Ahmedabad: Wagh Bakri Tea Group's Parag Desai passes away at 49 due to stray dog menace

Parag Desai, the Executive Director of Gujarat Tea Processors and Packers Limited, passed away at a private hospital in Ahmedabad at the age of 49 years old on Sunday evening.  Gujarat Tea Processors and Packers Limited is most popularly known for its iconic tea brand-- Wagh Bakri Tea. 

Desai is survived by his wife Vidisha and daughter Parisha. Desai on October 15 met with the accident while he was on a morning walk near Iscon Ambli road near his residence. Desai ran away to fend off a few stray dogs during this time when he fell down.

Watch now: Katrina stuns in red saree, earns praise from Salman Khan, Raghav Chadha's heartfelt note to Parineeti, Bollywood celebs Sushmita Sen, Jaya Bachchan and Kajol visit Durga Puja Pandal: Celebs On Insta

Following this, he suffered a severe head injury, which led to a brain hemorrhage. He was then taken to a private hospital in Ahmedabad and was shifted to another private hospital on the Hebatpur Road after his condition began to deteriorate.

A surgery was carried out immediately and Desai was put on the ventilator for seven days before his passing away, according to sources close to the family. Desai lost his life on Sunday evening due to multiple health complications.  

The development was confirmed by the company in an Instagram post. "With profound grief, we regret to inform the sad demise of our beloved Parag Desai," the company said in its post. 

Hours after the news of Parag Desai's death went viral, Tech Mahindra MD and CEO CP Gurnani offered his condolences to the family of the departed soul. He also raised serious questions about the stray dog menace in many parts of India. 

"Very sad to hear about Parag Desai's death. A terribly untimely loss indeed... I can understand pet parents and animal lovers advocating animal rights, however, it is a fact that strays ARE a threat. Will a national program for mass vaccination and sterilisation of street dogs help? Can we challenge communities and municipal councils? What is the solution?" Gurnani said in his post on X formerly known as Twitter. 

About Parag Desai

Parag Desai had a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Long Island University. At the Wagh Bakri Tea Group, Desai spearheaded sales, marketing, and export departments. He was also an expert tea taster and evaluator. 

He also led the Group's transformation into Tea Lounges as well as e-commerce. Besides this, Desai was also active on industry platforms like the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and international organisations. He also had keen interests in travel and wildlife. 

About Wagh Bakri Tea Group 

As per the company website, the Wagh Bakri Tea Group is one of the leading packaged tea companies in India with a turnover of around Rs 2,000 crore and over 50 million kgs of tea distribution. 

Wagh Bakri Tea has a strong market presence in states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, western Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The brand has also recently forayed into markets such as Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand. 

(With inputs from Brijesh Doshi)

Also Read: Wagh Bakri to scale up its tea lounges

Watch now: World Cup 2023 match today, Pakistan vs Afghanistan; team squads, toss timings, live streaming details; India vs NZ highlights, India tops points table

Also Watch: Hot stocks for this week: TVS Srichakra, JSW Steel, Talbros Automotive, BCL Industries and more

Also Read: How Wagh Bakri dominates tea consumption in Gujarat

Also Watch: Top 10 stocks to watch on October 23, 2023: YES Bank, Paytm, Balkrishna Industries, ICICI Bank, JSW Steel & more