in life, Ratan is in very
good health. This will help the Tata group, as the new chairman is
still learning the ropes. It can't get better," said a Tata watcher.

"By going that extra mile to help the group, he has shown what a true
leader should be," a former Tata official said. After the aviation
foray, the Tatas are said to be planning an investment in banking.
Insiders expect the experience of Ratan Tata, who has earlier served
on the board of the Reserve Bank of India, to come in handy.

Insiders say Tata's room at Tata Group's Bombay House headquarters
remains empty, though he has moved to a new office at Elphinstone
building. This is despite Tata telling everyone he will not come back
to his old office.

It's obvious watching seagulls on the Arabian Sea, 40 metres from his
Colaba apartment, will not make Tata content. Unlike JRD, who had
handed over the reins of Tata Sons, as well as the trusts, to his
successor in 1991, Ratan has retained control of the latter. Since
there's no retirement age at these trusts, which together control 66
per cent of Tata Sons, as a custodian, he will have to keep a close
watch on the group's proceedings.

Tata has already said, as days go by, he would focus his attention on
"specific areas where value can be added to enhance the quality of
life of rural citizens". He laid out at least part of his action plan
at a recent interview with American television journalist Charlie
Rose.

Clearly, Ratan Tata's is a list long enough - even for people much
younger and at the prime of working life.
BusinessStandard