Daisy Irani stands tall before her home in Jamshedpur. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Even if she was not born with a silver spoon, Daisy Irani is one lucky woman. Daisy, who was born in to a comfortable life and married into luxury, could have settled for a blissful life ignorant of all social responsibilities. But she refused to be so. Instead, she chose to become what she is today, an inspiration to many, having balanced both a private life and public persona with elan.

For those who require an introduction, Daisy Irani is the better half of J.J Irani, the former managing director of the Tata Steel.

Though Daisy feels that she is a home body, but she was never too fond of just sitting around and basking in the glory of a wonderful life.

Born in the steel city, Daisy finished her education from Sacred Heart Convent School. Her higher studies took her to Chennai where she also did a years? course in catering.

Then she donned the role of a banker albeit for a short time. That was her first foray into the public and professional sphere. Daisy, however, knew at the back of her mind that she would be back in Jamshedpur before long. ?Never did the idea of staying away from my parents and pursuing a career outside the city strike me as an attractive option. I always knew that I would come back to Jamshedpur in three year?s time,? says Daisy, fondly remembering her brief but nonetheless enjoyable association with the Bank of Baroda.

?We were three girls at the bank and enjoyed our work thoroughly as a team. I particularly enjoyed interacting with so many people. It was a real pleasure,? she states recalling a particular incident.

?Once our bank was supporting a nationwide strike called by different banks and we were required to sit out of our office on the steps to show our support. It made for such a hilarious sight. All of us sitting out made everyone crossing the bank look at us. They even stopped to ask us the reason. Working women get a lot of attention, both favourable and unfavourable,? says Daisy.

But only two years in the banking job, she was married to J.J. Irani, a turning point in her life. With marriage, came numerous responsibilities.

She left her work as she believed in spending quality time with her family. ?Even my husband with all his erratic work schedule ensured that he spent at least half-an-hour with the children once they were growing up,? she says, adding: ?There can be no substitute for the love and time that the parents can spend on their children.?

She, however, realised her duties as a citizen and decided to take a more interactive and positive role in society.

She became attached with the Family Planning Centre, a voluntary organisation, which worked towards creating awareness among the masses. Her job mainly included a close monitoring of the working of the organisation and looking after its financial needs. ?Our objective was to educate women from around the city and to raise an awareness among them and to enable them to be self sufficient,? says Daisy.

As vice-president and then president of the All-India Women?s Conference, Daisy was at the helm of affairs looking after Shishu Niketan. ?Working there gave me immense pleasure as I was able to interact with children, who I think are god?s representatives on earth,? feels the doting mother in her.

Then it was time to set up Jamshedpur Public School. ?Initially there was a lot of opposition from the local people as they were not very keen to let us start an English-medium school in that part of the city. There was a day when all of us were gheraoed and we were not allowed to move out of the school building,? she says recollecting the hardship that they had to face in the initial years.

Such incidents hardly deterred her and the lady fought hard along with her team and they could finally convince parents. Her tenure as the president lasted for 10 years. Her association with local voluntary organisations and even cultural bodies like Sangeet Kala Kendra gave her ample scope to nurture her varied interests.

For someone who always wanted to be a doctor, today she is happy that she married a ?doctor?, albeit not a medical practitioner. ?For me it was satisfying enough that I married a person who writes ?doctor? before his name,? laughs Daisy.

Her husband and children have been her inspirations and played a pivotal role in her life. ?He has always given me a free hand in taking my own decisions and today I have no qualms in accepting his role as my mentor and guide. Even my children understood me and I enjoyed their full support. I insisted on attending meetings in the morning hours when they were in school,? says a proud Daisy.

Today, Daisy is settled in Mumbai and is a content woman who believes that she has played her small part in society. Nowadays one would find her reading autobiographies, or busy rustling up favourite dishes for her family. ?Though I enjoy cooking, I doubt if I would, if I had to don the chef?s hat everyday,? she adds. With New Year round the corner, she has her hands full because her Singapore-based son will be visiting her soon. ?I am looking forward to playing with my grandchildren,? she puts in enthusiastically with a huge grin so characteristic of her.

Saswati Mukherjee