Ben Madilynn
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Ratan Tata with his very first dog Tito. (Pic credit: Instagram/@ratantata)
Ratan Tata, who died at 86 in Mumbai, once chose to skip a meeting with King Charles at Buckingham Palace in 2018 because one of his dogs was gravely ill.
Be it adopting a stray dog from Goa and naming it after the smallest Indian state, turning to his 10.6 million Instagram family to find forever homes for dogs or opening a small animal hospital in Mumbai, Ratan Tata’s deep love for dogs was evident in everything he did. While it’s well-known that Goa, his loyal companion, was his favourite and stayed by his casket at the NCPA, his first dog, Tito, held the most special place in his heart.
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Ratan Tata’s second Instagram post was a heartfelt tribute to his late dog. In November 2019, he shared, “Today would be the 14th birthday of my late dog, Tito.”
Tata continued, “I still come home to two kind souls and meet so many others in and around the office.”
“While few have the comfort of families, many struggle on the streets, and yet somehow, their affection remains the same. Those of you who strive for the welfare of the voiceless, truly have my respect,” he further wrote.
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The accompanying photo captured a tender moment, with Tata holding the paw of Tito, a German Shepherd. One of the pictures also shows Goa with his paws crossed.
Tata’s Instagram Highlights are a loving ode to Tito. His first Story, shared over four years ago, reads, “I remember my very first dog too….”
Next, he shared a picture of himself with Tito and reminisced, “It’s hard to explain the kind of bond it was.”
“We would drive out to Juhu and play fetch with coconuts. He even knew how to blow the car horn,” Tata shared an anecdote.
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Tata posted yet another picture of him with the dog and wrote, “I came home to him just to lie on the rug and do nothing.”
“I can’t call him a pet. He was so much more,” he concluded with a heart emoticon and another picture of him with the German Shepherd.
Ratan Tata breathed his last at 11:30 on October 9 at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital. His mortal remains, draped in the Indian national flag, were kept at the NCPA, allowing the public to pay their last respects. During his prayer meeting, priests from all religions, including Parsi, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, and Hindu, gathered to offer prayers. He was later taken to the Parsi crematorium in Worli, where he was laid to rest with full state honours.
