“A woman of insight”

In her desire to write on the life of a Parsi woman for her forthcoming anthology of women residing in Bombay, Lisa Elaine Sipes was directed to the residence of community journalist Ruby Lilaowala. The back­cover of the 132-page book Inside Mumbai: Conversations with Ten Women sums up Lilaowala as "inspiring.” The blurb describes her as "Parsi journalist, renowned speaker, forthright, spontaneously funny, follows the creed ‘good thoughts, good words, good deeds.’”

"The women I interviewed helped bring a measure of understanding to the city that once stood before me as a mass of confusion,” writes the author who spent two years in the city ultimately realizing that "at the core there were similarities that all women share...I hope that this book will help to bridge the gap between cultures inside and outside of India...”

Lilaowala comes across in the book as "religious, but not ritualistic” and explains that she starts her day with a prayer to a "cosmic intelligence... I don’t say much. I just thank God for my health and that my five senses are working properly. I also ask that I might bring happiness to every person I meet...When I lie in bed at night I audit the day and ask myself if I have made a difference...Truth, I believe, is the highest religion.”

Lilaowala: "inspiring”

Believing that "we’re all products of our unseen past experiences” and that everything contains "energy” Lilaowala impressed the author as "a woman of insight and heart, justice and compassion. Zealous for good deeds. Inspiring and straightforward. Committed to impacting culture with her words.”

Like her parents who had pursued their postgraduation studies after her birth, Ruby too did her law studies after marriage but did not take up a job to appease her mother-in-law. But after her husband’s transfer to Qatar she got the necessary avenues to express herself, working on three jobs simultaneously: managing a radio segment that was aired each week, working for the censorship department screening women’s magazines and as a columnist for the Gulf Times. Her weekly Kaleidoscope page in the Jam-e-Jamshed "always impressed (the author) with the matter-of-factness and courage she used in addressing sensitive issues within her community.”

On the threshold of 60 Lilaowala told the author, "I refuse to grow old gracefully...The more I grow older, the more I understand the importance of setting and accomplishing goals...”