Ratan Tata

“Perhaps the loneliest time was during the Tata Tea issue in Assam. For some reason, everyone believed that we had conspired with the extremists, ULFA. People still believe what they read is necessarily the truth. Sometimes it is based on inadequate or wrong information.”

“I will certainly not join politics. I would like to be remembered as a clean businessman who has not partaken in any twists and turns beneath the surface, and one who has been reasonably successful.”

“There has not been a conscious view of re-energising manufacturing. So, in some form, someone has to wave the Union Jack in the area of manufacturing.”

“When you have to earmark human and monetary resources for such a long time, it starts to hinder your other activities.”

“The economic situation, the high cost of undertaking manufacturing, the supply chain - which is, by the way, dying out also as manufacturing undergoes hardship - make the U.K. not the first place you would look at to make a manufacturing investment.”

“I'm the non-executive chairman of nine or so major companies, and on the nine companies, it's a little trying because you jump from one industry to another, as the case might be. But one had the reasonable knowledge of those nine activities, and it's been an exciting job.”

“I have been constantly telling people to encourage people, to question the unquestioned and not to be ashamed to bring up new ideas, new processes to get things done.”

“There are many things that, if I have to relive, maybe I will do it another way. But I would not like to look back and think what I have not been able to.”

“I would say that one of the things I wish I could do differently would be to be more outgoing.”

“My most visible goal is to do something in nutrition to children in India, and pregnant mothers. Because that would change the mental and physical health of our population in years to come.”

“I have always been very confident and very upbeat about the future potential of India. I think it is a great country with great potential.”

“Flying, I continue to be involved with. I love flying, and I hope to keep doing it so long as I can pass my medicals and stay proficient.”

“Indian car buyers have not really been exposed to customer care in a competitive environment.”

“Since I got involved in Telco, we first developed the first modular truck, the 407, then the 709, and now the 2213. These trucks broke away from the old face of Telco trucks. I was also just as much involved with the Safari, but nobody talks about the Safari. My involvement has been there with all Telco's projects -somehow the car has got hyped up.”

“A founder who is in for the short run, or has no passion for the sector he is in, doesn't give me a great deal of comfort.”

“The - the early Rockefellers made their wealth from being in certain businesses and - and remained personally very wealthy. Tatas were different in the sense the future generations were not so wealthy. They - they were involved in the business, but most of the family wealth is put into trust, and the family did not, in fact, enjoy enormous wealth.”

“Jardine is the largest dealer of Mercedes in the world. They also sell cars for two or three Japanese makers.”

“I am in favour of disinvestment. But if a disinvested company has to tie up with a government company for its livelihood, there is a problem.”

“I have always been bullish about India's potential. I still am, and I feel India is a country that really has an enormous amount of potential and has the human capital to succeed.”

“I buy a lot of electronics, some which I never take out of the box!”