Ratan Tata, the iconic Indian business tycoon and branding genius, passed away at 86. His legacy offers lessons in marketing, innovation, and social responsibility.

The patriarch of a powerful family, his Tata Group put an indelible stamp on Indian life while acquiring British brand names like Tetley Tea and Jaguar.

T wo things are often said of Ratan Tata, former head of the Tata Group, one of India’s mightiest conglomerates: he was a giant of Indian business, and among its most virtuous figures. For a society as fractious as India, the esteem in which he was held was remarkably wide.