Courting love: When Mukesh Ambani drove for 3 hrs to meet fiancee Nita

At a Mumbai event to release a book chronicling the stories of 24 eminent women, Swati Piramal took the mic. Reading from the chapters on Nita Ambani, Rajashree Birla, Parmeshwar Godrej and Chanda Kochhar, she engaged the audience with her own anecdotes that offered an intimate glimpse into their lives:
Ajay would ask, ‘Did he (Mukesh) hold your (Nita’s) hand today?’

There was a time when the country’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, drove a green Fiat. And took a ride on a Mumbai double decker bus. But he did so, when he was courting Nayantara Dalal, as the book reveals Nita was known back then.


Nita Ambani and Shahrukh Khan pose during Gunjan Jain's 'She Walk, She Leads' book launch in Mumbai.

Piramal recalled how the young Ambani drove for three hours into the city from Patalganga (where the Ambanis were building a plant back then) to meet his wife-to-be.

This story is of special significance to Piramal. Her husband Ajay and she played a part in the story. Mukesh and Nita would meet at the Piramal House. “Every day she would come from a drive with Mukesh and we would wait for her. And Ajay (Piramal) would ask her, did he hold your hand today? So we saw the first of the romance. They were wonderful days,” Piramal said.
Song dedication: ‘Dil Hai Chhota Sa’, a popular melody from Mani Ratnam’s film Roja, was chosen as a musical tribute for Nita.

Parmeshwar, Adi Godrej’s social light
Often referred to as the ‘hostess with the mostest’, Parmeshwar is known for being a masterful connector. Not surprisingly therefore, her children, Tanya, Nisaba and Pirojsh a speak in the book of their mother’s social skills .

Piramal read a line that she especially likes, “Our mother is a strong source of support for our father. She is definitely the one who networks, creates friendships, associations and contacts that have been very useful for our father.”

As Parmeshwar could not attend the event on account of being unwell, Adi Godrej took her place on stage instead.

Song dedication: The song picked out for Parmeshwar was ‘Pretty Woman’ (by Roy Orbison), “because she is so beautiful and the work done by Richard Gere and her for HIV / Aids,” Piramal said, explaining her choice of song.

Rajashree Birla’s ‘grace under extreme pressure’
At the launch, Piramal invited Rajashree Birla on stage. In the book, she recalls the Birla matriarch ordering sweets from Piramal’s mother’s patisserie. These were ordered for her husband Aditya at a time when he was unwell. And even in trying times, Rajashree would make it a point to convey his appreciation. “That showed her grace under pressure,” Piramal said.

That’s a word, Rajashree’s daughter-in-law, Neerja (industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla’s wife) also uses to describe her in the book: a symbol of grace and quiet dignity. “Everyone in the family really looks up to her and my grandparents-in-law and aunts-in-law consider her word as final,” Neerja said.

Song dedication: Though Birla was born in south India, she lives in Mumbai. But, to honour her Rajasthani heritage, a folk song from the desert state was considered befitting: ‘Kesariya padharo mhare desh’.

Meetings, weddings and Chanda Kochhar
The last woman Piramal invited on stage was her “boss at one time (when she was on the board of ICICI Bank)”.

“One of the things that I remember about the ICICI board meetings is that they were always very serious. And there were hundreds of numbers and lots of jargon. In the middle, Chanda (Kochhar) and I used to talk about what we like the most: making marriage programs for our children. And we decided what we would do when her daughter (Aarti) got married,” Piramal recalled.

She then went on to read a paragraph from the book about Kochhar, written by the author. Piramal felt it is applicable not just to Kochhar but all the women, who juggle multiple responsibilities, treading the delicate balance of work and life.

Song dedication: I believe I can fly by R Kelly.