Ratan Tata with actor Swaroopa Khopkar and her husband Anil Khopkar, in 2010. File
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

“He has been our heart”, said actor Swaroopa Khopkar, remembering Ratan Naval Tata, a colossal Industrialist, who passed away on Wednesday night (October 9, 2024) in Maharashtra’s Mumbai. 

Besides being a towering figure in the Indian industry, Ratan Naval Tata has been cherished for his relationships with his employees. Speaking to The Hindu, Swaroopa recalled her memories with Ratan Tata and all of it made her wonder how a person of such stature could be so humble and honest in all his work. Swaroopa (73) worked with Tata Motors in the corporate communication department for 27 years. 

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Narrating an incident, she said, “Which top boss gives you two months paid leave for an acting gig in Europe; that is Ratan Tata for you. He did not just give me a paid leave but also gave me a winter package so that I could buy winter articles to cope with the cold weather in Europe. He was family to us and took care of our needs personally. After retirement in 2012, Swaroopa has been following her passion — acting. Even today, she is connected with the company through working in ads for Tata Motors. 

Swaroopas’s spouse Anil Kopkar (75) also worked for 40 years with Tata Motors. He started as a trainee and retired as assistant general manager in 2010. Anil expressed his gratitude towards Ratan Tata and said, “He has made me, after my retirement, I told him — ‘my life and my wife, I got both from Tatas’ and we both laughed.” 

Like Swaroopa, Deepak Deshpande, a former employee with Tata Motors also acknowledged the policies for employees of the Tata group, which were more development and growth-oriented policies that helped employees improve their skills and reach their potential. 

Deepak said, “I served 40 years of my life with Tata Motors, I have seen Ratan sir mixing up with people from down to top level like sugar.” Remembering an incident he said, “We organised a picnic in which he was going to participate but was running late. He called me up and apologised for the delay. I never in my life imagined a chairman would call me up and say sorry for being late for a picnic.” 

Deepak also recalled he had a habit of speaking to the watchman, and security guard whenever he visited any of his company branches and premises and enquired about their families.