Meet Urmila Asher Aka 'Gujju Ben', Began Business At 77 To Support Her Grandson, Became TedX Speaker

Age is just a number, and the story of Urmila Jamnadas Asher is proof of this. The 77-year-old grandmother began her entrepreneurial journey to support her grandson, Harsh Asher. She worked relentlessly for 80 hours a week and turned many tragedies of her life into a success story, inspiring many people.

At the age when many people decide to take retirement, she began her journey and proved to be one of the most successful businesswomen. Urmila Asher, popularly known as ‘Gujju Ben’, rose to fame with her mouth-watering Gujarati snack business, Gujju Ben Na Nasta. She stunned everyone when she participated in the cooking reality show, MasterChef India.

On April 7, 2025, the popular dadi, Urmila Asher, breathed her last at the age of 79 as she suffered a heart attack. Her team shared a post announcing her demise on her official Instagram handle. The post shared a graphic note with her picture that revealed she passed on April 7, 2025. The post also revealed that she was a symbol of 'courage, joy, and late blooming dreams'. As we bid adieu to the legend, let us look at her inspirational journey.

Urmila Asher’s life stuck with tragedy when she lost her children

Urmila Asher, aka ‘Gujju Ben', had seen a tragic life. Her story is the perfect example of resilience and hard work. Married at the age of 18, Urmila had three children by the age of 23. The first tragedy struck her life when she lost her 2.5-year-old daughter when she accidentally fell from a building and died. She later lost her two sons by the age of 67. Her elder son died of a brain tumour, and her younger son passed away due to heart failure.

Urmila Asher began her entrepreneurial journey at 77 for her grandson

After completing his MBA, Urmila’s grandson, Harsh Asher, started working with the Oman Ministry and promoted tourism in India. In 2014, he quit his job and started his own venture of corporate gifts and merchandise. However, Harsh met with a tragic accident in 2019 and lost his upper lip.

His face was disfigured after the accident, and despite undergoing surgery, he faced an identity crisis. He fell into depression and decided not to step out of his house. Harsh was the breadwinner of the family, but after his accident, another tragedy struck in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic worsened, Harsh had to shut down his business.

It was during that time that Harsh’s grandmother, Urmila, stepped in. Harsh, with his entrepreneurial sensibilities, came up with the idea of putting his dadi, Urmila Ben’s kitchen skills to use. He and his grandmother, Urmila Ben, came up with the idea of home-cooked food under the name Gujju Ben Na Nasta. In an interview with The Better India, Urmila, who had witnessed Harsh’s suffering, gave him her example and said:

“I told him that he had only lost his upper lip and business, but I’d lost three children, and was still standing strong. I assured him I’d offer all my support.”

From working 80 hours a week to earning Rs. 3 lakh a month

Earlier, Urmila Ben’s business was limited to making achaars, which were a hit among her customers, but the business would stop once the pickling season got over. When Harsh asked his grandmother if she could prepare food in large quantities, she agreed instantly.

They started selling 500 kilos of pickle and added other Gujarati delicacies to their kitchen, such as thepla, dhokla, puran poli, halwa, sabudana khichdi, farali pattice and many other items. Urmila Ben would work 14 hours a day to prepare food for 35-40 orders a day. At the age of 77, she worked relentlessly for 80 hours and earned a revenue of Rs. 3 lakh per month.

As the business grew, she started her YouTube channel. Urmila’s inspirational story motivated many, and she was even invited to give a TEDx talk. In an interview with the Quint, Harsh once shared that his dadi never asked him about the monetary gains, she only cared whether people liked her food. In his words:

“She has never asked me how much money we make from this business or how we spend the money. There are only two things that she cares about- one, whether we make enough to smoothly run the house, and second, that people should enjoy the food she cooks. People liking her food is her trophy.”

Urmila Jamnadas Asher proved to the world that life is not easy and that despite all the hardships, one needs to move on while supporting the people one loves.

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