Praveen Nair dies: She was the mother of Mira Nair and grandmother of Zohran Mamdani.Praveen Nair, filmmaker Mira Nair’s mother, died on Saturday at the age of 94. A renowned and accomplished social worker and philanthropist, she co-founded Salaam Baalak Trust, a New Delhi-based Non-Profit Organization that aids underprivileged street kids. Interestingly, Praveen Nair was inspired by a seminal piece of work by her daughter which prompted her to further walk on the path of philanthropy.How Salaam Bombay! inspired Praveen NairBefore co-founding Salaam Baalak Trust, Praveen Nair had already worked for over a couple of decades in the development sector. Primarily based out of Odisha, she headed several development-related committees for the Red Cross, the DAV Public School, and the Deaf and Dumb Association. But it was her daughter’s 1988 Oscar-nominated Hindi film Salaam Bombay! that inspired her to start something of her own.Salaam Bombay! revolved around the plight of street children in Mumbai. It went on to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and even won the Caméra d’Or (Golden Camera) and the Audience Award. It also became only the second Indian film to secure a nomination in the Best International Feature category at the Academy Awards, back in 1989.An enduring incident of Praveen Nair from the Cannes premiere of Salaam Bombay! gives an insight into her sense of humour. When she walked the red carpet, and the paparazzi assumed she’s an actor, they asked her what role she plays in the film. Only for her to respond in her signature wry sense of humour, “I’m the producer of the director!” Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! inspired her mother Praveen Nair’s philanthrophy.Deeply moved by her daughter’s film, Praveen Nair co-founded Salaam Baalak Trust in 1988 along with Mira, Anjou Chopra, and Sanjoy K Roy, best known for heading the Jaipur Literature Festival. “End of an era! Praveen Nair passes away at the age of 94,” he wrote on X this past Saturday. “We have cared for over 170,000 children in our homes and contact points in Delhi. Her extraordinary eye for detail, empathy, love for children and commitment to social work will be her abiding legacy,” he added.Salaam Balak Trust, which started with just 25 children and three staff members, now has over 25 shelter homes and have impacted over 80,000 children so far, as per the trust’s official website. They provide shelter and care, nutritious food, clothes, education, healthcare, counselling, and recreational facilities to street children.Praveen Nair inspired grandson Zohran Mamdani’s viral rap songPraveen Nair lived with such an infectious zest even in her 80s that it inspired her grandson and future New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to write, sing, direct, and produce a rap song dedicated to his maternal grandmother. Thus, came “Nani”, which he made under his artist name Mr Cardamom. It featured yet another octogenarian, veteran actor and celebrity cook Madhur Jaffrey, as the unhinged, badass titular character.Story continues below this adAlso Read — ‘Stop embarrassing your partner’: Kangana Ranaut hits back at Hrithik for ‘teasing’ her“Fu*k any other Nani says they better than Praveen,” Mamdani’s lyrics stated, making it very clear that “Nani” was a tribute to his own nani. He then met Jaffrey over tea through their mutual friend and actor Poorna Jagannathan. When Mamdani pitched the song to the veteran actor, she had no qualms in taking it up, including hurling all the profanities to underline his grandmother’s innate swagger.