Jaishankar recalls working closely with "man ahead of his time" Ratan Tata, says his demise "a national loss"

Speaking to ANI, the minister who is in Vientiane for the ASEAN summits said that he used to work "quite closely" with the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons and the outpouring on his death is people's feeling of respect and affection towards him.

"I first met him when I was a kind of middle-level in the government. We started the CEO forum with the United States. He was a natural choice as a person who was to lead it. So those years we used to work together quite closely, travel together to the US, and when the Americans came over, talk to them as well. And then I renewed my relationship, and I went to Singapore. Singapore always had a very special place for Ratan Tata, because I think, if my memory serves me right, he started his career there," Jaishankar said.

Tata's demise, he said, has evoked some serious emotions among people across a wide cross-section.

"He was really a remarkable person. And I think if you look at the outpouring today of feeling, of affection, of respect, of regard, I mean, I can't remember anybody, you know, honestly, in the world of industry who's evoked this kind of emotion among people across a very, very wide cross-section. I mean, it is truly seen as a national loss. And, you know, when you look, I think people will realise with the passage of time," the External Affairs minister said.

"During my tenure, he was awarded honorary citizenship of Singapore. I think he's the first Indian to get the honorary citizenship. So I still remember we had this picture. All the Tata, company leaders had all come there. In fact, if I can find it, maybe I should tweet it at this time. And I also remember because he once told me, normally he didn't visit embassies, so he actually came and saw me at the High Commission there," he told ANI.

Noting that Ratan Tata was "a man ahead of his time," Jaishankar recalled how after his retirement from the foreign services, he went on to join the Tata group.

"Today we are talking about India rising, of India having a bigger global footprint. Ratan Tata pioneered that. I mean, he was a man ahead of his time. He took the Tata group abroad in a way. I mean, today, if there's a sort of a global, you know, there's a global recognition of Indian industry, I think Ratan Tata deserves that credit," the foreign affairs minister said

"He implanted us very firmly, actually, in global consciousness. And I think those of us, particularly from the foreign policy side, we really owe him a great debt for that. Of course, after I retired from the foreign service, I joined the Tata group. I joined Tata Sons. I had many opportunities to sit down, and talk to him," Jaishankar said.

Ratan Tata was the Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, from 1991 until his retirement in 2012. Then, he was appointed Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons. He was honoured with the country's second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008.

The Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus, 86, breathed his last on Wednesday night at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai.

"He had a tremendous understanding of the world on one side, the world of, you know, my world, I could say the world of international relations, but a tremendous understanding of the world of technology and business as well. And he would actually bring that together. And I think I will remember those conversations in his office in Mumbai very much. I saw him maybe about a year and a half ago, last time when I was in Mumbai," Jaishankar recalled.

"We use these words sometimes. Someone who is a titan, who is a great person. But believe me, there's no adjective, no description which would match his," Jaishankar said.

Condolences have poured in from leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Chief Ministers of almost every state. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the last rituals of the veteran industrialist on behalf of the Government of India.

The mortal remains of Ratan Tata, draped in the national flag, has been kept at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) lawns for the public to pay last respects. As per a statement from Tata Trust, the mortal remains of Ratan Tata will be taken on its final journey at 4 pm today.

Ratan Tata, born on December 28, 1937, in Mumbai, was the Chairman of Ratan Tata Trust and Dorabji Tata Trust, two of the largest private-sector-promoted philanthropic trusts in India. (ANI)