Daily briefing: Who succeeds Ratan Tata; PM Modi at India-ASEAN summit; and more

If a showreel was to be made on Rafael Nadal’s tennis career, you’d see a lot of what he has managed to achieve on the red stuff. As he announced his retirement from professional tennis, one couldn’t help but think that the list of achievements – as astounding as they may be – only tells a small part of the Spaniard’s legacy. Nadal will make his final appearance at the Davis Cup Finals next month. However, his athleticism, unique shotmaking and the manner in which he fought to the last point to create some of the most epic tennis moments – all count in why he’ll forever be remembered as more than just the greatest clay courter of all time.

Vamos forever, Rafa!

Now, on to today’s edition:

🚨Big Story

There are few like Ratan Tata, whose lives can be described by the adage: “A life not lived for others is not a life.”

Indelible imprint:  Politicians from across party lines,  corporate leaders, celebrities to common people, Tata Group employees to shareholders — thousands from all walks of life lined up to pay their last respects to Ratan Naval Tata. His last rites were performed with full state honours in Mumbai – most with a heartwarming story to share.

Unclear line of succession: With the death of the chairman emeritus of Tata Group, the popular assumption is that overall control of the business house will automatically pass on to Ratan’s half-brother Noel Tata. But things are not so clear cut. There’s no clarity on who succeeds him and he also did not personally own shares in Tata Sons which he could bequeath to an heir.

‘Two trusts’ matter: Unlike most business houses, Tata Sons is owned largely not by individuals but by two charitable trusts –  Sir Ratanji Tata Trust and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. These have the right to nominate one-third of the directors to Tata Sons as well as act as the final authority of appointment and removal of all directors. So as things stand, whoever heads the trusts indirectly controls the group. Further, the person holding the chairperson’s post at Tata Trusts will also play a crucial role in the group’s affairs and future growth. Now, who takes it home officially is yet to be seen.

🎧Delving deeper into the life of India’s most reputed businessman, Loksatta editor Girish Kuber joins us in today’s edition of ‘3 Things’ podcast to discuss the legacy of Ratan Tata, whose name inspires respect, admiration and awe in people from different field.

⚡Only in Express

In fond remembrance of Tata, columnist N K Singh writes of having the privilege of interacting and working with him, and of his last meeting with the “decisive visionary” earlier this year.

📰From the Front Page

10-point plan: At the India-ASEAN leaders’ summit on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 10-point plan to mark a decade of India’s Act East Policy. The points included ASEAN-India Cyber Policy Dialogue, 2025 as ASEAN-India Year of Tourism, doubling the number of scholarships at Nalanda University among others. He also flagged “respect” for “each other’s national integrity and sovereignty” as integral to strengthening India-ASEAN relations.

📌Must Read

Just outside Chennai, the labour strike at Samsung’s plant has stretched into its second month, with over a thousand workers demanding the recognition of their union and better working conditions. What began as an industrial dispute has now morphed into a full blown political crisis, threatening to tarnish Tamil Nadu’s image and testing the strength of the ruling DMK-led alliance.

‘I will win’: Amid long-drawn meetings on law and order in Puducherry, IPS officer Anita Roy would turn to her diary to jot down the words – ‘I will win’. And win she did, at the Commonwealth international classic bench press competition in South Africa’s Sun City. At 46, Roy is the first IPS officer to bag the gold medal in this powerlifting competition by lifting 70 kg.

👉And Finally…

Good news! For over a decade, Shankar, the lone male African elephant in Delhi’s National Zoological Park stayed that way, spending long days in strict isolation. But this is likely to change soon. The Delhi zoo is set to get him two female elephants, one each from Botswana and Zimbabwe, as companions.

That’s all for today.

Until tomorrow

Vibha B Madhava and Ayesha Jain

Business As Usual by E P Unny (October 11)