Malayala Manorama honours Somanath, Ratan Tata

My association with Malayala Manorama goes back a long time and continues in various ways. Apart from serving on the National Security Advisory Board together with Mammen Mathew, I have known his son Jayant Mathew, who was my son Sreenath Sreenivasan’s student at Columbia University in New York. I have also been writing for Manorama publications, including the venerable Malayalam Daily, the Yearbook, and Manorama online. For many years, I was the Manorama Guru, who initiated many children into the world of letters.

More recently, I had the privilege of participating in three unique Manorama events: The latest gala of AMMA (the Association of Malayalam film actors) organised by Mazhavil Manorama; the presentation of the Newsmaker of the Year 2023 by Manorama News and a book presentation and close conversation on ‘Ratan Tata: A Life’ by Dr Thomas Mathew IAS at the Manorama offices in Kochi. All these were supported by KLM Axiva, a finance company I have been chairing for the last two years.

The Newsmaker of the Year 2023 was presented to ISRO Chairman Dr S Somanath by the celebrated actor and director of the movie Rocketry,  Madhavan. In my introductory statement, I said, ”ISRO and Manorama are two of the most trusted and admired institutions in India and when they work together,  aspiring institutions like KLM Axiva, one of the leading financial institutions in India, join them and support them. KLM Axiva has done it before and we know that we are known by the company we keep.

"Manorama did not have to go very far to search for the winner.  No one else dominated the news firmament more in 2023 and ISRO continued its victory march. Somanath, inspired by the luminaries who preceded him,  took ISRO to greater heights. The cartoon Indian farmer with a bull in tow,  knocking at the doors of the space powers, became a giant, who took its rightful place among the space powers. Somanath’s parents prophesied his future when they named him the Master of the Moon, Somanath. I congratulate him and wish him well.

"I cannot help but recall the emergence of nuclear and space diplomacy at the time I joined the IFS. Yuri Gagarin had just finished his historic journey, opening up a new world. Malayalam poet Ayyappa Paniker urged his ilk to take up binoculars and other instruments to conquer new frontiers, as Gagarin had found that there were no gods and angels up there. Then came the gigantic leap for mankind when Armstrong and his comrades walked on the moon.

"The humble Aryabhata was launched from a Soviet cosmodrome, but Prime Minister Morarji Desai turned down an invitation for an Indian to fly in a Soviet capsule. However, I was asked to represent India to wave off its proud daughter Kalpana Chawla on her maiden flight.

"India warned nations against weaponising space but encouraged cooperation with other nations. The successful Indian landing on the moon was our own giant leap.  Today, we rejoice once again in the success of our space exploits. Somanath made not only news but history as well. ISRO is poised for sending a man to the moon in the not-too-distant future.

During my days as Ambassador to the UN in Vienna, I worked with three  ISRO chairmen, including Madhavan Nair, who was in the University College with me many years ago.

"We have come from different places to Mumbai like the proverbial mountain, which came to Mohammad to see the award being presented to Somanath by none other than Madhavan,  the supreme actor, who portrayed a tragic figure in the ISRO story. Today, Madhavan’s face has become more authentic than Nambi’s as it happened in the case of Ben Kingsley for Mahatma Gandhi.

"Once, Charlie Chaplin secretly entered a contest to imitate Chaplin and won the second prize as the winner was judged more authentic than Chaplin! Madhavan’s presence here today is a great gesture to India’s space journey. We wish ISRO  and Somanath all success, together with our hero Madhavan."

The reading and close conversation of Dr Thomas Mathew's biography of Ratan Tata were equally iconic event. I began, "Let me thank Managing Editor Jacob Mathew heartily for his very gracious words about me.

"I owe the honour of speaking at this magnificent event to the KLM Axiva, one of the most trusted financial institutions, which has supported this event. Such sponsorships give me an opportunity to attend some gala

events. This is the third gala event of Manorama that I attend as the Chairman of Axiva.

"I congratulate Dr Thomas Mathew for writing the book of the year and bringing it out when the name Ratan Tata was on our lips soon after the demise of an enigmatic legendary business leader.

"Dr Thomas Mathew characterised Ratan Tata as “a man like no other” and wrote a book like no other. It emerged from many conversations between the two men over five years. Not only that, since Ratan Tata was not much of a talker, Dr Mathew travelled around the world with his own pension to meet people who knew him intimately, including some of his old flames.

"Ratan Tata’s many accomplishments are all over the book: modernisation, cutting of costs, expanding beyond India’s shores to fly the tricolour, making quality a religion and many more. This untold story will be remembered by millions in the years to come and Mathew will be known like James Boswell was to Dr Johnson and many biographers like Lytton Strachey, who raised his heroes and heroines to a high level and immortalised himself.

"You should hear about the book from the author, but I should say a word about the Chapter that I liked most, “The Life Changing Moment.” The tragedy of 26/11 struck the iconic Taj Hotel in Mumbai and killed 11 of Ratan Tata’s employees. He gave relief and sustenance not only to the bereaved families of his employees, but sought out all those who suffered in and around the hotel. He restored its past glory to the hotel in a relatively short time. Compassion and efficiency of the Tata family were seen its best expression at that time. "

I concluded, “Let us hear about a monumental hero, from a monumental author of a monumental book.”