Why Ratan Tata’s biography did not have its final sanction

Tata distanced himself from ‘Ratan Tata—A Life’ and ended the deal late last year because he was “baffled” by overly flattering references to it in the manuscript he had received, according to an executive familiar with the situation.

After the prominent businessman and philanthropist passed away on October 9, Harper Collins published the book on October 25.

Tata, who was chairman emeritus of Tata Sons Ltd, the holding company of the Tata group, is mentioned in the present tense throughout the 668-page book. Mahindra Group chairman emeritus Keshub Mahindra and former Tata Sons board member RK Krishna Kumar, who passed away last year, are also mentioned in the present tense in the book.

The book’s cover acknowledges Tata’s passing, but the text refers to the dean in the present tense. Author Thomas Mathew later explained in a telephone conversation that the manuscript, except for the cover, was already printed and ready to hit bookstores.

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“Mr. Tata had canceled the project between October and December last year,” the executive mentioned above said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “I was not happy after reading the unilateral and enthusiastic statement that was made.”

Mathew declined to comment on whether he had shared the manuscript with Tata, although Mint learned that he had in early 2022. On his website, Mathew, a retired Indian bureaucrat, mentions that he began working on Tata’s biography in 2018. .

Since Tata’s approval of the book did not come, Harper Collins had to postpone the book’s release three times: first in November 2022, then in March 2023, and finally in February this year, as reported by Mint previously.

Tata’s book is categorized as an independent work despite Harper Collins’ claims in the past that it was an authorized biography.

An email sent to HarperCollins on Saturday went unanswered.

Not without criticism

“I can’t criticize it when I shouldn’t,” Mathew responded during the phone conversation with Mint.

He said the book was forthright in stating that Ratan Tata made a mistake by not participating in the committee that appointed his successor at Tata Sons. As a consequence, Ciro Mistry—whose family owned an 18.4% stake in Tata Sons—was appointed chairman in 2012. This decision led to conflicts that ultimately resulted in Mistry’s dismissal by the board of directors four years later.

Mathew had approached the late Cyrus Mistry to get his perspective on the events; However, he claimed that his email to Mistry went unanswered.

Also read | Why Indians who didn’t know Ratan Tata liked him

Another criticism in the book of Tata’s presidency was his choice of West Bengal as the manufacturing base for the Tata Nano. “His (West Bengal) choice was wrong and he lost his way,” Mathew said.

Although Tata, who did not marry, is survived by his younger brother, Jimmy, two sisters and a half-brother, Noel Tata, none of the family members intend to take any action against Harper Collins, according to the executive cited. above.

Noel Tata took over as chairman of Tata Trusts on October 11, which owns 66% of Tata Sons.

Unpaid, non-commissioned, but independent.

It must be acknowledged that the author did not seek any financial benefit from the Tata group. He even turned down Tata Hotel hospitality when he traveled between March 2018 and early 2022 while researching and meeting for the book.

Mathew said he made many sacrifices to write Tata’s biography, including abandoning a prestigious job offer to move to Shanghai as vice-president nominee of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank of India. Mathew also had other offers, including writing the authorized biography of another business leader in the more lucrative infrastructure sector.

“I passed near $70 lakh on my own for this book,” said Mathew. “I was not guided by money when I took up this assignment. I made it very clear that it cannot be a ‘paid project’ or a ‘commissioned project’ but rather an ‘independent project’. project’.”

Also read | Why Ratan Tata considered failure a gold mine

While writing the biography, Mathew received private documents and confidential correspondence, spent more than 160 hours with Tata, and met with more than 135 people.

Mathew stated that the book challenges many widely held beliefs. Among them: Naval Tata, along with his sons Ratan and Jimmy Tata and his half-brother. Noel Tatahad a direct lineage to the core Tata family. The genealogy dates back to the founders, thus debunking the myth that Naval Tata inherited the Tata name after being adopted by Lady Navajbhai Tata.

In 2022, Harper Collins secured publishing rights to Tata’s biography for an album $2 crores—10 times what authors are typically paid for a nonfiction book. The publisher had called the book “the only complete, definitive and authoritative account of the life and times of Mr. Tata.”