New Delhi: Before embarking on a two-day visit to Laos, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday, spoke with industrialist Ratan Tata&rsquo;s brother, Noel Tata, and expressed his condolences, on his demise.&nbsp; 
Modi will be attending the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit in Laos.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to attend Ratan Tata&rsquo;s funeral on behalf of the Government of India.
Earlier, PM Modi, in a series of posts on X, expressed grief on the demise of Ratan Tata, the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons. He breathed his last at the Breach Candy Hospital, where he was admitted on Monday, for certain age-related health issues.
Modi called Ratan Tata a &ldquo;visionary business leader, a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human being.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He provided stable leadership to one of India&rsquo;s oldest and most prestigious business houses. At the same time, his contribution went far beyond the boardroom. He endeared himself to several people thanks to his humility, kindness and an unwavering commitment to making our society better,&rdquo; the PM wrote on X.
He hailed Ratan Tata&rsquo;s most unique aspect of &ldquo;his passion towards dreaming big and giving back.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He was at the forefront of championing causes like education, healthcare, sanitation, animal welfare to name a few,&rdquo; PM Modi said.
Recalling his interactions with Tata, Modi said, &ldquo;My mind is filled with countless interactions with Shri Ratan Tata Ji. I would meet him frequently in Gujarat when I was the CM. We would exchange views on diverse issues. I found his perspectives very enriching. These interactions continued when I came to Delhi. Extremely pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers in this sad hour. Om Shanti.&rdquo;
Expressing &ldquo;a profound sense of loss&rdquo; while bidding farewell to Ratan Tata, the family said in an early morning update that his mortal remains will be taken to the NCPA Lawns at around 10.30 am to enable people to pay their last respect and homage to the departed soul.
At around 4 pm, his body would embark on the final journey from Nariman Point to the Worli Crematorium prayer hall for the last rites.
At the crematorium, the mortal remains, draped in the national flag, will be given a police gun salute and then will be consigned to the flames, said the family.
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&mdash;IANS
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled numerous meetings with Ratan Tata back when he was chief minister of Gujarat

Since the PM is in Laos for the ASEAN-India Summit, Union Home Minister Amit Shah to attend funeral on behalf of Centre

PM Modi speaks to Noel Tata, expresses grief on Ratan Tata’s passing

Since the PM is in Laos for the ASEAN-India Summit, Union Home Minister Amit Shah to attend funeral on behalf of Centre

October 10, 2024 | 15:21 IST