'Where will the dogs go,' asked Ratan Tata when N Chandrasekaran told him about renovating Bombay House

On October 9, India lost one of its tallest industrial giants. Ratan Tata was not only renowned for his contribution towards India's growth story but also for his love of dogs. Tata Sons Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran in an emotional LinkedIn post recounted the renovation of Bombay House. 

Bombay House is the historic building that serves as the Tata Group's head office in Mumbai. Chandrasekaran said that Ratan Tata wasn't much concerned about how the building would look but was, in fact, concerned for the well-being of his canine friends. 

" 'Where will the dogs go?' The dogs were an integral part of Bombay House, often seen at the reception. 'We will build a kennel.' 'Really?' he said, considering it. When the renovation of Bombay House was complete, Mr Tata wanted to see the kennel first. He was very happy to see how thoughtful the kennel's design was, and how well the dogs would be cared for," Chandrasekaran recounted in his post. 

He also said that Tata was happier than a puppy when he saw the kennel for dogs. "Seeing his happiness with the kennel and his priorities was a reminder that while big projects are important, it's the details that reveal how we think, what we prioritise, and how we are perceived. His joy was confirmation that we had done the right thing."

The Tata Sons Chairman further said that the Bombay House was not renovated since 1924 and more importantly, people told him that Mr Tata would not like it if the Bombay House was touched.

He recounted that people at Tata told him that the Bombay House is a "temple".  In his post, he also mentioned that Tata had a photographic memory and that he could remember the smallest details if he ever visited a place.

"If Mr. Tata ever visited a place, he could recall everything—from the placement of smallest piece of furniture, the lighting, colours, and so on. His memory was photographic. He remembered the covers and content of books and magazines and referred to them even years later. He was always observing and processing, from large ideas to minute detail," he recalled. 

In February 2017, N Chandrasekaran took the reins as the Chairman of Tata Sons from Cyrus Mistry. With this, Chandrasekaran became the first non-Parsi to lead the group in its 150-year history. Before this, N Chandrasekaran was the CEO and Managing Director of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). 

Mistry was removed as the Tata Sons Chairman following a highly publicised fallout between him and the Tata Group's leadership, especially the Tata Trusts, which owns a significant stake in Tata Sons.

After he was removed, Mistry claimed that his ouster was illegal and accused the Tata Group of corporate lapses. In March 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Tata Sons and upheld Mistry's removal as legal.