Mumbai: The Jago re is a campaign of conscience, a wake up call. But if charity begins at home, then this message has failed to wake up the man who sits at the very top of the $62.5 billion Tata group.
The day Mumbai voted for better governance, stability, security and change, Ratan Tata, the group's chairman did not vote. "He is travelling and is out of the country with one of his chief executives," was what his PR managers told NDTV Profit.
That is ironic, because his very own group company Tata Tea decided to mix tea leaves with the ballot and create a storm in the tea cup. Jago re, the advertising movement, has survived the airwaves for 2 seasons.
Ironic, as Tata's jewel -- The Taj Mahal Hotel -- become the symbol of a city terrorised in November. The 26/11 terror strike meant Taj was the new symbol of Mumbai, and Mumbai was Taj.
And if on Wednesday, the city came out to seek change, sadly it missed one of its biggest ambassadors -- a man not just loved in Mumbai, but even amongst the highest policy makers.
That's why he is the PM's brain trust, heading important posts -- the chairman of the investment commission or that of the Indo-US CEO forum.