Abhishek Deshpande, a chemical engineer based in the US and a former neighbour of Ratan Tata, told mid-day, “He was a true gem. I felt he was genuinely warm and approachable, despite his status and wealth. It’s rare to find such people today. He exuded class like very few in his world. The first time I met Ratan Tata was when I was growing up in Mumbai. He was on his regular evening walk with his dogs at the United Services Club in Colaba. How down-to-earth can someone be? When he saw that I wanted to shake his hand, he stopped and talked to me about my school.”

The Udasi family from Bandra posted a tribute to Ratan Tata on the pet’s Instagram account