This Article is From Apr 14, 2011

Came close to getting married four times: Ratan Tata

Came close to getting married four times: Ratan Tata
He is 73 years old. One of India's biggest industrialists, a very public figure, and yet one who has rarely talked about his personal life. Now, in an interview to a US-based TV channel, Ratan Tata has revealed that he was "seriously" in love four times and came close to getting married each of those times. Tata is one of India's most prominent bachelors.

The most serious of these relationships, Tata says on CNN International's Talk Asia programme, was one when he was working in the US in the 1960s. He recounts, "...the only reason we didn't get married was that I came back to India and she was to follow me and that was the year of the, if you like, the Indo-Chinese conflict and in true American fashion this conflict in the Himalayas, in the snowy, uninhabited part of the Himalayas was seen in the United States as a major war between India and China and so, she didn't come and finally got married in the US thereafter."

But never-been-married Tata has no regrets. He says in the interview that each of the four times that he came close to getting married, he "backed off in fear or for one reason or another." Each occasion was different, he says, but adds, "in hindsight when I look at the people involved; it wasn't a bad thing what I did. I think it may have been more complex had the marriage taken place."

And for those that like a twist in the tale, Ratan Tata says yes when asked if any of the people he was in love with is still in the city. But refuses to elaborate.

The interview also has Tata talking about the succession plan in the Tata group of companies once he turns 75 in December 2012 and retires. He also talks at length about the Tata dynasty and legacy, how he has grown his business empire and about recent scandals. The interview first airs today.
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