In this episode of Give It A Go, host Naghma Mulla sits down with Dr. Swati Piramal and Mr. Ajay Piramal to explore how they’ve built successful businesses while driving meaningful social impact.
Grounded in the principles of seva, spirituality, and equanimity inspired by the Gita, they reflect on their family’s legacy of giving - from pioneering girls’ education in Rajasthan to leading large-scale public health interventions.
The conversation explores critical gaps that still exist - healthcare research skewed toward men, widespread anaemia and mental health challenges among women, and persistent pay inequality.
Mr. Ajay highlights why sustainable change in India requires working with the government, not outside it - focusing on improving the efficiency of large-scale public spending. He discusses initiatives like the Piramal School of Leadership, which invests in strengthening mid-level leadership within public systems, and their work addressing multidimensional poverty, water access, nutrition, and deep-rooted tribal health inequities.
Together, they emphasize starting early with giving, staying hands-on, and finding genuine joy in service.
Chapters:
00:00 Highlights of the Episode
01:19 Meet the Guests
02:40 Legacy of Giving
08:33 Gita and Giving
11:23 Women in Leadership
14:38 Equanimity in Success
19:04 Passing Values Forward
21:13 Working With Government
24:02 Training Mid-Level Leaders
25:06 Turning 70 and Going All In
27:26 Tech for Health Inequities
28:55 Tribal Gap and Inequality
31:30 Advice for Women Leaders
33:47 Equal Pay and Fellowships
37:19 Owning Philanthropy Together
39:26 Start Giving Earlier
44:47 Final thoughts