Dashing Ratan Tata fell in love, almost got married

Industrialist Ratan Tata has revealed that he almost got married while working in Los Angeles as a college graduate. Speaking to the popular Facebook page 'Humans of Bombay', Tata opened up about his life after his parents' divorce, growing up with his grandmother, the values she taught him, studying at Cornell University, falling in love and why the relationship eventually fell apart.

In the first of what will be a three-part series, Mr Tata, 82, said that he had a happy childhood even though he and his brother faced a "fair bit of ragging" because of their parents' divorce, according to NDTV report.

Ratan Tata's parents, Naval and Sooni Tata, divorced when he was 10. He was raised by his grandmother, Navajbai Tata.

In the now-viral Facebook post, which was shared online last night, the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons spoke about the values his grandmother instilled in him. "I still remember, after WW2, she took my brother and I for summer holidays to London.

It was there that the values were really hammered in," he said. "She'd tell us, 'don't say this' or 'keep quiet about that' and that's where, 'dignity above everything else' really embedded in our minds."

He also opened up about the differences he had with his father. "I wanted to learn to play the violin, my father insisted on the piano. I wanted to go to college in the US, he insisted on the UK. I wanted to be an architect, he insisted on me becoming an engineer," he revealed.

Tata eventually attended Cornell University in the US, thanks to his grandmother. After switching majors and graduating with a degree in architecture - a move that left his father upset - Mr Tata took up a job in Los Angeles, where he worked for two years.

"It was a great time -- the weather was beautiful, I had my own car and I loved my job," he reminisced.

It was also in LA that Tata "fell in love and almost got married". However, he made the decision to move back to India as his grandmother was not keeping well, thinking that the woman he loved would also move to India with him.

"But because of the 1962 Indo-China war her parents weren't okay with her making the move anymore, and the relationship fell apart," said Mr Tata.

Since being shared online, the post has gone viral with more than 21,000 reactions and over 2,000 'shares', along with hundreds of comments.

"His family literally built this country with their steel, and yet look at his humility," wrote one person in the comments section. "Best series in coming for HoB. In fact everyone in India wants to know more about Ratan Tata sir," said another.

"He is an amazing human being. Looking forward to reading more about this incredible man," a third commenter added.