Nawaz Modi Singhania is an Indian fitness trainer and the founder of Body Art Fitness. She is the estranged wife of Raymond Ltd Chairman and Managing Director Gautam Singhania. In 2023, she made headlines for demanding 75% of Gautam’s alleged $1.4 billion net worth in a family settlement following their divorce.
Wiki/Biography
Nawaz Modi was born in 1970 (age 53 years; as of 2023) in Mumbai. She was born into a family of lawyers and pursued a Bachelor of Arts. However, she was inclined towards the fitness field from the beginning and ventured into it after her third-year exams. Talking about the onset of her journey in the fitness field, in an interview, she said,
I had decided by the last year of my college that I wanted to be in the fitness industry. I was a member at an aerobics class here in Mumbai, and felt strongly that being in fitness is what I wanted to do going forward. Since I wanted to have my own centre, right after my T.Y.B.A. exams I went to the US, where I trained, got certified and taught to gain experience.”
She earned a certification in fitness training in the US, came back to India, and started Body Art, in 1991. Simultaneously, she enrolled in Government Law College, Mumbai and earned a LLB degree. Though a law graduate, she never practised as a lawyer.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 4″
Weight (approx.): 55 kg
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): 34-30-36
Family
She belongs to a Parsi family.
Parents & Siblings
Her father, Nadar Modi, is a well-known lawyer. She is the middle kid, who has an elder and a younger brother, both lawyers. Her parents separated when Nawaz was 10 years old.
Husband & Children
In 1999, after eight years of courtship, Nawaz Modi got married to the Indian industrialist Gautam Singhania, who is the chairman and managing director of the Raymond Group, the world’s largest producer of suiting fabric. Together, they have two daughters, Niharika (born in 2005) and Nisa (born in 2013).
Nawaz Modi Singhania and Gautam Singhania on their wedding day
Nawaz Modi Singhania and Gautam Singhania with their daughters, Niharika and Nisa
On 13 November 2023, after being together for 32 years, Singhania announced separation from Nawaz on X (formerly Twitter), saying the two have decided to pursue different paths. The post read,
This Diwali is not going to be the same as many in the past. It is my belief that Nawaz and I will pursue different paths from here on…32 years of being together as a couple, growing as parents and always being a strength of each other… we traversed with commitment, resolve, faith as along came the two most beautiful additions in our lives…As I reflect over the unfortunate developments in the recent past, there has been a lot of unsubstantiated rumor-mongering, and gossip surrounding our lives fanned by ‘not so well-wishers’…I am parting ways with her while we continue to do what is best for our two precious diamonds Niharika and Nisa.”
Religious Views
She believes in spirituality.
Career
Nawaz Modi is a fitness trainer. She founded the Body Art Fitness centres in 1991 as an aerobic studio. In 1998, she started a gym and shortly after that, she started the first full-fledged equipment-based Pilates studio in India. She is the proud pioneer of many firsts in the fitness space in India. In addition to the equipment-based Pilates, she started Gyrotonics, Gyrokinesis, anti-ageing facial fitness workouts, choreographed trampoline workouts, Callanetics, etc. Soon, she opened another centre with a wider range of offerings than the first centre, such as an aqua aerobics pool and an indoor biking studio.
Nawaz Modi Singhania practising ballet barre workout
Eventually, she introduced 25 different types of training methods, including box aerobics, cardio-dance, body sculpting, slide training, ballet barre workouts etc. In 2016, she launched an aerial arts studio which offers TRX training, anti-gravity training, suspension fitness, and aerial yoga. She also introduced Gyrotonic practice in India. She has closely worked with numerous notable personalities such as Atul Atul and Gayatri Ruia, Harsha Bhogle, Dr Swati Piramal, Elina Meswani and Bijal Meswani.
Nawaz Modi Singhania giving training to Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathoner Nihad Panju at Body Art’s Pilates Hub, developing a customized programme to suit his requirements
She is a director on the board of Raymond Ltd and is on some of the subsidiary company boards as well. She is on the Sulochanadevi Singhania School Board of Governors and on the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Committee. In 2023, she published the book Pause, Rewind: Natural Anti-Ageing Techniques.
Favourites
- Gara Designer(s): Naju Daver, Rayomand Maneckshaw
- Painter(s): Raja Ravi Varma, Bikash Bhattacharjee, Bose Krishnamachari, Prosanto Roy
Facts/Trivia
- In 2023, she gained attention for demanding 75% of Gautam’s alleged $1.4 billion net worth in a family settlement following their divorce. It was reported that Gautam recommended creating a family trust and transferring the family’s assets to it, with him serving as the only managing trustee.
- After Singhania announced his separation from Nawaz, she shared a video on social media in which she was seen participating in a Diwali puja with her in-laws at their apartment. In the caption, she said that she was blessed to have her in-laws’ support. The Diwali party was hosted at JK Gram, which is a property of Gautam Singhania, in Thane. Before that, a video surfaced on social media in which Nawaz claimed that she was prevented from attending her husband’s Diwali celebration. In the video, Nawaz, along with another woman, can be seen standing at the entrance, asserting that despite having an invitation to the event, she was stopped by the security guards.
- She is a non-vegetarian.