An artist, an entrepreneur and an agent of social change, ANANYASHREE BIRLA is building an empire for each. SHRUTI THACKER meets the young woman juggling her corporate and creative pursuits, whether starting at 17 or winning big at 22
BEFORE I HEARD OF ANANYSHREE BIRLA, I had heard about Mpower, a mental health initiative she runs with her mother, Neerja Birla. Her father, Kumar Mangalam Birla, is the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group. In a world where everyone is shouting to get their voices heard, the young Birla branched out of the family business and worked her way up the corporate ladder at an alarming pace. At age 22, she’s already got three start-up companies to her name and, only last month, she launched her debut music single.
When we meet on the third floor of her sprawling family home in Mumbai, I’m not sure what to expect. Ananya, as she likes to be called, has just returned from a press conference to announce the launch of her latest venture, CuroCarte, a website that sells premium products curated from across the world. But by the time this issue hits stands, Ananya would have made her next move: a single with American producer Jim Beanz, who has previously worked with Britney Spears, M.I.A. and Demi Lovato. One thing is clear: she’s not wasting any time. Only last month, Ananya was selected as one of the 20 young turks invited to attend the prestigious Bal des Débutantes, an annual by-invitation-only event in Paris that brings together prominent faces from renowned families from around the world.
How does a 20-something handle all this, I ask her, remembering my days fresh out of university as I juggled a blur of internships. “[I know] this sounds ridiculous, but this is it. You know the feeling you get when you’re doing the right thing,” she says. She must have a flurry of staff surrounding her, asking for decisions to be made, guiding her and fussing about her, I think to myself. But in the four hours we spend together, Ananya keeps the company of only two assistants, who seem more like friends than business associates.
Denne historien er fra December 2016-utgaven av VOGUE India.
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Denne historien er fra December 2016-utgaven av VOGUE India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Breathe In, Breathe Out
A powerful tool to help you master your nervous system or another biohacking buzzword? SIMONE DHONDY explores the inhalations and exhalations of breathwork
Red Pill, Blue Pill
India's nutraceutical industry is booming thanks to advanced technology, distrust of the medical system and rising vanity. With multivitamins becoming purer and more effective, NIDHI GUPTA finds out if supplements have become the new serum
Sign of the times
No longer do you need to have an answer to, \"What is the significance of this?\" when people point to your new tattoo. ARMAN KHAN discovers that everything is on the table when you get inked temporarily
Return to form
Watching the world's most elite athletes deliver the best performances of their careers rekindled SONAKSHI SHARMA's own love for sports
Dimple, All Day
YOU MAY HAVE WATCHED HER ON THE BIG SCREEN FOR OVER FIVE DECADES, BUT DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING THAT YOU KNOW DIMPLE KAPADIA.
MUSIC, TAKE CONTROL
As someone who had always sought safety in numbers, ALIZA FATMA often wondered what her own company would feel like. The answer arrived unexpectedly when she attended her first-ever music festival, one of the largest in the world, all alone
Let it grow
When we think of hardworking farmers toiling in India's scorching heat, we often think of men, the sweat on their brow, the sinews in their arms. JYOTI KUMARI speaks to four women who are championing the invisible female labour that keeps these fields running
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
When armless archer Sheetal Devi set her sights on the Paralympic Games this year, she knew she had a tough journey ahead of her. Luckily, her mother was with her every step of the way.
Beauty and the feast
The appeal of Indian weddings has always been in a sprawling spread. For additional bragging rights, Aditi Dugar recommends going beyond designer tablecloths and monogrammed napkins.
Sweet serendipity
From a scavenger hunt-inspired proposal to a Moroccan-themed baraat, Malvika Raj and Armaan Rai's love story prioritised playfulness throughout their blended celebrations.
