On a personal note: Nayana Kathpalia

geetanjali

Geetanjali Minhas | January 24, 2015




Nayana Kathpalia has been fighting to save Mumbai’s open spaces. As the founder trustee of NAGAR, she has been working on solid waste management, improvement in air quality, preserving beaches, mangroves, heritage places, efficient road space management and water conservation. She is also a trustee of the OVAL Trust that has been instrumental in restoring and maintaining Mumbai’s iconic Oval Maidan and the historic Cross Maidan Garden. In 2010 she was targeted for her relentless protests against Slum Rehabilitation Authority scheme for open spaces and advocating zoning of hawkers.

The book I am reading now: ‘Being Mortal’ by Dr Atul Gawande…. a book about medicine and what matters in the end. The author argues that acceptance of mortality must lie at the centre of the way we treat the dying.

My favourite pastime: Reading and listening to Hindustani classical music.

Saving open spaces in Mumbai has taught me: ... about what drives Mumbai and its greed and venality regarding land issues.

The biggest influence in my life: The people I worked with and the experience I got on heritage and urban issues at INTACH in Delhi where I volunteered from 1985 to 1993.

My greatest challenge:
Keeping to dietary restrictions prescribed by my doctor.

My favourite holiday destination: Bhutan.

My comfort food: Daal chawal and hot buttered toast with tea.

At present I am busy with: Issues related to the four trusts I am engaged with – The OVAL Trust, Horniman Circle Garden Trust, NAGAR and UDRI.

One thing I wish I could change: The deep-rooted patriarchy.

I want to be remembered as: Frankly, I don’t... but maybe as someone who tried hard to bring sense to the civic chaos in my city, Mumbai – one that has gone adrift from the one I remember growing up in – Bombay.

My favourite quote: From the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:

You are what your deep, driving desire is
As your desire is, so is your will
As your will is, so is your deed
As your deed is, so is your destiny.

A memorable moment: When former president S Radhakrishnan gave the Bombay University contingent the first prize at the inter university youth festival held in Delhi. I was part of this contingent as a Koli dancer, wearing a traditional nine-yard sari – a cause of much amusement to the all-India audience.

Comments

 

Other News

Before India voted, the framers worried about the referee

“We are making a Constitution forever and not only for today.” Shibban Lal Saksena said this in the Constituent Assembly on June 15, 1949. He was warning that a ruling party might one day choose a loyalist to run India’s elections. Seventy-seven years later, the Supreme Court is wrestli

Delhi moves to real-time traffic management

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, has approved implementation of the ITMS Project by Delhi Police at an estimated cost of Rs.1,789.52 crore, inclusive of taxes. The project will cover 42 identified traffic corridors and will be implemented in three

MDR on UPI: Can sustainability come without weakening the network?

The extraordinary transaction volumes and value (₹29.82 Lakh crore in August 2026 alone) of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) have made it not only an Indian success story, but a global one. In 2024, UPI accounted for nearly 49% of the world’s real-time payment transaction volume, with more th

The Xi-Trump summit: The unending rivalry

Diplomacy is akin to an art, wherein the summitry, conflict resolution and negotiations form apt constituents of the entire context of deal making and “playing for keeps” in the international arena. The Xi-Trump summit in Washington last week, in which the American president broke all conside

“Indians, yet treated like outsiders”

Moving to Delhi-NCR for education can be an exciting experience for students from Northeast India. It gives us a chance to meet new people, experience a different culture and become more independent. But living away from home also comes with challenges that people who have not experienced them may not al

Import duty on major edible oils cut

The government has reduced the Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on major imported crude edible oils with a view to moderating domestic edible oil prices, providing relief to consumers and mitigating inflationary pressures arising from the sharp increase in international edible oil prices.  

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter