Who was Parmeshwar Godrej? Wife of billionaire business tycoon Adi Godrej, she was a businesswoman, compassionate philanthropist, and more.
The Godrej Group is one of the most influential business families in India. Established by Ardeshir Godrej, the group is now headed by Adi Godrej, who modernised the management structure. Adi heads the business along with his brother, Nadir Godrej and his cousin, Jamshyd Godrej. Adi was married to popular socialite, Parmeshwar Godrej, one of the dynamic faces of the glamour world.
Parmeshwar Godrej was a force of nature who charmed everyone around her. She was a philanthropist, a wonderful wife and mother, and above all, a great humanitarian. She made a huge impact on the family business and on social circuits as well. Parmeshwar had several creative businesses, from designing clothes for celebrities to decorating homes; she was a trendsetter. Let us delve into more details about the dynamic personality of Parmeshwar Godrej.
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Born into an upper-middle-class Sikh family in 1945, Parmeshwar was the daughter of an army officer. She received her education from Yadavindra Public School in Patiala and was one of the first air hostesses of Air India.
Parmeshwar met Adi Godrej while flying with Air India. She was 17, and he was 21. The two had an intense romantic period before getting married in 1965. They had three children: two daughters, Tanya Dubash and Nisa Godrej, and a son, Pirojsha Adi Godrej.
Despite coming from an upper-middle-class family, Parmeshwar never had to fit into the billionaire business family she got married into. Instead, she changed the Godrejs more than she changed herself. The conservative Parsi family was introduced to the world of glamour by Parmeshwar, who was the heart and soul of every event.
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Many people don’t know this, but Parmeshwar Godrej was India’s first designer, who started the Dancing Silks boutique at the Oberoi. She also made clothes for the top heroines in the 1970s. At the request of her friend and actor Feroz Khan, she designed costumes for Hema Malini in the 1975 film, Dharmatma.
Parmeshwar Godrej launched Inner Spaces, an interior design firm in 1982 along with her friend, Sunita Pitamber. The firm designed aesthetic spaces for millionaires in Bombay, Delhi and London. Inner Spaces is best known for its approach to restaurant décor. Later, Parmeshwar got involved in Godrej Group’s business.
Parmeshwar was one of the top notch-philanthropists in India who worked relentlessly for the betterment of the health sector. She was known for her work in combating AIDS in India through the Heroes Project. The project was launched in 2004, and she partnered with Hollywood actor Richard Gere for the same. The project also got support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative.
Apart from her philanthropic works, Parmeshwar had a great rapport with celebrities from across the globe and often hosted parties at her beach house in Juhu. Her legendary parties were always the talk of the town and were attended by celebrities like Richard Gere, Goldie Hawn, Oprah Winfrey, Salman Rushdie, Amitabh Bachchan, and many others.
The parties hosted by Parmeshwar were considered iconic, and it was not because of the A-listed guests but because of her own hospitality and sense of warmth. Parmeshwar shared a great rapport with celebs like Vinod Khanna, Feroz Khan, Aamir Khan, Gauri Khan, Salman Khan, Tina Ambani and Anil Ambani.
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Despite her exuberant public persona and glamorous lifestyle, she was an innate Punjabi at heart. A great host, generous, full of life yet very down to earth and vulnerable. One of her good friends and author, Shobha De, once talked about Parmeshwar and her grounded nature and said:
“She knew who she was. She was intensely proud of her roots. She was anchored in her Sikh faith and remained devout till the end. She had not forgotten her middleclass upbringing which ensured she remained grounded despite being married to a billionaire.”
Parmeshwar was a close friend of former cricketer, turned politician, and former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan. Their friendship began around the 1970s, when Imran was getting a lot of attention for his game. He was a heartthrob of millions of girls, and Parmeshwar, on the other hand, was hailed as Mumbai’s high-profile socialite. She was getting popular with a reputation for assembling global celebs at her parties.
Imran was a frequent guest at Parmeshwar’s high-profile parties. Not just this, Imran also shot an advertisement for Godrej soap in 1987. In the 1992 World Cup, when Imran captained Pakistan to victory, he received a bottle of Tyrrell’s Cognac, which the cricketer reportedly gifted to his good friend, Parmeshwar.
Parmeshwar Godrej suffered a degenerative lung disease and was undergoing treatment for the same. In the last few years, she stayed away from the limelight because of her ailment. She stayed away from pollution and could not even take the strain of talking too much. On October 10, 2016, the socialite bid adieu to the world at the age of 71 at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital.
Surviving in the glittering fame, powered by money and stardust is not everyone’s game, but Parmeshwar mastered the art. She burst into social circles with her enigmatic presence. With her power and position, Parmeshwar devoted her life to the causes she believed in.
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