Mira Kulkarni is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder and managing director of Forest Essentials, an Ayurvedic cosmetics brand that is considered the first Indian skin care brand to enter the international luxury market.
Wiki/Biography
Mira Kulkarni was born in 1958 in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand (age 64 in 2022). She attended Loreto Convent in Tara Hall, Shimrat. Later, she graduated in fine arts from Stella Maris College, Chennai. As an avid follower of Ayurveda, Meera is passionate about creating products that maintain the inherent properties of Ayurvedic ingredients. This led to the creation of Ayurvedic beauty brand Forest Essentials.
appearance
Hair color: brown
Eye color: brown
family
Parents and siblings
When Mira was 28, her parents died.
husband and children
Mira was married when she was nineteen. She is a single mother of two children: son Samrath Bedi and daughter Divya Chawla. Samarth Bedi started his career with Standard Chartered Bank in New York in 1999 and joined Forest Essentials in 2001 as Managing Director. Divya serves as the Creative Director of Forest Essentials.
Mira and her daughter Divya
Meera Kulkarni and her son
Kulkarni has four grandchildren: Shabad Shabad, Angad, Rhea and Samaira.
Meera Kulkarni and her grandchildren
Profession
During a visit to the United States, Mira visited a Mormon fair in upstate New York, where she saw how they made their own soap. After returning to India, Kulkarni became involved in the cooperative movement in Rishikesh (Uttarakhand), which focused on marketing handmade products. She realized that Rishikesh might be an ideal location for her business because it is an Ayurvedic wellness hub, has hundreds of Ayurvedic doctors, and has pharmacies selling homemade soaps, oils, lotions, creams, and other products. Meera realized that there was a gap in the market for user-friendly Ayurvedic products compared to traditional Ayurvedic products, which were too strong-smelling and uncomfortable to use. In 2000, Mira invested 200,000 rupees to start a small company called Forest Essentials. The first products were soaps and candles.
With the help of modern biochemists, handmade soaps were made and the oils were extracted using cold-pressed Ayurvedic methods. It took Kulkarni and her team almost two years to launch their first product. In 2002, Hyatt Regency became its first customer, ordering soap for its rooms. This led to the company’s expansion. In 2003, Mira opened its first store in Delhi’s Khan Market. The company has nearly 80 stores in India, supplies products to 190 hotels and exports to 120 countries. Nearly 70 rooms at Rashtrapati Bhavan are equipped with Forest Essentials products. In 2008, when Estee Lauder Chairman Leonard Lauder went to India to attend the wedding of Elizabeth Hurley, he received forest necessities as a gift from Mrs. Lynn Rothschild. (Forest Essentials) products. He really liked the products and asked the Indian Head of State about them. Later, he met Mira and obtained a 20% stake in Forest Essentials. Estee Lauder’s first investment in India was Forest Essentials. Forest Essentials is also a leading supplier to most luxury hotel chains in India, including the iconic Taj Hotels and Oberoi Hotels.
Awards
- Mira Kulkarni was named India’s most powerful business woman in 2011 and 2020 by Fortune magazine.
- In 2016, Mira received the Vogue India Beauty Award for her immense contribution to the beauty industry.
Mila wins award from Vogue magazine
Favorites
- Travel destinations: Türkiye, Bali, Vietnam
- Colors: pale pink, blue and beige
Facts/Trivia
- Mira mentioned in an interview that in the early days of her business, she would often randomly give away her Ayurvedic handmade soaps to friends and family.
- Mira enjoys reading cookbooks and cooking different meals in her free time.
- Kulkarni describes himself as a gardening enthusiast.
- Kulkarni revealed in an interview that she is not a social person.
- Mira Kulkarni owns Neemrana’s Glasshouse, a riverfront property with 20 rooms on the banks of the Ganges. Mira inherited this land from her late father, who purchased it from Maharaja Tehri Garhwal thousands of years ago.
Neemrana’s Greenhouse
- Mira has a large collection of sarees, including her favorite Banarasi saree given to her by her grandmother. She prefers to wear cotton, homespun, linen and pure silk sarees.
- Kulkarni revealed in an interview that she always carries a pashmina shawl, a small music base, a notepad, an iPad, scented bath oil, perfume and Tejasvi lotion when she travels.
- Mira wrote her autobiography called Essentially Mira-The Extraordinary Journey Behind Forest Essentials.
Meera Kulkarni Autobiography
- While in college, Mira developed a keen interest in painting and journalism.
- Mira Kulkarni wrote a letter to her thirteen-year-old self, which was published in Vogue in 2017. She wrote in her letter:
Dear Mira, I want to tell you that every experience you go through now will affect you later in life in some way. Some are good, some not so good. At thirteen, many of us typically go to boarding school. It is very unpopular to use hand ground ubtan biji for face wash without using anything else. You can hear whispers… “Oops, what was that!” coming from your friends. You do remember a new friend coming and saying it’s okay, don’t listen to them. They all have acne, but you don’t. She later became your best friend. The most important thing you learn is to become friends with people who care about you, no matter who they are. Someone can tell you you’re wrong and then hold your hand and not allow anyone else to say that. You will learn about commitment and trust and the courage to do what you believe is right. It can be difficult sometimes, but that’s what makes you special. You’ll also learn to prioritize and do what’s important to you, understanding that everyone can’t accomplish everything. Learn to delegate, but delegate wisely to capable people. You should be just as comfortable in your orange rubber slippers as you are in your new, ridiculously tall Louboutins. Never try too hard. There are always new colors, new lengths. The new straight colored hair will one day disappear and the natural waves you had will become the new trend. Beyond beauty, there’s your inner self. Remain calm in the face of adversity, feel the pain of others, and be compassionate. Cherish what you have and be content with what you have. Contentment will be your greatest gift. What you don’t know at the time is that it takes courage to follow your dreams and still have stars in your eyes. You must always do this. Never listen to people who tell you that what you want to do is impossible.
- In January 2018, Mira was featured in BlackBook, India’s only luxury trade newsletter.
black book magazine
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education