BEYOND SYMBOLIC TITLES: VANITHA DATLA'S JOURNEY TO INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP

Vanitha Datla's journey reveals hidden struggles women face within India's family-run enterprises.

- SANDHYA MENDONCA

It's a balmy Saturday morning in Hyderabad, and we are sitting on the verandah of a lovely bungalow in the plush Jubilee Hills. I am in the city to conduct interviews for a book, and when I reach out at short notice, Vanitha Datla graciously invites me to her home on a Saturday morning. I first met Vanitha some years ago at the launch 'Bold and Brilliant - stories that inspire', which our company published for the CII-IWN, and was struck by her dignified and direct manner.

At our second meeting, she juggles grandma duty and the professional interview, multitasking with aplomb and ease. I had always viewed her as coming from a place of privilege and was surprised to learn that the privilege came with its own pain.

When Vanitha first entered her family's business over thirty years ago, she confronted a paradox that defines the experience of countless women in family enterprises: “privilege actually boxes you.”

Born into a prominent business family, Vanitha had dreamed of becoming a doctor. When that path closed, she refused to accept the expected alternative—sitting at home as a homemaker. But here lay the cruel irony of her situation: “Because of gender, patriarchy and the social conditioning, women are not expected, nor are they even invited to be part of the family business.”

She was an outlier, attempting to enter a space designed to exclude her. With no qualifications and zero experience, she found herself in an impossible bind. “Who else would give me an opportunity?” she asks, explaining why she turned to her grandfather, Dr BV Raju, who headed the family business, Raasi Cements. He agreed—but what followed reveals how hollow such opportunities often are for women.