Our community’s most celebrated living legend as also India’s most revered industrialist and philanthropist, Ratan Tata, Tata Sons’ Chairman Emeritus, was conferred the highest Australian civilian honour, the ‘Order of Australia’, for his contributions to the field of business even in Australia, on 22nd April, 2023. This prestigious honour comes a month after the most loved businessman was appointed as the Honorary Officer of the General Division of the Order of Australia for his contributions to the Australia-India bilateral relationship, particularly in sectors of trade, investment, and philanthropy.

The Image of Ratan Tata receiving the award was shared Barry ‘O’ Farrell, Australia’s High Commissioner to India, on Twitter. In the post, O’ Farrell hailed, “Ratan Tata is a titan of biz, industry and philanthropy not just in India, but his contributions have also made a significant impact in Australia. Delighted to confer Order of Australia (AO) honour to Ratan Tata in recognition of his longstanding commitment to the Australian and Indian relationship.”

Reacting to this tweet by Australia’s High Commissioner to India, many Twitter users commented to praise the living legend. Some also questioned why Ratan Tata had not been given Bharat Ratna yet by the government of India. The recipient of numerous prestigious recognitions and awards, Ratan Tata has earlier received high ranking civilian awards in India including the Padma Bhushan (2000) and the Padma Vibhushan (2008) – the nation’s third and second highest civilian award, respectively.

85-year-old Ratan Tata has been a strong advocate for fostering strong economic-cultural bonds between the two countries. He is also an ardent supporter of the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, which came into effect in 2022. The Australian branch of Tata Consultancy, which was established in 1998, has the largest Australian workforce of any Indian firm with about 17,000 employees. TCS Australia also provides IT services to six Australian NGOs completely free of cost.