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Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

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Death Cause: Cardiac Arrest
Death Date: 19/11/2022
Age: 85 Years

Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta

Bio/Wiki
Other name(s)Areez Khambatta [1]Rasna, Areez P. Khambatta [2]UpperCrust
Profession(s)Industrialist, Philanthropist
Famous forBeing the founder of the beverage brand Rasna
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)in centimeters- 167 cm
in meters- 1.67 m
in feet & inches- 5’ 6”
Eye ColourBrown
Hair ColourSalt & Pepper
Career
Medals• President of India’s Home Guard and Civil Defence Medal
• Paschimi Star
• Samar Seva Medal
• Sangram Medal
Awards, Honours, Achievements• Honoured with the National Citizen’s Award for outstanding contribution in the field of commerce by the president of India Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma
• Chosen as the ‘First Outstanding Parsi’ of Ahemdabad
Personal Life
Date of Birth22 September 1937 (Wednesday)
BirthplaceKarachi, Punjab Province, British India (now in Punjab Province, Pakistan)
Date of Death19 November 2022
Place of DeathAhmedabad, Gujarat, India
Age (at the time of death)85 Years
Death CauseCardiac Arrest [3]The Times of India
Zodiac signVirgo
Nationality• British-Indian (22 September 1937- 15 August 1947)
• Indian (15 August 1947- 19 November 2022)
HometownAhmedabad, Gujarat, India
ReligionZoroastrianism [4]The Times of India
EthnicityParsi
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)Married
Family
Wife/SpousePersis Khambatta
ChildrenSon- Piruz Khambatta (Chairman of Rasna Group)
Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta's son
Daughter-in-law- Binaisha (businesswoman)
Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta's daughter-in-law and granddaughter
Daughter(s)- Delna Boyce, Ruzan Khambatta (social reformist)
Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta's daughter, Ruzan Khambatta
Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta's daughter Delna Boyce
GrandchildrenGrandson(s)- Arzad (son of Piruz), Areez, Arnavaz
Granddaughter(s)- Arzeen (elder daughter of Piruz), Avan (younger daughter of Piruz), Firoza
Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta with his family
ParentsFather- Phiroja Khambatta (entrepreneur)
Mother- Name Not Known

Some Lesser Known Facts About Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta

  • Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist who founded the iconic home-grown beverage brand Rasna. He was also the former chairman of the Rasna Foundation and Areez Khambatta Benevolent Trust.
  • He grew up in a well-to-do family in Karachi, Punjab Province, British India (now in Punjab Province, Pakistan).
  • At the age of two, Areez visited India for the first time. He then made several visits to India with his family before settling down in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
  • When he was six or seven years old, he attended various ‘housie’ sessions, fun sessions arranged by Parsis of Karachi, with his mother.
  • Areez had an arranged marriage with a Pune girl named Persis Khambatta. In an interview, Persis disclosed that she always wished to have an arranged marriage. Further talking about Areez, she said, “He was the first person I met and fell in love with.” Areez added, “I had already seen and rejected about 50 girls by then.”
  • He began his career with a company named Jaffe in 1976. He worked there for around two years and then resigned from his position in the firm. After parting ways with Jaffe, Areez joined the Rasna Group, a beverage brand established by his father in 1976. His father created Rasna as an alternative to soft drink products sold at high costs.
  • During the first year of his leadership at the firm, the brand crossed a turnover of a crore. During an interview, while talking about the initial days at the Rasna Group, Khambatta said,

    We had almost 500 people per shift, hand packing the drink and when the demand increased, we had to start the third shift.”

  • According to Areez, the USP of his brand was to provide his products at every nook and corner of the country at affordable prices.

    Rasna products

    Rasna products

  • Areez initiated the ‘I love you Rasna’ campaign during the 80s, which ruled the advertisement segment on the national broadcaster Doordarshan channel between the 80s and the 90s.
  • The chairmanship of the Rasna Foundation was passed on to his son, Piruz Khambatt, in 1997.
  • Rasna Group has been awarded with several awards like the prestigious Superior Taste Award 2008 instituted by The International Taste and Quality Institute, Belgium Cannes Lions London, Monde Selection Award, Master Brand The World Brand Congress Award, and ITQI superior taste and quality award.
  • As of 2022, the brand has a presence in around 60 countries and is one of the market leaders in soft drink concentrate manufacturers. In India, the brand has 9 manufacturing plants and a strong distribution network with 26 depots, 200 super stockists, 5000 stockists, and around 1.8 million retail outlets.
  • Khambatta is also the former chairman of the World Alliance of Parsi Irani Zarthostis (WAPIZ), President of Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat, and Vice President of the Federation of Parsi Zoroastrian Anjuman’s of India.
  • An active philanthropist, Areez immensely contributed to societal development through social service. He began several projects at Areez Khambatta Benevolent Trust and Rasna Foundation which were related to health care, education, and scholarships.
  • Many media houses referred to him as the lion of Ahmedabad and Doyen of the Parsi community. [5]Facebook – Jiyo Parsi
  • He also worked as the Commandant of Ahmedabad Home Guards & Civil Defence for around 20 years.
  • Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta passed away due to a cardiac arrest in Ahmedabad on 19 November 2022. [6]The Times of India He was severely ill for the past few years. Sharing the news of his death among the people, Rasna Group released an official statement on 21 November 2022 saying,

    With profound sorrow and grief, we announce the sad passing away of Areez Khambatta – the founder chairman of Rasna Group, chairman of Areez Khambatta Benevolent Trust and Rasna Foundation – to his heavenly abode on November 19, 2022. Khambatta has contributed immensely to Indian industry, business, and most importantly societal development through social service.”

    On the same day, the Uthamna of the departed soul was held at around 3.40 pm at Parsi Agiyari Khamasa Gate, Ahmedabad.