Lila Poonawalla – Life of zeal, warmth, concern and more…

March 6, 2017

International Women’s Day Special

Lila Poonawalla’s office is adorned with several cards and colourful craft pieces made by the young girls studying under her foundation. She regularly meets them, keeps a check on their academic progress and if need be, she scolds them like a mother to push them to do better. Her zeal to educate these girls comes from the passion she had while pursuing her degree in engineering, thus becoming India’s first woman in the field of mechanical engineering in 1967. She speaks to Pune365 about her life while growing up, a love for challenges and a special advice for working women.

Your family came to Pune after the Partition and you were raised by your mother while growing up. What motivated you to continue your education and pursue engineering?

Engineering was not on my mind while growing up. I wanted to go to school because my brothers used to go to school. I was the only girl in the family. The challenge for me was to go to school. Engineering came to my mind only when I was in the tenth standard. I wanted to do something different so I told my friends that I wanted to do engineering. ‘Are you mad? How can a girl do engineering? Girls don’t go into engineering’, is what my friends said. I said that I would do it and show them. That was the turning point. I love challenges and I did it because they thought I couldn’t. I got good grades and I decided not to go to Nowrosjee Wadia College because it wasn’t very well known for academics back then. Instead, I went to Fergusson College because all the intellectuals went there.

How supportive was your mother about your education?

She was very supportive. She suffered a lot as she lost her husband and was the only earning member of the family. She had to do menial jobs like make papads and pickles. That was not a very good life for her. She was very keen on my education and used to constantly tell me to do well and focus on my studies. My elder brothers didn’t get the chance to study because they needed to work. There was no money in the house to feed an eight-member family. We had a refugee allowance of Rs 50 and an additional Rs 50 came from my father’s life insurance. Rs 100 were a lot those days but still it wasn’t enough for the school fees, clothing and eating of eight people. My elder brother started to work when he was hardly 11 years old. Most of my brothers later went abroad like most Sindhis did. I was the only one who studied.

All the girls studying under the Lila Poonawalla Foundation call you ‘Mom’ and Firoz Poonawalla ‘Dad’. What does it feel like to be the driving force behind the education of so many girls?

It is a very satisfying feeling! Being a mother doesn’t just mean that you have to give birth to a child. It is much more than that. It is a bigger challenge when you have to take care of a gown child because you have to groom her and it is a big responsibility.

In all your years as the head of Alfa Laval, what have your learnings been and how do you incorporate them in your work today?

When I was in Alfa Laval, I was very passionate about my work. I had to show that I was the best at it. It didn’t matter to me what the work was but I had to be determined to do it. Similarly, when I work for the foundation, I am very passionate about it. I do it because I want to do it and not because any one is forcing me. At Alfa Laval, I learnt the importance of networking and maintaining those relationships. All the people I met and the friends I made then are now extremely helpful when it comes to running the foundation. It is very important to learn how to maintain your network and keep in touch with people you’ve met.

What would your advice for working women be?

In my opinion, you have to decide what you want to do. If you want to work and have a family then you really have to put in all the efforts. You should not complain. You have to schedule your day accordingly. I wake up in the morning to cook but I don’t think of that as a negative. It is something that I like to do, that’s why I do it. It is your attitude that has to change and it should be positive.