All those who have courageously thrown caution to the wind, put on their bravest faces and ventured out to make it on their own can testify: entrepreneurship is an extremely challenging path to choose. Taking the road less travelled is riddled with a whole stream of obstacles, and while following your passion and getting your idea to take flight is tough enough, there are a few for whom it’s even harder.
For couples that are romantically involved, attempting this feat together is a whole different ball game. Adding to the already long list of challenges faced by entrepreneurs, they now have to find a balance between their personal and professional connections, which inevitably find a way of entwining. World over, the task of working with your significant other is recognised as complicated enough to warrant its own metaphors (separation of church and state, anyone?) and even has literature written to this effect. To name a few, Dennis T Jaffe’s book Working With The Ones You Love explores the intricacies of this delicate situation, while Married… In Business by Jack and Elaine Wyman is dedicated to helping spouses find the perfect marriage-business balance.
In the face of all these challenges, finding ways to still be successful and happy at the same time is a commendable achievement. As we recognise the hard work, dedication, mutual respect and understanding that goes into entrepreneurial couples working together, we’ve compiled a list of 12 such pairs right here on home turf and documented their infinitely inspiring stories. So scroll on for the love story, the work story—and everything in between.
[Note to readers—this list is presented in no order of preference, and has simply been chronicled in alphabetical order.]
Understanding. Respect. Compromise
The love story:
Ayesha and Prashant both attended New Delhi’s Modern School at Barakhamba Road together. At least till the seventh grade, which was when Ayesha transferred to Woodstock School, Mussoorie. But, she kept in touch with their common friends’ circle and Prashant and her grew close. Afterwards, Prashant went to study at Kolkata’s NUJS law school and they had a long distance relationship for five years. After he graduated in 2006, he moved back to Delhi and ultimately proposed in 2009. They were married a year later.
About their ‘baby’:
“Our first venture, Delhi Food Tours (started in 2012), was about taking people on culinary tours of Delhi. While we were targeting tourist traffic, it turned out that most of our clientele were expats and diplomats living in Delhi. This led the foundations for Primo Privilege in 2014, which started off as a privilege card for the international community but has moved on to become widely popular among locals as well,” says Prashant. Primo Privilege is one of Delhi NCR’s most powerful privilege programs, which includes a privilege card and an events/networking club. It has exclusive discount tie ups with luxury hotels, top restaurants, spas, shops and more.
“Working together has made us understand each other better.”
On their reservations about working together:
“Both of us are ambitious people with previously successful independent careers. That comes hand in hand with a healthy ego. We were a bit worried about being able to leave the inevitable clashes at work,” says Prashant.
On how they strike a balance between their personal and professional life:
Since we’re both workaholics, it’s sometimes difficult for us to remember to have conversations outside of work. By the end of the day, we just wanted to relax. Sometimes, because we already know what happened in each other’s day, we will just plop down in front of the TV, eat and sleep without a conversation worthy of the name. We’ve since learned to make an effort to have a time limit for work. When we go out on a date, we make sure to go to a place that won’t trigger any work-related conversation. We also make it a point to explore new music together, and talk about each of our own individual interests. It’s made us healthier,” says Prashant.
The best and worst part about working together?
“The best part is that it doesn’t feel like work at all, it feels like a natural extension of our relationship. But, on the flipside, it’s hard to delineate the point at where work ends,” he says.
On how they deal with arguments:
“We’re both very strong personalities and frequently have differing opinions. We’ve been dealing with each other and our tempers since we got together 15 years ago. Fortunately, we have both always taken a breath and thought before speaking and working out issues in a mature way. Rather than waiting until stress makes us explode, we discuss the issues as we go. If one of us starts getting slightly angry (that’s usually Ayesha), the other takes a step back and we restart the conversation once everything is calm again. Since we apply this to work as well, it’s never been an issue. And to make things easier, when it’s a matter of choosing creatives or making a team decision, we just take a vote.”
Adventure. Laughter. Supportive
The love story:
Born in Canada, raised in Chicago and based in Mumbai, Kelvin is a Chinese-Canadian who grew up in the kitchen. He has received degrees in both Culinary Science and Culinary Arts from Kendall College, Chicago. Kelvin’s culinary style draws inspiration from his Chinese heritage, his North American upbringing and his French training.
Dubbed as the Director of Everything in the company, Andrea is the Director of Marketing, Communications, and Operations at Aallia Hospitality. Aside from her role as a Food and Beverage consultant, she is also the founder of Love From Bombay, a certified yoga instructor, and wellness coach to private clients in Mumbai and Los Angeles. Kelvin and Andrea first met at a yoga class in Bandra two and a half years ago and have been together ever since.
About their ‘baby’:
They first began working together on Love From Bombay, when Kelvin took over for Andrea while she went home for eight months in December 2014. In September 2015, they both joined Aallia Hospitality as consultants and launched One Street Over together with another restaurant coming later this spring. Kelvin is the Consulting Chef and Andrea is the Marketing, Communications, and Operations consultant.
“Working together has made us laugh more, and made more understanding of each other’s commitment to work”
On their reservations about working together:
“Of course! We talked about the pros and cons on many different occasions and spoke to many of our friends who are also couples who work together,” says Kelvin.
On how they strike a balance between their personal and professional life:
“At this moment, we both work 14 hours a day, seven days a week, so there is little room for personal time. As for responsibilities, our roles are very separate and clear. We also share an apartment with Chef Boo Kim of One Street Over, so we are one big, happy, crazy family in and outside of work.”
The best and worst part about working together?
“Working towards the same goals.”
On how they deal with arguments:
“Touchwood, but we rarely have arguments both professionally and personally. We have worked very hard on healthy communication tactics, as we were long distance for almost a year due to conflicting travel schedules. Laughter is the best medicine for us.”
Follow Kelvin: Instagram and Twitter | Andrea: Instagram and Twitter | One Street Over: Instagram | Love From Bombay: Instagram
Forgive and Forget
The love story:
Dakshaja and Rohit Buty are the co-owners of architecture and interior design company RnD Atelier. Rohit has a Bachelor’s degree in architecture from Nagpur University and has worked with architects from Delhi and Nagpur. Currently, he is in charge of the design, planning and execution pertaining to Architecture at RnD while Dakshaja, who also has a Bachelor’s degree in architecture from Nagpur University, looks after the interior design unit of the firm. They both met in college during graduation. Rohit was a year senior to her. After college, they worked separately in Delhi, Bangalore and Nagpur before finally founding RnD Atelier two years ago. They have been together five years.
About their ‘baby’:
RnD Atelier is a design firm whose main ideology draws inspiration from the roots of its proprietors’ 300-year-old family, traditions and aesthetics. They try to implement these principles into their projects, incorporating them into today’s vocabulary. The work done by the company is an amalgamation of art and architecture, made possible by a dedicated team of workers who make their clients’ ideas a reality. Their projects include residences, offices, apartments, hospitals, warehouses, commercial and hospitality buildings.
“Working together has made us respect and appreciate each other’s work and individuality and strengthened our bond even more.”
On their reservations about working together:
“None really. Both of us come from a creative field where ego clashes are common. But, we came around and got used to working together,” says Dakshaja.
On how they strike a balance between their personal and professional life:
“Professionally, we have divided our work for the sake of convenience. Rohit looks after architecture, and I look after interior design. Our home is where our office is but once we are done with work we make it a point not to discuss it at home. That way we don’t mix the two and keep things balanced,” she says.
The best and worst parts about working together?
“The best part is that there are always two brains thinking instead of one, so ideas abound. Plus, we get to learn about each other’s strengths and weaknesses and that helps in improvising every single time,” says Dakshaja. “The worst? When you want your individual ideas to go forth and strongly oppose those of the other person. But then we weigh what is best for the project and go ahead with it.”
On how they deal with arguments:
“With time, we have realised that taking time out and rethinking the situation helps in solving conflicts peacefully and coming up with a healthy solution.”
Play. Free. Wild.
The love story:
Ishanee Mukherjee graduated in textile design from Pearl Academy and has worked with designers such as Malini Ramani. While her forte has always been printmaking, she confesses that her heart beats for hand-block printing.
Anirudh Chawla trained in hotel management with OCLD (Oberoi Centre for Learning and Development) and PIHMS (Pacific International Hotel Management School) and worked in the field for almost seven years.
They knew each other since they were young since their folks were good friends. They also briefly attended the same school. However, it wasn’t until a few years ago that Facebook brought them closer. They began talking—Anirudh in New Zealand and Ishani in New Delhi. On one of Anirudh’s visits back home, he decided to stay back. After two years of shuttling jobs and trying different things they decided to work on ‘Poochki’. As craft and design admirers, this seemed perfect. It has been about eight months and it’s a ton of fun!
About their ‘baby’:
“Poochki, named after our cat, is a clothing brand that celebrates an array of Indian textiles and hand skills. Seeing the steady decline of hand skills and seeing companies moving more towards machine made products, we decided to make urban clothing in collaboration with some highly skilled Indian artisans. We promote ethical fashion, thereby assuring a brighter tomorrow for next gen artisans. The aim is to share the glamour of the fashion industry with the artisan, making them believe in what they do. Currently we are working with master craftsman Shree Arshad Kafeel from Pilkhwa, who specialises in block carving.”
“Working together has made us love each other despite how annoying the other person is sometimes!”
On their reservations about working together:
“None at all. If anything we were excited that it would give us a reason to spend more time together. Knowing each other in such a personal way is actually a boon for the business. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses far too well and can decide tasks accordingly”
On how they strike a balance between their personal and professional life:
“It’s hard to strike a balance. We talk work beyond work hours all time even though there is always a conscious effort to avoid that. However, when it goes a bit over the top, we take a break and go out on coffee dates or dinners where we mostly talk about food,” says Anirudh.
The best and worst part about working together?
“It’s a pleasure to work together in every way. We travel together, make lists together, and figure daily accounts together. Never before have we experienced a better sense of togetherness. But sometimes the fact that there is no single boss is hard. At times, we both want it our way and it tends to get messy. We have learnt to deal with it though—always listen to the lady.”
On how they deal with arguments:
“There are arguments everywhere—any work place or home. People contradict each other and that is called individuality. We try to gather the positives from our arguments and come to a mutual consensus.”
Fiery. Flavourful. Fun
The love story:
Entrepreneur Neha Manekia has expertise extending across many areas. She worked as a Production Manager for a theatre company in Mumbai before she embarked on an extensive journey in the USA studying and working. With degrees in Psychology and Human Resources, Neha joined The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena, California as Training Manager. Immediately she knew she had found a home in the industry, and never looked back.
Chef Joshua D’Souza is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Hotel Management, Goa. He started his career at The Taj Fort Aguada Beach Resort. He has worked with a few Michelin Star chefs and has received awards in all the restaurants he has worked in.
They met through common friends at The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain, and have been together for a little over seven years. They moved from Bahrain to Dubai with the intention of making it a home for many years. Fortunately or unfortunately, due to a family tragedy they had to move to Mumbai in 2011. But they still had their dream of starting their own enterprise.
About their ‘baby’:
Silverspoon Gourmet is a company specialising in gourmet European cuisine and gourmet gifting.
“Working together has made us stronger”
On their reservations about working together:
“When we worked together in another company (The Ritz-Carlton) it was a lot easier since we were far removed from each other’s work. But when we opened our own company the lines were blurry and it put a lot of our personality and relationship elements to the test”
On how they strike a balance between their personal and professional life:
“Admittedly it has been a challenge. But what is life when you can’t learn something new about yourself at every turn? Especially with a start-up, you dedicate everything you have to it. We travel as often as we can even if it’s for a few weekdays every few months. And we spend quality time with friends and family on weekdays since our business naturally excludes us from being a part of most weekend revelry.”
The best and worst part about working together?
The good part is that you share a lot of face time and build something together. That teaches you so much about yourself and your partner. As for the bad, your expectations are automatically higher. Business talk rarely ends.”
On how they deal with arguments:
We go for it! Haha!
Understanding. Humour. Respect
The love story:
Radhika is a PR and communications strategist who has over 10 years of extensive experience in shaping communication for leading national and international brands in the country. She has led campaigns for reputed brands like Star TV, The Marriott Group of Hotels and Imagine TV amongst others.
Chirag Nihalani has over a decade of experience in the field of film & television production and content creation. His work includes some of the most sought after film & television projects including Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire. He has lent his expertise, in various capacities to reputed brands like Star TV, Fox Television Studios India, Sphere Origins, India Take One Productions and Turner General Entertainment Networks Pvt. Ltd amongst others.
“Chirag and I met at Imagine TV where he worked as the Associate Director – Non Fiction shows and I handled PR,” says Radhika. “After a year of working together (Chirag quit the company in Dec 2011) and 8 additional months of knowing each other, we got married in October 2012. I always dreamt of doing something of my own but never had the courage to let go of the comfort of a job. Chirag, on the other hand, had substantial experience in setting up a running a business.”
About their ‘baby’:
Think Ink Communications is a media, entertainment and lifestyle-foccused PR agency based in Mumbai that started a little over two years ago. In this short span of time, Think Ink has garnered a clientele that includes some of the most reputed brands and personalities in the country like Star India (Star Gold, Movies OK), Ronnie Screwwvala, Zindagi Channel, Sameer Nair, Culture Machine, Shiamak Davar, Neil Bhoopalam, and Reliance Entertainment’s Talenthouse, amongst a host of others.
“Working together has made us understand each other much better and trust each other much more”
On their reservations about working together:
“None whatsoever. In fact the exciting part of setting up the company was that we were doing this together,” says Radhika.
On how they strike a balance between their personal and professional life:
“At work, we have our roles clearly defined. Chirag looks after finance, business management, operations and development and I front the PR piece to clients. So while we work together, it helps to have clearly defined roles that add support and strength to take our business ahead without stepping into each other’s territories.”
The best and worst part about working together?
“You always have someone who you trust to watch your back. But on the other hand, if you have a fight at home and are angry at each other, you still have to be nice and cordial to each other at work. So it can be hard.”
On how they deal with arguments:
“At work, it’s more a debate than an argument, which gets sorted instantly. At home it could stretch a little longer,” says Radhika.
Follow Chirag: Facebook | Radhika: Facebook and Instagram | Think Ink Communications: Website and Facebook
Chaotic. Funny. Dysfunctional
The love story:
Sanya Kapoor always knew that regular life wasn’t for her. She always read more than her peers, travelled more than them, and all in all, lived life on a higher bar. With a B.Com and MBA in Marketing and IT, her first job was with Tech Mahindra in Global Alliances, and then as an Area Manager at Zomato, Pune. During the course of her career, she discovered that she had too many ideas and too many levels to go through to make them a reality.
Himanshu Shetty was the quintessential problem child growing up—always the cause of his parents’ blood pressure medication. The most distracted kid in class, he’d always be doodling away behind every notebook he owned. Some good Samaritans guided him into the world of art and he ventured into commercial arts at L.S Raheja School of Arts where he majored in commercial art. Before his course could conclude, he left and went on to make beautiful art in Mumbai, Bangalore and Goa. As is the case with most freelancers, the lure of an agency caught him and MagikBox Media came to be.
Sanya and Himanshu met at a club, through a common friend. “He was quite shameless. I was quite scandalized. It took us a dance, a drive and cup of coffee, and we fell into each other’s lives. Before we knew it, love happened,” says Sanya. “We’ve been together for just over two years now, we got engaged 11 months into dating. Working together came quite naturally, like a synergistic partnership. I was into sales and marketing and Himanshu was a designer. It just fit. Initially we ran our own businesses from the same office space, had our own partners. But then destiny had an ace up it’s sleeve and both us had our respective partners walk out on us within a month, and the rest, is history.”
About their ‘baby’:
Built on the faith of the founders, MagikBox narrowed in on a significant gap for experimental advertising in the market. Since then, the firm has grown into one of the most left-field agencies in the city and continues to rock the boat.
The 15-people team is spread across design, copy, digital, web and strategy. Young minds create memorable advertising here and bring a cohesive, experimental and contemporary thought to the world of advertising.
“Working together has made us much stronger than we ever were, even individually.”
On their reservations about working together:
“We did have a few reservations. Our relationship has definitely changed, but it’s changed in a way that’s not unlike the progression of most relationships. We check our egos in at the door and are strictly professional within the workspace. I’m the head of business and Himanshu’s the creative head. We don’t interfere in each other’s domains and ensure that the entire office understands the dynamic so that there are no misunderstandings,” says Sanya.
On how they strike a balance between their personal and professional life:
“We make sure we spend at least an hour a day together not discussing work. It’s a non-negotiable deal that we have and it ensures that we don’t lose our sanity and ourselves,” she says. “We take holidays together whenever time allows, and share most of the responsibilities. Since we’re engaged, it’s not hard to do. At work we give each other the respect that comes with the job, and personally, we just try to have fun. But there are days when the lines are blurred and we’ve made that work for us too. We’re quite different from each other and that difference works for us, personally and professionally.”
The best and worst part about working together?
“The best part is that we tend to constantly challenge each other—push each other to be better than we are. As for the worst, some people might judge us for this, but honestly, seeing each other 24/7 can be a little much,” she confesses.
On how they deal with arguments:
“Usually I lose it, and Himanshu listens, but in the end we patiently reason out the issues. And we have one very clichéd rule: never go to bed angry.”
Follow Sanya: Twitter and Instagram | Himanshu: Twitter and Instagram | MagikBox: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
All Or Nothing
The love story:
Sarah studied illustration at the University of Brighton, UK. She was an artist and illustrator in London before she moved to India in the summer of 2010 to work as art director with advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy.
Maninder grew up in a village near Panipat in Haryana before moving to Delhi, then Mumbai, and eventually to Melbourne, where he studied Hospitality and Event Management. In 2010, he moved back to India and got a job with the Fashion Design Council of India.
Sarah met Maninder in 2010 and together they began experimenting with textile prints based on her travel sketches, which later became the start of their company, Safomasi.
About their ‘baby’:
Safomasi is an award-winning lifestyle brand creating beautiful hand crafted homeware and accessories inspired by Sarah and Maninder’s travels. Born from a love of travel, colour and beautiful things, Safomasi distills personal travel stories from different regions into playful, figurative prints. It aims to make products with a soul and a story that are treasured for life. Safomasi’s products are available in 20 stores in 9 countries and ships worldwide.
“Working together has made us appreciate our different skills and qualities.”
On their reservations about working together:
“To be honest we didn’t really think about it,” says Sarah. “When we started, it was just something fun we did on the evenings and weekends. Of course we wanted it to grow into something more, and it has done, but it grew so organically that we never had that conversation.”
On how they strike a balance between their personal and professional life:
“We work from the studio and try not to bring it home. That distance is good, though it doesn’t stop us talking about it,” says Maninder.
“It’s hard because ‘professional’ time doesn’t always seem like work and there will always be a blur between creative stuff you do for work and just for fun,” adds Sarah.
The best and worst part about working together?
“We get to work on something we’re really passionate about and share in the excitement of building something together,” says Sarah.
“The worst part, however, is finding it hard to switch off completely,” adds Maninder
On how they deal with arguments:
“Probably the same way as most couples,” says Maninder.
“The thing we try and remember is that we both have the same end goal but sometimes different ways of approaching it,” adds Sarah.
Positive. Adventurous. Compatible
The love story:
Twenty-five-year-old Shreeda Kirtikar is a Mass Media graduate and has been into artist and celebrity management ever since she graduated. She managed the celebrity boy band ‘A Band of Boys’ for almost two years before starting Spunk Entertainment. Avinash Tolani, her business partner and boyfriend also holds a Bachelor of Mass Media degree. He was a creative account head in an ad agency managing accounts like Harley Davidson, DCB Bank, and Reliance Brands before joining Spunk Entertainment with Shreeda.
They met in college and were the best of friends—they even interned together at Lowe Lintas in the PR division (Linopinion). They stayed in touch after college and worked separately in different firms for two years before working together. They started dating in August 2013 and Avinash joined Shreeda in September. “I really needed someone to join me since there was lot of work coming my way and having a partner to discuss and execute was vital. Who better than a person who is close to you and also good at whatever he does?” says Shreeda.
About their ‘baby’:
“Spunk Entertainment is an artist and celebrity management company that started on a small scale but is expanding each day and is going strong,” she says.
“Working together has made us inseparable”
On their reservations about working together:
“I honestly was never worried about work or our relationship getting affected because nothing is so difficult that we cant find a solution to it,” says Shreeda. “So no matter what the problem is, we try and overcome it in our own way. Avinash had his apprehensions in terms of our relationship getting affected because of work getting mixed up with it but I guess he has no regrets now.”
On how they strike a balance between their personal and professional life:
“We actually have the same set of friends and the almost same social groups, so we easily slip in from personal to professional avatars from time to time and rarely mix the two.”
The best and worst part about working together?
Working together means that we have to solve our personal fights soon because we have to talk to each other no matter what for work the next day. So that’s good. Plus, we get to travel together because of work. That’s our favourite hobby. As far as the cons go, spacing out gets difficult at times, since our professional and personal propaganda is the same most of the time. Personal time is what we both lack.
On how they deal with arguments:
“We’re both very strong-headed and emotional, and can’t hold a grudge for too long. So whether it’s professional or personal, our fights get over relatively quickly.”
Follow Avinash: Twitter and Instagram | Follow Shreeda: Twitter and Instagram | Follow Spunk Entertainment: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
99ish% compatibility. Calm. Settled.
The love story:
Sriparna was (as she says) ‘unfortunately’ born 500 km south of the Himalayas in the dusty city of Delhi and continues to live there. But, she tries to head north as often as possible.
Rohit was born further South but has lived all over India (thanks to his father’s job) before reaching Delhi, where he still lives. Travelling is his only way out, so he spends most of his time creating trek routes on Google Earth, while daydreaming of independent trekking.
Sriparna and Rohit met in college, when they were both studying fashion communication at NIFT, New Delhi. They were friends for about half a year before they began dating in 2006. This February, they will complete 10 years of being together, eight years of working together and a little over four years of being married. “We met, he detested me and my best friend in class for talking all the time (and in general being all happy and jumpy), then we became friends, trekked and travelled a bit, then got together and travelled a lot more, then graduated from college and decided to work for ourselves,” says Sriparna.
About their ‘baby’:
Tiffinbox specialises in working on a range of projects including branding, communication tools, event designs, and websites.
“Working together has made us more dependent on each other, which can be a bit unfortunate.”
On their reservations about working together:
“Starting off on our own with almost zero experience was a scarier thought than what that decision would do to us. Thinking back, I don’t think we discussed the probable problems of working together—I suppose it didn’t occur to us. We wanted to keep travelling, be independent (not have to ask for leaves from a boss) and the only way to do that was to start our own work, earn whatever we would and spend whatever time we could travelling. And we don’t regret that”
On how they strike a balance between their personal and professional life:
“We don’t actually. Just like our personal and professional lives merge into each other, our personal and professional spaces do too. Our studio is on the lower floor while our home is on the floor above. Everything slips into everything else. At times, we may be working on our computers at 7:30 pm, only to head upstairs for dinner and a TV show at 8 pm and then come back downstairs an hour after to continue work,” says Sriparna.
The best and worst part about working together?
“The fact that you’re together all the time. Being in a relationship means you also know the other person’s strengths and weaknesses much better, something that helps to have a sound working relationship too. As for the negative, altercations during work discussions can creep into personal space as well.”
On how they deal with arguments:
“We sulk in the beginning. But then after a while we slowly start talking again.”
We Are One
The love story:
Ajay Shankar Rao has been practicing since 2009. He has extensive experience in handling key real estate matters, corporate commercial and civil cases before various courts and tribunals on matters relating to property law, company law, civil law, arbitration law, contractual issues, consumer disputes and family law matters. Ajay specializes in real estate contracts, commercial contracts, corporate law, arbitration, civil litigation and dispute resolution including winding up, mergers, amalgamation, oppression and mismanagement related matters.
Yogmaya Pradeep has been practicing since 2012. She has experience in advising, drafting, reviewing and negotiating joint development agreements, advising on land acquisition by business enterprises and real estate development companies, advising on all aspects of land transactions including leases, leave & licenses, mortgages and service charge disputes, and real estate litigation. Yogmaya also specialises and advises in property due diligence for both urban and rural, drafting and reviewing relating to commercial property contracts, document review and trademark registration.
“Ajay and I are thoroughbred Bangaloreans,” says Yogmaya. “We met in law school (University Law College) Bangalore. However, we only started getting to know each other after law school, which eventually led to dating (I asked him out for a drink since he was very shy). This innocent drink later led to where we are now. I’ve known him for five years and we’ve been happily married for a year now and counting.”
About their ‘baby’:
Ajay Shankar Rao & Yogmaya Pradeep Advocates (also known as A & Y Partners) was founded in 2012 and is based in Bangalore. A & Y is a full-service law firm that focuses on real estate, real estate litigation, trial and appellate litigation, corporate advisory, and employment.
“Working together has made us closer and stronger”
On their reservations about working together:
“Working together was the best decision and has not really changed too much in our relationship,” says Yogmaya. “This may be due to the fact that once we enter the office we go to our respective cabins and get ready to kick start our work. Most days we juggle between court and office.”
On how they strike a balance between their personal and professional life:
“We kick start our day at 6:30 am by hitting the gym together, after which make sure we have a healthy breakfast and then leave for work. After work, we love to come back home and watch Netflix. On weekends, we make time to socialise and like most Bangaloreans, we step out for a drink and dinner with our friends. On Sundays, we make sure it’s family time since we were fed up of hearing a lot of complaints about how we don’t make time for them. We also like going on long bike rides and sometimes head out of town for a weekend getaway.”
The best and worst part about working together?
“We love watching each other grow at work. Fortunately, we haven’t discovered the worst part yet.”
On how they deal with arguments:
“Since both of us are lawyers by profession, whether it’s the office or at home, if we ever get into an argument it goes on for a while. Finally, one of us ends up signalling to stop.”
Follow Ajay: on Instagram | Yogmaya: Twitter | Instagram | Ajay Shankar Rao & Yogmaya Pradeep Advocates: Facebook
Compiled by Sanyukta Shetty