Nawaz Modi Singhania Age, Husband, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Nawaz Modi Singhania

• Nawaz Modi Singhania is an Indian socialite, businesswoman, fitness trainer, motivational speaker, spiritualist, artist, and art curator. She runs the Body Art Fitness centres. She is the estranged wife of Gautam Singhania, the Chairman and Managing Director of Raymond Ltd. In 2023, she gained widespread attention for demanding a 75% share of Gautam’s alleged $1.4 billion wealth as part of her divorce settlement.

• She was born into a Parsi family. ^[7]Gautam Singhania – Twitter

• During an interview, Nawaz disclosed that she entered the world in a fragile state, being born underweight and pale. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck four times, posing a serious choking hazard. In fact, at the time of her birth, there were concerns that she might be stillborn. ^[8]Global India Throughout her childhood, she was very tiny, petite, and weak. Recalling her physical education class at school, she said,
  

  In school, when we would line up in front of the physical education teacher to do summersaults and my turn came, the teacher would just look at me, shake his head, roll his eyes and say, ‘Oh never mind. Just go!”

• Such experiences led her to focus on her well-being and physical fitness during her formative years.

• Her parents separated when she was 10.

• After her third-year BA exams, she decided that she wanted to pursue a career in the fitness industry. Talking about the same, in an interview, she said,
  

  I had decided by the last year of my college that I wanted to be in the fitness industry. I was a member at an aerobics class here in Mumbai, and felt strongly that being in fitness is what I wanted to do going forward. Since I wanted to have my own centre, right after my T.Y.B.A. exams I went to the US, where I trained, got certified and taught to gain experience.”

• Thereafter, she obtained a fitness training certification from the American Council of Exercise (ACE) and the International Dance Exercise Association (IDEA).

• She returned to India and established Body Art Fitness centres in 1991. Simultaneously, she also pursued an LLB degree.

• At first, Body Art Fitness was an aerobic studio. She initiated the fitness centre in a room within her family home while her personal space was undergoing renovation on a different floor in the same building. The enterprise quickly expanded to a second, third, and fourth location.

• In 1998, she introduced a gym, and shortly afterwards, she inaugurated the first fully equipped Pilates studio in India. She is a pioneer of various fitness initiatives in India. Beyond equipment-based Pilates, she introduced Gyrotonics, Gyrokinesis, anti-ageing facial fitness routines, choreographed trampoline workouts, and Callanetics, among others. Specializing in power yoga, she later inaugurated another centre with a broader array of services, including an aqua aerobics pool and an indoor biking studio, surpassing the offerings of the initial centre.
  

  Nawaz Modi Singhania practising yoga

• Over time, she introduced 25 different types of training methods, like box aerobics, cardio-dance, body sculpting, slide training, ballet barre workouts, and more.

• In 2016, she started a studio for aerial arts that includes TRX training, anti-gravity training, suspension fitness, and aerial yoga. She worked closely with many well-known people such as Atul and Gayatri Ruia, Harsha Bhogle, Dr. Swati Piramal, Elina Meswani, and Bijal Meswani.

• While Nawaz was creative from the beginning, her journey as a painter unfolded after the birth of her first daughter in 2005. With ample time at her disposal, she often found herself indoors, leading her to experiment with canvases and various art forms. The first painting she made was a canvas of a woman meditating in a lake.

• She organised her first solo exhibition in 2008.

• She is known for crafting striking portraits of human anatomy. Talking about her art in an interview, she said,
  

  I guess it syncs with my passion for fitness, health and beauty. I’m also endlessly fascinated with faces, and most of my work revolves around these subjects. My collection also usually has art work of human forms.”

• In 2014, she hosted a preview of her solo art exhibition, “Portrait Study of Well-Known Personalities,” at the Raymond Flagship Store on Warden Road in South Mumbai. The exhibit featured her artistic portrayals of famous Hollywood figures, including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Beyonce, Michael Jackson, David Beckham, Maradona, Roger Federer, Princess Diana, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, and Oprah Winfrey.
  

  Nawaz Modi Singhania posing with the easel of Mick Jagger

• She is also an art curator. One of her favourite art picks is a Prosonto Roy watercolour painting from his Hiroshima series.

• In 2016, in partnership with jewellery designer Poonam Soni, Nawaz Modi Singhania launched a collection of cuffs at Soni’s flagship store in Bandra, Mumbai.

• In 1997, Nawaz assumed directorship roles in two companies, Apex Professional and Supreme Professional.

• By 2004, she expanded her directorship to three additional companies: Royal Professional, Prospect Professional, and Standard Professional.

• On 9 June 2007, she became a director at Body Basic Health Care Private Limited. Her directorship was extended to Raymond Ltd on 30 April 2014.

• In 2015, she took on the directorship at J K Investors (Bombay), and the following year, she became a director at Smart Advisory And Finserve Private Limited.

• Nawaz is also a columnist.

• She has served as a judge and trainer on fitness shows. She held a judging position on the panel of the Savvy Mrs India 2019 Pageant.

• In 2020, she was appointed as a Jury Member for the Times She Unlimited Entrepreneurs Award 2020 nationwide in the Fitness & Wellness Category.

• She is a member of the Sulochanadevi Singhania School Board of Governors and the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Committee.

• In 2023, she authored the book “Pause, Rewind: Natural Anti-Ageing Techniques.”
  

• Nawaz also writes for various publications, including print media such as magazines and newspapers, as well as social media publications.

• On 13 November 2023, after being together for 32 years, Singhania announced that he and Nawaz were parting ways, explaining that they had chosen to follow separate journeys. His tweet read,
  

  This Diwali is not going to be the same as many in the past. It is my belief that Nawaz and I will pursue different paths from here on…32 years of being together as a couple, growing as parents and always being a strength of each other… we traversed with commitment, resolve, faith as along came the two most beautiful additions in our lives…As I reflect over the unfortunate developments in the recent past, there has been a lot of unsubstantiated rumor-mongering, and gossip surrounding our lives fanned by ‘not so well-wishers’…I am parting ways with her while we continue to do what is best for our two precious diamonds Niharika and Nisa.”

• After Singhania announced his separation from Nawaz, she shared a video on social media. In the video, she was seen taking part in a Diwali puja with her in-laws at their apartment. In the caption, she expressed gratitude for her in-laws’ support. The Diwali celebration took place at JK Gram, a property owned by Gautam Singhania in Thane. Earlier, a video appeared on social media where Nawaz claimed she was prevented from attending her husband’s Diwali celebration. In the video, Nawaz, accompanied by another woman, stood at the entrance, stating that despite having an invitation, she was stopped by security guards. ^[9]Business Today

• Nawaz gained media attention for seeking 75% of Raymond Group’s Rs 11,000 crore empire in a family settlement after their divorce. Reports indicated that Gautam suggested creating a family trust and transferring the family’s assets to it, with him as the sole managing trustee.

• During the same period, there were reports of Gautam allegedly abusing Nawaz and their minor daughter. A source close to Nawaz mentioned that Gautam caused her sacrum (a wedge-shaped bone in the back of the pelvis) to crack, leading to her admission to the Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre. Allegedly, she filed a non-cognizable report three times, but Gautam didn’t allow the police into his home. The Ambanis reportedly came to their aid. ^[10]Deccan Chronicle The Source also said,
  In-laws have yet to accept that their son can do something like this. He has a history of doing things like this. Everyone knows he had a falling out with his father. That’s just how he is. They are looking into all legal alternatives for fair settlements, and we know it’ll take some time.”

• On 22 November 2023, Nawaz verified that Gautam had physically assaulted her and expelled her from the company. In an exclusive interview, she admitted that the first incident took place on the morning of 10 September 2023, following Gautam’s birthday celebration on the 9th. Gautam beat Nawaz and their little daughter Niharika for around 15 minutes and then suddenly left the scene of the attack. Talking about the same in an interview, she said,
  

  I have had two hernia surgeries – one was during the time of my pregnancy and the other was because I had an ectopic pregnancy and had a fallopian tube removed, which resulted in another hernia. He knew that, and still flung me around the room several times. He was just going all out for Niharika and me, and we were just trying to protect each other.”

  When questioned about the cause of the assault, Nawaz said that they had a fight because he wanted to use her bathroom. However, she clarified that the disagreement wasn’t truly about the bathroom but rather about power and control. Explaining the same, she said,

  He wanted to use my bathroom when I was using it. Now, he has two other bathrooms which are also touching our bedroom. Three more (bathrooms are) on the same floor and a 39-storey tower full of bathrooms. It was just about power and control.”

  She revealed that Gautam admired businessman Atulya Mafatlal, who was ill-famed for beating his wife Payal Mafatlal. Nawaz explained that Gautam wanted to copy his idol in everything, so he ended up hitting her, similar to how Atulya harmed his wife Payal. Nawaz explained,

  He has always thought Atulya Mafatlal (a businessman who passed away last year) to be a superhero. What Atulya did to his wife, how he threw his wife Payal Mafatlal out on the road when she went shopping. He had infamously locked her out of their bungalow. Nobody took her call, and no staff responded to her messages – nothing, nothing. She couldn’t see her children; she couldn’t get her clothes. So Gautam thinks, wow what a man! I mean ‘what power, what control, what strength…what a superhuman! It’s something he’s been wanting to do to me for a long time which I was aware of. “

• Confirming the information from the source, the Ambanis stepped in to assist Nawaz and supported her in filing a Non-Cognizable Offense report. Nawaz further explained that she chose not to convert the NC into an FIR because domestic violence carried a non-bailable offence with a potential three-year sentence involving rigorous imprisonment and hard labour. She mentioned that by taking this approach, she was “trying to save the unsavable hoping he would do the right thing.” ^[11]Business Today