Deepti Malhotra Nijhawan is an architect and urban planner by training, but her passion for working with India has led her recently to Boston University (BU) as Director of India Initiatives and before that to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for over seven years where she served as Managing Director of the MIT-India Program.  At MIT, she was also an Instructor at the Edgerton Center and taught a seminar course on the Urban Planning challenges of Indian cities. She has presented at several higher education conferences including at the University of Rhode Island and the University of Alberta.

Before joining MIT, Deepti gained extensive experience as an urban planner at the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Cambridge Housing Authority.  She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with two Master’s degrees in City Planning and Architecture, and earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree at the Delhi University School of Planning and Architecture.

 Why did you choose to pursue this particular career path?

I’ve wanted to be an architect ever since 9^th grade, though at that age didn’t really know much about architecture or what an architect did.  Ayn Rand’s Howard Roark (in the Fountainhead) had made a deep impression, and I wanted to be different from my sisters who were going to be a teacher, a doctor and a journalist. 

More recently, I’ve wanted to work closely with India, so when the MIT position allowed me the opportunity, I switched careers and became a university administrator. Now I’m even more excited and committed to having an impact in India with BU’s incredibly innovative plans for India.

 What are the attributes that have helped you succeed in your career?

Whatever success I’ve had in my career, I would absolutely give credit to my parents: my mother, for encouraging my sisters and I to be professional woman and be economically independent, and my father, for inspiring us to aim high.  Being away from home and boarding from the age of twelve at the Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls Public School also gave me the confidence to be independent minded and have varied interests, both in the arts and sciences.

 What challenges if any have you faced in your career path?

Some challenges have not been unique - those that perhaps many mothers face, of juggling the demands of children with those of a career. 

What advice would you give women trying to follow your career path?

Although the design professions are extremely rewarding personally and professionally, Architecture and Urban Planning are not for the faint hearted - it takes many years to establish yourself, especially in countries like the US, where slow economic growth limits new building activity.  However, in countries like India with rapidly expanding urban areas, there is enormous potential and exciting work for young architects as well.  If you have an aesthetic intellect, an eye for detail and some business acumen, it is a fantastic way to earn a living. 

If you thrive on new ideas and innovations, feel energized being around young people and working with intellectually curious and smart people, universities are great places to work.

What is the most positive impact that you have had in your field of expertise?

That’s a big question.  In urban planning, impact is through collective effort.  Hopefully I’ve had positive impact on city projects I managed such as HarborWalk in Boston, a 44 mile public path on the city’s waterfront, on neighborhood projects such as a Community Center for low-income youth, on families for whom I designed residences, on over 300 MIT students I sent to India, and hopefully in the near future, on higher education in India.

What is the secret to your maintaining a work-life balance?

Working half-time till my children were in middle school, and having a pretty fun social life (with our kids in tow when they were young!).

What is your approach to parenting?

I was very involved with our sons’ activities, friends and schools, and because our children have some health issues, I was perhaps extra hands-on.  I believe both partners must be completely involved in parenting for all to feel nurtured and whole.

What activities outside of work are you involved in?

I served as a two-term President and Chairperson of MITHAS, a classical music society serving the greater Boston area and on several school committees in Lexington where my children were in school.  I now help with the Rohini Ghadiok Foundation, a non-profit organization that empowers women through education and job-placement.

What do you do for fun?

I love collecting ancient as well as contemporary art, hanging out with our wonderful friends, listening to Hindustani classical music and going for long walks with my husband.

Who are the people you admire/ are inspired by/emulate?

I am inspired daily by our sons Rishi, Arun and Rohan, all remarkable young men in college now, by my mother Indira, mother-in-law Usha, father Tej Bhan, sisters Arti, Gayatri and Jyoti, younger brother Vikram, by each of their amazing spouses, and by several very dear friends.  They have all made choices to live their lives with strength and equanimity. The philosophical giants, Swami Dayanand, Sri Aurobindo and Mahatma Gandhi also inspire me.

What kind of support have you valued most from your husband?

My husband Vinit is a renaissance man in every sense of the word, fun to be with, an incredible optimist and passionate about whatever he does.  He’s also a wonderful father to our three boys.  I admire for him for those qualities and have found support and value in that.  We’ve also worked on having a good relationship – I don’t think it happens automatically.  That he’s exceedingly handsome is an added bonus!

What support from you has your husband valued the most?

You’ll have to ask him, but I think he’ll say, being completely supportive of his many entrepreneurial activities for the past twenty-five years.

What is your personal philosophy of living life?

Try and live with joy.  Be authentic.  Be warm and generous in spirit.  Do something creative every day.  And from the Bhagwad Gita, do your duty without expectation of reward.  And of course, live with grace and style!

What was your happiest moment in life?

The happiest moments have been at the birth of our sons.

When there were low points in your life and what advice did you value the most to pull through?

That if you did the very best you could at that time, there would be fewer regrets later on.

Do you have a spiritual routine that you would like to share?

I believe deeply in the Gayatri Mantra and the power of Om, however I don’t practice it routinely.

 Do you have a beauty routine that you would like to share?

I use Pratima’s Ayurveda inspired skin care products made by her in New York – they are heavenly.

Do you have favorite books/authors?

I love books and the idea of a home library - or at least bookshelves groaning under books on architecture and cities, art and music, biography and fiction, poetry and philosophy.  On my bedside table I currently have Coleman Barks’ translation of Rumi, Mother of 1084 by Mahasweta Devi and The Art of Happiness by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.

Do you have a favorite song/ musician?

I love Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Kishori Amonkarji, Simon and Garfunkel, the Carpenters, Kanye West, and many new musicians such as FUN and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros that my children introduce me to.

Do you like to cook? What is your favorite dish to make?

Yes, but mostly for special occasions. Probably fish-biryani.

Please share one fun fact about you

I was captain of my high school basketball team!

The last word?

Be accepting – of people, of curve balls thrown your way, of your wrinkles!

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