Kasturi Prabhakar Pai, 75, businessman and president of the Dakshina Kannada Automobile and Tyre Dealers Association, passed away on Saturday at a private hospital in Mangaluru following a brief illness. He is survived by wife, mother, son, and daughter.
Born on October 26, 1950, in Mangaluru, Prabhakar Pai completed his schooling at Canara High School (Main) and pursued Mechanical Engineering at Manipal Engineering College (now MIT, Manipal) during the period 1968–73. He later obtained an MBA from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Upon returning to Mangaluru, he joined the family enterprise Kasturi Group of Concerns, where he managed the manufacturing division of fish meal and fish oil. In recent years, Pai headed Quest Marketing & Services, a wholesale dealership in automobile spares and cement, and was involved in transportation and ready-mix concrete pumping. He served as a director of Benchem Corporation and Aspa Logistics Pvt. Ltd.
A respected and socially active personality, Pai was closely associated with several community and professional organisations. He had been serving as president of the Dakshina Kannada Automobile and Tyre Dealers Association since 2017, after earlier tenures as secretary (1999–2013) and vice-president (2013–2017). The association has expressed deep sorrow at his passing, acknowledging his dedicated service spanning nearly three decades.
The last rites will be performed at his residence, “Prakrithi”, Balmatta, at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Published – October 25, 2025 09:50 pm IST
