Fact Check: No, UAE Did Not Display Ratan Tata's Image on the Burj Khalifa
The edited viral photo shows Burj Khalifa lit up at night, displaying Ratan Tata's name and photo
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 1 Nov 2024 1:00 PM GMT
Claim: UAE honored Ratan Tata by displaying his photo on the Burj Khalifa.
Fact: This claim is incorrect. The viral image is digitally edited.
Hyderabad: Recently, following Ratan Tata's death, Tata Trusts reportedly initiated a restructuring to reduce management expenses, as reported by 'India.com'. The roles of CFO and COO are being phased out as part of this overhaul, with the aim of minimizing dependency on external consultants.
Amid these developments, a viral image began circulating online, claiming that the UAE honored Tata by projecting his image and name on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
A Threads user posted this image with the caption, āDubai paying respect to Ratan by having him on the Burj Khalifa.ā
The image shows the Burj Khalifa fully lit up at night, featuring Ratan Tata's name and photo.
Similar posts can be seen here and here. (Archive)
Fact check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The image in question is digitally altered.
A reverse image search directed us to the website named McLaren Engineering Group, where the original image of the Burj Khalifaās LED light display was found.
Notably, this image did not feature Ratan Tata's name or image. According to the McLaren Engineering Group, this light show, which set a Guinness World Record in 2018, involved a sophisticated LED strip system across the building's exterior but had no connection to Ratan Tata.
Moreover, a Pinterest user also posted a similar image of the Burj Khalifa without Tata's photo, indicating the fact that the viral image must been edited.
A further keyword search led to the Britannica website, which features a biography of Ratan Tata.
This page includes the same photo of Tata seen in the viral image, but here he is standing beside the Tata Nano car. The photo is credited to āSaurabh Das/AP/Shutterstock.com.ā
This same image was found to match the one superimposed on the Burj Khalifa in the viral post, further indicating it was a manipulated version.
Additionally, StudySection published an article with the same image in 2020, providing further hint that the viral image is altered.
To confirm this further, a review of official Burj Khalifa social media accounts revealed no tribute posts for Ratan Tata. According to the Facebook and Instagram official pages, in October, the Burj Khalifa was only lit up in support of Breast Cancer Awareness.
The posts were captioned, āShining a light on hope and resilience. Letās stand together for #breastcancerawareness this October.ā
Also, no reputable news outlets have reported a Burj Khalifa tribute to Tata, further discrediting the viral claim.
Hence the claim that Ratan Tata was honored on the Burj Khalifa is false. The viral image is a digitally altered version of older images. This alteration appears to have used a well-known photo of Tata and superimposed it onto the Burj Khalifa.
