HELLO! India Exclusive: Nirvaan Birla is more than a famous surname

In a world increasingly driven by optics, curated personalities, and performative depth, Nirvaan Birla is unexpectedly different — thoughtful without trying too hard to sound profound, emotionally articulate without appearing rehearsed, deeply spiritual without turning the discipline into performance.

Even though his surname enters rooms before he does, somewhere beyond the assumptions around privilege, the weight of legacy, and the social mythology attached to wealth exists someone far more introspective. Nirvaan is a man deeply aware of the emotional architecture of his own life, centred around music. Case in point: his ‘Sounds for the Soul’ initiative that’s focussed on creating soulful, healing melodies, composed through his training in Indian classical music.

Over hours of conversation, what emerged was not merely the heir to a powerful moniker but someone consciously trying to build a life that feels emotionally earned.

HELLO! India: Beneath inheritance, visibility, and expectation, what can you say remains entirely yours?

Nirvaan Birla: My inner self, my soul, my lack of arrogance — all of which I owe to my upbringing. I was raised with discipline and restraint, so entitlement never became part of my personality. Of course everyone has some ego, but I never grew up believing I was above anyone else. My parents made sure we stayed grounded, and I think that protected me the most.

HELLO! India: The Birla name carried enormous visibility growing up, yet discipline remained ever-present at home. What did that look like practically?

Nirvaan Birla: My upbringing was far stricter and more grounded than people would probably imagine. I was raised like a regular kid. We had rules for everything — watching television, going out, spending money. I wasn’t even allowed a phone until the 11th grade. My parents were very particular about structure because they felt the world already had enough distractions.

Even financially, there were limits. There was never a culture of reckless indulgence. Of course, I’m not pretending I didn’t grow up privileged — my parents provided for my schooling, travel, and lifestyle — but there was still a strong emphasis on moderation and responsibility.

A huge part of my childhood was also spent in ashrams and spiritual spaces, rather than in luxury environments. My brother [Vedant] and I spent months in places like Vrindavan and Art of Living centres, where we slept on the floor, lived simply, and followed disciplined routines. Looking back, I’m grateful for that because it protected me from entitlement. It taught me very early that comfort and character are not the same thing.

HELLO! India: What did you learn from your 
family dynamics? 

Nirvaan Birla: Openness. My parents, Yash and Avanti Birla, were always very present, so nothing ever felt hidden at home. I still go to my father for perspective and guidance. A lot of what I understand about spirituality, compassion, and relationships comes from him. My mother is incredibly intuitive — she can instantly sense how I’m feeling without me having to say much. She’s also genuinely my biggest cheerleader. And with my siblings, Vedant and Shloka, there’s real friendship and honesty. Growing up around that kind of openness made vulnerability feel natural rather than uncomfortable.

HELLO! India: Before friendships, language, or public identity, did melody understand your inner world first?

Nirvaan Birla: Completely. Music makes emotions make sense. Conversations can sometimes feel surface-level, but music feels cellular. I don’t even care about lyrics half the time — I’m more of a melody person. I just want to hear a melody and sit with my thoughts. Sometimes music explains emotions before I consciously understand them myself. That’s when I realised creating music had become something far deeper than entertainment.

What does complete silence unlock within you? Everything. Silence is where I feel most connected to myself. That’s where most of my world exists — travelling alone, sitting near the Ganga, meditating, composing music, spending time with my thoughts. They say silence is Shiva, and I genuinely feel that. In silence, I don’t feel fragmented. I feel complete.

HELLO! India: Has modern culture conditioned people to fear stillness?

Nirvaan Birla: Completely. Everything today teaches dissatisfaction. The world constantly tells people what they don’t have, what they need next, who they should become. Very few things teach people how to feel complete within themselves. But contentment is a skill. You can still be ambitious, still build, still create while remaining whole internally.

HELLO! India: Why does Rishikesh continue to feel magnetic to you? 

Nirvaan Birla: Life slows down there. Some of my most important memories are tied to Rishikesh — be it my childhood, spirituality, music, or healing. Every major reset in my life leads me back there. The moment I enter the city, internal noise disappears. It’s one of the few places where I feel completely disconnected from performance. 

HELLO! India: Which human qualities dissolve your guard instantly? 

Nirvaan Birla: How intentionally did you pursue authorship over your professional identity? Through Birla Open Minds Education and the wider Birla Open Minds International School ecosystem, I consciously built a professional identity rooted in discipline, systems, resilience, and long-term impact rather than entitlement. A surname may open the first door, but after that your work has to speak for you.

HELLO! India: Why do dogs move you in ways people sometimes cannot? 

Nirvaan Birla: Dogs love without strategy, without performance. Humans complicate love with ego, expectations, and pride — dogs don’t. Especially [my dog] Gucci. Losing him really affected me because we were inseparable. He was very snappy with most people but incredibly gentle with me. That kind of trust changes you. Dogs don’t care about your surname, success or image. They just want you fully. I genuinely think dogs are one of God’s purest creations because they love with complete honesty.

HELLO! India: Which spaces leave you feeling disconnected from yourself? 

Nirvaan Birla: Performative social spaces. Rooms where people are constantly measuring relevance, status, and perception. Those environments drain me mentally. Afterwards, I just want to go home, order pizza and pasta, sit in silence with my dogs, listen to music, and be alone with my thoughts. People assume privilege means you naturally thrive in such environments, but too much superficiality disconnects me from myself. Simplicity feels far more luxurious than any party ever could.

HELLO! India: Was there once a quieter rebellion against inherited responsibility within you?

Nirvaan Birla: Yes, definitely. In my teens and early college years, I just wanted an easy-going life without pressure or responsibility. But somewhere around 16 or 17, I realised my surname entered rooms before I did. I understood that legacy came with weight and responsibility. At the same time, I also knew I didn’t want to simply inherit something passively. I wanted to build something of my own.

HELLO! India: How intentionally did you pursue authorship over your professional identity? 

Nirvaan Birla: Through Birla Open Minds Education and the wider Birla Open Minds International School ecosystem, I consciously built a professional identity rooted in discipline, systems, resilience, and long-term impact rather than entitlement. A surname may open the first door, but after that your work has to speak for you.

HELLO! India: What kind of setting allows your creativity to emerge naturally?

Nirvaan Birla: My room is almost like a semi-studio. I have guitars, recording equipment, and dim lighting, and my tanpura is constantly droning in the background. One entire wall has a massive painting of Lord Shiva meditating with the Kailash Mansarovar behind Him. Funnily, on the opposite wall were posters of Linkin Park, Kurt Cobain, and all the rock bands I grew up listening to. So, my music naturally became a mix of devotion and rock and roll.

HELLO! India: What role does meditation play in your life now?

Nirvaan Birla: Stability. Meditation quietens internal noise for me. It helps me detach from distraction, perception and chaos and return to myself again. I was exposed to spirituality and meditation very young, so over time it stopped feeling like a ritual and became more of an anchor. 

HELLO! India: At what point did spirituality stop being inherited tradition and become personal conviction?

Nirvaan Birla: It was after I completed the Jyotirlinga journey. Spirituality was always present because of my upbringing, but after visiting all 12 jyotirlingas, it became deeply personal. I didn’t do it because anyone told me to. One day, I just woke up and felt that if I felt this connected to Lord Shiva, I had to experience all 12 myself.

HELLO! India: Have your own lyrics ever revealed truths your conscious mind had not processed yet?

Nirvaan Birla: Many times. Sometimes, I’ll write something and only understand what it really means months later. Music almost predicts realities before your conscious mind catches up.

Text by Anandita De