With gumption grace

If extolling the virtues of a woman of multiple facets has now become a thing of the past, you haven’t met Urvi Piramal. Riding every crest and swell of life like a seasoned surfer, she has kept her balance, playing her part with dignity and passion. If she surrounds herself with Zen artefacts on one hand, she feels love and respect for the wild tiger on the other. If she downs spoonfuls of bitter gourd powder every morning, she is also an exacting gourmand who refuses to eat the same thing everyday. If she is the chairman of the Ashok Piramal Group, she is also a mother of three sons. NIRATI AGARWAL discovers that whether it is as a mother, a mother-in-law, a grandmother, a wildlife enthusiast, a friend, or an industrialist, Urvi Piramal, in her many avatars, is a unique combination of vulnerability and strength, resilience and grace.

Photographs: Pallavi Gujarathi

How does Urvi Piramal feel when a tiger stalks past her jeep, less than five feet away? Before I had the opportunity to sit down with her in her quaint garden over a cup of coffee, I would have thought she felt power, anxiety, and maybe a touch of fear. But as she relaxes in the wicker chair with her dog Sparkles sniffing at her toes, she tells me she feels exhilarated, thrilled and at peace! Urvi Piramal is quite a woman—an unexpectedly tough wildlife enthusiast, a loving mother, a strategic decision-maker in the boardroom, a guide for her three sons and an adoring mother-in-law. All these are but facets of her personality, and it is a joy and a privilege to put them together like jigsaw. The complete image, when it emerges, is that of a self-empowered woman who continues to live her life with dignity, self-belief and humility.





For the love of the tiger

We start our conversation with her love for tigers and there’s an unmistakable joie de vivre in her voice. “It walks past you with such ease, yet emanates power. The tiger’s grace, power and stealth are just mind-blowing.” Though she has been travelling to wildlife sanctuaries in Kenya and India since she was a little girl, she credits Hemendra Kothari for introducing her to the tiger. It was during the trip they took to the Kanha National Park that she fell in love with the animal. Her work for improving the living conditions in tiger sanctuaries has been lauded by wildlife supporters, but to her, this is just a natural reaction to her connection with the environment. “Tigers are an endangered species, and the forests they live in are linked to the water security of the nation. It is all a cycle, and the least I can do is my duty.”