Ramesh Chauhan in talks with potential buyer for his water business

On Thursday, veteran industrialist Ramesh Chauhan received many tongues wagging when he said he is scouting for a buyer for his packaged water business Bisleri International and is in talks with several players, including Tata Consumer Products Ltd.

In a regulatory filing, the Tata Group firm said it is in discussion with Bisleri International for growth and expansion of the company's business. The 82-year-old pioneer of Indian packaged water business denied a report that a Rs 7,000 crore deal has been finalised with Tata Consumer Products Ltd TCPL When asked why he is selling the lucrative business, the octogenarian business leader told PTI he needed someone to handle the business affairs and that his daughter Jayanti is not interested in handling the business.

Jayanti Chauhan is the only child of the business leader. After completing high school, Chauhan joined the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising FIDM Los Angeles to study Product Development, where she went on to pursue Fashion Styling at the Istituto Marangoni Milano. She has studied fashion styling and photography from London College of Fashion and she has a degree in Arabic from the School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London. JRC, as she is known, joined the company at the age of 24. She played a pivotal role in the company's automation at the Delhi plant. She has also restructured departments such as HR, Sales and Marketing to build stronger teams. She took over the Mumbai office in 2011.

She is credited with streamlining operations for Bisleri Mineral Water, Vedica Natural Mineral Water from the Himalayas, the luxury segment Fizzy Fruit Drinks and Bisleri Hand Purifier.

Ramesh Chauhan said that the group is in discussions with several prospective buyers. When asked about the report that he has agreed to sell his business to the Tata Group firm, Chauhan, chairman of Bisleri International, said he was not correct. We are still talking. As and when a requirement arises, TCPL will make appropriate announcements in compliance with the guidelines. Bisleri International Spokesperson said later in a media statement: "We are currently in discussion and can't disclose further." If TCPL is able to complete its deal with Bisleri, it is going to transform the Tata group firm into a leader in the fast-growing bottled water segment. TCPL is already present in the bottled water segment with its brand Himalayan, selling packaged mineral water. It is also present in the hydration segment with Tata Copper Plus Water and Tata Gluco.