Ratan Tata passed away on October 9, 2024, and soon after the legendary business tycoon and philanthropist’s demise, his half-brother, Noel Tata was announced as the new chairman of Tata Trusts. While Tata Trusts has already entered a new era, most Indians are still trying to digest the fact that Ratan Tata is no longer with us.
Ratan Tata revealed he felt ‘humiliated’ during the first thirteen weeks at Harvard University
From Infosys co-founder, Narayana Murthy calling him his ‘role model’ to his successor, Noel Tata, admitting that he’s looking forward to carrying Ratan Tata’s legacy, the billionaire is all over the news headlines. After Ratan Tata’s demise, people are recounting a series of memorable incidents from his life. One such incident that everyone needs to know about is his speech at Harvard Business School (HBS) in Boston.
Harvard University invited Ratan Tata to the dedication ceremony of Tata Hall at Harvard Business School back in 2013. In his speech, Ratan Tata revealed that when he took admission to Harvard Business School in 1975 to attend the Advanced Management Program, he felt humiliated for the first 13 weeks.
Ratan Tata’s confession silenced the entire hall and shocked everyone. In his revelation, the billionaire shared that when he started studying at Harvard Business School, he was overwhelmed by his classmates’ impressive achievements. He admitted that it became a daunting task for him to attend classes, and he was crossing days so that he could return to his normal world.
Ratan Tata admitted that the humiliation he faced at Harvard University changed his life forever
However, further in his speech, Ratan Tata admitted that as time passed, he understood the magnitude of what was happening to him. The billionaire admitted that in those 13 days when he felt labelled himself as a ‘failure’, seeing his classmates’ achievements helped him transform his life. He also added that what he faced, experienced, and learnt at Harvard played a big part in his life. He said:
“As I look back, those 13 weeks were probably the most important 13 weeks of my life. They transformed me and my perspective.”
For the uninitiated, decades after completing his management program at Harvard University, Ratan Tata donated a sum of 50 million USD to Harvard Business School, which was used to build a new building. Out of respect for the Indian business tycoon, Harvard Business School named that particular building as ‘Tata Hall’. For the unversed, Ratan Tata’s 50 million gift to HBS (Harvard Business School) is the most significant gift given to the prestigious institute by an international alum.
What are your thoughts on Ratan Tata’s revelation about his first 13 weeks at Harvard Business School and the 50 million USD gift he will give to the same institution later in life? Let us know.
Also Read: Ratan Tata’s Youngest Friend, Shantanu Naidu Spent ‘Half His Salary’ On A Shirt To Twin With Him
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