Where there is a Ratan Tata will, how can't Tito not be in it? While the industrialist-philanthropist, whose estate is estimated to be around Rs 10,000 crore, has left behind a share for his siblings, his butler and German Shepherd Tito have also been provided for.
Ratan Tata made provisions for "unlimited care" for Tito in his will and allotted a share to his butler Subbiah and executive assistant Shantanu Naidu as well, according to a report in The Times of India. Tito will be cared for by Tata's longtime cook, Rajan Shaw.
Ratan Tata, the former Chairman of Tata Sons -- the parent company of Tata Group companies -- passed away on October 9. He was 86.
"He has bequeathed assets to his foundation, brother Jimmy Tata, half-sisters Shireen and Deanna Jeejabhoy, housestaff and others," according to The Times of India report.
Tata's assets include a 2,000-sq-foot beach bungalow in Alibaug, a two-storey house on Juhu Tara road in Mumbai. His fixed deposits exceed Rs 350 crore and a 0.83% stake in Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata group, reported The Times of India.
His stake in Tata Sons will be transferred over to the Ratan Tata Endowment Foundation (RTEF). His will is now going to be probated by the Bombay High Court, according to the TOI report.
Tata's various awards and recognitions will be donated to the Tata Central Archives. This will ensure his legacy is preserved for the generations to come.
As for his butler, Subbiah, he worked with Tata for over three decades and was close to Tata's heart.
Tata used to buy designer clothes for both his cook, Rajan, and butler, Subbiah, when they travelled abroad with him.
Ratan Tata had also invested in his executive assistant, Shantanu Naidu's companionship venture, Goodfellows. In his will, Tata relinquished his stake in Goodfellows and waived a loan that Naidu had taken for studying abroad.
As for Tito, the German Shepherd was adopted around six years ago after Ratan Tata's pet by the same name died.
Ratan Tata's love for dogs is well known, and it was because of a start-up to do with stray dogs that Naidu met Tata first.
In July 2023, Tata opened India's first Small Animal Hospital in Mahalaxmi, Mumbai. It has ICUs, HDUs, CT scans, X-Rays and MRI. It offers several kinds of treatment for pets.
He had even skipped a ceremony where he was to be awarded by Prince Charles for his lifelong philanthropy in 2018 because one of his two pet dogs was unwell.
When Prince Charles found out the reason why Ratan Tata had chosen to give the ceremony a miss, he said, “That’s a man. That’s the man Ratan is. That’s why the house of Tata is what it is.”
Tata had always been kind to those who worked with him. He had been generous in supporting them. As for dogs, he was a dog lover all his life and his "unlimited care" provision for Tito is an extension of his never-ending love for dogs.
Source: India Today