P M Amza

In 1999, Ratan Tata flew to Detroit with his team. The Tata Indica had just been launched. Sales were poor. The board wanted to sell the passenger car division to Ford to cut losses. Ford agreed to a meeting. What happened in that boardroom was recounted by Pravin Kadle, who was present that day. Ford executives told Ratan Tata this. You do not know anything. Why did you even start a passenger car division? Then they said they were doing Tata a favour by considering buying the struggling business. On the 90-minute flight back to New York, Ratan Tata sat in silence. He spoke almost no words. He returned to India and cancelled the sale. Tata Motors would not be sold. Not to anyone. For nine years, he said nothing publicly about what happened in Detroit. He simply got to work. In 2008, Ford was on the verge of bankruptcy. The Great Recession had broken them. They needed to sell their most prized assets urgently. Jaguar. Land Rover. Two of the most iconic British car brands in the world. They called Ratan Tata. Tata Motors bought both for Rs 19,000 crore. All cash. When the papers were signed, Ford chairman Bill Ford flew to Mumbai and sat across from the same man he had humiliated nine years earlier. He said this. You are doing us a big favour by buying Jaguar Land Rover. Ratan Tata made no reference to 1999. No speech. No dig. He simply said he was looking forward to supporting both brands. He never needed to say anything else. India walked into that room in 1999 as a seller being insulted. India walked out of that room in 2008 as the buyer being thanked. Nothing changed except who needed whom. Follow for real stories about Indians who made the world take notice.