HarperCollins on Friday announced that it has acquired rights to publish the authorised biography of Ratan Tata, emeritus chairman of Tata Sons. The book titled "Ratan N. Tata: The Authorized Biography" by Dr Thomas Mathew will be published globally by HarperCollins in all formats in November 2022.
Udayan Mitra at HarperCollins India acquired world rights in all languages from Anish Chandy at Labyrinth Literary Agency. The book will be published by HarperCollins India in English and the principal Indian languages, by HarperCollins Leadership in the US and by William Collins in the UK.
"As the head of India’s oldest and largest business house, Tata's story encapsulates the narrative of India’s growing ambitions on the world stage and rising clout in the last few decades.
"Ratan Tata turned the Tata conglomerate into a global colossus, daring to acquire the marquee brands of Tetley Tea, Jaguar Land Rover and Corus Steel, among others. Today, the group is India’s most valuable brand and amongst the most respected worldwide, with a market capitalization of over $250 billion that employs over 750,000 people – who make cars, blend tea, write software, among much else – across 100 countries.
"During his momentous tenure, Ratan Tata transformed the Tata Group from a collection of disparate companies into a unified powerhouse," said HarperCollins India in a statement.
The publisher said this biography "is the only comprehensive, definitive and authorized account of Mr Tata’s life and times, his struggles and his important contributions to contemporary India".
"With inputs from a variety of interviewees – from the likes of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to Karuna, the janitor at GT Hospital, Mumbai – this is the only comprehensive, definitive and authorized account of Mr Tata’s life and times, his struggles and his important contributions to contemporary India. What emerges is the story of a private individual, a great industrialist and a remarkable leader who steadfastly believes, above all, in the values that he inherited, and who spent his life in the service of his fellow humans and a fledgling nation," said HarperCollins India.
Speaking on the acquisition, Ananth Padmanabhan, Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins India, said: "With unprecedented access to Mr Tata’s personal and professional life, Dr Mathew paints a fascinating portrait of a man whose unwavering resolve to do the right thing has transformed many facets of independent India, more than any other individual or organization has. The publication of this book will be a global publishing event of significance."
Udayan Mitra, Executive Publisher, HarperCollins India, said: "I grew up trusting in the Tatas, as I suspect generations before mine did, and as future generations will. And behind the Tata brand that we all know is the vision of one incredible individual. Dr Mathew’s wonderful, comprehensive biography explores the professional and private life of Ratan Tata, a man everyone respects but wouldn’t fully know if it weren’t for this book. And it celebrates his legacy: a legacy that every Indian can be truly proud of"
Arabella Pike, Publishing Director, William Collins, said: ‘We could not be more thrilled and proud to be working with Mr Ratan Tata and Dr Thomas Mathew, and with HarperCollins India, on what I know will be a fascinating book. I look forward to publishing the definitive biography of Ratan Tata under one of the oldest and most respected publishing imprints in the world – William Collins – and helping readers throughout the UK and Europe, Australia and New Zealand discover the true story of Mr Tata’s extraordinary life and his many achievements in industry, business and philanthropy.’
The author of the book, Dr Thomas Mathew, said: "Over the last four decades, I have had the opportunity to closely observe and interact with the Indian corporate ecosystem and in the later years with Mr Ratan Tata and the Tata Group, in particular. So, when I got the opportunity to write the story of the man whose name instantly evokes intense admiration, bordering on adulation, among people across the world, I had no doubt that it would be far and away an exciting yet daunting task.
"As part of the research, I benefitted from unprecedented access to the records of the conglomerate, the trusts that control it as well as Mr Tata’s personal documents, letters and journals. I also enjoyed virtually unfettered access to Mr Tata himself, who narrated his life story in a tell-all fashion. The research also took me across continents following Ratan Tata’s journey, interviewing those who were involved in it, those who influenced him and those whose lives he had touched."
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