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Former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry cremated in Mumbai
Mistry’s mortal remains, decorated with white flowers, were brought from the JJ Hospital and kept at the Worli crematorium on Tuesday morning for friends, relatives to pay their last respects
Mumbai: Industry leader and former chairman of Tata Sons, Cyrus Mistry was cremated in Mumbai on Tuesday in a ceremony that was attended by a host of politicians and industrialists in the city.
Mistry’s mortal remains, decorated with white flowers, were brought from the JJ Hospital and kept at the Worli crematorium on Tuesday morning for friends, relatives and well-wishers to pay their last respects.
Mistry, 54, who headed the salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Sons from 2012 to 2016, and his friend Jahangir Pandole died in a car crash in Palghar while returning from the Parsi pilgrim town, Udvada, on September 4. Pandole’s cremation also took place on Tuesday evening at Doongerwadi after a condolence ceremony.
In addition to Mistry’s older 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 said on Monday that she was “devastated” by his demise.
“He was God’s good human being, who was very disciplined. He used to get up early, would read a lot and was well informed about everything, love sports, music and life. I can say that he was a wonderful husband, great son and a fabulous father,” Sule, who knew Mistry and his family for over three decades, said.
“He used to love Maharashtrian foods especially ‘thecha’, a spicy condiment, which I sent to his house every few weeks,” Sule said.
She also shared pictures of Mistry and his wife Rohiqa, on her Instagram account. “Adore you..Still can’t believe it. We will forever miss you. Rest in peace Cyrus,” Sule wrote in her post.
Tributes also poured in from other quarters on the social media platform.
Dairy brand Amul shared a monochrome photograph on Instagram which featured animated versions of Mistry. The caption read: “He still had miles to go, 1968-2022.”
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.
