I’ve written books with several business leaders, and I have enjoyed interacting with them, but TT Jagannathan, Chairman Emeritus, TTK Prestige, ranks on top. I spent the most time with him; my office was next to the TTK Prestige corporate office, and I’d pop over several times a week.
The world called him the Kitchen King, but he called himself an accidental businessman. A gold medallist from IIT Madras with a keen grasp of engineering, he was pulled away from academia to take over the family business, which was in deep trouble.
TTJ often quoted Brutus from Julius Caesar: “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.”
He often quoted Sanskrit verses such as “ālasyam hi manuāhyāāām sharārastho mahānripu | nāstyudyamasamo bandhuā kāitvā yam nāvasādati” Laziness is a great enemy within us. There is no friend like hard work.
He was utterly dedicated to work. But he also lived life to the full. He played violin and tennis in his youth, later switching to golf and bridge. He loved to cook and cooked for his colleagues when they used to travel abroad.
Most of them knew or learnt to cook, or else what were they doing in a kitchen manufacturing company was the implicit question. He taught his wife Latha to cook, and his legendary cooking skills were inherited by all three sons — Mukund, Laxman and Venky.
Mukund recalled to me, “For all our birthdays, he always cooked his special cake, which came to be known as ‘Appa cake’. Tradition continues, but now it’s called ‘Thatha cake’.”
When he visited his sons at Cornell, his own alma mater, there would always be many friends invited over for meals. And he’d cook up a storm usually leaving a trail of destruction in his path, his youngest son Venky had told me.
While he was an excellent cook, he was terrible at keeping the kitchen clean while cooking.
When Disrupt and Conquer: How TTK Prestige Became a Billion-Dollar Company (Penguin Random House, 2018) was released, he protested but yielded to my entreaties to attend at least a few book events in Bengaluru, Chennai and Coimbatore.
At each event, he’d direct questions about the book to me, candidly saying he would talk about his company, but the book was my doing. This wasn’t false humility. He maintained a low profile and shied away from industry bodies, which would have loved to have him at the helm.
Our book was shortlisted for the Gaja Capital Business Book Prize 2022 and was on Amazon Editor’s picks as Memorable Books of 2018 and Best of Business & Leadership from 2018.
Today at his home, several of his friends and colleagues came up to me and said the book was the best gift anyone could have given him. He was proud and delighted with it. These words are worth more than any prize.
A Question of Ethics
When the book was ready for release, he took a very obstinate stand. The publishers organised a panel discussion, and I thought it polite to invite the panellists for dinner. TTJ refused.
I was surprised he was cheerful and enjoyed company, and expense wasn’t an issue. He said it would appear as if we were trying to bribe them to say nice things about us.
I called up his wife, hoping she could persuade him. Dr. Latha Jagannathan is a fabulous person who set up Bangalore Medical Services Trust and the Rotary Bangalore-TTK Blood Bank, and she was a great help in connecting me to various people while writing the book.
She told me, “If Jagu has said no, there’s no point asking again. He will not budge.”
After I thought about it, I realised that’s what ethics is about. You draw a line you won’t cross, no matter the person, occasion, or expense. Moral fibre defines a person and their work a rare quality in today’s world.
The company’s culture reflected this. I interviewed several current and former employees. Not once did he ask what I was speaking about with them. It’s ingrained that there’s no reason to hide anything.
What Defined Him
If you’re in business, be in it to succeed that was his motto. The karma of a businessperson is to run a successful business.
He was brilliant and knew his core competence, but he was never boastful. This humility was ingrained in the family and company.
He was modest, but not flashy. He flew economy on personal visits. His office, his car, and his lifestyle reflected this.
He delegated and gave a free hand once he was sure you knew what you were doing. He liked updates but wasn’t a control freak.
He believed there is no shame in hard work there is honour in it. And he walked the talk, which is why he evoked such respect and loyalty.
Everyone loves success stories. But it’s important to talk about failure too. Everyone fails sometimes, no matter how good they are. How you move on to rebuild defines you an important lesson not just for business but for life. One that I hold on to in times of crisis.
We continued to be in touch over the years. Sometimes, I would interview him for another book, and at times, I would call him just to hear something interesting and/or amusing.
His youngest son Venky’s sudden death a few weeks ago shattered TTJ’s lion heart. A man who had overcome several physical ailments decided to stop breathing on the night of October 9, peacefully in his bed.
The world has lost a great business leader and one of the best humans I’ve known. Writing the book with him enriched not just my career but my life.
Sandhya Mendonca, author, biographer, and publisher at Raintree Media. Her podcast “Spotlight with Sandhya” is on all major platforms and YouTube.
