Hubballi: Industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata, who died on Wednesday, had visited Hubballi in Jan 2013 to participate in the development dialogue of Deshpande Foundation and debut TiECON of The Indus Entrepreneurs, Hubballi chapter.
Rajab Ali, director, Deshpande Skillings, Hubballi, recalled that following Tata’s visit, Tata Trust had supported the development of skills among 5,000 poor rural youths through a training programme.”Among these youths, 60% were female, 81% were from below poverty line families, and 90% were from a rural background. Now, all of them are leading financially independent lives. Later, as per his instruction, Tata Marcopolo, Tata Motors of Hubballi-Dharwad, joined hands to eradicate malnutrition among rural people and supported food and sanitation intervention, research, and development initiatives,” he mentioned.
He also said Tata had interacted with Deshpande Foundation’s founder Gururaj Deshpande, other ace entrepreneurs like NR Narayan Murthy, Sudha Murty, RA Mashelkar, and others on the occasion.
Naveen Jha, former CEO of Deshpande Foundation and now a senior fellow at Harvard University, had approached Tata in 2012 to invite him for the 2013 event. “He had said that Hubballi would be the first city to visit after his retirement as chairperson of Tata Group in Dec 2012. He flew his aircraft from Mumbai. He was impressed to see numerous people tasking part in different initiatives. He supported the farm pond project and Akshaya Patra too. He had addressed over 10,000 people during the debut TiECON and had presented the best entrepreneur promoter award to me, the lifetime award to KLES’ mentor Prabhakar Kore, and the best entrepreneur award to MV Karamari. As thousands of people were eagerly waiting for him, a housekeeping staffer innocently asked him what he had done to attract such a huge crowd. He smiled and appreciated her questioning,” he shared.
Dr Ashok Shettar, pro-chancellor, KLE Tech, recalled that Tata had inaugurated the new building of the mechanical department in the BVB campus and had suggested they enhance hands-on experience for students. “He had visited the laboratory too and expressed satisfaction over our infrastructure,” he added.
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The visionary who redefined India’s future
Gururaj Deshpande, founder of Deshpande Foundation, said Ratan Tata’s profound contributions shaped not only Indian business but also the very ethos of social responsibility and innovation. “His passing leaves an irreplaceable void, yet his legacy will continue to inspire countless lives,” he said, condoling his demise. “I have had the privilege of working with Ratan over the years, both personally and through the Deshpande Foundation, and together, we embarked on a journey to transform India’s social fabric through structured innovation, philanthropy, and technology. He stood out for his unwavering belief that industry, technology, and social responsibility could — and must — intersect for the greater good. This guiding principle brought us together, fostering a partnership rooted in the pursuit of scalable solutions that could uplift the most underserved populations in India. His vision was not limited to developing innovative businesses. He saw the potential of India’s youth and understood that they were key to transforming the nation’s future,” Deshpande added.
Rajab Ali, director, Deshpande Skillings, Hubballi, recalled that following Tata’s visit, Tata Trust had supported the development of skills among 5,000 poor rural youths through a training programme.”Among these youths, 60% were female, 81% were from below poverty line families, and 90% were from a rural background. Now, all of them are leading financially independent lives. Later, as per his instruction, Tata Marcopolo, Tata Motors of Hubballi-Dharwad, joined hands to eradicate malnutrition among rural people and supported food and sanitation intervention, research, and development initiatives,” he mentioned.
He also said Tata had interacted with Deshpande Foundation’s founder Gururaj Deshpande, other ace entrepreneurs like NR Narayan Murthy, Sudha Murty, RA Mashelkar, and others on the occasion.
Naveen Jha, former CEO of Deshpande Foundation and now a senior fellow at Harvard University, had approached Tata in 2012 to invite him for the 2013 event. “He had said that Hubballi would be the first city to visit after his retirement as chairperson of Tata Group in Dec 2012. He flew his aircraft from Mumbai. He was impressed to see numerous people tasking part in different initiatives. He supported the farm pond project and Akshaya Patra too. He had addressed over 10,000 people during the debut TiECON and had presented the best entrepreneur promoter award to me, the lifetime award to KLES’ mentor Prabhakar Kore, and the best entrepreneur award to MV Karamari. As thousands of people were eagerly waiting for him, a housekeeping staffer innocently asked him what he had done to attract such a huge crowd. He smiled and appreciated her questioning,” he shared.
Dr Ashok Shettar, pro-chancellor, KLE Tech, recalled that Tata had inaugurated the new building of the mechanical department in the BVB campus and had suggested they enhance hands-on experience for students. “He had visited the laboratory too and expressed satisfaction over our infrastructure,” he added.
Box
The visionary who redefined India’s future
Gururaj Deshpande, founder of Deshpande Foundation, said Ratan Tata’s profound contributions shaped not only Indian business but also the very ethos of social responsibility and innovation. “His passing leaves an irreplaceable void, yet his legacy will continue to inspire countless lives,” he said, condoling his demise. “I have had the privilege of working with Ratan over the years, both personally and through the Deshpande Foundation, and together, we embarked on a journey to transform India’s social fabric through structured innovation, philanthropy, and technology. He stood out for his unwavering belief that industry, technology, and social responsibility could — and must — intersect for the greater good. This guiding principle brought us together, fostering a partnership rooted in the pursuit of scalable solutions that could uplift the most underserved populations in India. His vision was not limited to developing innovative businesses. He saw the potential of India’s youth and understood that they were key to transforming the nation’s future,” Deshpande added.
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