Girl Boss

A multitasking millennial, MANASI KIRLOSKAR talks to ANUPAMA CHOPRA about the challenges and perks of inheriting a 150-year-old family legacy.

- Anupama Chopra

Twenty-eight-year-old Manasi Kirloskar likes to climb mountains literally and metaphorically. The Bengaluru-based fourth-generation heiress is also a painter, certified diver, mountain climber, and, of course, director of the Kirloskar Group. A ferocious multitasker, she’s currently busy making her foray into real estate, even as she launches a new rural healthcare project and an innovative arts-based teaching programme for underprivileged children. As we meet at Vetro, the Italian fine dining restaurant at The Oberoi, Mumbai, Kirloskar sits down for lunch but eats little, preferring instead to talk about her many ambitions and the necessity of pushing boundaries.

Anupama Chopra: Manasi, you have inherited a 150-year-old legacy and come into a position of power through a position of privilege. How do you make sure that you earn respect?

Manasi Kirloskar: I may have inherited everything but I know I can lose it all overnight if I’m not competent. I remember when I first started working at the hospital; people tried to take me for a ride knowing that I did not have a clue—and I knew they were going to continue doing this until I knew my stuff. So I sort of became a self-supervisor, and started learning everything that I needed to. When we were deciding on flooring at the hospital, I went to a vendor and learnt how the granite was laid and polished. I have also trained in the factory on the shop floor, so I know the difference between a petrol and diesel hybrid, what transmission is used for which car, and how to read a wheel. I don’t stop learning, because only if you know what you’re doing will people respect you.