Even when I didn’t know her too well, I used to always wonder about her glowing skin and radiant smile that took away the years away from her face. So when I asked her the reason for it, she blushed and attributed it all to her husband! Samina Munshi, a lady who needs no introduction to the people of travel trade, is a woman who has built up her empire (N. Chirag) from scratch with her husband Riaz Munshi, ensuring their company finds a comfortable spot in the top travel conglomerates of India. A simple lady, whose life revolves around her family, Samina is a woman we should all look up to on this International Women’s Day, not only for the business she has resurrected or the challenges she faced along the way but also for her values and humility, which she has graciously passed on to her children, who are now a part of their growing business. Here’s the journey of this stalwart, featured in BOTT Better Half.
Priyanka Saxena Ray
Born in Roorkee and eldest of the three siblings, Samina has seen a lot of India at a young age because of the transferable job of her father (in MES – Military Engineering Services). So when he was transferred to Kashmir, Samina stayed back in Delhi with her extended family to complete her education. However, life had other plans for her. She had just completed her first year of History Hons at Kamla Nehru College, DU, when her father met with a fatal accident and the onus of keeping the family together came down upon her delicate and young shoulders – a responsibility she carried beautifully, ensuring the well-being of all.
Samina met Riaz at a very young age through a common friend and his endearing nature immediately attracted her to him. While the families remained non-consenting on the issue of their marriage, the two decided to tie the knot in 1990 and soon after started N. Chirag from the business centre in Nehru Place New Delhi, as they could not afford an independent office. “We both started going from office to office in Nehru Place enquiring if there was any travel requirement. Starting business from scratch was very challenging but we never felt it because firstly, we had each other for support and secondly, it had become our passion by then, so nothing seemed tough,” she reminisces.
In 1992, she had her son Zamir and by then they were working from a residence cum office accommodation, so technically, Samina had no “maternity” off and started working soon after her delivery. The company slowly started progressing and they began appointing people as staff as work progressed. From a simple house in Charmwood on Surajkund Road to now a swanky 5000 sq ft office in Vasant Square Mall, life has indeed come a long way for the hardworking duo.
Working their way through ticketing, the outbound window opened for them in 1996-97, when they were invited for their first Familiarisation trip to Mauritius. “To sell outbound, you need exposure and education – we acquired both and soon started working and selling outbound in India. We were the first ones to work closely with Air Mauritius and then soon other destinations around the world followed. Riaz in the visionary in our team – he ideates and we all follow,” she says humbly, magnanimously sharing the credit of her hard work with her better half.
Even though work kept her occupied, and after her daughter was born in 1996, Samina never compromised family time or values for work. She prides is not having missed a single PTM of her kids during their school time. “No matter how busy I was, studies were always very important for me and I would always give priority to school work. The kids went to G D Goenka and Riaz and I wanted to give them the best of education, even if it came at a higher cost. Sundays was always reserved for family. Once Ruhi, my daughter, became 4, annual holidays became a routine as that was our way of spending quality time with our children. We ensured they see the world,” she says.
Not the one to shy away from giving credit, she repeats, time and again, during the course of the interview how her mother was a constant source of help and strength to her. As work would demand her to travel around the world, her mother would always come over to look over the kids. “You have to meet her to believe the kind of lady she is. If she would have one bread, she would divide it between her children and sleep herself on an empty stomach. I not only adore her but I also look up to her. For me she is a woman who I would like to celebrate not just on a Woman’s day but all year through,” she adds with misty eyes.
She runs an empire – literally and yet there is not a bone of arrogance in her body. She gives credit of her success to the blessings of elders in the family and God almighty. Many of her clients are those that started working with them almost three decades back. N. Chirag, a company of huge magnitude continues to deliver extraordinary experiences to their travellers year after year. The next generation – their kids Zamir and Ruhi have now entered business after having done their graduation from USA and Singapore and are all set to take the company to the next level. Both kids are extremely modest and down to earth, showcasing perfect principles and values that they have been brought up with. Samina, the lady who holds it all together, is an epitome of humility and grace and it was an extreme humbling experience to have her as part of our “Better Half” column.
