Living next door to Ratan

One day yoursquoll realise that material things mean nothing all that matters is the wellbeing of the people you loveTake the stories people throw at you and build a monumentmdashRatan TataFor 35 years I lived close to Ratan Tata The moment of true proximity came when he built his own bungalow literally ten yards left of my building Irsquod enjoyed an uninterrupted view of the sea till then so when I heard this news of the impending construction I panicked South Mumbai had just witnessed a monstrosity come up another business tycoon had built a tower looming into the sky effectively destroying the landscape Would a massive structure obliterate my sea viewI neednrsquot have worried this was Mr Simple Accommodation In fact he was till last Tuesday my motherrsquos neighbourmdashher windows looked out at his home his swimming pool his tasteful garden his bevy of dogs and yoursquod never know that the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons lived next door to my mom No heavily armed black commandos no sniffer canines no noise ldquono taamjaamrdquo no traffic jams Just a simple man living in a simple homeThe morning he passed away I watched as the red ldquosuited bootedrdquo band played accompanying the hearse as it headed to the National Centre for the Performing Arts for the final ritesTypical that a man who represented a bygone era should have such a long forgotten musical tradition to bid him goodbyeThe outpouring of sorrow at the demise of Mr Tata have to say surprised me with its unanimitymdashclearly this wasnrsquot an overthehill octogenarian who was way past his sellbydatemdashhe was a living breathing gentleman leaving in his wake kindness and kinship a remembrance of an India we used to know nontoxic nontrollised nonterrorised when culture and civilised behaviour existed untaintedThis was a man that generations valued because he had valuesmdashin a nation consumed by arrogance and anarchy where might is right where ruthlessness is celebrated as a virtue where flaunting ones wealth is the norm where intolerance insensitivity and inauthenticity rule he was an exceptional exceptionThere was a solitude about him a counterpoint to the white noise that consumes onersquos livesFor a man whose profession demanded profit he kept his passions aliveWhen other businessmen were inviting Snoop Dogg to perform at their functions he merely trained his loving dogs to perform dutifully Plus flying jetsRatan Tata had a generosity of spirit we shall missGoodbye sir we shall celebrate your life as we mourn your passingmdashthank you for your oldschool attitude which coexisted so harmoniously with your new age ideas That you always thought for the common man the Nano for example could and should have been the greatest invention in India We could do with more men like you nonscoundrels nonscamsters nonswindlers nonldquosuccess means I can get away with anythingrdquo just upright unostentatious upstanding unique human beings A man who could back a big idea when he saw it A man who contributed to no less than 50 startupsA man who kept the family flag flying when independent mutinies threatened A man who took an institution and built it into an invincible asset A kind good generous man In an era dominated by AI and artificiality Ratan Tata was the OG Avjo sirRahul daCunha is an adman theatre directorplaywright photographer and traveller Reach him at rahuldacunhamiddaycom