People

Ila Paliwal

Ila Paliwal is a classically trained vocalist, composer, producer and philanthropist.

Her father, the late Dr. Padma Singh Sharma Kamlesh, was a nationally renowned poet and Hindi and Gujarati scholar. Her mother, Dr. Sushila Sharma Kamlesh, is an English and Sanskrit scholar.

She received a BA in English, economics, music and fine arts from Dayalbagh University, Agra and an MA in fine arts from Agra University. She also received an MA (sangeet praveen) with a distinction in Hindustani classical vocal music from Prayag Sangeet Samiti, Allahabad and a BA in Mandarin from the Language and Culture Institute, Beijing.

Ila has performed in renowned venues around the world and worked as a cross-cultural consultant in Beijing. She supports several philanthropic organizations through her family’s charitable foundation.

She lives in New York with her husband, Dinesh Paliwal, president and CEO of Harman International Industries. The couple has two adult children, Shriya and Aasheesh.