New Delhi:

Industrialist Ratan Tata, in an exclusive interview with NDTV in 2010, recalled an interesting conversation he had with a fellow billionaire. Mr Tata said the billionaire proposed to pay Rs 15 crore to a minister for an undisclosed business deal.

Mr Tata, of course, refused. The fellow industrialist then asked Mr Tata: “How do you prevent corruption?”

To which Mr Tata replied: “It has to be self-regulating. You will never understand it.”

Tata died on Wednesday at the age of 86 in a hospital in Mumbai. Tata’s death marks the end of an era in Indian business, in which one man reshaped the country’s industrial landscape and catapulted his family business into a global powerhouse. His death has provoked an outpouring of grief and tributes from across the country.

“I want to go to bed at night feeling like I didn’t do it (corruption),” Tata said.

Mr Tata will be cremated today with full state honors. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also announced a day of mourning in honor of the legendary industrialist and philanthropist. As a mark of respect, the national flag will be flown at half-mast over government buildings in Maharashtra. Many events scheduled for Thursday have been canceled.

Mr Tata’s body will be kept at the National Center for Performing Arts (NCPA) at Nariman Point in Mumbai from 10am to 4pm today for people to pay their last respects.