Ratan Tata's EMOTIONAL Speech That Will Make You Cry | R.I.P. Ratan Tata

I think what I would tend to want to convey is that people should do what they believe is the right thing to do. However, usually that's also the most difficult thing to do and it's the riskiest thing to do. But if they believe in something, they should pursue it. I grew up in an environment where if you had an idea, your boss or your manager politely told you, and sometimes not so politely, that you need to gain some experience before you open your mouth. You need to roll up your sleeves and spend five years on the shop floor. Then you can talk. And that's not what enterprise is today. Enterprise today is an ability of someone who may be in his 20s, who has a good idea, and he needs to find a way to implement them. And they should, like I said earlier, try to make a difference. This is an area that needs all of our support and needs for us to be proud of what we have. But it needs for us to be keen to not be satisfied with what we have, but to go further and to be leaders in the world, not in the country alone. We as a country, or the citizens of a country, need to get back the pride that we should have, that we are Indians, and that we should be proud of. So my enthusiasm in the new India of tomorrow continues to be there. I continue to feel the need to support enterprising young Indian engineers and scientists. And all of us should be very pleased to play this role and need to support this, because all of us should be keen to unleash the Indian tiger. And we haven't done that as yet. So let's all put our hearts and souls behind the fact that this is going to be the new India of tomorrow. And what we're seeing in this building is just the start, just the nucleus of what could be the new big, big thing in the country. Walking around this Teahouse building this afternoon could not help me, could not but help me feel that I was looking at a new face of India, one of the new faces of India. The face of entrepreneurship, innovation and enterprise. Entrepreneurship and the sense of enterprise is not new in India. We're a nation of people who have been shopkeepers, small cottage industry managers and owners. We have done this over the years. We have been entrepreneurs, be it in agriculture, be it in traditional industries. And enterprises that are built on innovation that's in your mind. Non-traditional, untried and sometimes risky, but that make a big, big difference in the world of tomorrow. It changed the way we live. It changes what we hold in our hands in terms of phones, communication. So this is in fact the first look at the new India of tomorrow. Tomorrow, day after tomorrow, etc. Not only in e-commerce, not only in e-retailing, etc., but in the exciting area of medical remedies, medical treatment, stem cells, life sciences. And this can be the starting point of that new wave. And so it's a great privilege to be here today. In events like this, I have a sense of great remorse. Remorse that I'm in my 70s and not in my 40s. Because at this point in time, the young people are coming into their own and having an opportunity to express themselves, to innovate, to establish enterprises. And that's terrific. And that's what I would have loved to participate in. And I'm sorry that our ages are different. Times we have suffered. We have paid a price, if you might. I think we have also gained a great deal of respect. And what I would say, and I've told many, that there's something that is important to me, and that is to go to bed at night or to wake up in the morning feeling that we have not sacrificed our principles. And anybody that says that you can't operate in India without paying, I think needs to needs to look at us as an example, because we grew. And we grew from about 5 billion to 100 billion without participating in anything subjective. So industry can grow in India. And you don't need to succumb. I've always been very upbeat about the prospects and potential of India. We're a country of over a billion people. The startup industry and the young founders of this industry are the new leaders of Indian industry. The old smokestack industries will always be there, but they will recede into the background in terms of excitement, in terms of innovation, in terms of ingenuity. And in many cases, we hope in many more cases of great success, not only in India, but elsewhere in the world. I'm saying to some of the young people we have been meeting, that I'm the one who's going through the learning exercise. Because many, many concepts that have been talked about five years ago, if you asked me, I would say I doubt that they would be workable or successful, but they are. And so the innovativeness and the imagination of some of the young people is truly inspiring to me because it shows a new kind of vigor. There's new technology, which the digital world brings to the table. And the reach is very different from the brick and mortar. And so it's a totally new, exciting area. It's merit-based. It's not whom you know and who has got you started. So to me, it's a very refreshing part of a new India. As I look back over my years, my family never had money abroad to supplement. So I used to do other jobs to get the money to live, right? Life changed in many ways, some good, some bad. When you're a founder, or you're the chairman or the leader of a company, every tough decision is a lonely decision. And you're very lucky if you're surrounded by people who can provide you with the right type of mentoring and the right type of counseling that take you through that decision. Most of the time, it's disagreement on what should be done. Go against your colleagues and do what you believe is right, or fall in line with what they say, which is often a difficult thing because you should be doing what you believe is right. I've been fortunate to see the country transition from a controlled country to an open economy. I've seen it grow. And I feel extremely proud and happy to have been a part of this great transformation. As the day got closer to retirement, you began to feel afraid that you didn't have enough to do, or you would not have enough to do. And over a period of time, wherever I may be, may not be on this planet, it would be very heartwarming to think that you made a difference. My dream for the future of India is to see India grow, continue to grow and become an economic power, to be a country of equal opportunity for all Indians in a united form where all laws apply to all Indians as one. I believe this country is a nation that we should all be proud of, and I hope that we can all play our parts as we are to make it the great power it needs to be. Thank you again for this recognition. Thank you.