Meet Ratan Tata's Youngest Friend Shantanu Naidu!

Ratan Tata's Youngest Friend

The young man riding a bike during a funeral procession for a business tycoon Ratan Tata, on Wednesday night was one of many. Ratan Tata had one of the closest aides and a trusted assistant in Shantanu Naidu and though the young man was only half Tate’s age, the bond that existed between the two was unique.

On learning of the demise of Tata, Shantanu was notable for paying his sincere homage in a heartfelt note. The void that this friendship is absent of from my life, I will make sure the rest of my life will cause to be filled. Sorrow is the cost of relationships. ”Bye my dear lights,” he exclaimed.

The duo crossed paths more than a decade ago back in 2014 when Shantanu started his journey with the Tata group. A fifth generation Tata employee, Shantanu started out with the intention of designing reflector collars for stray dogs to help drivers detect them and prevent fatal accidents at night. The target of this business man was funding to expand his company since he was an animal lover and since he could not meet Ratan Tata in person, he opted to write him a letter. To his shock, Tata replied within two months, responding positively to employ Shantanu at Mumbai to kick start the Motopaws – Shantanu’s company.

Shantanu also founded another start up known as Good Fellows through which elderly people are provided with young company. It might have come from childhood or adolescence but as far as I can remember myself, I always cared for the elderly. Rone says. "Looking back, I realise many of my friends have silver hair and gold hearts,” he wrote on the website.

The two got much closer because of the common causes they supported but Shantanu had to go to the USA to complete his MBA. But he assured Tata that he will go back to India and work for him after finishing his studies.

As per his words Shantanu joined the Tata group and took an offer to be Ratan Tata’s assistant and was promoted as the manager of the Tata Trust at the age of 27, youngest so far.

Further, Tata went to his graduation. In an interview, Shantanu said that he and the two spent a lot of time together: getting hair cuts and watching movies. Shantanu once created an instagram id for Tata and the industrialist continued to post old pictures of himself and his dogs. Shantanu said although both enjoyed action comedy movies including, The Other Guys and The Lone Ranger, Tata’s most-watched show was Faudaе.

Naidu had called Tata the ‘Millennial Dumbledore,’ a name he said endeavored to capture the 86-year-old who was wise like the character in Harry Potter but still young in spirit. In the year that Covid reared its ugly head and took over the world, Shantanu released his first book “Came Upon A  Lighthouse” which reflects on the things that his boss taught him. “He has been a tough manager, a key tutor and a compassionate buddy,” he said.