Cyrus Mistry had a strong Surat connection

Mistry, who was ousted from the Tata Group, visited Surat in his private plane to Surat and Udwada for the pooja in 2016. He (Mistry) drove straight to Vesu and conducted a pooja for Lord Kaal Bhairav at the Ashapuri Mata Temple, where the residents welcomed him with a shawl.

Mistry, who was writing a book in memory of his ancestors, during his research, found a diary written by his grandfather Shahji Mistry in 1880 in which he mentioned staying in Vesu and conducting regular pooja at the Bhairavji temple. Shahji also stated in his diary that the road that ran from Boya pond to the village was built by his family.

Shahji Mistry was living in Vesu’s Agiyari Mohalla where the firehouse is still present. The firehouse has mentioned the names of the family tree including Cyrus Mistry. Mistry revived the firehouse in 2017 and he spent more than an hour during his last visit to Surat.

Sources said there is an open plot in Vesu where there used to be an old school where the great grandfather of Cyrus Mistry studied. During his visit, Mistry had promised to uplift the Vesu locality and revival the school where his great grandfather studied.

People living in the old Vesu area, especially from the Agiyari Mohalla, are mourning the unexpected death of Cyrus Mistry.

“We are aghast on hearing about Cyrus Mistry. Mistry had a close relationship with the people of Agiyari Mohalla as his great-grandfather used to live in the same location and was a devotee of Kaal Bhairav. The Ashapuri Mata temple is still there where his ancestors would offer their prayers” said  Rasik Patel, a resident of Vesu.