Ratan Tata ‘humiliated’ at Harvard, wanted to return to ‘normal world’ | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: In 2013, Ratan spoke candidly to Tata about his first experiences as a student Harvard Universityshowing how he felt ‘confused’ and ‘humiliated’ by the impressive performances of his colleagues. Tata described how he anxiously marked each day off his calendar, eager to return to what he called the “normal world,” according to a Harvard Gazette report.
Looking back on those early days, Tata said, “It was the only time in my life when, day by day, I crossed off how many days were left before I could return to the normal world.”
Tata was present Harvard Business School‘s (HBS) Advanced Management Program in 1975. He recounted his experiences at the 2013 dedication ceremony of Tata Hall, a seven-story glass and limestone building at HBS named after him. The Tata Group, along with the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Tata Education and Development Trust had donated $50 million in 2010 for its construction, which began in 2011. Tata Hall now serves as living and educational space for the executive education program.
Despite the challenging start, Tata noted the transformative impact of his time at Harvard. “Looking back, those thirteen weeks were probably the most important thirteen weeks of my life. They transformed me and my perspective,” he said, adding that the initial confusion he felt gradually faded, allowing him to appreciate the depth of his learning experience at the institution.
“But what it did do for me, as I soon discovered, was make the confusion more or less disappear, and you understand the magnitude of what you had learned in a way that I don’t think is possible in any other place than this business school. ”, he explained.
When designing Tata Hall, Tata, an architect by training, wanted to create a welcoming and transparent environment for students. “Can the building lightly touch the ground?” he had asked the architect, showing his vision of the building.
the dean of Harvard, Nitin Nohriapraised Tata’s contribution, saying, “While our school has welcomed international students since its very first class in 1908, Tata Hall represents by far the most significant gift from an international alum.” The facility supports more than 9,000 executive education students annually, with 179 bedrooms, two classrooms with 99 seats each and multiple conference rooms.