It Is Important To Carry Forward Your Legacy But Disruption Is Even More Vital: Manasi Kirloskar

A painter can read balance sheets! So reads the Twitter bio of Manasi Kirloskar, the daughter of Vikram and Geetanjali Kirloskar, who finds passion in painting and business her responsibility. Both qualities come naturally to her, from an engineer father and an advertising professional mother that aptly define her interest in art, adventure and family-run enterprise.

At 28, Kirloskar is managing her social impact start-up called Caring with Colour, committed to redefining the education paradigm in India. She has even outlined her new year goals to research and analyse statistics that would enable better skill force in order to gain sustainable growth in India by 2030.

“The education system, especially the government schools in India, have an archaic method of teaching. There is a need to adapt project-oriented, innovative approach and impart contextual knowledge which offers a wholesome curriculum. With Caring with Colour, we plan to transform the education paradigm in India and this is one of my biggest objectives of 2018,” said Manasi Kirloskar, Executive Director of Kirloskar Systems, while speaking to BWBusinessworld at the Young Entrepreneur Awards and Summit held in Delhi.

According to her, the primary education system must be designed in a way that integrates the left + right brain together to solve problems and promote critical or analytical thinking. Only this will lead to innovation- a requirement for a future workforce.

Kirloskar has been actively involved in working with schools situated in the rural parts of Karnataka to improve the system and admits that it is important to mould the child’s mind in the early years of education.

Being the fifth generation entrepreneur of the 150-year-old conglomerate, Kirloskar also feels that it is important to carry forward a legacy but disrupting it is even more vital. “I have my own ways to execute tasks but at the same time I keep in mind the right ethics and corporate governance of the family-owned enterprise,” she feels.

So does it require a lot of hard work and pressure to exceed expectations? “During my childhood, I was juggling between my parent’s offices as both are from different industries with individual working styles but I have imbibed the best from them.”

Kirloskar not only believes in advocating strong business skills as a young inheritor to the Kirloskar empire but at the same time reveals her adventurous side. “I am planning a trip to explore Chadar Trek in February. It is one of the most exotic treks on my wishlist,” she adds.

Talking about the startup ecosystem, she feels that everyone wants to be a leader in their own field and emphasised on the fact that women are inherently great entrepreneurs with multi-tasking skills.

Describing the need to educate people, this graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design, who renders abstracts in oil on canvas and mix media sees art as a medium to express thoughts. “Art can break barriers and builds up communities; it does help artists to express completely and that’s when we can see a flourishing modern art environment,” feels Kirloskar whose social startup aims to create wholesome young minds through the integration of the arts (visual, music, movement, performance) into the curriculum.

Vaishali Dar

BW Reporters Vaishali Dar is a Senior Associate Editor with BW Businessworld and Editorial Head with BW Disrupt. She writes on corporates, start-ups, hospitality and travel