Sri. Yezdi Batliwala
Mr. Yezdi Batliwala comes across as an endearing, friendly person with a lazer sharp focus on achieving results. His commitment to getting work done, be it in his profession or in social service, is legendary.
In all his assignments in companies like Godrej and the Tatas, he leveraged his analytical and people management skills to deliver astounding results. For instance he increased the transactions at Tata Finance from 600 crores to 20,000 crores.
Mr. Batliwala was born in Mumbai. He studied in Poddar College. He started his professional career in ICICI. He worked with Godrej for 25 years and moved on to LKP Shares and Securities as General Manager (Institutions). He retired as the Director with Tata TD Waterhouse and plunged full time into service activities of the Art of Living and moved to Bangalore, its International Headquarters.
While in Mumbai, he served on the Board of the Mumbai and Maharashtra Apex bodies of Vyakti Vikas Kendra, India., the Indian Organisation of the Art of Living. During this period he was instrumental in carrying out many a service project with the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) in Mumbai, like the International walk for Gujarat Earthquake, Book donation drives for funding education in tribal areas, Medical Camps and setting up a school in Dharavi slums. He also organized 4 events of about 150000 on an average in the presence of HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at the Cooperage and with CII during this time. In all these events he showed exceptional organisational and leadership skills, dedication to social work and ensured continuity of these harmonious events by setting high standards in quality of work and innovation.
He was one of the main organizers of the Corporate Culture and Spirituality Summits for 2 consecutive years in India until it moved to the European Parliament.
After retirement he has passionately dedicated his life to the cause of education. For a period of 6 years, till March 2009, he was a Trustee of the Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Vidya Mandir Trust, the Art of Living education initiative, which runs about 108 educational institutions across the country, today, which includes 75 schools, a media college, ayurveda college, and the Sri Sri University in Orissa. During his tenure, he organized the International Education Conference, at the International Art of Living Centre, Bangalore, with UNESCO and the Minsitry of Human Resouce Development (MHRD), Government of India.
In April 2009 he was nominated as Chairman of Vyakti Vikas Kendra, India [VVKI].
Founded by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji, VVKI is a registered public charitable Trust constituted to promote spiritual, educational and social developmental activities for the benefit of the public.
The organisation also works to instill a sense of self-esteem in the youth and women of and rural India. It promotes educational, social and other activities that can strengthen and bring about a positive change in society. Almost 40,000 villages have been touched by the rural programs conducted under the aegis of Youth Leadership Training Program.
As Chairman of the Organisation, Mr. Batliwala, travels regularly across many States to meet with the volunteers and teachers who cheerfully and tirelessly work towards the vision of the organisation. He is also involved in initiating new projects for the Trust, specially the microfinance project which would provide long- term benefits to the rural masses.
He is a multi-faceted individual with varied interests in travel, music, dance, movies, electronic gadgets and the stock market. His talks are spiced with humor and wisdom and quite popular with the youth. He has 3 grand children and resides in Bangalore, India, in between his numerous travel engagements.