BENGALURU: Srihari L Khoday (77), noted industrialist from the State, breathed his last at a private hospital in the city on Monday night. He was also known for his long association with films and politics. He was hospitalised for over a month and breathed his last at 8.30 pm on Monday.
Mr. Khoday was the vice chairman and Managing Director of of Khoday India Limited, the public listed company of the Khoday Group, an over 100-year-old group with diverse interests, including alcoholic beverages like Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), construction and engineering.
Khoday India and United Breweries, both from Bengaluru, accounted for most of the State’s famed liquor industry. Khoday India had recently been on an expansion drive exporting their brands to Europe and Canada.
Srihari Khoday was a multifaceted personality, who produced films, wrote poetry and also dabbled in politics. He was close to several chief ministers – Devraj Urs, Ramakrishna Hegde and J.H. Patel, though he was never directly involved in politics till late in his life.
In 2004, he formed a political party Urs Samyukta Paksha, named after D. Devraj Urs, who he considered his political mentor. However, it failed to take off.
He was known to be a patron of arts and produced four Kannada films, three of them award winners, all directed by noted film maker T.S. Nagabharana. His last film as a producer ‘Allama’, also directed by T.S. Nagabharana, is yet to be released.
Mr. Nagabharana told The Hindu , “He was also a poet who was never published. We were making preparations to publish his poetry on his birthday but postponed due to his ill health. His death is a big loss to the world of arts rather than business or politics.”
Mr. Khoday was closely associated with Kannada Sugama Sangeeta. The late C. Ashwath and others have composed songs from the poems written by the industrialist.
