TOP 10 Controversies of Shark Tank India's Namita Thapar
From being labeled as selfish for prioritizing self-care to sharing her passion for Gujarati cuisine, Shark Tank India's Namita Thapar has many unknown facets. Take a look at the intriguing details about this businesswoman's life, shedding light on her personal interests and the misconceptions she faces. Namita’s love for Gujju food
I like typical Gujju food because... You know we put a little sugar in everything. So now it's summer and I like my ras rotli. And everybody will be like, who eats sweet things with roti? Yeah but everything I like, even my dal… our Gujarati Dal has a little sugar in it. So, I like that. Even my Thepla is a little sweet. So, my food is made separate. And then my two boys and Vik are true blood Punjabis. They only want their Chole and their Paneer and their Aloo Paratha and all of that. So, we actually everyday have two types of cuisine made at home. I like my Gujju hard-cooked. So it's quite a challenge for my cook, but he survived.
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Staying connected to her Gujju roots
I'm very grateful to my mother because at some point she realised that I have completely changed. She thought I have become westernised and who knows what will happen to my children. So she started having these annual Garba parties. And she would call an entire troupe of dancers from Ahmedabad. And she would call live singers from Ahmedabad. And all of us would dress up, not in lehengas but in chanya choli. And then of course Sanedo Sanedo and all. We would like to do Garba. And I am not the best dancer. And you know I must admit that my dandiyas have injured a few people. In an attempt to be synchronised. But I have at least... enjoyed those garba parties.
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Having Undhiyo parties
Now my mom has moved from her garba parties to undhiyu parties. So every January she has these some 15 chefs come from Surat and make a bunch of undhiyu. They make very nice you know undhiyu and all that typical gujju khawanu. And then we serve that to all our guests. So January is our annual Undhiyu party that I absolutely look forward to.
Women are conditioned to sacrifice
You know, all of us are conditioned from childhood to be this Meena Kumari, self-sacrificing, perfect woman, the good girl. And so, it's very difficult for us not to say no. We're not good at saying no. So, everyone has told me, I have a lot of younger cousins, nieces, and I tell all of them that first learn to say no. It's very important. To be labeled Dai Chokri, very often we give up on our needs and our aspirations. So it's nice to be Dai. But not die at the cost of giving up what's important to you. You need to take care of yourself.
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On being labeled as selfish
A couple of things I think women need to do more. Self-love. I think people don't understand there's a difference between selfish and self-love. Very often when I take out time for myself, to do things for myself I'm labeled selfish and earlier that used to bother me and I'm like no this is self-love and it's important.
Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
I've always worked hard. So, I always had to come first in class. I was the first girl to go abroad without getting married, which was a big thing in my traditional family. I did my MBA. I worked there for many years. And then I moved back to join the family business. So, I've always been a very hard working person But I think now I have more of a balance I know how to work hard, but to have a good time as well. It's important to have fun at work. And it's important to take care of yourself and have fun outside of work as well.
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How Namita’s mother inspired her
My mom broke a lot of stereotypes in her day and age. She got married at the age of 19. She had me when she was like 20 or 21. And she went into such a traditional Gujju family. She wasn't allowed to cut hair. She wasn't allowed to wear sleeveless clothes. You know, they were very highly educated women. But there were some Gujju traditions around how you look and how you behave. And, you know, my mother came from an Anaval Brahmin. Gujju family and my father was from a Jain family so their wedding was opposed though they were both Gujaratis. So then she literally ran away and got married and I think there were two people from her family, who attended her wedding. So she was quite rebellious even back in the day. She was quite a feminist back in the day because she was like, you know, I'm cutting my hair, I'm wearing sleeveless and I'm doing what the hell I want and she made sure that her daughter, the one thing she kept telling me is Girls need to be financially independent. She just drilled that in my head.
06-30-2024, 01:48 PM
TOP 10 Controversies of Shark Tank India's Namita Thapar
