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i came upon a lighthouse: a short memoir of life with Ratan Tata chronicles the touching relationship between author Shantanu Naidu, a millennial, and octogenarian Ratan Tata, the legendary business tycoon. Age is no bar here, and the two friends share a touching bond. The book contains several delightful anecdotes as Naidu narrates the human face of the businessman who has carefully cultivated a reputation as a reclusive tycoon.
Here, one can find Tata whistling, playing with his dogs Tito and Tango, or indulging in light banter. From his love for driving convertibles, to his favorite restaurant, Thai Pavilion, to his fetish for buying bed linen at Macy’s in New York, the book brings into focus the man behind the great steely reserve. One gets to know a side of Tata that’s witty, with anecdotes that show him almost letting his hair down. He cracks jokes with Naidu about his curly mop of hair, and teases him about "lipstick on your collar” — a popular song from the ’60s. Naidu also discusses subjects close to Tata: his housing scheme for the poor, his disappointment with Nano (a "marketing failure” which became a case study in business schools), as also the unfortunate Tata-Mistry cause celebre.
The bond began in 2014 when Naidu was a dog-loving young engineer in Poona. When the 23-year-old automotive design engineer with Tata Elxsi came up with reflective collars for stray dogs to make them visible at night, he never realized that this would be the start of a close relationship with Tata. In a short note at the start of the book, Tata writes about how Naidu came into his life: "I decided to invest in his start-up, and they received not just support but also encouragement to grow it through personal involvement.” Tata invested in this small start-up, after receiving a letter from Naidu about his passion-project, Motopaws. Tata’s love for dogs is well known. Their relationship started with their deep compassion for homeless, ill-treated, abandoned dogs and cats — and grew into something beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five generations of Naidu’s family have been working with the Tatas. Every evening, his 90-year-old great-grandmother lights up incense sticks in front of Jamsetji Tata’s photo in their house shrine. From composing music videos for social causes, to establishing himself in animal welfare, and finally working in Tata’s office, Naidu’s life seems to have been one big adventure. Today, Naidu works closely with Tata who made it a point to attend Naidu’s simple graduation dinner in Ithaca, cooked by his mother, after Naidu finished his MBA at Cornell. Tata could not make it for the graduation ceremony but suggested a dinner the night before. He kept his word, had a hearty meal of fish curry and rice, and posed for innumerable photos. Naidu was obviously over the moon with joy. As he notes, "I didn’t care about the ceremonies the next day. As far as our family was concerned, my graduation was already done.”
Tata offered him a coveted position (deputy general manager) in his own office, which is efficiently run by four handpicked people, three of them being women — Deepthi, Parizaad and Denese — whom Naidu describes as tiny, strong guardians of the Tata lighthouse. Naidu can tell a story well, and this is evident from the vivid pictures he paints. In an interview in which he spoke about his association with Tata he referred to him as "Millennial Dumbledore” (Dumbledore is a fictional character in the J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series). Instead of sinking in the sea of media content the interview attracted wide attention. There was also a photograph of Naidu with his arm around Tata, which some considered an outrage. Tata stoically told Naidu that such things happen and that he should not let it affect him. The two of them do a lot together including getting haircuts and watching films. Their intergenerational friendship is unusual, but it is also very special, and this certainly comes across in the adoring tone of the writing at times. But Naidu says that apart from being a mentor and an understanding friend, Tata is also a hard taskmaster.
When he writes about wolfing down strawberry waffles for breakfast at the tony New York hotel, The Pierre, watched by an amused Tata from across the table, or when he describes his morning swims to "get some sun” while on a Kerala break with his boss, there is an engaging and endearing sense of naturalness in the tone. The delightful illustrations by Sanjana Desai are the icing on the cake, and only add to the overall "cuteness” of the book.
December 28 is Tata’s birthday and one can be forgiven for imagining a grand annual celebration. Not really. Naidu tells us that for the past few years the celebration (if it can be called that) consists of him getting two cupcakes with a single candle, a "crappy” movie and pina coladas. "Shantaa-nu,” as Tata calls him, refers to his boss, friend and mentor as a beacon of light. He shares some amusing nuggets of their time together during the pandemic with both of them chewing gigantic vitamin C tablets and Tata reluctantly drinking turmeric milk, both of which are supposed to increase immunity.
From assisting Tata with day-to-day activities, including philanthropic initiatives, start-up proposals and social media, Naidu manages to maintain a low profile. So, what does a typical day look like as an executive assistant to Tata? At meetings, Naidu takes copious notes and keeps records for future discussions. As Tata walks in, he is there to brief him on the happenings of the day. Tata gives Naidu his plan and they start attacking items on it one by one. Tata is, according to the author, a focused worker who works non-stop with no breaks. He has invested in numerous Indian start-ups, including the ride-hailing service Ola. He now uses the Instagram profile Naidu helped set up to connect with the youth and famously used it to share a picture of him in his 20s using the popular hashtag "Throwback Thursday” which had the internet buzzing. 
Tata is a reticent man who guards his privacy fiercely. This touching memoir is a rare window into his human side, one which is generally hidden from the public. In his introduction, Naidu says that the pages of his book are the result "more of heart and story and less of artistic capability.” He certainly doesn’t disappoint.
There is nothing contrived or pretentious about the narrative. Naidu’s book is written from the heart with candor and a touching simplicity. His affection for Tata is obvious, but the adoring tone never descends into mawkishness.
Read this book if you want to know how a bright young man became business assistant and best friends to arguably India’s most recognized business leader. It is, of course, a sanitized account, with Tata having read the manuscript and given his nod, but that in no way detracts from its appeal. Naidu succeeds wonderfully in highlighting how inter-generation friendships can blossom into wonderful relationships. He also brings to the fore the fact that friendships can transcend age groups and classes. Naidu’s unique friendship with Tata has in fact broken all such barriers.    
                  BAKHTIAR K. DADABHOY