Tata Group chairman emeritus Ratan Tata's trusted assistant Shantanu Naidu paid a poignant tribute to his mentor on Thursday. Tata, who made the Tata Group a global powerhouse, passed away at the age of 86 at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital.
The veteran industrialist was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) since Monday.
Naidu shared a picture of himself with Ratan Tata and wrote in a LinkedIn post: "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 to pay for love. Goodbye, my dear lighthouse (sic)."
The friendship between Shantanu Naidu and the industry titan blossomed over the two's love for dogs.
In a conversation with Brut India, Naidu said that he admired Tata's witty sense of humour, while describing him as 'Millennial Dumbledore' because the industrialist has profound wisdom and loves to surround himself with youth.
Interestingly, Professor Albus Dumbledore is a character in the Harry Potter franchise of books and movies, known for his wisdom and goodness. Professor Dumbledore is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts in the books and movies.
Even the industrialist backed him to the fullest as he said in 2022: "Clearly, Shantanu doesn't like the work that he's got in my office. So, he looks for dogs that need companionship. The other people that need companionship."
Shantanu worked as a design engineer at Tata Elxsi in Pune in 2014 and was a fifth generation employee at the salt-to-software conglomerate. After personal experience, Naidu and his friend started making dog collars with reflectors for street canines.
Soon, the funds started drying out and Naidu's father asked him to write a letter to Ratan Tata. Two months later, Tata replied to Shantanu and Naidu along with his friend met the industrial giant in Mumbai.
Impressed by his initiative to ensure safety for street dogs, Tata invited Naidu to work for him in 2014. In 2022, Naidu launched Goodfellows, a startup aimed at helping the elderly to address the gap in the lives of the senior citizens, who are in need of companionship.