Ratan Tata's assistant Shantanu Naidu pens emotional post; Who is he? How did they meet?

In a "goodbye" post, Shantanu Naidu, the youngest general manager at Tata Trust and Ratan Tata's trusty assistant, mourned the passing of India's well-known business magnate, writing, "Grief is the price to pay for love." After a brief illness, veteran businessman and Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata passed away late Wednesday at the age of 86. Due to an abrupt decrease in blood pressure, he was brought to Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital on Monday and was in serious condition in the intensive care unit.

Shantanu Naidu, Tata's closest aide, wrote on LinkedIn about his strong bond with the national hero. 

“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,” wrote the 30-year-old, sharing alongside a throwback photo which shows the two of them together.

 

Who is Shantanu Naidu?

Naidu, who was born and raised in Pune, graduated from Savitribai Phule Pune University in 2014 with a degree in engineering. Later, in 2016, he attended Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management to obtain a Master's in Business Administration.

Naidu started working as an automotive design engineer at Tata Elxsi in Pune after completing his studies. In May 2022, Shantanu Naidu, at 29 years old, started his career with Ratan Tata. After a video of him celebrating Ratan Tata's birthday went viral on social media, he gained national recognition and the respect of Tata's supporters.

Despite Tata not having married or had children of his own, he has embraced Naidu as a cherished and closest member of his circle, treating him like a son.

How did the two meet?

During his time at Tata Elxsi, Shantanu raised the concern over canine deaths brought on by fast-moving cars. Inspired and driven to solve this issue, he came up with the concept of "collars for dogs," which would improve their nighttime visibility on roadways even when there are no lighting.

Naidu sent a letter outlining his business plan to Tata in an attempt to gain backing for his extraordinary endeavor. Notably, Tata asked Naidu to a meeting to talk about the creative endeavor in addition to responding to him.