Nirvaan Birla

Between Legacy and Inner Peace

He may belong to one of India’s most influential business families, but much of the conversation revolves around something far quieter... Read on

Text: Anandita De

Nirvaan Birla, the son of industrialists Yash and Avanti Birla, carries one of India’s most recognisable business surnames with surprising lightness. Despite the inheritance, influence and visibility attached to his family name, he does not speak like someone trying to dominate a room. Instead, he answers thoughtfully, often pausing between thoughts, returning repeatedly to the same ideas: discipline, music, spirituality, emotional balance and purpose.

“I feel people meet me first as a person rather than a personality or an inherited legacy or name tag,” he says. “I like spending time having real conversations and moments together.”

For someone raised inside one of India’s most influential business families, Birla appears noticeably more interested in emotional clarity than projection. Even while discussing ambition or success, his language rarely shifts into the vocabulary of power or status. Instead, he speaks about peace of mind, grounding and self-awareness.

At the same time, he does not distance himself from inheritance either.

“The important thing is to stay true to yourself without ignoring your roots or where you come from,” he says. “You have to give 110% to uphold the legacy – not necessarily by copy-pasting what your father, brother or grandparents did, but by carrying forward the class and honour your family legacy represents.”

Music is the subject that changes the rhythm of the conversation most visibly.

He speaks about it less like entertainment and more like something emotionally necessary. “Music makes me feel closer to God. It genuinely completes my day. It makes me feel very centred.”

He brings up Nashik repeatedly during the interaction. At eight years old, he sang Shri Krishna Govinda Hare Murari for his mother there for the first time – a memory he still associates with the beginning of his relationship with music.

Though he only began pursuing music professionally around a year ago through songwriting and live performances, he describes it as something that had always existed quietly in the background of his life.

“It’s less about language and more about energy,” he says. “Music can be understood universally.”

He admits he is not naturally someone who enjoys constantly meeting large groups of people, and says music became a way of communicating thoughts and emotions on a larger scale without losing intimacy. “Music takes your deepest emotions and thoughts and allows you to express them in the form of a song,” he says.

Again and again, he returns to the idea of honesty within art.

“A true artist is someone who speaks their truth,” he says. “Not make-believe, not a third-person account, but rather a first-person account.”

He believes artists unintentionally document their emotional evolution through what they create. “Once you express your thoughts without hesitation or doubt, then that itself is growth,” he says.

There is a similar emphasis on emotional openness when he speaks about masculinity.

“I definitely believe the men of today are becoming much more expressive, sensitive and emotional,” he says. “A real man is someone who can truly feel and connect because strength comes from love.”

But he is equally clear that emotional expression should not mean emotional chaos.

“A man should have that capability, yet still be in control of his feelings rather than letting his feelings control him.”

The same thinking shapes the way he approaches discipline.

“I think discipline is actually the root of freedom,” he says. “If one leads a purposeful life, then you command your emotions and senses rather than being controlled by them.”

Unlike many conversations around wealth or modern success, Nirvaan repeatedly shifts focus back toward emotional stability.

“You can be the most ambitious, wealthiest or best-looking person in the world, but unless you have peace of mind, contentment and satisfaction, all of that is worth nothing,” he says.

He believes the pandemic fundamentally altered how people define fulfilment and success.

“People realised that living a content, happy, and peaceful life is the most important thing in this world,” he says. Still, he rejects the idea that spirituality requires detachment from modern life.

“You don’t have to be an ascetic monk to be spiritual,” he says. “You can be an astute businessman, musician or sportsman, and yet at the same time be very spiritual.”

Then comes the line he repeats with complete certainty: "Spirituality, joy, beauty and luxury can absolutely coexist."

Rishikesh enters the conversation almost instinctively. “Rishikesh is like my happy place,” he says. “Whenever I’ve gone through tribulations or adversities – whether it’s a bad breakup or a wrong turn in business – that’s where I go to reset.”

He speaks about the foothills of the Himalayas with unusual familiarity, recalling childhood memories, spiritual experiences and periods of emotional recovery attached to the place.

“The moment you enter that space, all the noise in your mind and your anxieties get set aside,” he says. “There’s an internal switch that gets ignited.” Then, after a pause, he adds quietly: “Rishikesh is like my true home.”

Mental resilience is another subject he returns to repeatedly. Nirvaan believes emotional grounding remains undervalued in modern education systems still heavily driven by results and perception.

“The world is very result-driven and impression-driven,” he says. “Unfortunately, whether someone has a stable mind, good character or emotional grounding often gets less importance.”

That concern led to Soul Science being introduced at Birla Open Minds International School, where students learn about stress, anxiety, emotional well-being, and life skills through storytelling, practical guidance and scriptures.

“Life skills need to be taught alongside textbook subjects and financial or business skills,” he says.

He also speaks about ambition through a spiritual framework, referencing Karma Yog – the idea of growth through meaningful action. “So long as ambition doesn’t turn into greed, it can itself become a catalyst for spiritual growth,” he says. “The important thing is focusing on the journey rather than only the destination.”

Dogs, however, are the subject that softens him most noticeably.

“I think animals, particularly dogs, are God’s gift to mankind,” he says. “They’re like God’s messengers on this earth.” He speaks about them with immediate affection, describing their emotional intuition as something humans often fail to replicate.

“Even if you don’t communicate in the same language, they understand a person much more deeply than another human being often does. During difficult moments, they tend to shower you with even more love.”

Then he smiles before adding: “All dog parents know that dogs complete a person’s world.”

By the end of the interaction, what remains is less the portrait of a businessman’s heir and more that of someone consciously trying to balance inheritance with individuality, ambition with stillness and public visibility with emotional discipline.