Maharashtra government declares Thursday a day of mourning for Ratan Tata

The Maharashtra government has declared a day of mourning in the state on Thursday to pay tribute to industrialist Ratan Tata, according to the Chief Minister's Office.

A statement quoting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the national tricolour on government offices in Maharashtra will be flown at half-mast on October 10 as a sign of mourning. There will be no entertainment events on Thursday, the statement said.

Earlier, the Maharashtra government cancelled all programmes scheduled for Thursday in Mumbai as a mark of respect for the late industrialist.

"All the programmes of the state government in Mumbai have been cancelled for tomorrow due to the death of industrialist Ratan Tata," Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar told reporters in Mumbai.

Tata's mortal remains will be kept at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in south Mumbai from 10 am to 4 pm on Thursday for people to pay their respects. His last rites will be performed in Worli area of Mumbai later in the day.

Ratan N. Tata was among India's most respected and loved industrialists, who took the Tata Group to new heights and touched the fabric of the nation through his contributions across different areas, including philanthropy.

Tata, born on December 28, 1937, in Mumbai, is the Chairman of the Ratan Tata Trust and the Dorabji Tata Trust, two of the largest private-sector-promoted philanthropic trusts in India. He was the Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, from 1991 until his retirement in 2012. He was then appointed Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons.

He was honoured with the country's second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008.