Ratan Tata's Karnataka connection

Eminent industrialist Ratan Tata, who breathed his last on Wednesday, had a strong connection with Karnataka, something that he fostered over the years, keeping with the legacy of the Tata family.

The Tata family's association with Karnataka goes back decades, when Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata along with the then Maharaja of Mysuru helped set up the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in the early 1900s.

This relationship would continue for years to come, with Ratan Tata, as chairman of Tata Sons, later becoming the president of the IISc Court, the highest decision-taking body of the prestigious institute.

But it didn't end there.

A frequent attendee at Bengaluru's Aero India air shows, Ratan Tata took audiences by surprise in 2007 when he flew a Lockheed Martin F-16 jet.

A few years later in 2011, Tata, then aged 74 years, flew in on an F/A-18 Super Hornet.

Commenting on his experience in flying the advanced fighter jet in 2011, Tata said at the time, "During the ride, we performed aerobatics. We flew low, high and went through some accelerations. I loved it and I would not mind doing it all again."

"This is not my first time flying in fighter jets but definitely my favorite one. The Bengaluru aero show gave me a terrific experience," he added.

Although the industrialist did not fly any sorties after 2011, he was still a frequent attendee, and was spotted at many editions thereafter.

As Bengaluru and Karnataka prospered, Tata also saw it as an opportunity, and highlighted the state's potential in sectors such as information technology (IT) and aerospace, and pitched Karnataka as a state ripe for investment.

During the Invest Karnataka Global Investors' Meet in Bengaluru in 2016—attended by then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Union Minister Arun Jaitley, among others—Ratan Tata asserted that the state "boasts remarkable human capital."

"I'm not making this statement based on promises but on my own interactions and experiences with the state over the years," he said.