Ratan Tata’s assistant Shantanu Naidu bids farewell to his ‘dear lighthouse’: ‘Will spend rest of my life trying…’

Ratan Tata’s trusted assistant, Shantanu Naidu, penned a heartfelt note for his friend, his ‘dear lighthouse’, as the nation mourned the loss of the national icon on Thursday.

Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, one of India's biggest conglomerates, passed away late on Wednesday night after a brief illness. He was 86.

Naidu, in a post on LinkedIn, shared a picture with Tata, and said he would now spend the rest of his life trying to fill in the void that the industrialist's passing away has created.

“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,” the post read.

The unique friendship between Shantanu Naidu and Ratan Tata flourished through their mutual affection for animals. They first connected in 2014 after Naidu created reflective collars to safeguard stray dogs from nighttime traffic accidents. Ratan Tata took notice of his efforts and extended an invitation for Naidu to join his team.

Over the last 10 years, Shantanu Naidu became a close and trusted friend to Ratan Tata, who never married and had no children.

State mourning in Maharashtra

Maharashtra Government has declared a day of mourning in the state to pay tributes to Ratan Tata.

A statement quoting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the national tricolour on government offices in Maharashtra will be flown at half-mast on October 10 as a sign of mourning.

There will be no entertainment events on Thursday, the statement said.

Tata's mortal remains will be kept at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in south Mumbai from 10 am to 4 pm on Thursday for people to pay their respects. His last rites will be performed in Worli area of Mumbai later in the day.

(With PTI inputs)