Iconic industry icon and philanthropist Ratan Tata passed away on Wednesday, October 9. As the nation mourns the tragic loss of the veteran industrialist, former actor Simi Garewal shared a heartfelt note about bidding farewell to his ‘friend’ Ratan. Simi Garewal once revealed that she dated Ratan Tata for some time, however she later married someone else. Despite this, both remained close friends.

Tata, 86, died at Breach Candy Hospital after a prolonged illness. Paying an emotional tribute to Ratan on X, Simi wrote, “They say you are gone. It is very difficult to bear your loss, very difficult. Goodbye, my friend..#RatanTata (sic).”

Take a look at the post here:

Although Padma Vibhushan awardee Ratan Tata had an unmatched legacy of achievements, he never married and remained single throughout his life.

Ratan Tata made a rare appearance on Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, where he was asked why he never married. “A whole series of things[prevented me from getting married]– time, my concentration on work at the time. I even came close to getting married at times, but it didn’t work out,” he said.

Tata also shared that he fell in love about four times and came close to marriage, but it never came to fruition. He also admitted to feeling lonely at times. “At times I feel lonely, not having a wife or family, and sometimes I long for it. Sometimes I enjoy the freedom of not having to worry about someone else’s feelings or someone else’s concerns “On the other hand, it gets a little lonely at times,” he said.

Apart from this, Ratan once spoke openly about his first love during a conversation with Humans of Bombay. During the conversation he revealed why he could not marry her. “It was in L.A. that I fell in love and almost got married. But at the same time, I had decided to go back, at least temporarily, because I was away from my grandmother, who was not in very good health. For about seven years I came back to meet her and thought that the person I wanted to marry would come to India with me, but due to the India-China war of 1962, her parents did not agree with her move anymore and the relationship broke down. Gone,” he shared.

Ratan Tata’s mortal remains will be kept at the National Center for Performing Arts (NCPA) People will pay homage at Nariman Point in South Mumbai from 10.30 am to 4 pm on Thursday. His mortal remains will be taken to Worli crematorium for cremation at 3.30 pm.

In a statement confirming Ratan Tata’s death on Wednesday night, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said his “incomparable contribution has shaped not only the Tata Group but also the basic structure of our country”.