Table Matters

Not one to rest on her family laurels, the young, charming and affable Janaki Kirloskar decided to plunge into entrepreneurship with KIKA Tableware and has been adding oomph to many luxurious homes. An engineer with an innate business sense, she inherited the ability to envision new opportunities from her parents, Vijay and Meena Kirloskar. Janaki is the fourth generation of a 130-year-old business family, Kirloskar, one of India’s premier engineering and manufacturing powerhouses. After working with her father for over a decade, Janaki decided to step out into the entrepreneurial world with her own business venture, KIKA Tableware that offers innovative and modern designed premium quality tableware at an easy-on-the-pocket price. The name was an amalgamation of the two most significant forces in her life – her two daughters, Devaki and Mihika. The founder and CEO, KIKA Tableware who is as beautiful and elegant as her exquisite tableware, lets us in on her ‘plate’ful journey from Malaysia to Malleswaram.

- Namita Gupta

Where did you study and how did the transition from working in your family business to starting out on your own happen?

I completed my industrial engineering in the US and joined my dad in the family business at Kirloskar Electric Company Ltd. I worked there for 12 years, but somewhere down the line I got into an entrepreneurial mode. I had designed tableware for my mother as a Diwali gift that she loved and she suggested this business idea, as I was good at it. I realised that tableware was something close to my heart as I always enjoyed a beautiful home and entertaining guests. While doing my research before starting out, I found that there were either very expensive brands or very basic brands. I wanted to fill that gap and create something that’s a piece of art on your table, but at the same time, keeping the price tag affordable.

Are you hands on with the entire process? What are the challenges you had to face?