21 Facts About Rajashree Birla

Rajashree Birla was born in 1948 in Madurai, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, in a family which hailed originally from Rajasthan in north-western India.

The first stage, being the engagement, was performed when Rajashree Birla was around 10 years old.

Rajashree Birla's fiance was Aditya Vikram Birla, scion of the Birla family and grandson of the legendary business magnate Ghanshyam Das Birla.

The second stage comprised the initial ceremony of marriage, which was performed when Rajashree Birla was 14, and the final ceremonies was performed in 1965, when she was 17 years old.

In June 1967, Rajashree became a mother with the birth of a son, Kumar Mangalam Birla.

Rajashree Birla has in interviews attributed this quality to the influence of Mahatma Gandhi upon her family and the teachings of the Bhagwat Gita.

Rajashree Birla has stated that her favourite axiom at all time, good and bad alike, is the phrase "This too will pass," a quotation from the Bhagwat Gita.

Rajashree Birla sits on the boards of her family businesses in India and abroad and heads the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, the charity arm of the Aditya Birla Group, which looks after the corporate social responsibilities of the conglomerate.

Rajashree Birla is involved in activities related to assistance to rural poor and physically disabled people, widow remarriage and activism against dowry.

Rajashree Birla oversees the running of a healthcare initiative which conducts around 3500 medical camps a year, attending to reportedly 3 million patients.

Rajashree Birla has donated US$1 million to Rotary International for the eradication of polio.

Rajashree Birla is in active association with Population First a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the cause of female foeticide.

Rajashree Birla maintains a close association with Habitat for Humanity, sits on the Boards of its Asia Pacific and Global committees and attended Habitat conference in Manila, the Philippines, in 2012.

Rajashree Birla has personally arranged a contribution of 100 million to the Habitat for Humanity.

Rajashree Birla is reported to be largely successful and her foundation has distributed monies in the form of loans to the prospective husbands for starting small businesses.

Rajashree Birla admits that this initiative is the one closest to her heart.

Rajashree Birla is in the process of setting up two more kitchens in Odisha, at a cost of one million, to cater to 60,000 children.

Rajashree Birla is planning to open vocational institutes in Kerala.

Rajashree Birla has built a memorial to her late husband in Pilani, Rajasthan and is looking to build a temple in Pune.

Apart from being the Director board member of most of the Aditya Birla Group companies, Rajashree Birla holds or has held various other posts of importance.

Rajashree Birla is the trustee of many foundations related to her family such as G D Birla Medical Research and Education Foundation, Vasavadatta Foundation, Neerja Foundation, Rajashree Foundation, Aditya Birla Foundation and Aditya Vikram Birla Memorial Trust.