New Delhi: “It is not just about making money and personal enrichment. None of us in the group, including Mr Tata, are anywhere near billionaires,” Tata Group veteran and former Tata Sons director R K Krishna Kumar, who was also a close confidant of Tata Sons chairman emeritus Ratan Tata, had said this over a decade ago, in an interview with Rediff.com.
Kumar, who spent nearly 60 years as a pivotal member of the Tata family, passed away following a cardiac arrest Sunday evening. He was 84 and is survived by his wife Ratna and son Ajit, who is the COO of Tata Consumer Products.
Following his demise, Ratan Tata issued a statement saying, “Words cannot describe the deep sense of loss I feel on the passing of my friend and colleague Mr R K Krishnakumar. I will always fondly remember the comradery we shared both within the group and personally. He was a true veteran of the Tata group and the Tata Trusts and will be missed dearly by all.”
Kumar, known as KK in the Tata Group, was born in Thalassery, Kerala. After graduating from Chennai’s Presidency College in 1963, he joined the group’s investment firm Tata Industries and climbed up the ranks in the conglomerate.
He was moved to Tata Global Beverages, then known as Tata Finlay, in 1965, and after that, in 1982, he was appointed vice president of the company’s plantations in South India.
The man who brought Tetley under Tata Tea
It was under Kumar’s unwavering determination that Tata Tea was able to sign a deal to acquire Tetley Tea — then the world’s second largest producer of tea bags – in 2000.
Buying out the British company for 271 million pounds was considered the greatest overseas takeover by an Indian enterprise up to that moment. The deal is also considered a milestone in Kumar’s career.
In a book ‘Tatastories: 40 Timeless Tales to Inspire You’, author Harish Bhat detailed the entire procedure as well as Kumar’s efforts and vision for the merger and acquisition with Tetley, which started taking shape in 1994.
Encountering militancy in Assam & Taj Hotel attack
Kumar was the main man alongside Ratan Tata in the picture when ULFA militants were targeting tea gardens for its funding and Tata Tea was caught in the crossfire. It was during the crisis in the late 90s that KK became part of Ratan Tata’s inner circle.
In an exclusive interview to Rediff.com in 2012, Kumar recalled directly interacting and working with the Tata chairman then.
“We worked very closely together – it was a life and death (situation) for our management and staff. We stood together at that time. His leadership was extremely important for the company and for all of us,” he had said.
Kumar talked at length about the chapter with the militants.
“To put it very briefly, the problem would not have existed if we had just paid Rs 8 lakhs (in ransom for a kidnapped Tata Tea employee). Peanuts at that time. I guess, most companies would have done that and that was what they were asking first.
“Many companies would have yielded to that pressure. We certainly didn’t yield to that pressure and he (Ratan Tata) supported me throughout on that fundamental issue,” he said.
A decade later, Kumar saw the attack on Taj Mahal Palace Hotel hotel unfold in Mumbai.
“To stand outside there and to watch this beautiful edifice burning, hearing shots and grenade fire, was a very — it is not enough to say saddening, part of it is rage. Rage that someone should go and do this and kill our guests and employees.”
Kumar’s close ties with Ratan Tata was visible again as the two visited “every single employee’s family that was affected by the tragedy”.
“Those are the smaller things, but the agony that he felt standing there three days – I was there too – to see this virtually a temple go up in flames, in senseless violence, was a revolting sight,” he said.
On a personal level, the Tata Group veteran had a great relationship with Ratan Tata and spoke of his boss with great fondness.
“As a person it has always been a delight to be with him and share his company, his observations of people/circumstances, his love for dogs.
They have all been very inspiring,” he had said.
He worked closely with Ratan Tata on significant decisions including dropping the West Bengal Nano project, Tetley Tea acquisition , and allowing emerging businesses room to expand in a new global context.
He was associated with most of the Tata entities, including Tata Consumer, Indian Hotels (which runs the Taj chain) and Tata Sons. He also joined Sir Dorabji Tata Trust & Sir Ratan Tata Trust, the principal stakeholders in Tata Sons, as a trustee. He also served as RNT Associate, a private investment company of Ratan Tata. After almost being a vital part of Tata groups, he continued to sit in the Board of Directors of Tata Sons, till he retired from the board on 18 July 2013, at the age of 75.
He was honored with the Padma Shri – the fourth highest civilian award – in 2009.
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Also read: ‘Certainly not the home of India’s richest conglomerate head’ – How Ratan Tata lives