Mumbai/IBNS: The personal life of India's most beloved industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata, who passed away at the age of 86 on Wednesday, has remained much of a mystery.

A man of honour, achievements in his professional life acted as a mask over his personal life, which Tata left much to the people's imagination.

In an interview with Simi Garewal, Tata revealed he felt lonely at times for remaining single all throughout his life.

He said, "There are many times I feel lonely for not having a wife or family."

"There was a whole series of things, timing, my absorption in work. There were many things, I came close to getting married a few times and it didn't work out."

In an interview with Humans of Bombay, Tata revealed he was close to marriage but couldn't due to the 1962 Indo-China war.

He said, "After college, I landed a job at an architecture firm in LA, where I worked for two years. It was a great time -- the weather was beautiful, I had my own car and I loved my job. It was in LA that I fell in love and almost got married.

"But at the same time I had made the decision to move back at least temporarily since I had been away from my grandmother who wasn’t keeping too well for almost 7 years. So I came back to visit her and thought that the person I wanted to marry would come to India with me, but because of the 1962 Indo-China war her parent’s weren’t okay with her making the move anymore, and the relationship fell apart."

Life Sketch

Born in Mumbai (then Bombay)  into a Parsi Zoroastrian family, on Dec 28, 1937 Ratan Tata's father was Naval Tata, who was born in Surat and later adopted into the Tata family, and his mother was Sooni Tata, the niece of Tata group founder Jamsetji Tata.

Tata's biological grandfather, Hormusji Tata, was a member of the Tata family by blood. In 1948, when Tata was 10, his parents separated, and he was subsequently raised and adopted by Navajbai Tata, his grandmother and widow of Ratanji Tata. His younger brother was Jimmy Tata while he had a half-brother, Noel Tata, from Naval Tata's second marriage with Simone Tata, with whom he was raised.

He went to the Campion School and the Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai, besides the Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, and the Riverdale Country School in New York City. After graduating from high school, Tata enrolled in Cornell University in the US, from which he obtained a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1959.

Professional excellence

In 2008, he received the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour in India, after receiving the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour in 2000.

Ratan Tata took over as chairman of the autos-to-steel conglomerate in 1991, leading the company, established by his great-grandfather over a century ago, until 2012.

He also founded Tata Teleservices in 1996 and oversaw the public listing of Tata Consultancy Services in 2004.

Ratan Tata carried forward the Tata legacy of highest corporate social responsibility through countless philanthropic works, including setting up centres of academic excellence, research institutes and hospitals.

After his retirement, he was honored with the title of chairman emeritus for Tata Sons, Tata Industries, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, and Tata Chemicals, according to the company's website.