It has been a few years since India announced its highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, which from the Hindi translates as Jewel of India. But at some point, it may well go to the man who just stepped down as chairman of the Tata Group, the salt-to-software conglomerate, for Mr Ratan Naval Tata, is no ordinary man, and the Tata Group, no ordinary enterprise. "While he is one of the most successful businessmen in the world, he remains unassuming, humble and low-key," said SMU Provost and Deputy President (Academic Affairs) Professor Rajendra Srivastava, who began his career as an intern with Tata in 1971. "He is also an exemplar of a leader committed to 'triple bottom lines' - business performance, accountability to employees and customers, and environmental and social responsibility," he added. Mr Tata was at SMU last week to deliver a speech.