Ratan Tata and Shantanu Naidu: An unlikely friendship that touched hearts

Among those mourning the loss of the business tycoon Ratan Tata, who passed away on Wednesday night at the age of 86, was a young man on a bike who led the hearse on his final journey. One of Tata’s closest aides and his trusted assistant, Shantanu Naidu was less than half his age but the two shared a bond unlike any other.
When the news of Ratan Tata’s demise broke, Shantanu shared a heartfelt note dedicated to their friendship. “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 we pay for love. Goodbye, my dear lighthouse.”
The two met over 10 years ago in 2014, when Shantanu began working with the Tata Group.
A fifth generation Tata employee, Shantanu had begun designing glow-in-the-dark collars for stray dogs to make it easier for drivers to spot them and avoid accidents.
The animal lover needed funding to help grow his company and he decided to write a letter to Ratan Tata seeking his help. To his surprise, Tata wrote back within two months, inviting Shantanu to come to Mumbai and work with him.
Bonding over their love for animals, the two worked closely to help launch Shantanu’s company “Motopaws”. (Also read: Ratan Tata’s dog Goa visits NCPA to pay homage to man who brought him to Bombay House)
Shantanu also launched Good Fellows, a startup that connects the elderly with young companions. “I don’t know when it began, but I’ve always had a sense of affection for the elderly. Looking back, I realise many of my friends have silver hair and gold hearts,” he wrote on the website.
The two grew closer over their shared initiatives but soon, Shantanu had to leave for US to pursue his MBA. However, he promised Tata that he will return to India and work for him once he graduated.
Keeping his promise, Shantanu accepted an offer to be Ratan Tata’s assistant and was also appointed as the manager of the Tata Trust, the youngest person to hold the position. In turn, Tata attended his graduation ceremony.
In a BBC profile, Shantanu shared that the two spent a lot of time together from getting haircuts to watching films. Shantanu even set up Tata’s Instagram account which the industrialist used to share old pictures of himself and photos of his dogs.
Shantanu said both of them enjoyed action comedy films such as The Other Guys and The Lone Ranger, but Tata’s favourite show to binge was Fauda.
Naidu affectionately called Tata “Millennial Dumbledore”, a name he claimed defined the 86-year-old who was wise like the Harry Potter character but still young at heart.
During the Covid pandemic, Shantanu released his first book ‘Came Upon A Lighthouse’ based on the life lessons he learnt from his boss. “He’s been a hard boss, a core mentor as well as an understanding friend,” he told the BBC. (Also read: Ratan Tata’s final journey: An emotional Shantanu Naidu leads his hearse on bike)