THE CHANGE MAKER

The only introduction Navya Naveli Nanda needs is that of a determined 26-year-old on a mission to make the world a better place for women. At her first solo cover shoot, she talks to Grazia about making an impact with her work, and not her last name

- MEHERNAAZ DHONDY

Chances are we’ve all seen a reel or two of her podcast, What The Hell Navya, even if we haven’t sat through an entire episode, or perhaps heard of the efforts she’s put in with her non-profit organisation Project Naveli, which works towards the purpose of women empowerment. But chances are we’ve missed out on a lot of these finer details because of the background noise that comes with being who she is. So, who [The Hell] is Navya?

Legacy last names aside, we introduce you to a young entrepreneur with the right thoughts and an astute sensibility in place, who’s leading from the front and has her steps in place with her intentions.

GRAZIA: Hi Navya, tell us a little bit about the three handles listed in your IG bio.

NAVYA NAVELI NANDA: They’re the three main pillars of my work and life at this point. The first is Project Naveli, a non-profit organisation I started three and half years ago. It focuses on women empowerment and specifically education, entrepreneurship, and legal awareness for women. We work with both urban and rural communities of women from different backgrounds and economic situations. It was something I started on my own and I have always really wanted to invest my time and energy into something I’ve been very passionate about.

The second handle is Escorts Kubota, which is my family business. It’s an agri-machinery company that makes tractors, construction equipment, etc. for agriculture and farming. I’m the fourth generation in my family to be actively working in the business and the first woman in the family to join and really take on a handson role in the organisation. It was founded by my grandfather, HP Nanda, almost 80 years ago. It’s a public company, so the work we do really supports India’s biggest sector, which is agriculture and farming. It’s an exciting space to be in as a young person, because there is so much happening there.