Building Clean

Shriram Properties works with no interference from the parent group.

- Sekhar Seshan

Location, location, location, goes the adage, are the three most important factors in the property market. M. Murali, 46, agrees: “our big edge was that we were in Bengaluru, which was dominated by the biggies in construction,” says the managing director of Shriram properties. So do people who bought flats the company built across the city.

“My preference was because of the fact that there are good schools around,” says Philips executive Sriram, who lives in Shriram Symphonye. “i was amazed with the location – lush green with a lot of trees. It is one of the few areas in Bengaluru, where you can still hear birds through the day.”

With Tyagarajan Ranganathan, the story was slightly different: “Shriram Spandhana with its excellent amenities was possibly the best gated community close to the centre of Bengaluru,” says the retired president from the Forbes group, who was looking to reinvest his capital gains from the sale of a Mumbai property. “the price was affordable and reasonable. I wanted a dream penthouse and spandana came close to it. The restriction on the height in view of the close proximity to Hal airport also proved a blessing, and we have a huge open-space ratio and ample space for walking.”

Murali, who joined construction major Larsen & Toubro ‘by coincidence’, came across the ₹90,000-Crore Chennai-headquartered Shriram group, when the two giants were looking at a deal to develop properties jointly. “i met RT (group founder r. Thyagarajan), who said i should run this business,” Murali recalls. “i was only 28: how did he see me becoming what was virtually an entrepreneur building this business? I have no background to even suggest this – i come from a family of teachers.”