My wife does not hesitate to disagree with me: Tata Group's Cyrus Mistry

When the emperor strutted around in his ‘new clothes’, only a child dared say out loud that he wasn’t wearing any, while all others remained silent. In the modern context, the setting of this scene has shifted to the power corridors. The subordinates hold back views at variance with those of the boss’s, too scared to voice any criticism. Who then takes on the child’s role? Seemingly, the spouse. In a rare interview published on the Tata Group website, chairman Cyrus Mistry opened up about the time he spends with his family. Speaking of his wife of 25 years, he says, “Rohiqa does not hesitate to disagree with me or tell me when I’m doing something wrong.” Mistry considers his wife his best friend as well as his Clementine mirror. A concept he takes from his colleague and Tata Sons director, R Gopalakrishnan’s book.
In his book, Gopalakrishnan cites the example of Winston Churchill’s wife , Clementine, who wrote a letter (see box) to her husband in 1940, holding up a mirror to him and saying what no one else dared to. It is believed she tore up the letter after writing it. Four days later, she pieced it together and despatched it, possibly realising that sometimes only a spouse can step up and speak plainly.

After business hours
The answer to what keeps Mistry busy after work hours is simple: family. Mistry’s two teenage sons, Firoz and Zahan, wife Rohiqa and two dogs dominate his free time. In the interview, Mistry says, “I have two teenage sons. Looking at life through their eyes and trying to understand what is happening in their generation is interesting. The two of them are students — one in school and the other in university — and I grab every chance to chat and catch up with them.”

A dog lover, just like his predecessor Ratan Tata, he says, “I also have two dogs who give me a lot of unconditional love. It is something I cherish and look forward to when I go back home!” Apart from his family, Mistry enjoys his downtime reading and catching an occasional game of golf. Though he used to play golf on weekends, he admits he hasn’t stepped on a golf course in the past five years or so. “I could probably say I’m doing a bad job of keeping a healthy work-life balance,” he says.