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On Bahram roz, Fravardin mah as per the Shahenshahi calendar, the four middle-aged friends were praying at the Iranshah Atash Behram in Udvada. By afternoon, social media was flooded with disturbing pictures of a wrecked Mercedes Benz GLC and its Zoroastrian occupants when the car reportedly crashed into a concrete parapet near Charoti on September 4, 2022. The collision in Palghar district, 120 km from Bombay claimed the lives of the two rear seat occupants: 54-year-old Cyrus Mistry, erstwhile chairman of Tata Sons and former managing director of Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) and Company who reportedly died on the spot; and his 49-year-old friend Jehangir Pandole, director Global Strategy Group at the consulting firm KPMG.
The car was being driven by well-known Bombay gynecologist and civic activist, 55-year-old Dr Anahita Pandole who has also been playing a lead role in the Jiyo Parsi program. Seated beside her was her 60-year-old husband Darius, managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of JM Financial Private Equity. Darius and Jehangir were brothers. Both Anahita and Darius, grievously injured with multiple fractures and damage to internal organs, were initially offered treatment at Rainbow Hospital in Vapi and later shifted to the Intensive Critical Care Unit at Bombay’s Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital once their condition stabilized.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to a statement issued by Dr Tarang Gianchandani, chief executive officer of Reliance Hospital, the following day, "A team of 10 doctors, paramedics reached Vapi last night to help stabilize both the patients. Although the aircraft and choppers were ready to airlift the patients, the clinical team felt it was better to bring Anahita and Darius by road in an ambulance” to Reliance where a clinical team of 20 multidisciplinary doctors will be looking after them. A Facebook page has been specially created where friends and well-wishers could post messages for "they need all our positivity, love and prayers for a speedy recovery.”
Tragically, both the families were recovering from the recent demise of their patriarchs: Pallonji Mistry, erstwhile chairman of the SP Group who had passed away on June 28, and Dinshaw Pandole, who ran the popular aerated drinks business Duke’s and Company, on August 29.
In the absence of CCTV cameras on that stretch of the road, the print and television media continued to speculate on the cause of the accident: the condition of the Bombay-Ahmedabad highway with stretches scarred with potholes, the sudden narrowing of the road and approach of bridges without proper signage, inevitable overtaking from the left when trucks block the right lane, the importance of rear seat occupants wearing seat belts to ensure the air bags are deployed… "Two Parsi gentlemen awaken an entire nation to car safety,” read one of the posts on social media.

 

Prowess and progress
Following the accident, maximum media attention was devoted to Cyrus with a prominent Amul hoarding showing two visages of the businessman with the catchline reading "He still had miles to go…”
"He was a promising business leader who believed in India’s economic prowess. His passing away is a big loss to the world of commerce and industry,” Tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "He was committed to carrying forward and strengthening his business in infra projects,” stated finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Chief minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde described him as a "forward-looking personality,” adding, "The death of a young, efficient industrialist has hurt the business sector.” Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the governor of Maharashtra stated, "The world of business has lost one of the brightest stars on the horizon.”
The city dailies also quoted business leaders like Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group who considered Cyrus "one of the best business minds of his generation.” Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra Group, remarked, "I was convinced he was destined for greatness.”
Referring to the "close and personal bond” he had shared with Cyrus, Dastur Khurshed Dastoor of Udvada who was among the last few people to have interacted with the business baron on September 4, stated, "He had the sensitivity, the compassion, the gentleness, the deep loving concern and the understanding of life itself that only a few beautiful persons who have faced struggle, who have faced loss but have found their way out of the depths have been able to master… Not many know that during the first Iranshah Udvada Utsav he had donated the Tata Nano as the raffle prize out of his own personal kitty. The restoration of the Iranshah Atash Behram at Udvada was personally overseen by him with keen interest and an eye for detail…”
Before the last rites for Cyrus at the Worli Prayer Hall, a steady stream of family members and friends, industrialists and political leaders, and staff members of SP came to pay their respects. Among the dignitaries seen at the specially erected pandal outside the electric crematorium, adorned with the choicest white chrysanthemums, roses and tube roses, were: 92-year-old Simone Tata, mother of Cyrus’s brother-in-law Noel Tata and step mother of Ratan Tata who arrived in a wheelchair; his parents-in-law, senior advocate Iqbal and Roshan Chagla; former Tata Consultancy Services head S. Ramadorai;  industrialist Anil Ambani; chairman of Hindustan Construction Company, Ajit Gulabchand; chairman of Housing Development Finance Corporation, Deepak Parekh; architect Hafeez Contractor; Nationalist Congress Party leaders Supriya Sule and Ganesh Naik; former Congress member of parliament Milind Deora…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the young age of 26 years, Cyrus was appointed managing director of the SP Group in 1994. He was in charge of construction and infrastructure while elder brother Shapoor handled the real estate and textiles businesses. He joined the Tata Sons board a year after his father retired as director in 2005. With an 18.37% stake, the Mistry family is the single largest shareholder in Tata Sons but they are not permitted to monetize their shares or even pledge their shares for raising money despite SP’s mounting debts when Covid caused a setback to their construction and real estate business. Cyrus is known to have played a key role in the restructuring plan under which the SP Group was able to monetize its assets and sell stake in some of the Group companies including Eureka Forbes and Sterling and Wilson Solar.
As noted a tribute on the Facebook page of SP International: "His entrepreneurial mindset helped the SP Group achieve many milestones... including one of India’s first integrated, project-financed power plants and the development of India’s first biotechnology park... 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.”
In 2012 he was selected to become the sixth and youngest chairman of Tata Sons but within four years he was ousted by the company’s former chairman, Ratan Tata. That Ratan did not issue any public statement on the passing away of his successor seemed to cause some heartburn.
"An introvert who shied away from public gaze, and a straightforward, scrupulously honest businessman, Cyrus never really recovered from the trauma of being thrust into the national limelight for daring to challenge the Tata behemoth,” wrote senior journalist and author Coomi Kapoor in The Indian Express of September 5. When the legal battle was taken to the Supreme Court that ruled against Cyrus, he had commented, "My conscience is clear. My aim at Tata was to ensure a robust, brand-driven system of decision making and governance that is larger than any single individual.”
Dr Mukund Rajan, brand custodian under Mistry at the Tata Group recalled how Cyrus "voluntarily surrounded himself with people with great talent, skills and strong opinions, unlike many other leaders who feel threatened and become insecure if they have capable managers around them. He was a voracious reader and kept challenging his senior executives to think differently and more ambitiously.” Nirmalya Kumar who was head of strategy for Tata group told rediff.com that Cyrus was "the most thoughtful corporate person I encountered. He spent time deeply studying each business to understand what makes this industry tick, what is the position of the Tata firm in it — strengths and weaknesses. Only then did he give his opinion and recommendations. He was an amazing listener. He inspired his managers to work harder for him…”
Gopichand Katragadda who was Tata Son’s chief technology officer appreciated Cyrus’s "keen sense of technology” and ability to engage on arcane topics such as graphene, gut microbiome and multi-spectral imaging.” Having first interacted with Cyrus at the 2016 Auto Expo, Adil Darukhanawala was impressed that Cyrus "didn’t let his name or position prevent him from reaching out and listening, learning and making notes…. He gave a lot of heed to great design and styling and as can be seen the Tata Motors portfolio has the best designed cars in their segments in the country today…”
After his expulsion as chairman of Tata Sons, Cyrus did not take back management control at SP. While serving on the board of several firms, he launched two limited liability partnerships: Mistry Ventures and CPM NexGen Ventures to back startups. Having shifted base to Dubai and overseeing SP’s international operations, he would make monthly trips to Bombay. His two children Firoz and Zahan have recently joined SP.
"The billionaire businessman’s personal philanthropy has been significant but without fanfaronade (boasting), rooted in the economic prosperity of rural India,” noted an article in the Hindustan Times of September 7, referring to his efforts to uplift the farmers in Beed district (once known for the highest number of farmer suicides in Maharashtra) by financing a permanent water solution. Accompanying Mayank Gandhi, founder of Global Parli project, he participated in the farmer movement in 2018, willingly ploughing the fields on a bullock cart or carrying a basket when required. Commending his shramdaan (contribution to a community project with voluntary labor), the farmers organized shraddhanjali sabhas (commemoration meetings) in their respective villages in Parli. The villagers remembered well how he visited Parli Vaijnath Jyotirling and performed Abhisekh pooja (pouring liquid offering on an image or statue of a god or goddess) with great faith. "He was beyond sectarian thoughts and a true believer in universal humanity,” remarked Gandhi.
Known to prefer road travel over flights, he enjoyed food, Indian and western, confirmed his friends. An image of Cyrus, sitting cross-legged, enjoying a meal with his driver at a local dhaba had gone viral. Nawshir Mirza who had worked as independent director on two Tata boards with Cyrus told rediff.com that what set apart the business leader was his "undiluted goodness.” He referred to launching a campaign to get the chairman to reduce his weight because he felt "it’s important I don’t have a chairman who could have a heart attack when the company is in a critical situation.” Cyrus though jokingly dismissed it as "My wife must have put you up to this.” A one-time judoka, in later years, Cyrus enjoyed playing golf in different parts of the world.
Both Cyrus and Jehangir were alumni of Bombay’s Cathedral and John Connon School and had acquired their postgraduation degrees in management from the London Business School. Cyrus had completed his graduation in civil engineering from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London.
Cyrus is survived by his mother Patsy, wife Rohiqa, sons Firoz and Zahan, brother Shapoor, and sisters Laila Rustom Jehangir and Aloo Noel Tata.

 

 

 

The squash sensation
Jehangir Pandole, also known to his friends as "JP, Jhang, Jhango,” was known for his hearty laugh, sense of humor, intelligence, being an excellent squash player, remarkably organized, punctual, meticulous, and a great friend loved by all. Like Cyrus, he too loved food, travel, and was known to make the best guacamole (mashed avocado seasoned with condiments) in London!
His friends from Cathedral School remember him as being "exceptionally well behaved, polite and soft-spoken.” After completing his Higher Secondary Certificate (grade 12) from Sydenham College in Bombay, he studied at the Franklin and Marshall (F&M) College in USA. Brilliant in math and finance, he completed his MBA from the London Business School in 1998, worked in Credit Suisse for a couple of years and thereafter joined KPMG in London, a global network of professional firms providing audit, tax and advisory services, continuing his association for many years until he moved to KGS India, and was based in Delhi from 2012 to 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interested in fine arts and paintings, when possible he would visit different museums and galleries around the world. He is known to have had a discerning taste for interior design and furniture.
He is best remembered though for being an outstanding squash player and on the F&M Athletics Hall of Fame are photos of him playing squash with a write-up detailing his sports career. Before going to Lancaster he was the 1990 Indian junior national runner-up and in 1991 was selected to represent India at the Asian Junior Squash Championships. At the time of his graduation he ranked second in career wins at F&M and remained in the top 10 when inducted in the Hall of Fame. He enjoyed the distinction of being a three time All-American (title earned through participation in US squash accredited junior tournaments), earning first team honors twice and second team honors once. He was selected to the NISRA (National Intercollegiate Squash Racquet Association) All-Tournament team, was named the team’s MVP (most valuable player) as a junior and a senior, and even served as the senior team captain.
Jehangir is survived by his mother Kamal, and brothers Darius and Farokh.