'Felt compelled to write you ... ': Ratan Tata's 1996 letter to PV Narasimha Rao

NEW DELHI: Late industrialist Ratan Tata , who passed away last week, wrote a letter to then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao in 1996, praising his achievement "in heralding much-needed economic reforms in India ".

Chairman of RPG Group chairperson Harsh Goenka recently shared an image of the handwritten note on social media. "Beautiful writing from a beautiful person," said Harsh Goenka while sharing the letter on X.

Beautiful writing from a beautiful person…. pic.twitter.com/AOxJPmVqNL

— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) October 15, 2024

The letter, dated August 27, 1996, expressed Ratan Tata's admiration for Rao's achievement in initiating economic reforms in India. "As I read the recent spate of unkind references to you, I felt compelled to write you to tell you that while others' memories may be short, I will always recognize and respect your outstanding achievement in heralding much-needed economic reforms in India," the letter wrote by Ratan Tata reads.

PV Narasimha Rao, who served as the Prime Minister of India, is widely recognized as the 'Father of Indian Economic Reforms' due to his role in transforming India's economy in 1991.

In his letter, Ratan Tata also commended Narasimha Rao for putting "India on the world map in an economic sense". He wrote, "Every Indian should owe you a debt of gratitude for the courageous and far-sighted "opening up" of India."

Narasimha Rao along with then finance minister Manmohan Singh , initiated the LPG reforms (Liberalization, Privatization, and Globalization) in 1991.