Ratan Tata, the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, expressed displeasure on Saturday over a social media campaign that has demanded conferring India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, on him.
The Chairman Emeritus of the over $100 billion conglomerate, Tata group, asked social media users to stop the campaign that asked the government to confer on him the highest civilian award of the country.
"While I appreciate the sentiments expressed by a section of the social media in terms of an award, I would humbly like to request that such campaigns be discontinued," Tata said in a tweet earlier in the morning.
The 83-year-old business magnate added: “Instead I consider myself fortunate to be an Indian and to try and contribute to India's growth and prosperity."
Tata's obvious reference, in his characteristic soft style, was to social media advocacy with the hashtag #BharatRatnaForRatanTata trending since a couple of days.
The campaign, said to be spearheaded by motivational speaker Vivek Bindra, said that, "Ratan Tata is a well-renowned philanthropist, has always believed in giving back to society," and rooted for the Bharat Ratna for him.
One user, while asking others to join the campaign #BharatRatnaForRatanTata, said Tata has been inspiring young achievers, telling them that believing in one's ability is essential to achieve success in life.
Another user described him as the "real hero of India" and said Tata "really deserves the Bharat Ratna Award".
Responding to his tweet asking for the campaign for him being conferred with the Bharat Ratna to be discontinued, users showered Ratan Tata with further praise. "And this is why you are always special to us sir," one user responded to his tweet. Another one reminded the contributions of the Tata group for the nation and said it would remain "unmatched and unparalleled".
After retiring as Chairman of Tata Sons in 2012, Tata has been active in investing in personal capacity in start-ups and encouraging young entrepreneurs.