'Incredible honour': Tata Group chief N Chandrasekaran on Padma Bhushan

N Chandrasekaran had met PM Modi last Thursday ahead of the official handover of Air India to the Tata Group. (Image: Twitter @PMOIndia)

N Chandrasekaran, Tata Sons chairman, on Wednesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government after he was named for Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, on the eve of Republic Day.

“It is an incredible honour to be a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, and to be in such esteemed company with my fellow awardees. I am humbled and filled with immense gratitude for all the congratulations and support I have received over the last few days,” N Chandrasekaran said in a note on LinkedIn.

“I would like to thank Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the Government of India for bestowing me with such an honour.”

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Covid vaccine makers Cyrus Poonawalla (of Serum Institute of India), Krishna Ella and Suchitra Ella (of Bharat Biotech) are also among who have been named for Padma Bhushan. India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, will be awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, posthumously.

The Tata Group reinsured its role in the aviation sector by acquiring loss-making Air India from the government under Chandrasekaran’s leadership. He had joined as an intern at Tata Consultancy Services in 1986.

Chandrasekaran had met PM Modi last Thursday ahead of the official handover of Air India to the Tata Group. Air India, or “Maharaja”, landed back in the hands of its founders, nearly seven decades after it was nationalised and following years in debt. Tata Group is back in charge of Air India after concluding the Rs 18,000 crore deal.
He had said it was a “historic day” for everyone at the Tata Group as he welcomed Air India back to the conglomerate after 69 years.

Read: N Chandrasekaran, TCS intern-turned-Tata Sons boss, gets Air India back home

“Like for many of us, my first flight was on Air India, in December 1986. I was a young intern then, at Tata Consultancy Services. I vividly recall, even after all this time, how I felt that day. There was a feeling of excitement, that it was a special experience. There was also a strong sense of belongingness,” he had said in another LinkedIn post.