Ratan Tata, an Indian industry legend and business icon dies aged 86

NEW DELHI (AP) — Thousands of people paid their last respects on Thursday to Ratan Tata — one of India's most influential business leaders — in the country's financial capital ahead of a state funeral later in the day. The veteran industrialist, former chairman of Tata Group, a $100 billion conglomerate, died at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday night at the age of 86.

Tata’s body was taken Thursday to Mumbai’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, where the public, industrialists, state officials and some of India's top celebrities lined up to pay their final respects to a man seen by many as an industry legend and icon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Tata as a visionary leader and a compassionate and extraordinary human being.

“He provided stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses. At the same time, his contribution went far beyond boardrooms,” Modi said on the social media platform X.

Current Tata Group Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran described Tata as his “friend, mentor, and guide.” He did not provide a cause of death.

“With an unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity, and innovation, the Tata Group under his stewardship expanded its global footprint while always remaining true to its moral compass,” Chandrasekaran said in a statement.

Authorities in Maharashtra state, whose capital is Mumbai, declared one-day mourning on Thursday in honor of Tata, with government buildings flying the national flag at half-mast.

Tata was admitted this week to the Breach Candy Hospital in south Mumbai, the city where he lived. Tata Group issued a statement on Monday saying there was no cause for concern regarding his health and he was undergoing checkups for age-related medical conditions.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said Tata left behind an extraordinary business and philanthropic legacy and was instrumental in mentoring and developing modern business leadership in India.

“He deeply cared about making India better,” Pichai said on X.

Cornell University, where Tata received a bachelor’s degree in architecture, said he was its “most generous international donor.”

“We will remember his legacy of transformative giving to Cornell,” the university said on X.

Ratan Tata joined the Tata Group in 1961 and succeeded J.R.D. Tata as chairman after the latter’s retirement in 1991. That followed the liberalization of India’s economy in 1990, bringing massive economic reforms and global investment in the country.

Under his leadership, the conglomerate grew significantly to a sprawling collection of nearly 100 companies, including Tata Motors, the country’s largest automaker, Tata Steel, the largest private steel company, Tata Power, and the information technology company Tata Consultancy Services. It also expanded globally with revenue exceeding $100 billion on his retirement.

Tata Group employs more than 350,000 people worldwide with a presence in over 100 countries.

Its products are ubiquitous in Indian homes and include daily necessities such as salt, tea and mineral water.

Tata Group pioneered commercial aviation in India by launching an airline in 1932 that later became Air India. The government later took it over. Tata Group then bought Air India from the government in 2021. It also started a full-service carrier, Vistara, with Singapore Airlines, but recently merged it with Air India.

In June 2008, Tata bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford for $2.3 billion. A year earlier, it took over Britain-based steel maker Corus for $12 billion. At that time, Corus’ annual steel production was four times higher than Tata Steel’s. But unlike his successes in other projects, Corus was a drag on Tatas, as the company failed to come out of the financial crisis.

Tata-owned Port Talbot steel plants in Wales had also been a failure, with the loss of 2500 jobs, despite a £500million ($654) taxpayer-backed deal with the government.

In 2009, the company surprised the automobile industry by launching Tata Nano, a tiny vehicle with a rear engine costing about 100,000 rupees (then $2,000). Publicized as a “People’s Car,” it could seat up to five adults. Ratan Tata said at the time that it would provide a “safe, affordable, all-weather form of transport” for millions of middle- and lower-income Indian consumers.

However, due to low sales, the company stopped production of the tiny car in 2018.

Tata was also widely known for his charitable work in multiple fields including healthcare, education, skill development, disaster relief and rehabilitation under the Tata Trusts, India’s largest private-sector philanthropic organization that he headed until his death.

In December 2012, Tata retired as chairman of Tata Group. He briefly served as interim chairman beginning in October 2016 following the ouster of his successor, Cyrus Mistry. He returned to retirement in 2017 when Chandrasekaran was appointed chairman of Tata Group. But he was still known as a father figure to the group.

Tata never married and is survived by a brother, two half-sisters and a half-brother.

Associated Press writer Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar, India, contributed to this report.

Body of Indian business leader Ratan Tata who died on Wednesday night is taken for cremation with full state honors, in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo /Rafiq Maqbool)

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan pays tributes to Indian business leader Ratan Tata who died on Wednesday night, in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo /Rafiq Maqbool)

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, center, pays tributes to Indian business leader Ratan Tata who died on Wednesday night, in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo /Rafiq Maqbool)

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah pays tributes to Indian business leader Ratan Tata who died on Wednesday night, in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo /Rafiq Maqbool)

Body of Indian business leader Ratan Tata who died on Wednesday night is taken for cremation with full state honors, in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo /Rafiq Maqbool)

Indian state of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu,center, arrives to pay tributes to Indian business leader Ratan Tata who died on Wednesday night, in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo /Rafiq Maqbool)

Indian industrialist Mukesh Ambani and his wife Nita Ambani arrive to offer their tribute to Indian business leader Ratan Tata who died on Wednesday night, in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo /Rafiq Maqbool)

Indian industrialist Mukesh Ambani arrives to offer his tributes to Indian business leader Ratan Tata who died on Wednesday night, in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo /Rafiq Maqbool)

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah pays tributes to Indian business leader Ratan Tata who died on Wednesday night, in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo /Rafiq Maqbool)

People pay homage to Indian business leader Ratan Tata who died on Wednesday night, in the lawns of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo /Rafiq Maqbool)

The body of Indian business leader Ratan Tata who died on Wednesday night is taken to the NCPA Lawns for the public to pay homage in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

FILE - Leading Indian industrialists Jamshed J. Godrej, right, and Ratan Tata, left, chat during a business meeting in Calcutta, Jan. 4, 1995. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Tata Trusts Chairman Ratan Tata speaks during the foundation stone laying ceremony of a cancer care hospital in Gauhati, India, June 18, 2018. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath, File)

FILE - Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata reacts as he speaks during a press conference prior to the launch event of the Tata Nano in Mumbai, India, March 23, 2009. (AP Photo/Gautam Singh, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)