The invaluable lesson Alex Salmond and Ratan Tata taught us - Daxa Patel

The politician is Alex Salmond who died suddenly while abroad from a heart attack. He gave Scotland a powerful voice through the Scottish National Party, and his final social media post mentioned Scotland is a country not a county. That was the level of his commitment and love for his country.

I do not agree with the SNP’s cause to separate Scotland from the United Kingdom, but I do admire how ardently Alex Salmond fought for his nation. Anyone who has national pride earns my respect.

Love for our country of origin should be a given but it is not always so with most politicians out to further their careers these days. Of course, there was a side to Alex Salmond that many would not agree with.

We know in Yorkshire what it is to be treated as second class by the Westminster political elite but what Tony Blair did, giving devolution to Scotland, was an attempt to douse the nuisance value of Alex Salmond. The outcome was unexpected.

It takes courage to fight with an opponent more powerful than us, and Salmond demonstrated that it was possible in spades. A controversial figure who dedicated his life for a cause he absolutely believed in. Of the many tributes paid to him, the one by the current leader of the SNP was profound. He said when he heard on the radio while driving that the SNP had come close to delivering an independent Scotland, he realised the magnitude of what had been achieved in 2007 elections, their voice for Scotland was finally being heard.

He took his political party from the margins to the mainstream. A boy Soprano turned economist turned politician he was known for his wit, intellect and was divisive, as well as admired.

Impact is the only legacy we can leave. He gave his life to his nation, and like him or not, that is something about this man that is admirable.

We have in the UK heard the name Tata Steel, and we may have views as to their contribution to the UK economy. Ratan Tata is the second notable person who recently died. He was an industrialist and philanthropist. Just like India has a tainted view of the British Raj, we in the West have a tainted and sometimes biased view of independent India, and Indians in general.

Ratan Tata is the exception here. Born into a Parsi family of Zoroastrian faith, his Parsi community originally came from Iran to India in the eighth century. Growing up on the topic of how outsiders coming into the host community must integrate, I recall a story my father told me many times over.

The King asked the Parsis who sought refuge in India on arrival why he should permit them to stay. Due to language barriers, the Parsi leader demonstrated their intentions by putting sugar lumps in a bowl of milk. The moral being, our community will integrate into yours like sugar dissolves into milk, and milk will not overflow. Their community is small, but their contribution to India’s growth has been phenomenal and Ratan Tata was one of those Parsi’s who showed the positive side of India.

Affluent, highly educated, and a German Shepherd dog lover are just a few things about this man. He modernised the Tata business founded by his great grandfather. Tata led this family business from ‘salt to software’ with innovation and compassion at the core. This Indian business went from an Indian manufacturer to a global conglomerate, owning more than one hundred companies, and employing while he was in charge around 660,000 people with an annual turnover of £76bn. His empire included Jaguar Land Rover and Tata Steel.

According to the BBC obituary after Tata bought Tetley becoming the second largest tea company, a few years later, a visiting UK based newspaper journalist asked Tata whether he liked the irony of an Indian company buying a leading British brand. The journalist said later “Tata is too shrewd and too shy to be caught gloating about his successes like some territory-grabbing East Indian Company…”

A modest and reflective businessperson, according to Forbes, his Tata House and Taj Hotel in Mumbai have been a refuge for stray dogs. His last personal project was to open India’s first small animal hospital in 2023. A state-of-the-art facility of 98,000 square feet built to meet a range of health care treatments for pets and stray dogs.

Two quite different leaders who recently left the earthly plan but with this in common, clarity of purpose and a big heart.

Daxa Manhar Patel is a leadership coach, author and solicitor.