'Think Beyond Yourself' is Rajashree Birla's mantra in life. This benign lady clearly believes in upholding her family's legacy of philanthropy and has been recently lauded with the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award.u00a0 CS met Rajashree at a seminar addressing the need for shelter for India's homeless. We chatted with her to know more about her love for charity:

On cloud nine
Frankly, I was very surprised to get the award. But I am very happy to be the recipient of such honour. My family, son, daughter, daughter-in-law and grandchildren are also thrilled about it. The entire group is rejoicing. But along with recognition comes the responsibility to do better and better, which I hope to fulfill. Along with generating homes for the poor, we are also focusing deeply on polio eradication.u00a0

A legacy of charity
The Birla family has been very devoted to the cause of charity since ages. My biggest source of inspiration was my grandfather-in-law Ghanshyam Das Birla. He was a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi, and believed that excess wealth should be used to better the life of those lesser privileged. My parents-in-law BK Birla and Sarla Devi were also actively involved in social work. Personally, the thought of charity had great appeal to me since childhood. I would like to see what people did for others and so on.

Unwind
Well, like every grandmother I love spending time with my grandchildren. Children today are so busy with their own things that getting time with them seems like a luxury. I am also fond of reading. Self-improvement books are my favourite as they inspire you to do better. They are a great source of motivation. I am also passionate about classical music, and enjoy listening to it.

Who: Rajashree Birla
What: Talking about her passion for charity
Where: Indian Merchants Chamber