Wockhardt chairman Habil Khorakiwala’s double celebration included a 10-course meal, & the crème de la crème of Mumbai

Habil Khorakiwala knows how to live a good life, more so when it comes to celebrating his own achievement as the patriarch of Wockhardt pharma, one of India’s oldest drug maker.

Last week, Khorakiwala threw a party at Mumbai’s NSCI ground for over 3,000 people to celebrate not only his 75th birthday, but also the golden jubilee of his company’s existence. “It was a special evening and we shared the journey of our company, the values that our company stands for,” Khorakiwala said. The celebration was captured with narrations from Khorakiwala’s autobiography, which was released by Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi. Considering the Wockhardt celebration coincided with the ET Awards, most of Khorakiwala’s friends managed to divide their time at both functions.

Union minister Piyush Goyal and Ranjit Shahani, vice-chairman, Novartis India, were among those who made time for both the grand events. Other guests included Sun Pharma’s Dilip Shanghvi, former Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan, Aurangabad MP Chandrakant Khaire, and former director general of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and Padma Vibhushan Dr RA Mashelkar, among others. Apart from the performance by four bands and a 10-course meal ranging from Bohri to Italian cuisine, the show-stealer at the event was Khorakiwala’s wife Nafisa.

Sharing a poem with the guests, Nafisa described in a few words, the long and romantic journey with her husband. As she finished, an emotional Khorakiwala wrapped his wife in a hug, according to a guest.