Sharayu Daftary was born in 1933 into one of India’s well-known industrial families. She grew up around business and industry, but being born into a business family did not automatically give her a place in the family business. At a time when women were often expected to stay away from industry, she had to create her own path.
In 1958, at only 25, she started Bharat Radiators with a capital of ₹2 lakh and just five workers. The company became the centre of her professional life. Her career later took her to some of India’s important business institutions, where she became the first woman to hold several positions.
But her story was not only about business. She was also a wife, mother of three daughters, a Jain community leader and a person remembered by workers as “Tai”. She died in May 2025 at the age of 91.
When the family business was not open to her
Sharayu Daftary was born into the Hirachand-Walchand family in Mumbai. Her family already had a strong connection with Indian industry. Her father was Lalchand Hirachand, while her uncle was industrialist Walchand Hirachand.
She studied economics at Elphinstone College in Mumbai. But despite coming from an industrial family, she was not allowed to enter the family business because of the traditions of that time. Women were not considered part of the business structure.
For Sharayu, this did not end her interest in business. Instead, she decided to build something of her own.
In 1958, when she was only 25, she founded Bharat Radiators Limited. The beginning was very small. She started the company with around ₹2 lakh and five workers. The business was connected to automobile components, especially radiators. The company later became a major part of her identity. Corporate records show that she remained associated with Bharat Radiators from 1958, giving her a connection with the company for nearly seven decades.
This part of her story is important because she did not enter the industry through an already-established position in her family business. She created her own company when that door was closed to her. Her journey also happened at a time when India’s industrial sector was still developing after Independence. Women were still a small presence in many business and manufacturing spaces.
A career filled with firsts
As Bharat Radiators grew, Sharayu Daftary also became active in India’s wider business community.
In 1971, she became president of the Automotive Components Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA). ACMA’s own annual reports list her as president for 1971–72. She was the first woman to hold the position. Ten years later, she reached another important position. In 1981, she became the first woman president of the Indian Merchants’ Chamber. The IMC itself records her as its first woman president and also notes that she was the first woman to lead a chamber of commerce in the country.
Her involvement with the IMC did not end with one term. Its records also list her as president again in 1999–2000. She also became the first woman member of the executive committee of FICCI, adding another important first to her career. These positions show how her career moved beyond her own company. She was not only running a manufacturing business but was also becoming part of the larger business institutions of the country.
In 2004, the Government of India awarded her the Padma Shri for her contribution to trade and industry. Her work was also recognised within the Jain community, where she received the Jain Ratna Award.
A businesswoman, mother and Jain leader
The story of Sharayu Daftary was not limited to boardrooms and business organisations. She married Arvind Gaurishankar Daftary, who supported her professional ambitions. The couple had three daughters. Her family life and professional life continued alongside each other for many decades.
Her daughters also went on to follow different paths. This became another part of the family’s story, showing that her professional identity did not mean giving up her role as a mother. Religion was another important part of Daftary’s life. She was a devoted Jain and became associated with the Dakshin Bharat Jain Sabha. She also edited Jain Bodhak, a Jain publication.
She spoke about gender equality in connection with Jainism. Her view was that respect and equality between men and women were not new ideas added to Jainism in modern times. She believed that these ideas were already part of the religion’s principles.
This gave another dimension to her public life. She was not only working in a male-dominated industrial sector but was also involved in religious and community institutions. Her career therefore crossed several different areas—manufacturing, business organisations, family and community work.
More than the firsts
Sharayu Daftary died in May 2025 at the age of 91. The Institute of Jain Studies described her as an industrialist, philanthropist and Jain leader, and remembered her contribution to both industry and the Jain community. Her professional life had lasted for nearly seven decades. Bharat Radiators, which she started in 1958 with five workers, remained connected with her throughout her life. Corporate records still show her long association with the company. But perhaps the most interesting part of her story is not the number of positions she held.
It is the way her career began. She was born into a family that already had a strong industrial background, but she was not given a place in that business because she was a woman. Instead of waiting for that situation to change, she started her own company.
From five workers to decades of business leadership, her journey took her to positions that women had rarely held at that time. She became the first woman president of ACMA, the first woman president of the Indian Merchants’ Chamber and the first woman on FICCI’s executive committee.
At the same time, she remained connected to her family and Jain community. That is why the story of Sharayu Daftary can be told in more than one way. It is the story of a businesswoman who built her own company. It is the story of a woman entering spaces that were largely controlled by men. And it is also the story of a mother and community leader who continued working for many decades.
Her life shows that sometimes a closed door does not end a person’s journey. It can become the reason to build another door.
References
- Indian Merchants’ Chamber — IMC Milestones. The official IMC page records Sharayu Daftary as its first woman president in 1981. IMC Milestones https://newsite.imcnet.org
- Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India — Annual Report. ACMA’s annual report lists Sharayu Daftary as president for 1971–72. ACMA Annual Report https://www.acma.in
- Institute of Jain Studies — Obituary for Sharayu Daftary: useful for her death in 2025, Jain community work, Padma Shri and broader contribution. Institute of Jain Studies obituary: https://isjs-newsletter.in
- Jain Samaj — Sharayu Daftary, Founder of Bharat Radiators. Contains background on Bharat Radiators and her institutional achievements. Jain Samaj profile: https://www.jainsamaj.org
- Bharat Radiators corporate records: Records the company’s incorporation in 1958 and Daftary’s long directorship. Bharat Radiators company information: https://www.indiafilings.com
- Tofler — Sharayu Daftary / Bharat Radiators. Useful for the long corporate association with Bharat Radiators. Corporate records https://www.tofler.in