In this city life where concrete towers and high-rise buildings dominate the skyline, greenery and pure air are diminishing with time. Meet Neelam Dhingra, a 60-year-old managing director of a company with a net worth of crores, She has a passionate heart full of love for greenery and terrace gardening. She manages bits of her day to maintain her double-decker organic terrace garden with hundreds of plants!
Inspiring hundreds of people with her passion, this lady is managing her entrepreneurial journey and terrace gardening together giving full input to both. Stick more to know her secret strategy in life for making crores and still having an unmatched love for nature.
Who is Neelam Dhingra?
At 60 years of age, Neelam Dhingra currently holds the position of Managing Director at Standard Securities & Investment Inter Ltd, a company with a substantial net worth of crores. Her entrepreneurial journey began with a humble investment of 75 lakhs alongside a partner, and over the years, her dedication and hard work have led to the expansion of the company. It now boasts two branches in Mumbai and a central headquarters in Delhi. Neelam Dhingra is known for her relentless work ethic and unwavering commitment to her career, but this is just one facet of her multifaceted personality.
As we venture off the screen and encounter her in her charming garden, we find a woman with a straightforward and unassuming demeanor. She exudes genuine humility, cherishing her childhood memories and embracing a lifestyle reminiscent of her days in Rohtak, Haryana, a small town surrounded by lush greenery and a deep connection to nature.
Her daily routine after coming back from school was to climb up a guava tree and have her lunch there only, in the lap of nature. Later in life, she relocated to Delhi for higher education and had to settle here, making it her home after marriage. The concept of concrete towers was upsetting for her as she always preferred staying close to nature.
After hustling all day amidst this city life, she used to visit a nearby park for her evening walk which got restricted in 2015 when her knee became a matter of concern. She was tired of this routine and started planting trees at her home as a refreshing hobby. At first, it was a small green corner, but with limited space on the ground, she decided to make the most of her terrace by upgrading it to a double-decker (means two-floor) organic terrace garden.
A double-decker Organic Terrace Garden
At first, she began terrace gardening on a low level occupying only a small part of her terrace but later on she expanded it to two floors. And now with hundreds of plants, it has become her favorite part of the day to take care of them and look after all the saplings they generate.
I find taking care of my plants very peaceful. Watering them, repairing the needy ones, and planting new ones is itself a therapy that relaxes my mind and freshens me up for the daily hustle ahead. Whatever time I could manage from my company, I prefer utilizing it for my terrace gardening.
Neelam Dhingra
Planting new saplings initially, gave her immense happiness, and her double-decker organic terrace garden is proof of it. Neelam also began the multiplication of plants and shared more than 1,000 plants with numerous temples. Being a creative head, Neelam crafts distinctive festive topiaries of Ganesha for Ganesh Chaturthi and Naag for Janmashtami adding an artistic touch to her terrace gardening skills.
The secret behind the Name ‘Shanti’s Garden’
Terrace Gardening can be done in the most sustainable manner without much expenses. I try to teach my viewers on how to maintain an organic terrace garden efficiently through my social media presence.
Neelam Dhingra
Continuing her work for years silently, she finally decided to create a social presence for her terrace garden. All her relatives, friends, and family used to ask for tips to maintain their plants and how to grow new ones while managing the limited space in their apartments. Advocating everything to the known ones, Neelam finally decided to continue this with a dedicated social media platform.
To begin with, she always wanted something pure and noble so what could be better than her mother’s name.
I wanted to start pure and noble and ever since I was a child, I wanted to do something on my mother’s name. So, I began my social media presence with a name ‘Shanti’s Garden’ because ek maa se zayda pavitra kuch nahi ho sakta!
Neelam Dhingra
All the money, success, and respect she earned over the years could not cut loose of the ends stuck deep in her roots. She never preferred luxury and that is why still drives a wagon R even when she can afford a Mercedes or BMW. Her down-to-earth nature is a perfect example of her love for terrace gardening and it was her noble thought to label it all on her mother’s name.
Challenges Neelam faced in Terrace Gardening as a full-time worker?
Being a managing director for her own company, her growth and success depends majorly on her. She works till 2 in the morning when needed and that is not a burden for her. Neelam feels if you are mentally invested in something then the working hours never matter as you enjoy doing things. Similar is the case with her passion for terrace gardening.
Terrace gardening was never challenging for me as I enjoy looking after every plant I own. Their growth gives me immense happiness because I treat them just like my own kids.
Neelam Dhingra
In the initial days, the only challenge she faced was to figure out ways to take care of plants from different families. Having studied a lot, she did her own share of research and put in every effort she could to help her organic terrace garden grow efficiently. As a result of the acquired knowledge over time, Neelam began composting on her own and she still uses it for her plants.
Neelam was always curious about life and she never stopped learning. Having a well-paying job was not satisfying for her and she decided to open her own company, then she wanted to do something extra so at the age of 60 years she decided to go for a crash course in digital marketing. Even after being fully occupied, she wanted to keep an escape in her schedule to follow her passion and love for terrace gardening.
She encourages the youth to always have a zeal in life and hustle for new things. From her experience, hobbies can bring joy and fulfillment at any age. So, the next time you find yourself in the hustle and bustle of city life, remember Shanti’s organic terrace garden and the peace it brings to Neelam’s life. Take a moment to appreciate the beauty of nature in unexpected places, and go for the things that have always been on your bucket list for so long!
For more insights on terrace gardening, you can visit her social media handles – Instagram, Facebook, YouTube.
Featured Image – Neelam Dhingra
If Neelam’s story and her love for terrace gardening was amusing for you then do give a read to the story of an amazing couple who left the glamorous world of USA to set up Jeevantika farm in Barnagar, MP.
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