In Conversation with Meera Gandhi
By kamla bhatt • May 17th, 2007Category: Diaspora, Featured, India, Mumbai, New York, People
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Meera Gandhi is a mother, a wife, a businesswoman, and a philanthropist, who works with various organizations and charities like CRY, The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute at Hyde Park, Eleanor Roosevelt at Val Kill and many others. Meera is also actively involved in Senator Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign, and hopes to host a fund raiser dinner at her home for Senator Clinton.
In this interview Meera talks about her work with various organizations, as well as the historic townhouse that she and her husband Vikram share with their children in New York. In 2000 the Gandhis bought the former home of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s townhouse. I asked Meera if she has any plans to run for any political office. Tune in to fine out what she has to say.
Technorati tags: Meera Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt
Kamla Bhatt is the host and producer of an Internet Radio show where listeners can find stories about the new and emerging India and the global Indian community. As a pioneer of 'internet radio' format in India Kamla started her first show News about India, followed by TalkNewsIndia in 2005. In 2006 she premiered her new show: The Kamla Bhatt Show: Life, People and Ideas. 
Wow! A woman who has so much to offer! It was a privilege to listen to this interview and to be inspired by someone who has accomplished so much at such a young age. Ms. Kamala’s questions were very poignant and guided the interview very well to keep it interesting. Thank you!
Ellen Futter from the AMNH, Senator Hillary Clinton and Dennis Chang, Tarun Tahiliani, Raghu Rathore, Rohit Bal,My three children Kiran, Kanika and Kabir, husband Vikram… ERVK, FERI, Sunita My sister, My mother Ellen Agarwal….Please enjoy..you are part of this and of course my life…
Meera.. In my opinion is very capable of any political position if she ever chooses to run for,she is not only good but very qualified for it
My best wishes for her
[...] For this week I have two new interviews: Meera Gandhi and VK Murthy. [...]
Thanks Kiran for your feedback and glad to read that you enjoyed listneing to the interview.
Meera: It was a real pleasure to interview.
Tashi: Yes, I agree with you that Meera is very qualified to run anywhere.
Thanks all for reading and sharing your thoughts.
kamla
Thank you so much. I loved listening to my Mom. She is funny and intelligent.
Your website is cool and the interview was very interesting. I also enjoyed listening to the other people on your show. Thanks
Kamla,
Sorry for being late in commenting.
I just caught up with the last three podcasts and listened to all of them on my Ipod this weekend while on a longish walk early in the morning.
I listened, in particular to this interview with Meera Gandhi with great interest.
It’s great to see one more woman from India balancing career and family so ably and coming out on top and that too in an alien land.
Running a play home for kids, involving in the fashion and garment industry, investment banking, social activism, philanthropy and now politics. She has traveled a long way.
Her voice was great. It was a pleasure listening.
I also salute her husband who I presume, must have given her tremendous support even while being preoccupied with his own career and ambitions. So many great women I know with potential are handicapped by lack of support from the hubby. The male ego is a terrible thing. Not many orthodox Indian women here would risk domestic unhappiness and still launch forth without the hubby’s support. Instead they allow their talents to just fade
away and sacrifice them at the altar of “domestic harmony.”
I am glad Meera is rooting for Hillary. I think a woman as president is just what the USA needs today. Hillary qualifies eminently. What a contrast when compared with Bush!
It’s time America departed from convention. They have never had a woman for president. They have never had an African American, or Hispanic, or Asian for President.
I don’t know much about the other fancied Democratic Candidate, Obama. May be he too would be a good choice.
I only hope the Republicans don’t attempt to kill two birds with one stone by roping in Condoliza Rice to counter the woman in Hillary and the color of Obama.
As regards Meera’s acquiring the town house belonging to the Roosevelts at one time, it is a matter of great satisfaction. The last time I felt like this was when Laxmi Mittal acquired a grand house in UK.
To hear that India is shining from her lips gave me special satisfaction.
Finally I have noted her interest in participating in Indian politics. Ughh! There I have my reservations. I just can’t see a lady like her getting involved with Indian politics. It’s just too dirty. The days of Gandhi and Nehru are gone. You need to be a Mayawati or a Jayalalitha and have sharp claws to survive here and Meera is a far cry from either of them or the likes of Mamta Bannerjee or Uma Bharati.
In my humble and insignificant opinion, Meera is too refined for the rough and tumble of Indian Politics.
Please convey my best wishes to her and to her family.
And special thanks to you for this podcast.I found it so interesting that I listened twice and have saved it up for listening once again in future.
Regards
G Vishwanath