"Don’t end it, mend it,” was industrialist Naval Tata’s (pictured) (1904-1989) response to Jaivant Talaulicar, then executive officer of Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO, now Tata Motors) when in the 1970s the latter wanted to "get out of Tata 
Services (TS), saying it (had) become a white elephant,” notes K. D. Skandan, who served the conglomerate from 1960 to 2000, mostly as Man Friday to Tata. Tata invited suggestions from Talaulicar to prune the expenses of TS when the latter complained of its mounting expenses that were shared by all companies TS provided services to. The industrialist countered with a challenge. In a note to Talaulicar, he stated that if TELCO could sell a single vehicle without the Group logo, "then TELCO could get out of Tata Services.” The loyal assistant credits Tata with introducing brand equity within the Group. "It was his brainchild,” he states.
Recalling a kind gesture on Tata’s part, Skandan narrates that the industrialist gifted him a tie worth £ 20 for providing a "strong, powerful word (‘questionable’)” when Tata was groping for an appropriate term while dictating a letter. The industrialist was looking for a description of "unparliamentary” language used by a colleague in a meeting Tata had chaired.
Never "a mere secretary,” Skandan narrates that he was asked by Tata to field questions from press reporters at an annual general meeting of the Employers’ Federation of India held in Cochin in1980, when the businessman had to leave for another engagement. "He is (a) son of your soil and a comrade too,” Tata told the reporters. "Pleasantly surprised” by Tata’s gesture, Skandan says that since he had worked closely with Tata, he was "somehow able to” answer the Press.
Refuting that the Tata Group created the Swatantra Party, Skandan explained to the reporters that the architects of the Party were Tata’s colleagues like the late Sir Homi Mody, friends like Minoo Masani and other industrialists and businessmen. Defending Tata’s opposition to the First Bonus Commission’s suggestion of a compulsory minimum bonus of 8.33 %, the loyalist narrated that Tata’s objection was to the definition of bonus as a share in profit. "And when a company makes a loss, where is the profit to share... how can you ask loss making companies to pay a minimum bonus? he questioned the assembly.
When queried about Tata’s foray into politics in 1971, the first parliamentary election after the Indian National Congress split into two: Congress (O) and Congress (I), Skandan confirmed to the reporters that then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had told Tata that she would have offered him a Congress ticket from a safe constituency. "Since he had already filed his nomination (as an independent candidate) and the Congress had already announced its candidate, she said it was too late. However, she wished him success.” Tata had lost that election by 20,000 votes.
The dignity, mutual respect and discipline (the journalists and the persons addressing them) showed were excellent then, he recalls. "Both sides were sincere, honest to some extent, and used to have very good rapport,” he reminisces about his participation at many subsequent Press meetings with Tata.