Ratan Tata: Steve Jobs of India retires today

Ratan Tata retires today handing over the charge of Tata Sons to Cyrus Mistry. Ratan Tata who changed the conventional corporate house into an international conglomerate played a key role not only in shaping up the company's destiny but also in the growth of the economy. He took over as the chairman of the group in 1991, at a time when the Indian economy adopted the liberal approach. It was his leadership that the company looked at innovative paths to scale up its operations in different streams such as automobile, telecom, software and banking, etc.

But at his exit, we all are excited to meet the new chairman and see him steer the company into new avenues. Will Cyrus be a Tim Cook who is seen as a perfect successor to Steve Jobs having taken company into new financial zones? Will Tata Sons be another Apple in his leadership? Undoubtedly Mistry's role in taking the company in more than one direction is awaited keenly. He has a responsibility to carve a niche not only in the Indian market but in the global markets. Certainly the role is big, and expectations are huge.

On his 75 birthday, Dataquest pays tribute to Ratan Tata's exemplary role in the Indian as well as the global economy.