Behind the trademark red and white counter of a Cafe Coffee Day in an old neighbourhood of Bangalore, a young barista makes a cappuccino in tears. She has just heard that Mr V.G. Siddhartha, the 60-year-old founder of India's largest coffee chain, may have committed suicide. A policeman can be heard on her smartphone saying his body had just been found in a river.

Ms Meghana, who has worked in the cafe for only eight months, is heartbroken. She last met Mr Siddhartha on one of his famed quarterly visits to every one of the city's outlets.