The death of industrialist Ratan Tata last month will make the public aware of details from his will that leaves behind a legacy that Tata will distribute among his family, his most trusted staff, and even his favorite dog, Tito. Of note is that Shantanu Naidu, a long-time protégé, will also benefit from this move, showing the great rapport that existed between the two.
Philanthropist Ratan Tata leaves behind an asset base of approximately ₹10,000 crores. His half-sisters, Shireen and Deanna Jejeebhoy, are also featured in the will alongside members of his household staff and his German Shepherd, Tito. Shantanu Naidu, a key mentee and associate of Tata, is also mentioned in the will, a testament to how deep a mentor-mentee relationship the two created over time.
Other news reports say Tata had relinquished his stake in Goodfellows, a not-for-profit venture established by Naidu in 2021 while he works with the elderly people in India. The will reportedly mentions that Tata also cleared an education loan issued to Naidu.
Naidu, a mechanical engineering graduate from Savitribai Phule Pune University and an MBA holder from Cornell, first met Tata when he wrote a heartful letter on a project to protect stray dogs from traffic accidents. That correspondence led to sponsorship for Motopaws – a reflective collar project for stray dogs by Tata. Since this connection developed further, I have officially started working as an assistant to Tata in 2018 based on mutual respect and friendship values.
Since Tata’s demise, Naidu has published a moving tribute about the late mentor as the “lighthouse” through LinkedIn. It is, therefore, expected that during the willmaking, his closest circle received the mantle of legacy so that during its reflection; the industrialist’s long-time influence during his lifetime goes to reflect on the people who he had cared most.
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