Bhavish Aggarwal, the founder of Ola Electric Mobility Ltd., mourned the demise of Ratan Tata, the former chairman of the Tata Group, while reflecting on the titan's investment journey into his ventures.
"I'm at a loss with Ratan Tata sir's passing," he said on X (formally Twitter), a day after his demise. "His loss feels so personal because it is for me. He was my hero growing up, like for so many others."
Aggarwal said he had met and interacted with Tata many times, and each time it was a learning lesson for life.
The Ola founder recalled that Tata was the guest speaker at his convocation in IIT Bombay in 2008. "I was a young kid but his words that day stayed with me—to serve one's country."
The founder of electric two-wheeler manufacturer met again with Tata when he decided to invest in Ola. "But my interactions with him didn't end there. They had just begun."
"Tata was like no other business leader I have ever met. He took a personal interest in my journey. And in every interaction, there was grace, humility, curiosity and a world of learning for me."
Ratan Tata, my personal hero
October 10, 2024
I'm at a loss with Ratan Tata Sir's passing. His loss feels so personal because it is for me. He was my hero growing up, like for so many others. I consider myself blessed to have gotten the opportunity to know my personal hero deeply over the last… pic.twitter.com/52AFS0bAALAggarwal said that Tata had played a key role in the founding of Ola Electric. The ex chairman of the Tata group was passionate and excited about electric vehicles, Aggarwal said. Tata had been working on a project to make the Tata Nano an electric vehicle in Coimbatore, which he showed to Aggarwal. "That was the day Ola electric really got started—as he ignited the passion for EVs and cars in me!"
AdvertisementThe last time Aggarwal met Tata was a year ago to share the news of Ola Electric's IPO, he said. "He was frail but his enthusiasm for cars was as high as ever, and his encouragement for me was as strong as ever."
"I will deeply miss him. India will deeply miss him. And there will be no one like him again."
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