Car Crash That Killed Indian-Born Billionaire Cyrus Mistry

Cyrus Mistry, an Indian-born Irish businessman and billionaire's son, lost his life in a tragic accident on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway. As the world mourns the loss of a gem, it takes us back to the car crashes in the past, like Princess Diana's, from which the world never recovered.?

Early Life of Cyrus Mistry

Born on July 4, 1968, Cyrus Mistry was the younger son of Indian billionaire Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry. His parents came from the Zoroastrian faith and had roots in India. The Pallonji family has been doing the real estate and construction business for over a century.?

Cyrus Mistry's? Early Education and His Takeover As A Chairman of Tata Sons

Cyrus studied civil engineering at Imperial College, London. He later went on to get a master's degree in management from London Business School. Here are a few events from his life.?

• 1991: Entered the family business as director of Shapoorji Pallonji and Co. Ltd.
• 2006: Following his father's retirement in 2006, Cyrus replaced him on the board. He also joined as the director of several Tata companies, from handling his responsibilities at Shapoorji Pallonji Group.?
• 2011: Cyrus became the deputy chairman of Tata Sons in 2011 to be groomed for taking over as chairman on Ratan Tata's retirement in 2012. Mistry was the first non-Indian to lead the Tata Group, as he has an Irish Passport similar to his father's.?
• 2012: Took over as chairman of Tata Sons following Ratan Tata's retirement in 2012.?
• 2016: In October 2016, Mistry was removed by the board from the post of Chairman after he was given an option to resign voluntarily.
• 2018: Following the abrupt removal of Cyrus from the chairman's post, Cyrus filed a court case.?

Unfortunately, the bitter feud between Ratan Tata and Cyrus Mistry continued till end.?

Cyrus Mistry's Role in the Indian Economy?

Cyrus was the youngest leader to lead such a large construction and engineering firm in the country.?

The SP group was the backbones behind several of India's iconic architectures, including Bombay Central Railway Station (1930), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Auditorium in 1962, and the famous Lilavati hospital in 1990.?

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, renovated under the leadership of Cyrus Mistry, played a crucial role in the Common Wealth game held in 2010. Over the years, Mistry worked on critical projects that have significantly contributed to India's economic growth.

Besides building iconic buildings in India, Cyrus played a crucial role in Tata Group, which employs over? 935,000 (FY 2022) Indians today. He had been a chairman for Major Tata Companies, including Tata Motors, Tata Steel, TCS, Tata Power, Tata Global Beverages, etc.?

Mistry's vision for 2025 for Tata Group was to put it in the league of the 25 most valuable companies worldwide. However, it didn't happen as he was removed as chairman of Tata Sons in 2016.

Some of his most notable projects are:?

1995: Mangalore Refineries Plant (Mangalore, Karnataka)

1996: Mahindra & Mahindra Car plant (Nashik, Maharashtra)

2000: ITC Manufacturing plant (Chirala, Andhra Pradesh), Parle Products plant (Bengaluru), Hindustan Coca-Cola bottling plant (Bhopal, MP)

2001: GE Manufacturing plant (Bengaluru), Tata Thermal Power plant (Jojobera, Jharkhand), Wipro Software Development Complex (Pune, Maharashtra)

2004: Skoda Car factory (Aurangabad, Maharashtra)

2008: BMW India (Chennai, TN), Vidarbha Cricket Stadium (Nagpur, Maharashtra)

2009: DLF IT Park (Gurugram, Haryana)

2010: The Imperial (Mumbai), Volkswagen (Pune)

Cyrus Mistry's Car Accident Is a Reminder To Those Who Miss Taking Road Safety Seriously

Mistry's death highlights how fragile life is and why we shouldn't take any risks on the road. Seated in the rear seat, Mistry would have had higher chances of survival had he taken the simple precaution of putting on his seat belt.?

This accident brings road safety to the limelight, and how simple precautions such as not overtaking, not speeding, and wearing a seat belt could have saved Mistry's life.?

Following the accident, the International Road Federation (IRF) issued a statement highlighting that despite being an "expensive" SUV, it "failed" to save the passenger in the vehicle.?

Governments are taking urgent measures to reduce the loss of life in car accidents. Earlier this year, the Road transport ministry proposed to make it mandatory to have six airbags in all cars starting October 2022.

But that brings us to the question, is only the government responsible for our personal safety? Are we not responsible for our safety??

No matter how many rules, policies, or improvements the government puts into force, until and unless we become responsible for our safety, the accidents will keep happening.?

Here are some precautions that can help avoid fatalities in road accidents.?

• Seatbelts: Wearing seat belts reduces the impact of accidents by 80%. Almost every one of us knows the importance of seatbelts. Yet, 7 out of 10 Indians in the backseat never wear their seatbelt.?
• Airbags: Nitin Gadkari discussed the importance of airbags and highlighted how car companies in India installed 6 airbags in exported vehicles, whereas only 4 (sometimes just two) in Indian cars. During the last parliament meeting, Gadkari also said that the functional deployment of six airbags could have saved over 13,000 lives in 2020 alone. This shows how airbags can play a critical role in saving lives.?
• Stick to speed limit: Despite several government warnings and advertisements, most car owners don't stick to the speed limit. Is saving time more critical than saving a life? A question to ponder.?
• Don't drink and drive. Alcohol impairs the reaction time of the body. So even if you feel fine, avoid driving as your body is incapable of reacting fast, which is critical while driving.
• Avoid overtaking: Cyrus's case highlights how overtaking can turn life-threatening within minutes. Always indicate that you are changing lanes and maintain a safe distance from another vehicle to avoid crashing.

Why are we dependent on government rules when our safety is in our hands??

Is breaking the rules more critical than life?