Wagh Bakri executive director Parag Desai dies after being injured while warding off stray dogs
Parag Desai had been admitted to a hospital in Ahmedabad last week and was being treated for a severe head injury after a mishap near his residence.
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Parag Desai, the executive director of Wagh Bakri Group. Wagh Bakri Tea Group executive director Parag Desai died at a private hospital in Ahmedabad on Sunday days after he suffered a head injury when he fell while warding off stray dogs. He was 49. Parag was a fourth-generation member of the Desai family –the promoters of the Gujarat Tea Processers and Packers Limited, popularly known as the Wagh Bakri brand. The tea company, which boasts to be one of the largest suppliers and exporters of tea in India, was founded by his great-grandfather Narandas Desai in 1892.
Desai was hospitalised on October 15 around 6 pm, said an official at Shalby Hospitals after he suffered a brain haemorrhage due to the head injury. He was at the hospital for 24 hours, the official added, following which he was shifted to Zydus Hospital. A statement from Shalby Hospitals on Monday said, “On October 15th, around 5.30pm, Shri Desai was taking a leisurely evening walk in his residential society close to his bungalow when stray dogs rushed towards him, which caused him to run towards his residence compound which caused him to lose his balance, unfortunately resulting in a severe brain hemorrhage due to fall.”
It further added, “He was immediately transported to a private hospital by his family and a surgical procedure was conducted the next day in a valiant attempt to save his life. Despite the best efforts of the medical team, they could not save him. Regrettably, Shri Desai peacefully passed away on the late evening of Sunday, October 22nd.”
The Sarkhej police station in Ahmedabad has made a note of the incident as an accidental death case, police officials confirmed to The Indian Express.
After Desai succumbed to the injuries at Zydus Hospital late on Sunday, hundreds of people, including Wagh Bakri’s employees, family members, and trade and industry leaders, turned up on Monday morning at the Thaltej Crematorium in Ahmedabad where his last rites were held. Before the final rites, a funeral service was held at his home, “Parag”, at Santossa Park in the Ambli locality of Western Ahmedabad.
Parag went to the United States to pursue a Master’s degree in marketing in 1992. His close associates say that during his stint in the US, he would utilise his weekends meeting shopkeepers and distributors and sharing samples of the tea brand that his great-grandfather started over 100 years ago.
Parag and his cousin Paras joined the family business in the ’90s. An MBA from Long Island University in the US, Parag was one of the two executive directors on the board of Wagh Bakri Tea Group. He used to spearhead the company’s sales, marketing, and exports, and was an “expert tea-taster” and evaluator. He is survived by his wife Vidisha and daughter Prisha.
Several politicians and industry leaders in Gujarat also condoled his demise. “Very sad news coming in. Parag Desai, director and owner of Wagh Bakri tea passed away. He had a brain haemorrhage following a fall. May his soul rest in peace. My condolences to the entire Wagh Bakri family,” read a post by Shaktisinh Gohil, president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC), on the microblogging site X (formerly Twitter).
Piruz Khambatta, former chairman of CII (Confederation of Indian Industry), Western Region, in a statement, said, “CII Gujarat has lost a friend and a mentor, especially to the young and startups. Parag was a doyen of family business entrepreneurship, demonstrating how to transform a local enterprise into a global success. With his marketing and distribution skills, Parag laid the foundation for Waghbakri Tea’s expansion across the country and around the world. Some of the innovative products he developed, which I had the privilege of sampling before they hit the market, will always remain trendsetters in their category.”
“Parag will always be remembered as a compassionate man who cared deeply for society at large. He and his family were actively involved in various CSR and philanthropic activities. His untimely passing is a profound loss to his family, his friends, his company, and especially to all of us at CII. However, as they say, this is in accordance with God’s plan, he has found his rightful place in heaven as destined. In loving memory of a cherished soul,” Khambatta added in the statement.
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