“Tell us about his pets. What were they called?” Zain asked. The story seemed to make him happy. He loved animals, too. Mango wasn’t his only pet. He often brought stray kittens and puppies home. Once, he brought a rat and wanted to have it as a pet. His parents did not agree to that.

“Ratan had a dog as a pet when he was a young boy growing up in Tata Palace. It was a fox terrier that his grandmother did not want to have as a pet. But it came, nonetheless. In later years, Lady Tata’s heart warmed to the animal, especially after Ratan left for the US. After this first childhood pet, Ratan had many more. They were usually German Shepherds. His two dogs were called Tito and Tango,” Nanu explained. “During a trip to Goa, he also adopted a stray and guess what he named it!” Nanu paused for effect, scanning the children’s faces. They were staring at him expectantly. “Goa,” Nanu said and laughed aloud.

“A dog from Goa called Goa! Are you listening, Mango?” Zain turned and looked at the Labrador. “We got you from Dad’s friend who lives in Ranchi. Perhaps we should have called you Ranchi!” he said, amused.

“Shhh! Zain, be quiet! Let Nanu continue,” Aditi sounded annoyed. Nanu continued with the story of Ratan’s pets. “Well, Tito was a pup from Jamshedpur, but Ratan didn’t call the animal Jamshedpur now, did he? So, your idea, Zain, might not be so good after all! Tito was Ratan’s friend and companion, and Tango came into his household when Tito started to grow old. Tito died in 1998 and Tango in 2004. Their deaths left Ratan devastated. To fill the void, he adopted two more German Shepherd pups and named them Tito and Tango again.”

Zain stared at Nanu and nodded as if to say “I get that,” and his arm reached out and embraced Mango.

“Tito and Tango were Ratan’s friends, and he spent a lot of time taking them for walks, on drives, and sometimes to social functions as well. Ratan loved his dogs so much that he made sure they were looked after even after his death. In his will, he made his cook responsible for the care of his dogs. He also left money aside for that purpose. But, for him, it was never about his pets alone. He cared for all animals. Take the example of Bombay House, the headquarters of the Tata Group. If you and I want to enter that building, we will be checked by the security guards, but there’s no such rule for strays – any stray can enter the building without any restrictions at all! The doors of the Tata headquarters are always open for animals that need food and shelter. In fact, he even built a kennel on the ground floor of the building! Once, Ratan also opened the doors of the Taj hotel to stray dogs, giving the staff instructions to treat animals well if they entered the premises,” Nanu finished as he looked at the three wide-eyed listeners who could hardly believe their ears.

“Wow! Now I understand why he built the animal hospital in Mumbai!” Zain finally murmured.

“Yes, Zain. Once, Tango broke his leg and had to be taken abroad for a joint replacement surgery. That’s what made him see the lack of good animal care facilities in our country and he made up his mind to start one. This is how the hospital started. The hospital has the best veterinary facilities. It shows his efforts to improve the lives of animals – both pets and strays. On social media, too, Ratan often posted about dogs and requested that people be sensitive to their needs, particularly during difficult times such as monsoons. He used to help in finding shelter, food, and care for stray dogs. There are many interesting stories about how important dogs were to him.”

“Tell us, tell us!” The children jumped together.

“Woof!” barked Mango in support of Aditi and Zain.

“In 2018, Ratan was to receive a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Royal Family. It was meant to honour his philanthropic efforts. The ceremony was supposed to be held at Buckingham Palace in London. King Charles III (then Prince Charles) was the host of the event organised by the British Asian Trust. Now, here comes the twist! Though Ratan had accepted the invitation, he declined to go later. Can you guess why?” Nanu asked the little group in front of him and was met with silence. “His dog was sick and he wanted to stay at home to look after it!” Nanu wasn’t surprised to see jaws drop.

“What? He declined the Prince of England’s invitation?” Aditi asked, shocked.

“Yes, that’s how much he cared for his pets.”

Excerpted with permission from Ratan Tata: The Amazing TATA Adventures, Paromita Sengupta, Scholastic India.