Amid Tata Trusts row, Ratan Tata's sisters break silence: 'He never let family ties influence decisions'

Ratan Tata, who was 86 at the time of his death on October 9, 2024, never married. He is survived by his brother Jimmy Tata, half-sisters Shireen and Deanna Jejeebhoy, and half-brother Noel Tata, who currently serves as chairman of Tata Trusts, according to Mint.

Ratan and Jimmy were born to Naval Tata and Soonoo Comissariat. After their parents separated, Soonoo married Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, with whom she had three daughters - Shireen, Deanna, and Geeta. Naval Tata later married Simone Dunoyer, and they had Noel. Geeta, who had Down syndrome, passed away several years ago.

Shireen, Mint noted, is a demographer and social scientist who founded the Aksha Centre for Equity and Wellbeing, a Mumbai-based non-profit focused on women's empowerment and gender equality. She has previously worked with the International Institute for Population Sciences in Mumbai and the World Health Organization. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College (1973), she earned her PhD in demography from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979.

Deanna, on the other hand, has worked with several non-governmental organisations, focusing on elder care and individuals with disabilities such as Down syndrome, autism, and mild spasticity. Between 1994 and 2001, she served as a program advisor at the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, one of the key philanthropic arms of Tata Trusts, Mint reported.

Views on Tata Trusts and family appointments

Both sisters told Mint that Ratan Tata consistently kept family members away from the governance of Tata Trusts, maintaining a strict boundary between personal and institutional roles.

"He never did," said Deanna, when asked whether Ratan had ever considered them for positions at the Trusts. "He made sure his decisions were never influenced by family ties. I did serve once at the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, but it wasn't Ratan who appointed me. It was Jamshed Bhabha who insisted. I even told him Ratan might not like it, but he said, 'I'm the chairman, and I want you to join.'"

Shireen and Deanna, in a joint tribute published in the November 2024 edition of Horizons, the Tata Trusts' in-house magazine, wrote that Ratan Tata took "great pride in doing the right thing," and that this principle extended deeply into his personal life as well.

A shared love for animals

Like their brothers Ratan and Jimmy, both Shireen and Deanna chose not to marry and share a deep affection for dogs. They even adopted one of Ratan Tata's pets, Mint reported.

"Ratan had two puppies, Tito and Tango," Shireen recalled. "They were inseparable as pups, but once they grew older, they began fighting terribly. He tried everything - even brought in a dog therapist - but nothing worked. In the end, he was told they'd have to be separated, which he found heartbreaking. Around that time, our own dog had passed away, and he asked us to take Tango. We did - and he's been a joy to us ever since."

Through their memories, Mint noted, it becomes evident that while Ratan Tata was deeply affectionate toward his family, he drew a clear line between personal bonds and professional responsibilities - a principle that defined both his leadership and legacy.