Of movers & shakers

Meera Gandhi dons several hats. A New-York based Indian billionaire; she is a successful philanthropist, a socialite, CEO of the Giving Back Foundation and a close friend and confidante of the US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Apart from hosting exclusive private parties for the likes of Cherie Blair, Kerry Kennedy and several other creme de la creme of the world, Meera has dedicated her life to work towards empowering women and girls. In an exclusive interview, Meera gave us a peek on the equation she shares with world leaders.

On her friendship with Hillary Clinton
Meera first met one of her role models Hillary Clinton in 2001 during an NY breakfast. She has attended a number of briefings by Clinton and has been a resourceful supporter to the former first lady’s presidential campaign. Today, Hillary is at the centre of one of the most-anticipated US Presidential bids and we see Meera playing a crucial role in her finance committee ‘Hillblazers’, raising funds for her election race.

Sharing about her equation with Hillary, Meera says, “In 2004, she was the guest of honour at a charity dinner held at our NY townhouse, which was held in aid of The Eleanor Roosevelt Girls leadership programme. Since then, I have met Mrs Clinton in London as well as NY. She is a focused and driven human. She has a true desire to serve and understands how many people’s lives she will affect if elected President of the United States of America. The Obama administration has successfully taken USA out of recession, and in turn the entire globe has benefited. It is crucial that the democrats win again. The progress must continue. Too much is at stake and a president that can deliver will be the ultimate choice of the American people. Hillary is competent and understands the global as well as domestic issues that need to be tackled. I admire her greatly and I think she will be the next president of the United States of America.”

Unique bonding with Cherie Blaire
From hosting private lunches to working with The Cherie Blair Foundation for women in the United Kingdom, Meera’s good friends with Cherie Blair, wife of former UK prime minister Tony Blair. “Mrs Blair is capable of great personal friendships. She is intelligent and I have never seen a more efficient world leader like her. She replies to emails promptly and cares for people. She is a great mom to her kids. We have that in common as we both are very involved with our children, in spite of dabbling in other activities. She is a great friend of mine. She regularly stays in touch via emails telling me how proud she is of me and I feel the same way about her!” shares Meera.

Impressions of Prime Minister Modi
Meera Gandhi was among the select few NRIs who dined with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to New York, where he addressed a gathering at Madison Square.

“When he was in NY, I was privileged to attend a private dinner at The Pierre Hotel in NYC hosted by the Ambassador to the USA and the Counsel-General to the USA, Ambassador Mulay. The dinner was attended by NRIs from all over USA, who had excelled in some field or the other. PM Modi was gracious and he applauded what the NRIs were doing to make India proud and to raise the profile of India overseas. PM Modi wants to be the best Prime Minister and understands the role India can play on a world stage and takes it very seriously,” she adds.

Kerry Kennedy
Earlier this year, Meera hosted a gala sit-down dinner for her friend Kerry Kennedy — a human rights activist and the niece of former US President John F. Kennedy, who planned a family trip to India with her three daughters. “Kerry is passionate about her human rights work, and I have known her for 16 years now. I support her foundation and she supports my work. I am fortunate to be able to call her a friend,” she says.

Mother Teresa
As a teenager, Meera had an opportunity of working with Mother Teresa. Talking about her influence in her life, Meera recalls, “She was kind; always laughing and I think I never really knew until now how much of an influence she had on me. I met her on several occasions and I am deeply grateful for that.”