Navya Naveli Nanda credits grandmother Ritu Nanda for inspiring her entrepreneurial journey: ‘I’ve seen my Dadi working’

Navya Naveli Nanda has spoken about the women in her family who influenced her approach to work, entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment. Reflecting on her childhood in Delhi, Navya said her paternal grandmother Ritu Nanda played a particularly important role in encouraging her to pursue entrepreneurship.

Navya made the comments while speaking to ANI at the launch of the GenAI Ready Naari (GenAI Training) Program, an initiative associated with her and Samyak Chakrabarty’s Nimaya Foundation.

Navya says Ritu Nanda inspired her to become an entrepreneur

Navya recalled growing up around strong working women and said watching her grandmother work had a lasting impact on her.

“I am actually a girl from Delhi. I have seen my Dadi working many times, and I have got a lot of motivation from her in doing entrepreneurship because she was also an entrepreneur,” Navya said.

Ritu Nanda, the eldest daughter of legendary filmmaker and actor Raj Kapoor, built a career as an entrepreneur and was known for her work in the insurance sector. For Navya, seeing her grandmother pursue a professional life became an important example from an early age.

She also acknowledged the influence of her mother Shweta Bachchan and grandmother Jaya Bachchan, along with other women in her family.

“My mother, my aunt, my grandmother, all the women in my family, they have motivated me a lot and supported me a lot. I think because of that, I also want to make them proud,” she said.

Navya on creating more opportunities for women

Navya has increasingly spoken about women’s access to education, employment and entrepreneurship. She said her perspective has also been shaped by her experience of working with women over the past several years.

According to her, the expansion of the internet and digital platforms has created new avenues for women to learn, work and build businesses.

She believes the next step is ensuring that women are prepared for changes taking place in the workplace, particularly with artificial intelligence becoming increasingly integrated into professional and everyday activities.

‘We want our daughters to be ready for AI’

Speaking about the GenAI Ready Naari initiative, Navya stressed the importance of helping women understand how artificial intelligence can be used constructively.

“We want our daughters to be ready for AI. We want them to learn the benefits of using AI on their own, on their jobs, in their daily lives through our programme so that they can take our country forward and build their careers,” she said.

The initiative is aimed at building awareness and practical understanding of generative AI among women, with the broader objective of improving access to emerging digital opportunities.

For Navya, familiarity with AI is increasingly becoming a professional skill rather than simply a technology-related advantage.

Navya says women already have valuable workplace skills

Navya also highlighted the range of responsibilities women handle in their personal and professional lives. She argued that the ability to manage several tasks, solve problems and support families can translate into valuable skills in the workplace.

“They can do a thousand things. I feel that these skills are in women from birth,” she said.

At the same time, Navya stressed that women’s advancement should not be framed as a competition between men and women.

“Women will move forward with men. Women are doing very well, men are also doing very well, and when it comes to equality, both men and women can achieve it together,” she added.

From family influence to entrepreneurship

Navya’s comments highlight how her entrepreneurial outlook has been shaped not only by her own professional experiences but also by the examples she saw within her family.

Rather than viewing entrepreneurship solely through the lens of business, she has increasingly connected it with financial independence, skill development and creating opportunities for women.

Her latest comments also underline the importance of digital literacy at a time when generative AI is rapidly changing how people work, learn and build careers.