‘Goa’ refuses to leave his side

As thousands gathered at Mumbai’s NCPA, where Ratan Tata’s mortal remains were kept earlier on Thursday, a black dog with white paws and a white patch on its nostril and forehead made the sombre setting more poignant.

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Wagging its tail non-stop, the dog with a red collar refused to leave Tata’s side, literally clinging to the spot next to the casket.

‘Goa’, a stray, named after the coastal state from where Tata had adopted it nearly a decade ago, was brought to the NCPA to pay the final respects to its friend who was no more. A caretaker said Goa was “very close” to Tata. When photographers jostled to click Goa’s pictures, the caretaker urged them to let the pet go saying it had not eaten anything since morning. During Diwali in 2020, Tata had posted on Insta a photo celebrating the festival with “adopted Bombay House dogs”, especially with “Goa”, his “office companion”.