Wagh Bakri scion Parag Desai passes away at 49

Wagh Bakri Tea Group executive director Parag Desai today died at 49, the company announced on social media. He suffered a brain hemorrhage after a fall last week, and died in hospital on Sunday.

Parag Desai, the Executive Director of the Wagh Bakri Tea Group, which owns the Wagh Bakri tea brand, has passed away aged 49. He is survived by wife Vidisha and daughter Parisha. 

He suffered a brain hemorrhage after a fall last week, and died in hospital on Sunday. "With profound grief, we regret to inform the sad demise of our beloved Parag Desai," the company said in an Instagram post.

On October 15, while attempting to flee from street dogs that had attacked him, Desai stumbled outside his home and had a brain haemorrhage, according to the Ahmedabad Mirror. Desai was taken to the neighbouring Shelby Hospital for medical attention after a security officer informed the family about the event.

Desai passed away at the private hospital in Ahmedabad on October 22 after being on a ventilator for seven days. 

He was one of the two executive directors of the Wagh Bakri Tea Group, leading the company's transition to e-commerce and tea lounges. He oversaw the group's export, marketing, and sales divisions. He was also a skilled appraiser and tester of tea.

Wagh Bakri Tea Group was founded in 1892 by Narandas Desai. Today, it has a turnover of Rs 2,000 crore.

As of late, the organisation has expanded into Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha. It is currently present in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Western Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.