Dr Anahita Pandole Was Driving The Car That Crashed With Cyrus Mistry On Board: Who Is She?

Cyrus Mistry, scion of one of India's most illustrious business families - Shapoorji Pallonji Group - who formerly headed the Tata Sons, was killed in a car accident near Mumbai on Sunday. He was 54.

In the accident, Mistry, who was travelling from Ahmedabad to Mumbai, was killed when his car hit a divider in Maharashtra's Palghar, about 100 kilometres from Mumbai.

Cyrus Mistry Car Accident

Who all were in the car?

Police said besides Mistry, three other persons were there in the fateful car ¨C renowned Mumbai gynaecologist Dr Anahita Pandole, her husband Darius Pandole and Jehangir Pandole, brother of Darius.

They had visited the Iranshah Atash Behram at Udvada in the morning. Dr Anahita Pandole is believed to have been behind the wheel. Jehangir also died in the accident that took place on a bridge on the Surya river.

According to a preliminary investigation by the police, the car crash was the result of overspeeding and ¡°error of judgment¡± by the driver. It added that the co-passengers were killed as they were not wearing seat belts.

Cyrus Mistry

Who is Dr Anahita Pandole?

But, who is Dr Anahita Pandole, who was driving the car?

Anahita is a top Mumbai gynaecologist and was driving the silver Mercedes that had Mistry seated at the rear seat. The 55-year-old doctor has a special interest in infertility management, high-risk obstetrics, and endoscopy surgery. She has 32 years of experience, and 25 years as a specialist.

Pandole is associated with Mumbai¡¯s Breach Candy Hospital, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, B.D. Petit Parsee General Hospital, and Masina Hospital.

She played a key role in the ideation and formulation of the methodology required for the Jiyo Parsi programme, a recently launched government-funded scheme to help infertile couples from the community become parents.

Jame Jamshed/ Facebook

In January 2004, Dr Anahita in collaboration with the Bombay Parsi Panchayet started The Bombay Parsi Panchyet Fertility Project, in an effort to address the population decline being witnessed in the Parsi community. This provided fertility treatment to Parsi couples at subsidized rates and allowed them to have access to state-of-the art medical facilities.

As per the quarterly report published under the scheme, Dr Anahita treated 18 couples in Mumbai between January and March this year. And over the years, besides her fertility treatment, she has counselled Parsi youth and their families for early marriage, conceiving at the right time and training volunteers.

Darius Pandole is the MD and CEO of JM Financial Private Equity. The car was registered in the name of JM Financial.

How is her condition right now?

Currently, she is undergoing surgery at Mumbai's HN Reliance Hospital. Its CEO, Dr Tarang Gianchandani, said, ¡°They (Dr Pandole and the other survivor) reached the hospital in the early hours last morning ¡ª the journey was uneventful. Our clinical team of 20 multi-disciplinary doctors are evaluating them currently and shall be looking after them.¡± She and her husband are out of danger, as per news reports.

Remember, Mistry was ousted as chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the $300-billion salt-to-software Tata conglomerate, in a boardroom coup in 2016, sparking a long-drawn-out legal tussle on which India's top court eventually ruled in Tata Group's favour.

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