NEW DELHI: Ratan Naval Tata’s trusted assistant and youngest general manager, Shantanu Naidu, mourned the loss of the visionary leader on Thursday. Tata passed away on Wednesday night at the age of 86 at Breach Candy Hospital after a brief illness.
Sharing a heartfelt post on LinkedIn of his ‘dear lighthouse’ 30-year-old Shantanu expressed the deep void left by the industrialist’s passing.

“The hole that this friendship has now left with me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to fill. Grief is the price to pay for love. Goodbye, my dear lighthouse,” his post read.
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Friendship began in 2014
Ratan Tata, the late chairman, emeritus of Tata Sons, one of India’s largest conglomerates, had formed an extraordinary bond with Shantanu Naidu. The memory of that bond is still vivid, with videos and images of Shantanu celebrating Tata’s birthday just a few months earlier fresh in everyone’s mind.

Shantanu’s journey from an engineering intern to Tata’s trusted general manager highlighted his dedication and the unique approach that defined their remarkable relationship.
Their friendship began in 2014 when Shantanu created reflective collars to protect stray dogs from being hit by cars at night.
Mutual love of dogs
Impressed by Shantanu’s initiative, Tata invited him to work for him, and their mutual love for animals further strengthened their bond.
“Shantanu and I first met because of our common concern and affection for stray dogs. He has led a team of young college students to ‘adopt’ these dogs and give them affection, food, find homes for them and give them a sense of belonging,” Tata had earlier told the BBC in an email.
Their friendship transcended the boundaries of age, seamlessly bridging the gap between two generations and their differing perspectives.
An old video footage shared by Tata Power shows how Shantanu Naidu explores the way ethics is deeply ingrained in the Tata way of life, often spanning across generations.

Earlier sharing a series of posts on X, PM Modi paid his tribute and said he was “extremely pained” at the demise of Tata.
“Shri Ratan Tata Ji was a visionary business leader, a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human being. He provided stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses. At the same time, his contribution went far beyond the boardroom. He endeared himself to several people thanks to his humility, kindness and an unwavering commitment to making our society better,” PM Modi wrote on X.