We'll carry on, Ma-Sunil Shetty

Vipula Kadri's work will continue even after her passing thanks to son-in-law, Sunil Shetty, who has decided to carry his mom-in-law's work forward.
But he avers, "Not just me, all of us: my wife Mana and her two siblings, my own parents – we're united in this process of carrying forward my mother-in-law's Save The Children India programme.

I've been actively associated with her social and charitable work for a while, but now it's more than just an association. Her passing has made it imperative that we don't let her work slacken. She would have wanted us to carry on."

'My second ma'

Sunil has been approaching corporate companies for his mom-in-law's charitable work. "Whether it is Jet Airways or Pantaloon, no one has said no to me. We plan to build on her work.

Vipula Kadri wasn't just my mother-in-law. She was my second mother. All of us, my parents included, are still in shock at her sudden demise. It's very important for us to carry on her legacy."

The entire Shetty and Kadri family has divided Vipula's work among themselves. "My father-in-law, who is an architect, was already heavily involved with his wife's work.

Now, each one of us from the family — we can't call it two families because we're one — has been assigned a specific wing of her work. We're all leaving behind some of our other duties to give priority to my mother-in-law's projects."

Recalling the harrowing time when Vipula Kadri was in hospital, Sunil says, "I was stationed at Amby Valley shooting for my TV show The Biggest Loser (which goes on air this month) when she was in hospital.

Everyday, I'd drive from Amby Valley to Mumbai spending as much time with her as possible. I feel I've lost a parent."

All about family

Sunil feels it's very important for the new generation to reclaim family values.

He says, "We scoff at heroines who are accompanied by their mothers to the sets, but why don't we see how wonderful it is to have these family ties so visible in an industry that's notorious for its self-serving nature?

For me, it's very important to remind my children every other day about my mother-in-law. They need to know the legacy they've to carry forward."