Former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry cremated in Mumbai

Business leaders, politicians and members of the Parsi community among others attended Cyrus Mistry’s cremation at Worli in central Mumbai

Industry leader and former chairman of Tata Sons, Cyrus Mistry, who died in a car crash while returning from the Parsi pilgrim town, Udvada, on September 4, was cremated in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Cyrus Mistry was killed in a car accident while returning to Mumbai from the Parsi pilgrim town, Udvada, on September 4. (AFP)

The last rites were performed in an electric crematorium at Worli in central Mumbai. Mistry, 54, who headed the salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Sons from 2012-16 before an unceremonious exit, and his friend Jahangir Pandole were killed in the road accident in Palghar district of Maharashtra on Sunday afternoon. Pandole’s cremation will take place on Tuesday evening at Doongerwadi.

Mistry’s mortal remains, decorated with white flowers, were brought from the J J Hospital and kept at the Worli crematorium on Tuesday morning for friends, relatives and well-wishers to pay their last respects.

Members of the Parsi community, business leaders and politicians were among those who attended the cremation. In addition to Cyrus Mistry’s elder brother Shapoor Mistry and father-in-law and senior lawyer Iqbal Chagla, former Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata’s stepmother Simone Tata, industrialists Anil Ambani and Ajit Gulabchand, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) member of Parliament (MP) Supriya Sule, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Ganesh Naik, HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh, former Congress MP Milind Deora, Mahanaryaman Scindia, the son of union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, and architect Hafeez Contractor were also present at the crematorium.

Calling Mistry her “twin”, Sule told Press Trust of India (PTI) on Monday that she was “devastated” by his demise. “My husband Sadanand and daughter Revati were scheduled to meet Cyrus and his wife in London on September 12 but fate had other plans,” she said. Recalling her friendship of almost three decades with Mistry, she said he always kept a low profile and loved Maharashtrian food.

Mistry was returning from the Parsi pilgrim town of Udvada, with Dr Anahita Pundole, her husband Darius Pundole, and brother-in-law Jehangir Pandole, when the vehicle they were travelling in crashed into the concrete sidewall of Charoti bridge in Palghar. Mistry and Jehangir Pundole died on the spot, while Anahita and Darius were severely injured.

Anahita and Darius were shifted to the Sir HN Reliance Foundation hospital on Monday where they are currently admitted in the Intensive Care Unit.

Mistry is survived by his wife, Rohiqa, sons Firoz and Zahan, mother Patsy Mistry, sisters Aloo Noel Tata, Laila Rustom Jehangir and brother Shapoor. Aloo is married to Noel Tata, Simone’s son and Ratan Tata’s half-brother.

Born on July 4, 1968, Cyrus Mistry earned a civil engineering degree from London’s Imperial College of Science and Technology and a post-graduate degree of Master of Science in Management from London Business School. He joined the family business in March 1991 as a director, overseeing the group’s construction business, a letter posted by the Shahpoorji Pallonji Group on networking site LinkedIn, said.

“CPM, as he was fondly known, was a voracious reader, committed to a journey of lifelong learning across multiple disciplines. Despite his success, he always kept a low profile, away from the limelight,” the letter said, adding Mistry deeply valued righteousness and honesty and was known for his transparency and integrity in all his business dealings.

“He was extremely humble, approachable to all, and always lent a helping hand to the less fortunate,” it added.

“With his vision and eye for detail, he was instrumental in steering the Group from a pure contractor to a ‘value-added’ player, by developing competencies in allied areas such as EPC and ‘Design & Build’. He also envisioned, and oversaw, the evolution of the Group into an end-to-end business group, spanning design and engineering, construction, and asset development, and committed to a journey of lifelong learning across multiple disciplines,” the letter said, without any reference to Mistry’s stint in Tata Sons, which ended in his shock ouster in 2016.

(With inputs from PTI)