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Tata, who passed away on Wednesday, was known for his humility and his expansive vision.

A greying, slightly bent man asked for a table for two at the Sea Lounge, the iconic coffee shop at the Taj Hotels’ flagship hotel in Mumbai, a few years ago. The restaurant was buzzing with customers there to sit by the windows and watch the sun melt into the Arabian Sea outside.

There were no free tables, could he give his name for the waitlist? The young hostess asked. “Ratan Tata,” the man put his name down and disappeared into the hotel’s corridors before hotel staff could come looking to find the chairman emeritus of the Tata Group, which also owns Taj Hotels.

Tata, who passed away in Mumbai on Wednesday, was known as much for his humility as he was for his expansive vision that vaulted the group to a more than $128bn revenue in 2022 and the ownership of celebrated brands such as Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley Tea.

The 86-year-old was mourned as one of the most beloved Indians for helping Indian businesses reach that scale, including on foreign shores, making it emblematic of the newly liberalising Indian economy.

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