BHUBANESWAR : Leading philanthropist and chairman emeritus of Tata Group, Ratan Tata was conferred the KISS Humanitarian Award 2021 by founder of KIIT and KISS Achyuta Samanta on Monday.
Although the award was announced in 2021, Tata was unable to receive it due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A release from the institution stated Tata who is usually reticent about accepting accolades, agreed to accept the award following a personal request from Samanta. He expressed his gratitude towards KISS and its founder. “I am extremely happy to receive this honour. This is the most significant moment of my life”, he remarked.
Samanta said honouring Tata was a privilege for him and KIIT and KISS. “Ratan Tata’s social work and leadership has been influencing me since my childhood. My father was an employee of Tata company. Since then, I have respected and liked Ratan Tata,” he stated.
The ceremony was attended by Tata Group chairman N Chandrasekaran and Grammy awardee Ricky Kej among others. Owing to Tata’s health condition, the award ceremony was held at his residence in Mumbai. Initiated in 2008 by Samanta, the KISS humanitarian award is the highest honour of KIIT and KISS dedicated to recognising individuals and organisations that embody the spirit of humanitarian work worldwide.