New Delhi: There are many young and experienced industrialists across the country who must have longed to get some business advice from Ratan Tata. But, there is also a young man who used to advise the late Ratan Tata on all matters ranging from investment to life. That person's name is Shantanu Naidu.

Shantanu Naidu is considered to be one of the closest people to Tata. He had to spend half of his last month's salary to wear a shirt like Ratan Tata. In his memoir in the year 2021, Shantanu shared many anecdotes including his meeting with Ratan Tata and the shirt.

what was the whole matter

Shantanu says that he was going to study at Cornell University. He requested to meet Ratan Tata. Ratan Tata did not refuse his request and invited him for dinner. Shantanu arrived for this special meeting wearing a Brooks Brothers brand shirt.

Brooks Brothers is said to be Ratan Tata's favorite brand. This 200-year-old men's wear company has also designed clothes for 40 American presidents. Naidu has said that when he saw Tata wearing a Brooks Brothers shirt, he also bought a shirt of this brand. He had to spend half his last month's salary to buy the shirt.

When there was an argument over paying for the shirt 

When Shantanu was studying in America, he used to meet Ratan Tata. When Ratan Tata found out that Shantanu's expensive Brooks Brothers shirt was torn because of a nail, he searched for a similar shirt. The two argued over who would pay for the shirt. Ratan Tata finally replied, 'Can't I even buy a shirt for my friend?'

Who is Shantanu Naidu?

Shantanu Naidu was Ratan Tata's assistant for a long time. 31-year-old Shantanu has no relation with the Tata family. But, the most interesting thing is that Ratan Tata himself called Shantanu and invited him to work with him. Ratan Tata's words to Shantanu were, 'I am very impressed with the work you do. Would you like to become my assistant?'

What work did Shantanu do

Shantanu is an animal lover. He had made a reflector for stray dogs, a dog collar. Its purpose was to save stray dogs from road accidents. In fact, stray dogs often became victims of road accidents because drivers could not see them. The dog collar made by Shantanu would shine around the neck of the dogs and drivers would slow down on seeing them. This saved the lives of hundreds of dogs.

How Shantanu made the dog collar

Shantanu did not have enough money to make dog collars. So, he decided to use denim pants as the base material to make collars. He went door to door and collected old denim pants. He made 500 reflective collars in Pune and put them on dogs. Because of these collars, drivers could see street dogs from a distance even in the night without street lights. Shantanu's work was highly appreciated.

How Shantanu met Ratan Tata

Shantanu wrote about his dog collar in a Facebook post. His work was also reported in the media. Shantanu's work reached Ratan Tata and he was very impressed with him. Ratan Tata is also an animal lover and he is especially fond of dogs. He called Shantanu himself and offered him to become his assistant.

What did Shantanu do for Ratan Tata

Shantanu's LinkedIn profile shows that he has been working in Tata Trust since June 2017. He has also worked as a design engineer in Tata Elxsi. He is also the Deputy General Manager of Tata Trust. Shantanu Naidu, who has done MBA from Cornell University, is the fifth generation of his family to work in the Tata Group. He also used to advise Ratan Tata on matters like investing in startups.