Kaizzad Capadia, Fitness expert & K11 School founder

Kaizzad Capadia, fitness expert and director of K11 Education Pvt Ltd, passed away in Pune on Wednesday. He was 49 years old.

According to Sassoon General Hospital authorities, by the time Capadia was brought to the hospital, he was already dead. As per Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines, a rapid antigen test was also done on him.

“The test was positive for Covid-19 and the cause of death on the certificate was declared as due to coronavirus disease,” a Sassoon official told The Indian Express.

As per his relatives, Capadia had taken his first dose of Covid-19 vaccine already. On Wednesday morning, he felt some discomfort but passed away prior to being brought to the hospital.

He is survived by his wife Kalyani, who is a kabbadi player and also a personal fitness coach as well. Family members mentioned with a heavy heart that they did not think Capadia was aware that he had Covid-19 infection.

“I received messages in the morning and it has been a shock since. My wife had a call with him four days ago, so it feels rather sudden. The industry had just started post-Covid return slowly and the news is a big jolt. We have lost a gem…It will be very difficult to replace him, he was a legend in himself. To lose him at a prime age, I am unsure how we will ever fill the vacuum,” said Tushar Ramanan, a fitness professional who has known Capadia for over 25 years.

It was their mutual interest in fitness that strengthened their bond over the years. “When Kaizzad was working as a personal trainer in Mumbai in the early 90s, we met frequently at expos and workshops. We both liked bodybuilding, bodybuilders and fitness. At that time, I used to fly down international bodybuilders to India and I always made it a point to invite Kaizzad, as it was his field of interest,” Ramanan added.

Dr Anand Gangwal, a sports physiotherapist who had known Capadia for the past 15 years, said, “He changed the lives of lakhs of people… not only individuals who wanted to get fit but even trainers, and he took fitness to the masses.”

Driving the industry in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Capadia was heavily involved in training sessions as well as updating cutting-edge technology and new teaching techniques at his Academy, stated Ramanan.