Ratan Tata, veteran industrialist and Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus who died late Wednesday at the age of 86, had showed tremendous courage in the face of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.
The 12 coordinated shootings and bombings took place in iconic locations across the city, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Oberoi Trident and Taj Palace and Tower, among others. On the last day of the attacks on November 29, 2008, the National Security Guards conducted Operation Tornado to flush out terrorists from the Taj hotel.
Tata was seen standing at the Colaba end of the Tata Group’s Taj Hotel. Among the 166 dead, 33, including 11 hotel staff, died in the attacks. After the attacks, Tata had pledged to reopen the hotel and pledged to take care of the families of those killed or and injured in the attack.
According to the BBC, he paid the relatives of those killed the salaries they would have earned for the rest of their lives.
The Tata Group had also formed The Taj Public Service Welfare Trust (TPSWT) to provide humanitarian support during disasters.
In 2020, Ratan Tata recalled the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks on Thursday and said that the wanton destruction that took place 12 years ago today will never be forgotten. In an Instagram post, the industrialist praised the people of Mumbai for casting aside all differences and coming together that day.
“The wanton destruction that took place 12 years ago today will never be forgotten. But what is more memorable, is the way Mumbai as a diverse people came together, casting aside all differences, to vanquish the terrorism and destruction on that day. Today, we certainly can mourn the ones we lost and honour the sacrifice of the brave who helped conquer the enemy, but what we must applaud, is the unity and the acts of kindness and sensitivity which we should cherish, and which hopefully, will continue to shine in the years ahead,” he wrote.
A year after the attack, in 2009, Tata unveiled a memorial at the hotel to honour the 31 employees and guests who lost their lives at the Taj.
The hotel, established in 1903 by Jamshedji Tata, had never closed its doors in over a century, not even during World War II when it served as a makeshift hospital. The attacks were the first time in its storied history that it was forced to shut down.
The Maharashtra government has declared a day of mourning in the state on Thursday to pay tributes to Ratan Tata, the Chief Minister’s Office said. A statement quoting CM Eknath Shinde said the national tricolour on government offices in Maharashtra will be flown at half-mast on Thursday as a sign of mourning. Tata’s mortal remains will be kept at the NCPA from 10 am to 3.30 pm on Thursday for people to pay their respects.
His last rites will be performed in Worli area of Mumbai later in the day.
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