In the early 1960s, a young Ratan Tata travelled to the United States, where, as revealed in the biography Ratan Tata: A Life, he entered a romantic relationship with 19-year-old Carolyn Emmons, a college student and daughter of renowned architect Frederick Earl Emmons. Carolyn’s father, co-founder of the influential architectural firm Jones and Emmons, introduced the two.
Having recently earned his Bachelor of Science in architecture from Cornell University, Tata sought to work with Jones and Emmons, which brought him to Los Angeles and led to his meeting with Carolyn. According to Thomas Mathew’s biography, Carolyn considered Tata her “first true love,” and her mother reportedly saw him as “the most wonderful thing” for her daughter. Their relationship appeared promising, with both families supporting the budding romance.
Ratan Tata’s Love Interrupted By 1962 India-China Conflict
The couple’s romance, however, faced an unexpected obstacle in 1962. In July, Tata returned to India to visit his ailing grandmother, with Carolyn planning to follow shortly. But in October, the India-China war broke out. Despite a ceasefire being declared within a month, Carolyn’s family grew concerned about the situation in India, making her travel there uncertain.
The conflict ultimately led to the couple’s separation. Mathew writes, “Despite a ceasefire being declared within a month, the situation seemed too precarious to an American. Soon after, the two drifted apart.” Carolyn later married Owen Jones, an architect and pilot, but she remarked, “The funny thing is that I married a man who was very much like Ratan.”
Rekindled Connection Years Later
In 2007, Carolyn’s memories of Tata resurfaced while watching The Darjeeling Limited, a film about three estranged brothers on a journey through India. Inspired by a friend’s question about visiting India, she searched for Tata online and discovered he had become chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Trusts.
Carolyn emailed Tata expressing her desire to visit India, and he welcomed her warmly. In 2008, she spent five weeks traveling across India and reconnecting with Tata for the first time in decades. Their renewed friendship continued over the years, including Carolyn’s visit to celebrate Tata’s 80th birthday in 2017.
