Eminent Personality

BHARAT RATNA DR. APJ ABDUL KALAM - Past President of India - 2008

The 13th Scholarship Awards Function was special, because we had for the first time a very eminent gentlemen Bharat Ratna Dr.A.P.Abdul Kalam Past President of India, as our Chief Guest.

Born on 15th October 1931 at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, specialized in Aeronautical Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology. Dr. Kalam made significant contribution as Project Director to develop India’s first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) and made India an exclusive member of Space Club He is known as the missile man He was responsible for the development of AGNI and PRITHVI Missiles.

Dr. Kalam has served as the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, in the rank of Cabinet Minister, and was responsible for evolving policies, strategies and missions for many development applications. Dr. Kalam is one of the most distinguished scientists of India with the unique honour of receiving honorary doctorates from 34 universities and institutions. He has been awarded the coveted civilian awards - Padma Bhushan (1981) and Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (1997).

In his literary pursuit e has published four books - "Wings of Fire", "India 2020 - A Vision for the New Millennium", "My journey" and "Ignited Minds - Unleashing the power within India",

He delivered an inspiring speech that left an indelible impression on the minds of the Lila Fellows and audience alike

Dr.Kalam commended that with the motto “Leading Indian Ladies Ahead” Lila Poonawalla Foundation has empowered, in the last twelve years, nearly 400 women who will nurture at least 4 lakh women through their societal contribution during their life time. He spoke on “Empowment of Women” as the most important need of the day.

Dr.Kalam administered a six point oath to the Lila Fellows as below :

  • I will bring a change in the life of 100 women in education, employment or healthcare
  • I will promote among women courage and self reliance in every walk of life.
  • I will work continuously to remove dowry, girl child feticide and crime against women and children.
  • I will promote among citizens, righteousness in the heart that will blossom the beauty in the character.
  • I will light the lamp of knowledge in the nation and ensure that it remains lit forever.
  • Wherever I will be, I will always be remembered for by me service as a fellow of Lila Poonawalla Foundation.


MS. VINITA BALI - Managing Director, Britannia Industries Ltd. - 2007

At the 12th Anniversary of the Lila Poonawalla Foundation we had, Ms. Vinita Bali, Managing Director, Britannia Industries Ltd. (a subsidiary of Danone group) a well-known, very versatile, corporate leader as our Chief Guest. She charmed the audience with her perseverance, simplicity, and aristocratic and yet very humble and approachable personality.

Ms. Vinita Bali did her bachelors in Economics from Delhi University and MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. She pursued higher studies in business and economics at Michigan State University on a scholarship from Rotary foundation and later interned at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

In Ms. Vinita Bali’s professional career, there are many remarkable accomplishments to her credit. She launched Rasna soft drink concentrate; she accelerated the growth of Cadbury India and rose from Brand Manager to Sales and Marketing Director, Cadbury, Nigeria. As a Marketing Director for Coca-Cola Company she was one of the key players in doubling the historical growth rate of the brand, this advanced her to the position of Vice President (Marketing), Latin America and later as President of the company at Chile. She then joined Sergio Zyman, the globally acclaimed “Marketing Guru” at his group as a Managing Principal.

Her speech was full of inspiring and motivating words. In her own words she emphatically told the girls “ Believe in yourself, be clear what you want, seize the opportunity, pursue your dreams and realize them, have courage of conviction and not allow little deviations distract you from anything, enjoy the journey of success, think of life holistically”. She also added, “While pursuing your professional life, don’t forget relationships, give importance to friendship, think of how your work fits in your life and family, as both are equally important for a wholesome life.”

Dr. Kiran Bedi, the Super COP, was the ‘Guest of Honor’ for this function. She was the Chief Guest for our 1st (1996) and 10th (2005) Scholarship Award Function.  She has always been there for the Foundation. 


MRS. GEETANJALI KIRLOSKAR - Chairperson, India – Japan Initiative - 2006

This year foundation got great opportunity of having a very well-known and versatile lady Mrs. Geetanjali Kirloskar, Chairperson, India – Japan Initiative as a Chief Guest for the 11th Anniversary of the Lila Poonawalla Foundation

Mrs. Geetanjali Kirloskar has a hand in such diverse area as the promotion of multicultural understanding, successful career in advertising, a regular writer for a number of English dailies and magazines, an anchor on television, an actress in Hindi films, an amateur photographer, an art collector, a promoter of contemporary Indian art, a fashion designer, an active sports person and an adventurous hiker.

Mrs. Geetanjali Kirloskar is a commerce (honors) graduate, of the University of Pune. She did a course in computer programming from Control Data Corporation, London, Entrepreneurship at the Administrative Staff College at Hyderabad and Diploma in Fashion Design from Central School of Fashion, London.

She gave a very inspiring speech. She related with the audience at once and observed that all girls desiring to become Lila Fellow have different dreams, and Foundation was the platform for them from where they could take off. She advised LFs to keep adding value to oneself and differentiate the great from the ordinary to be able to climb the success ladder. “You may not be successful in the first attempt but yes it takes courage to come back to life and strive again, Be thankful to the Foundation who gives you the courage to fight against all odds and have respect for such a foundation which does not stop at just giving the cheques.” She concluded with encouraging words “Go ahead. Even sky is not the limit for you”.

DR. KIRAN BEDI - First Women Police Officer (IPS) - 2005

Year 2005 has been a very special year in the life of our Foundation. In this year we have completed a decade of the Foundation.

Dr. Kiran Bedi who had launched the Lila Poonawalla Foundation in 1996, and delivered a very inspiring talk to the awardees (whom she named as Lila Fellows), promised to be with us at the completion of the first decade. And she kept her promise.

Please read the beginning of this page to know about Dr. Kiran Bedi’s career and
philosophy as known to us in 1996.

In the last decade she added many more credits to her already heavy CV. Dr. Kiran Bedi held the position as a Security Advisor to Secretary General of UNO, New York. She is today the most celebrated police officer, having been awarded the Joseph Beuys Award by a German foundation and the Asia Region Award for Drug Prevention & Control by the International Organization of Good Templars (IOGT) a Norwegian organization, the Serge Sotiroff Memorial Award for drug abuse prevention.

In her speech she said that this Foundation is very unique in its own way. It is a family. 

The success of the Foundation proved what a determined individual could accomplish and how an individual can make a difference in the life of so many others. Today’s success and achievements of the Lila Fellows shows how timely support can change an individual’s life

She expressed that giving is the real source of joy.  Your joy multiplies when you give to others.  Every giving has multiplier effect. If you want to remain happy learn to give. 

Finally she impressed upon all the Lila Fellows the importance of being in touch with each other and the Foundation and supply regular oxygen to the Foundation and keep it lively. She also added that it is very important that each Lila Fellow should contribute on your own, instead of starting your own Foundation/social institute. Make the Foundation grow. Togetherness will increase the strength of the Foundation and enable it to increase its reach to many more deserving young girls. 

The speech left everlasting impression on the mind of the audience. 


PROF. INDIRA PARIKH - First Woman Dean, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad - 2004

Prof. Indira Parikh's name is a formidable name in the area of organizational management.  She is not only the first woman dean of IIM Ahmedabad, the country's best business school, but also the first woman dean among all the six IIMs in the country.  She completed her BA in Social Studies in 1969 and MA in Education in 1970 from the University of Rochester USA.  She did her Ph.D in Education in 1979 from Gujarat University Ahmedabad. 

She has held 21 positions in such a short span of 30 years of her career.  It is remarkable and unparalleled.

For all her achievements and contributions to the world of management, Indira has received several awards - Most important of them all is the Lifetime Achievement Award for Best Teacher in Management at the World HRD Congress.  She also has many publications to her credit - Books, research papers, monographs, articles, working papers, etc.  

In her address to the gathering, she emphasized :

“I am best when I can speak from my heart, specially to you young, warm, hopeful and certainly those with love, affection and support, who are taking their first step towards progress.  Look at the skies, look at a much wider horizon and yourself, and see what inherent potential you have in yourself.   You should learn to be proud and accept being a woman, to acknowledge and own up the intelligence, to give oneself the dignity and grace of being a feminine.  And, in the pursuit of being a manager or anybody else, continue to respect the femineity and not become like a man.”

NAINA LAL KIDWAI - Vice Chairman and Managing Director,HSBC Securities and Capital Markets India Pvt. Ltd. - 2003

She is an MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and is the first recipient of the IMC 21st Century award for Finance and Banking and ranked 3rd in Asia by Fortune Magazine in their first ever listing of The World’s Top Women in Business in Asia in 2000. She is also the Winner of the 2003 IMM award for Excellence as Top Women CEO.
While addressing the 8th Award function of The Foundation she emphasized that
Life is all about limitations and limits. Limitation is what is forced on us by circumstances and limits are what we force on ourselves. We need to get out of our comfort Zone and we need to push ourselves a little more. This is the message I would like to give. We are in times of challenges. These are not only challenges but also opportunities so, as we go forward, we should seek the opportunities. But make sure that you strive up the ladder and do not give up easily as you go along.
I would like to share my reflections why there are not more of us women in places of authority and why do some drop away early. There is a clear choice but also adversity will come our way and how we handle this is what is important. We all have to keep renewing ourselves. Success requires no explanation. You need to respect yourself enough so that your self-confidence is intact, whether you succeed or fail. When we fail we learn a lesson

Inspite of all changes around us, we have to decide that there are certain things that never change and those are our core values - The desire to share your money, share your experiences, etc. to extend a helping hand. All this contributes, in some way or the other, to utilize our potential to make our place better for others. “Create happiness and help those around us.”

PADMA BHUSHAN DR. MS. AMRITA PATEL - Chairperson, National Dairy Development Board - 2002

It is not very often that such a gathering of privileged persons like you surrounds me. Privileged I say because, the kind of people I meet and interact everyday are very simple people. Their dreams and ambitions are limited to the happiness of the family. Their efforts are all concentrated towards earning a hand to mouth kind of a living.
The presentation about the girls was a wonderful evidence of what kind of pinnacles earlier awardees have achieved. But what I want to ask is how many of you is really interested to move out of the cities and into villages and do something for the under-privileged, to use your education for your country?
I met this little girl who sold her milk at a price enough to buy her 200 grams of grain that would feed a family of 5. Another nine year old girl had come to sell her milk and I complimented her on the bright red dress she was wearing. And the next moment she was in tears. I was wondering what had I said such that made her cry. On inquiring she said that it was the only dress they shared amongst the females in the family and none of the rest could step out till she got back home.
I would like to give a message to all of you. You are all privileged girls who have been sponsored for higher education. Education lies beyond the bounds of books and materialistic knowledge. Equip yourself with a strong insight as to what you can give to the nation and not what you will get from the nation.

PADMASHREEE MS. KIRAN MAJUMDAR SHAW : Chairperson and Managing Director- Biocon India - 2001

"Listening to all the Lila Fellows and the great work the foundation is doing is indeed amazing and that too in an important area - Women's Education. I would like to congratulate all the Lila Fellows and would like to tell you how lucky you are to be parts of this foundation and to pursue your respective careers Opportunities exist everywhere in this country of ours. They are really God sent. Unless you do something with this, you will loose it all. If you have determination and courage, nothing is impossible. We are not a weak sex or a denied sex. Have belief in yourself although society makes you feel less important. Each one of you who are pursuing higher education is going to have a very important role to play. Those who dare are the ones who will succeed. Each one of you has this potential in you. You are not different from the ones who succeed. Success does not come easily. It is a tough road to go through. When you are successful, make sure you give it back to society. You have been fortunate because of this foundation so do give it back so it can nurture some more needy girls. Wish you all the best."

DR. MALLIKA SARABHAI : World Renowned Bharatnatyam Dnacer and Women Activist, CEO Of Rigional Language Channel - 2000

She espoused the cause the women in her passionate address the Lila fellows. She stressed on the staggering realities of the exploitation of women especialy in India, not just as mothers and wives but also as professionals. "They are victims who suffer silently, very few possessing the courage to put their life strings together again. We need to assist such women." She herself is closely involved with the amelioration and emancipation of such women through her academy of fine arts. Her appeal to the Lila fellows is to aid such women whenever they come across them in life and to use their precious gift of the scholarship to educate atleast one women, do just anything that can make a difference in the life of one individual woman like themselves.

DR. REENA RAMACHANDRAN : Chairperson & M.D., Hindustan Organic Chemicals Lld. -1999

50% of worlds population comprises of women. But women have always belonged to the category of the destitute, illiterate, refugees, small workers and unpaid housewives only. Women are entering unconventional professions and taking over senior positions - 27.4% in the developed countries, 10% in the developing nations and staggering 2.3% in India, this denotes that the intrinsic potential to improve exists. The economy needs the best out of women.

SHOBHA DE : Author / Journalist - 1998

Today, women have the power to dream and make it happen. What is most important is how we can perceive ourselves in the next few decades which will ultimately define not just our positions but also the next century. Merit should be rewarded. Let us not take advantage of being women but deliver the best we have. That is what matters. Traditional roles are being redefined, especially at the work place. Women should let their instincts be their guides and not clone men. Freedom is about choice. Women who choose to be home makers should not be marginalized.

SHABANA AZMI : Member of Parliament and Film Actor - 1997

We can wax eloquent that women should be empowered. But one needs to identify the means of achieving it. It is more than acquiring the economic independence because women are still doing traditional chores at home and lead a routine life. In order to achieve economic independence. It's important that women themselves get together and discover their own solutions instead of depending on others for their aid.

DR. KIRAN BEDI : First Women Police Officer (IPS) - 1996

First Women Police Officer (IPS), social reformer and author. A Winner of Magsasey Award A man brings enterprises into business. A woman does more. She brings in team spirit, the concept of family, compassion, nurturing and sharing. Men acquire these, Women are born with it. Each one of should think what's going to make me different? Time is the same for all of us - born equal. How you use your time in freedom and captivity is upto you. Life is yours, It's what you make of it. Be your own best friend and master of your thoughts. Develop a love for education. There are no short cuts and learning never ends. Discover what you can do for India and just do it!