A low-profile Noel Tata has been at the Tatas for 40 years. It is said his appointment marks a continuity of the role of the Tatas visa-a-vis the 150-year old brand. Noel's son Neville Tata and daughters Leah Tata and Maya Tata, currently involved in Tata Group companies, could carry the torch further forward into next generations.

Noel Tata is the half-brother the late Ratan Tata.

MUMBAI, Oct 11: Noel Tata was appointed as chairman of Tata Trusts, succeeding his half-brother the late Ratan Tata, at a Trusts meeting on Friday. The iconic industrialist Ratan Tata, who was also chairman emeritus of the Tata Sons, passed away at the age of 86 on Wednesday. Ratan Tata was not married and had not named a successor.

He has been at the Tatas for 40 years. It is said his appointment marks a continuity of the role of the Tatas visa-a-vis the 150-year old brand. Noel's son Neville Tata and daughters Leah Tata and Maya Tata, currently involved in Tata Group companies, could carry the torch further forward into next generations. Noel, 67, had graduated from Sussex University (UK).

Noel Tata is the son of Naval H Tata and Simone Tata. He is married to Aloo Mistry, daughter of Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry and sister of Cyrus Mistry. The Shapoorji Pallonji group holds 18.3 per cent stake in Tata Sons.

Mehli Mistry, a board trustee for the two main Tata charities and cousin brother of the late Cyrus Mistry who ruled the Tatas for a brief period and was ousted, was the other name floated before the Trusts' Friday meeting which chose Noel. Mehli was a Ratan Tata supporter.

Tata Trusts owns 66% of Tata Sons, the holding company of a series of verticals of the Tata Group. Tata Trusts has two vice chairmen: Venu Srinivasan and Vijay Singh. A second holding company has the industries under its umbrella.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran is Tata Sons and Tata Group chairman.

The Tata empire

Tata Sons is the investment holding company of the Tata group. The Tata group comprises over 100 operating companies in seven business sectors: communications and information technology (IT), engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer products and chemicals. The group has operations in more than 100 countries on six continents. Its companies export products and services to 150 countries. Total revenue was $107 billion in 2014-15, with 67% coming from business outside India. Tata companies employ over 10,28,000 people worldwide. (A World Economic Forum article).

Founded over 150 (since 1868) years ago, the history of Tata group embodies, in many ways, the history of entrepreneurship, philanthropy and compassionate capitalism in India, the Tata website says.

As a 29-year-old, Jamsetji Tata set up a trading firm in 1868. Today, from consumer products to aerospace, the group is present in ten business verticals. 66% of Tata Sons is owned by trusts. The Tata Trusts promote education, health, culture and livelihood initiatives. It registered more than $165 billion in revenues in 2023-24. The combined market cap of Tata companies was $365 billion as on March 31, 2024, according to official data. Bombay House in Mumbai is the headquarters of the Tata group.

Ratan Tata joined the Tata group in 1962. In 1981, he was named Chairman of Tata Industries, the group’s other holding company. He became chairman of Tata Sons, the primary holding comapny, in 1991, when JRD Tata retired. After retirement on December 28, 2012, he was conferred the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons. Thereafter the late Cyrus Mistry became the chairman of Tata Sons for a short period. Ratan Tata was back again as chairman, after a legal battle with Mistry. Tata Sons board amended its Articles of Association (AoA) in 2022 to rule that the same person cannot be chairman of both Tata Trusts and Tata Sons at the same time. Then Natarajan Chandrasekaran was made Tata Sons chairman and Ratan Tata continued at Tata Trusts and also as Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons till death.

Who is Noel Tata

Jamsetji Tata, who founded the company 150 years ago, had three children: Sir Dorabji Tata, Dhunbai Tata and Sir Ratan Tata. Sir Ratan Tata married Navajbai Sett. They had no children. They adopted Naval H Tata as son. Naval H Tata married Sonoo Commissariat. They had two sons - Ratan N Tata and Jimmy N Tata. Naval and Sonoo divorced after Ratan Tata was born. Ratan Tata was adopted by his grandmother, Nawazbai Tata. Later Naval married Simone Dunoyer (Swiss). Their son is Noel Tata. (Noel's son Neville Tata and daughters Leah Tata and Maya Tata are currently involved in Tata Group companies.) Therefore, Noel is Ratan Tata's half-brother.

This is one branch of the Tata lineage, but not necessarily a blood line. The other branch constitutes JRD Tata (Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata) who handed over the empire to Ratan Tata in 1991 and JRD Tata's father Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata, whose uncle was Jamsetji Tata, the founder. Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata married a French lady Suzanne RD Tata, later called Sooni (JRD Tata's mother).

Noel Tata is married to Aloo Mistry, daughter of Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry and sister of Cyrus Mistry. The Shapoorji Pallonji group holds 18.3 per cent stake in Tata Sons.

The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.

Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See: New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)

ANALYSIS: "The standard operating procedure for deportations by aircraft used by ICE that is effective from 2012 provides for the use of restraints," says the Government. That means, it is taken for granted the US will set the standard for deportations. For another, the Government is more interested in comparing with what happened in 2012 under a different Government to justify its own compliance! No surprise, others are trampling upon us. (How we conduct ourselves inside decides, inherently, how we are treated outside) Thirdly, the Government blamed the gangs doing the business of human trafficking for the illegal migration. For all the crimes taking place in the country, let us blame the criminals! Funny! We will never move an inch forward! The mindset defines what we are.

Meanwhile, a UN-returned Congress leader Shashi Tharoor sounded like a layman when he said, "If they are citizens of India we have an obligation to take them back." Who said 'No'?. He should know that is not the issue now. Who will identify an undocumented person, and how?

The function was held indoors from 12 pm (10:30 pm IST) at the rotunda of the US Capitol building because of unusually intense cold and snow. Delivering his inaugural address, Trump remarked, “The golden age of America begins right now," and just hours later signed a slew of executive orders to redeem the election pledges.

The issue: Trump says he is open to 'economic force' to acquire Canada as its '51st State' if it does not stop the flow of illegal migrants and drugs into the US and secure its border.

Trudeau gets ready for the battle: Trudeau under Trump's onslaught had appeared quiet as a lamb because he was facing serious internal problems and now the situation has changed. He has resigned and has enough space for a single-minded counter-attack as acting PM. And that is what he is doing to Canada's advantage. He will prapare Canada to take the 'bull' by the horns (literally) when he takes office on January 20.

There is more to it: On the same page now, Conservative Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has also outlined his plan to deal with the US President-elect's threats. Both will stand united against the common enemy, and take on him adequately when he assumes office.

And the latest: The counter-attack begins. In a CNN interview, Trudeau strategically addresses the Americans, tells them a ghostly 25% tariff will create a recession in Canada but will be equally devastating for the US economy. And he has a point.

• A President-elect at the instance of 'sensible' aides has declared, “A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America.” A Trump statement said he will chop off the bureaucratic flab, or in his own words, “drain the swamp” in Washington. This contrasts with India where millions and millions of clerks rule the roost with the blessings of petty vote bank politicians, who badly needed them, all these 77 years.
• The South African migrant who will benefit more than Trump himself from the election victory has climbed to the helm - Elon Musk will be the monarch of all he surveys in Washington!
• Musk will lead a 'Department of Government Efficiency' with Vivek Ramaswamy, the eccentric dreamer.
• They will slash bureaucracy and Government spending and restructure Federal agencies. (But no mention of what next and how!)
• The irony lies here: Musk will also be the boss of all Federal agencies, including those currently investigating business frauds in his own companies like Tesla, SpaceX and Starlink, which receive Government funding, inter alia making him the richest man on earth.

"We are the only nation not based on race or religion. Literally we are the only nation based on an idea... That all men are created equal."

The former President asked voters to cast their ballot early. (Last elections large-scale early voting had helped Democrats foil any foul play by Trump's alleged foreign agents.)

MAYHEM IN THE AIR: The Civil Aviation Ministry wants to take strict action to prevent more such incidents disrupting Indian aviation!!! Punishment: Culprits of the hoax bomb threats will be put on no-fly list!!! LUDICROUS! Typically this will continue - Both the crime and the punishment. Because our system pushes the scum to the top.

COMMENT: Dragon, unlike what has been reported in the media, is not a rescue mission. Its schedule of liftoff or return has not been changed to suit the stranded astronauts. On the other hand, the astronauts' return has been put off by several months to suit the Dragon's schedule. What SpaceX has done is only dropping two spacemen to accommodate Suni and Wilmore on the capsule's return. And that too was at the instance of NASA which has authority over the choice of astronauts under the contract which facilitates flow of moneys from the American treasury to the pocket of Elon Musk for running his SpaceX business, making him a billionaire and dance with abandon. Result: NASA is a divided house!

Note: The video of the debate (above), a replica of the live telecast, is the best bet to get a real picture of what really was the latest American presidential debate, first hand. Watch.

Kamala Harris had pleaded for unmuting the mic but Trump had his knees knocking. She was a prosecutor and wanted to have a face-to-face with him, an exchange, some pointed questions, unmask him and his money power, expose him before the American people. But that was not to be and we will not call it a debate. Only the moderator will ask questions!

Harris will be seen Tuesday night on the television on the viewers' right side as they sit in front of the set. Viewers tend to focus towards their right side and that in turn can provide a better impact on their voting behaviour. And from the stage's right podium, or the interviewer's stand, she will be in a commanding position vis-a-vis her rival.

HERE's THE PROOF: Attorney General Merrick Garland has accused Russian State broadcaster RT of paying a Tennessee firm $ 10 m to create and distribute content to US audiences with hidden Russian Government messaging. RT chief editor Margarita Simonyan (see pix) is one of 10 people sanctioned by the US for trying to manipulate the elections.

And now Putin declaring an unsolicited support to Harris: A close connection is seen in Trump, in his interview with his chum Musk, making an inappropriate comment calling Harris as most beautiful and comparing her to his wife with a view to blunting her electoral campaign like the fox in the crow story. And Musk later sharing an AI-generated image of Harris as Communist dictator in uniform. The South African has joined the war as his empire is at stake!! All these look like a coordinated Russian traditional job. The Russians managed to give it to Trump in 2016 by damaging Clinton, but failed in 2020!

• In a fiery speech, an emboldened "girl fallen from the coconut tree" opened her box of agenda and promised the Americans she will take the country to new heights.
• Kamala exhorted all Americans to forge a new unity that will "chart a new way forward," a first in history, laying the foundations of a new America, and that's her vision. She was greeted with a non-stop standing ovation by the delegates as she took the mike at the jam-packed convention arena.
• "I will be a President who unites us around our highest aspirations. A President who leads and listens. Who is realistic. Practical," she promised.

Joe Biden was so pleasing to the ears as he sought to invoke the power of democracy and list his Government's achievements all due to the grace of God. But what broke the mike was Clinton's hard metallic, sounding so genuine and dedicated as, may be, she had a revenge carryover from 2016, the year when the Russians were alleged to have begun a social media misinformation campaign in favour of Trump and a suspected hacking of the machines using applications quite unfamiliar to the rest of the world. Which was thwarted by the Democrats in the nick of time in 2020 although Trump as President tried to block them by cutting postal funds. He went violent and attempted insurrection not fully because of his animal insticts but also because he was made to believe in a result like the 2016's and that belief was shattered. What marked out Day One at the convention was a 'presumptive' candidate's unscheduled appearance on the stage made possible by the virtual roll call of August 1 - Kamala Harris, the Vice President. The day also facilitated a less known but deserving New York Guv Kathy Hochul, the American cheetah breaking into the national scene for future purpose! Not well done this time!

ALL ISMs APART, WHO IS Muhammad Yunus? Aside from a Nobel prize that does not assess but compare, Yunus's social biz idea of melding capitalism and social responsibility in the late 1980s, known as microfinance, did revolutionise rural Bangladesh - unlike the destructive infrastructure funding mania of the political underdogs - pulling millions out of perennial poverty, setting an example for many other poor countries to emulate.

On the lines of Dr Verghese Kurien of India much much earlier, who was hounded by the communists as a CIA agent out of compulsive ignorance and a lack of basic ability to gauge what he had done which they should have indeed. He mobilised the Indian grassroots, introducing the concept of cooperatives, the implications of which the pseudo socialists and their forefathers couldn't ever dream of.

Certified for use as store, if the space was being illegally used as library, who should primarily be held responsible, irrespective of whether such usage was the cause of the tragedy or not. Could anybody guess right? No. The police have arrested any number of people! What for? Now a CBI inquiry! Into what?

The court also 'discovered' (nobody else knows!) that, "Delhi has multiplicity of authorities who are only passing the buck and blaming each other.”

A PROGNOSIS: Much maligned over old age and gaffes (or allowed to be !), Biden (81) leaving the scene has made Trump (78) the old man in the field! Now on a weak wicket, having forced to change his target mid-stream and rearrange his campaign strategy, the 'rogue' behind the Capitol rampage will be asked by a woman opponent, how old are you? Additionally, the sharpshooting prosecutor will be converting the hustings into a trial court for a decisive onslaught where the convicted felon will finally succumb.

OPINION: Quotas, permanent Government jobs, pay scales and tons of allowances and more than matching pensions are the 'gifts' of wretched vote bank politics in developing societies masquerading as a type of nascent democracy. Depressing poverty and painful migrations are the byproducts. The reality is: There can't be permanent jobs because demand for work is a 'variable'. And quota is its offspring. The agenda of creating jobs and quotas is therefore poor economics, with far-reaching social impacts, but of course serves those politicians in the short term.