Fitness expert and director of K11 Education Pvt Ltd Kaizad Kapadia passed away in the city on Wednesday. He was 49 years old.
According to Sassoon General Hospital officials, by the time Capadia was brought to the hospital, he was already dead. As per the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a rapid antigen test was done. “The test was positive for COVID-19 and the cause of death on the certificate was listed as coronavirus disease,” said a Sassoon official Indian Express.
According to his relatives, Capadia had received the first dose of the Kovid-19 vaccine. On Wednesday morning, he felt some uneasiness but died before he could be brought to the hospital. He is survived by his wife Kalyani, who is a Kabaddi player and also a personal fitness coach. Family members said they did not think Capadia knew he had a Covid-19 infection.
There was disbelief and shock among his students and friends, many of whom had come from Mumbai to attend the cremation in Pune.
“I got the message in the morning and it has been a shock since then. My wife got a call with him four days ago, so it feels sudden. The industry had just slowly started the comeback of covid and this news is a big blow. We have lost a gem…it would be very difficult to replace it, he was a legend in his own right. To lose him at a good age, I am not sure how we will ever fill in the blanks,” said Tushar Ramanan, a fitness professional who has known Capadia for more than 25 years.
It was their mutual interest in fitness that strengthened their bond over the years. “When Kaizad was working as a personal trainer in Mumbai in the early 90s, we would often meet at expos and workshops. We both loved bodybuilding, bodybuilder and fitness. At that time, I used to take international bodybuilders to India and I always made it a point to invite Kaizad, as it was his area of interest,” said Raman.
“He also started a fitness course in Marathi, which was his best move ever in the state as language was no longer a barrier for those who wanted to make a career in fitness. He was a professional bodybuilder and also participated in several title championships like Mr. India. He had a lot of knowledge and interest about the industry and whenever we used to meet, it was always interesting and inspiring,” said Raman.
Dr Anand Gangwal, a sports physiotherapist who has known Capadia for the past 15 years, said, “He changed the lives of millions…not only individuals who wanted to be fit but also coaches, and he took fitness to the masses. ”
Capadia, who was also actor Tiger Shroff’s trainer, was instrumental in starting the K11 School of Fitness Sciences in 2003, an educational institution in the field of vocational education as it deals with professions in the fitness industry.
It is dedicated to build careers for individuals who aspire to build a future in the fitness industry. To become a fitness trainer, certification is essential and it is a huge investment in itself. But Capadia introduced courses in its academy that were easy with EMI options to make it affordable for the students.
Ramanan said that to drive the industry in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Capadia was involved in training sessions as well as updating new technology and new teaching techniques at his academy.
“I had organized the Pune Fitness Carnival, the Fitness Awards and presented him with an award in 2010 for his immense contribution to the fitness industry,” Ramanan said.
A lawyer, Ranjit Singh Pawar said, “I was working in K11 from 2006 to 2018. I think he would have a lot of students, including me, who saw him as a father figure. He was one of the greatest teachers in the fitness industry.”
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