Hira Mehta, India

Hira Mehta is a retired banker, author of six books, podcaster, voice actor, and filmmaker who focuses on bringing awareness to social causes. In 2024, she made a statement at the UN Convention, New York, on Aging Rights, speaking on behalf of Silver Innings, a non-governmental organization in Mumbai working toward creating an elder- and dementia-friendly world. At the convention, Hira spoke about the rights of senior citizens to healthcare and access to health services.

Hira calls herself “a happy senior, crushing stereotypes one day at a time, living life queen-sized.” In this episode, she discusses how the death of her mother made her reflect on the many things her mom had wanted to do but never got to experience—and how that realization inspired Hira to consider what she, herself, still wanted to get out of life.

From spreading her wings and beginning her writing career, to the significance of myna birds and their emotional connection to her mother. She initiated Instagram Live interviews during the pandemic to stay connected with friends—a project that grew into over 180 interviews, including a few with celebrities. This eventually led to the start of her podcast, Rewire Life in 1½ Minutes with Hira Mehta, now on Spotify.

She talks about the importance of trying new things, never fearing a “no,” her passion for dance and dance reality shows, her views on women’s empowerment, and the value of respecting others’ cultures and traditions. She supports the mission of Silver Innings in the field of dementia and Alzheimer’s and speaks about it in the short film (on YouTube) she made on the cause, “A Selfless Soldier.”

Her love of writing led her to submit short stories in a contest. On winning, she continued writing and publishing stories, poetry, and books. And the reminder not to wait for tomorrow to do the things you want to do, but making time to do them now became her mantra of life. (India)