The demise of Parmeshwar Godrej, wife of the chairman of Godrej group Adi Godrej, has sent a wave of sadness across the ones who knew her. A social bee and philanthropist, Parmeshwar (70) breathed her last at the Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai after suffering from degenerative lung disease.
One of the first airhostesses, Parmeshwar headed various social initiatives. The most prominent of these initiatives being her association with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Clinton Global Initiative.
Along with Hollywood actor Richard Gere, she launched ‘Heroes Project’ in 2004 which aimed to combat AIDS.
During an interview to DNA in 2010, Parmeshwar had said that she would not stop till ‘AIDS blurs out of public imagination forever’. Emphasising that the youth of the nation can play an important role in achieving this, Ms Godrej had said that they should be educated about safe sex practices. She had also lauded the coming of elite class in fighting against the deadly disease.
Apart from her contribution to combat AIDS, Parmeshwar was supporting a street kid Sanjay. She also lent her support to her close friend Michael Kadoorie for a school called Sir Elly Kadoorie School. Based in Mazgaon, Mumbai, the school was established with the thought to educate the poor.
Over the years, Ms Godrej had managed to bring on board the elite class of India to ensure awareness about social causes. It was her hard work that Harvard School of Public Health consulted her for a project in India.
To work on an array of philanthropic projects in India, she was picked by Alicia Keys and Leigh Blake through President Clinton's Global initiative. She met US President Barack Obama at the Nobel Peace Prize Awards banquet in Oslo.
A fan of red wine, Ms Godrej’s death is being mourned by many well known celebrities.
It was her social work that made her loved in her circle. It was probably the way that she connected with the oppressed, that writer Shobhaa De had once said about Ms Godrej that it would be derogatory to call her just a socialite.
