'You will never understand...': Here's what Ratan Tata told industrialist who asked him to pay bribe worth Rs 15 crores

Ratan Tata, a leading industrialist and philanthropist, breathed his last on October 9 in Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital. Known to have lived a life devoid of any glitz and glamour, Ratan Tata left behind a legacy of innovation and philanthropy. 

Let us tell you about a story of the business tycoon when he was instructed to pay a bribe worth Rs 15 crores to a minister secure a business deal. You will be impressed to find out what Tata did next. 

An old interview of Ratan Tata is getting viral online, in which he is heard recollecting an incident when he was asked to pay the aforementioned amount. Tata told the interviewer that the fellow industrialist said, "You know, why don’t you pay the minister, you know that he wants 15 crore, no one has asked us for any amount of money…. you know, you people want the airline, don’t you? You want the airline, pay 15 crore what does it matter to you.” 

As the interview proceeded, Ratan Tata was asked about how to avoid indulging in corrupt practices, to which, he stressed the significance of self-regulation.

“It has to be self-regulating….You will never understand that, we just don’t do that,” Tata told the industrialist.

Ratan Tata, who died at the age of 86, touched millions of lives through his compassion and charitable activities in areas ranging from healthcare, rural development, to animal welfare and education. 

He began his career with Tata Steel in 1961. After JRD Tata's retiremtent, he was appointed as the chairman of the group. Under his visionary leadership, the firm acquired new heights.