Mowdawalla’s motivation

When the first welfare officer of the Godrej Group Aloo Mowdawalla passed away at 92 on September 24, 2019, Godrej Archives’s Facebook page referred to her "untiring efforts for adult literacy and education, self-employment and family planning awareness (that) made a difference in the lives of many” and for which "she will be forever remembered.” The Jam-e-Jamshed weekly reported that a prayer meeting held in her memory on October 3 at Godrej Pragati Kendra (welfare center) that she was instrumental in setting up, was attended by Dr Pheroza Godrej, Smita Godrej Crishna, Mowdawalla’s son Percy and nephew Rustom Hathi, among others.

Having joined the Group in the 1950s, she went "door to door surveying residents in the (Group’s) housing colonies, using handmade questionnaires to collect data and demographics such as number of illiterate children and adults, their age groups, language preferences,” noted Vrunda Pathare, chief archivist for the Group in response to Parsiana’s request for information. Under Mowdawalla’s tenure of almost four decades, a pre-primary school (Bal Mandir), and adult literacy, tailoring, shorthand and typing classes were started with an emphasis on providing self-employment and income generation opportunities to men and women alike. Mowdawalla’s "most phenomenal contribution has been to the cause of promoting awareness about family planning… She held counseling and orientation sessions for trade union leaders, supervisory staff, shop floor employees and their wives to educate them about the norms and benefits of having a small family,” added Pathare.
A transcript of an oral interview conducted by the Godrej archivists with Mowdawalla in 2006 stated: "We used to organize separate meetings for the men and women. After the discussion, they (could) talk to us freely to clear all doubts… Both men and women could then discuss at home what the ideal size of their family should be keeping in mind their earning capacity… In adult education classes, population dynamics and small family norms were discussed, apart from various other subjects. In our school too, family life education was integrated in such a way that at every stage… some aspect of family life was brought in.”
Percy recalled his mother’s "legacy of unmatched socio-welfare programs and awareness at Pirojshanagar.” In an email dated October 21 to Parsiana, he noted that Aloo "was the go-to person for countless people at Godrej… Her life (revolved around) Godrej. Both my parents, Aloo and Kersy, a labor officer in Godrej were fond of traveling.” They started the Scouting and Girl Guide movement in the company, Percy informed. After Kersy passed away in 1972, mother and son "continued traveling…Once I moved to the US, my mom frequently visited me and we travelled extensively in the US.
"One of (Aloo’s) proudest moments was when her host families in St Paul found out that Lillian Carter (mother of former US president Jimmy) stayed next door to us in Vikhroli for a year and worked with mom (while Lillian was working as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1967-68). After Jimmy became the 39th President in 1997, Lillian visited us at home. It was one of my family’s fondest personal memories. On a personal note, I met President Carter in 1993 at a book signing event in New York City. Although I got just a few minutes with him, he recollected fond memories between both our mothers. A moment I will never forget.
"She always let me follow my instincts… to study architecture, and paved the way eventually to a master’s program in Urban Design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. She sacrificed everything for my success.” While Percy was away in the US, Aloo’s nephew Rustom "took care of her personal needs until her death,” Percy appreciated.
Born to Rustomji and Dhunmai Hathi in Surat, Aloo (one of two siblings, the other being Dr Keki Hathi, also a long serving Godrej employee who retired in 1993 as executive vice president) was brought up and schooled in Bharuch. Upon completion of her post graduate diploma in industrial relations and personnel management from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in 1950, Aloo worked for two years at The B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital as a medical social worker, before joining Godrej to develop the community/welfare center, later named Pragati Kendra.
In appreciation of her family planning initiatives at Godrej, the social worker’s efforts were recognized in 1968 with an award instituted by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and presented by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.