Tributes have been paid to the owner of a Keswick retirement home who drowned after being swept out to sea while holidaying in India.
Vijay Tulsidas Daswani, 72, who bought The Millfield care home on Penrith Road 16 years ago, died after going for an evening swim in the Arabian Sea with his wife Jeannie Poole-Daswani at Talpona beach in Goa.
National media reports say that the couple were dragged out to sea by a strong wave. Lifeguards rushed to rescue the pair and brought them to shore but Mr Daswani, who lived at Mapesbury in London, was declared dead at the Community Health Centre in Talpona. Lifeguards had unsuccessfully attempted to bring him round using cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
His body was taken to South Goa District Hospital in Margao where an autopsy was conducted. His wife was revived and survived the ordeal.
Mr Daswani first visited Keswick in 2007 accompanied by his daughter, who lived in France. They always made the point of exploring as much of England as possible when she visited.
He bought The Millfield in 2008 and then bought the nearby Easedale House B&B which he lived in during visits to the town. He later upgraded Easedale into seven holiday apartments, with an eighth exclusively for himself to stay in which became his second home.
His son-in-law Hunter Evans, associate director of Living Developments Ltd, which owns Millfield House, said: “From everyone here at The Millfield he will be so dearly missed.
“He was a friend, an advisor and overall a thoroughly good man. Always immaculately dressed and with a huge grin on his face, he really had time for everyone, whether that be staff, residents or families and would stop to have a chat or deliver a quick one liner to make everyone laugh.
“His memory will live on through his business and his passion for delivering care of the highest standard which he always felt a great responsibility to do.”
Mr Daswani would always go for a pint of Tinderbox in The Wainwright pub, it was probably his favourite beer. He also absolutely adored Bar eS, and when he was visiting during the pandemic he would go so frequently they became accustomed to his love of spicy food and so they created a “Vijay Special” which was the prawns but extra, extra hot!
He and his wife loved walking to and around the lakeside crags on Derwentwater and visiting the nearby villages. They also regularly drove to hostelries all around the northern Lake District for walks, lunches and teas.
Mr Daswani had just written a book called Tom Spicer: A Still Small Voice which is set to come out on April 28 in which tells of his love of Keswick and the Lake District. In the book he says that the Lake District has been a treasured place for him since childhood.
“My imagination had visited it countless times long before I actually went there,” he said.
Meanwhile Joan Grisdale, a resident at Millfield, said: “He was always kind and polite to residents and staff. He was a lovely man.”
