Having recently been selected from among 150 entrants for a competition to design a complex of 800 apartments, she gently broke it to them that she was in charge.
Thirteen years later, she still reigns—at Design Café, an interiors firm in Bangalore with over 700 employees and 5,000 clients that she founded with her partner Shezan Bojani. “At first, whenever I went to a site, there were men with 20 years of experience who constantly tried to assess what I knew. It’s a rite of passage for female designers,” says Ramanan.
“Initially, it was hard to convince investors that I was heading the firm. So we sent Shezan for the first set of meetings. Only when they showed interest would I come in the picture. Many women cannot progress when they hit a glass ceiling and if sharing my experience helps them, I must do it. It is hard for women, especially in the real estate industry, though we are now being taken more seriously as professionals.” But the gender issue does not really affect her. “I come from a family with educated working women, so I don’t think of myself as a female entrepreneur.”
Ramanan believes in ‘democratising’ design—her initial lofty mission—and using optimum material. “I still don’t know why certain Italian kitchens cost Rs 15 lakh, but I do know that I can give you the same finish for Rs 3 lakh,” says the woman whose startup offers personalised design solutions for homes at affordable prices.
This story is from the March 16, 2020 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 16, 2020 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Propaganda Files
A recent spate of Hindi films distorts facts and creates imaginary villains. Century-old propaganda cinema has always relied on this tactic
Will Hindutva Survive After 2024?
The idealogy of Hindutva faces a challenge in staying relevant
A Terrific Tragicomedy
Paul Murray's The Bee Sting is a tender and extravagant sketch of apocalypse
Trapped in a Template
In the upcoming election, more than the Congress, the future of the Gandhi family is at stake
IDEOLOGY
Public opinion will never be devoid of ideology: but we shall destroy ourselves without philosophical courage
The Many Kerala Stories
How Kerala responded to the propaganda film The Kerala Story
Movies and a Mirage
Previously portrayed as a peaceful paradise, post-1990s Kashmir in Bollywood has become politicised
Lights, Cinema, Politics
FOR eight months before the 1983 state elections in undivided Andhra Pradesh, a modified green Chevrolet van would travel non-stop, except for the occasional pit stops and food breaks, across the state.
Cut, Copy, Paste
Representation of Muslim characters in Indian cinema has been limited—they are either terrorists or glorified individuals who have no substance other than fixed ideas of patriotism
The Spectre of Eisenstein
Cinema’s real potency to harness the power of enchantment might want to militate against its use as a servile, conformist propaganda vehicle