MS. SHRUTI KAURA - THE VISIONARY BEHIND VEOHM
Shruti Kaura is the visionary behind Veohm. Her refined creative spirit coupled with her penchant for the pursuit of excellence has led to an extraordinary vision for Veohm : to create living spaces that not only bring comfort and joy but also blend nature into daily living, harmonizing the best of both worlds for a truly beautiful and balanced lifestyle.
Background & inspiration
Born and raised in Kolkata, Shruti grew up in a family where the enterprise has been second nature. Her father is a successful tea planter, and her mother an established textiles exporter. From the realm of tea plantations, came a childhood that had a strong connection with nature and the beauty of the outdoors. And from involvement in the fascinating industry of textiles at an early age, came a keen sense and appreciation for design, aesthetics and creativity. And from exposure to both fields, came a steady, solid grounding in entrepreneurship.
Shruti went on to study Textile Design at India’s topmost institute NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology), Delhi, and passed out with flying colors; First Class Honours. What Shruti found the most inspiring about her learning here was meeting peers from richly diverse backgrounds with varying viewpoints on art, design and the world in general. On the practical front, actually having to knit and make garments herself gave her the confidence to handle real problems when she encountered them, as opposed to theory alone.
Starting her own High Fashion Garments Exports company after graduating from NIFT was a natural process for Shruti, as her mother was looking towards expanding her own Textiles business into garments and accessories and Shruti had studied and acquired expertise in this very field. Through this venture, Shruti collaborated with talented designers from all over the world, especially Europe, and created products for some top international designer haute couture labels. Working with them over the years, honed her own sensibilities, colour and design in a huge way and also taught her the importance of timeliness in the international professional world.
Veohm’s vision
Her first foray into the world of plotted land development started with a single, relatively small piece of land. She developed this with a difference, envisioning a community where unusual architecture and well detailed living spaces would naturally cohabit with open spaces and nature at its best. This project, at Laughing Waters at Whitefield, Bangalore, met with fabulous success as its unique vision struck a chord with consumers seeking superior homes amidst a well planned community. This early success then led to several more projects, that were larger and more challenging, and in turn, brought a lot more success and accolades her way.
One of her hallmark developments is The House of Veohm building, Indiranagar, Bangalore. This was a tough development to plan and complete, owing to such close proximity to the metro works underway. However, she completed it to perfection with her trademark flair and eye for detailing. Another prominent plotted land development project she has gained recognition for is Century Infiniti, at Sarjapur, Bangalore. Not only was this multi-storeyed residential complex successful, but it did so during the demonetisation period of 2016, when the economy and real estate in particular went through a low phase.
What makes Veohm an exceptional and quality real estate brand, is Shruti’s highly detailed and well thought out aesthetics as well as her trademark style of bringing the outdoors to her construction projects, in beautiful natural and landscaped ideas, making her known amongst the top builders in Bangalore . With plans to grow in both commercial and residential sectors, as well as establish a clientele in superlative landscaping, Veohm is well on its way to becoming an even more sought after brand, with Shruti’s expert hand and guidance at its helm.
Shruti’s vision for Veohm is to combine her discerning eye for design and detail to create natural and fluid living spaces where people can enjoy being amidst a balance of light, ventilation and greenery. She feels the reason we build homes is to have spaces where we can truly belong in and resonate with, spaces that keep us, in one simple word; happy.
Passion for philanthropy
Around 15 years ago, philanthropy and empathy towards the poor became a vital part of Shruti’s life. She visited an orphanage supported by Rotary that was home to about 140 children, and she was struck deeply by the kids she met there, and what she saw and learned about their lives. Coming from a very privileged background, she had never before encountered such harsh realities. She was moved deeply by this first experience, and decided to act. Teaming up with her sister, they took care of the entire food provisions of the orphanage for the next couple of years.
This was a beginning for Shruti, and with further motivation from her father-in-law, also a Rotarian and dedicated social worker, she became actively involved in numerous activities from then onwards. She then decided to join an organisation which formally gave her an opportunity for service. Hence, she became a member of the Ladies Circle India 8 years ago, and in 2015-16, Chairperson of the Bangalore East Ladies Circle 31. During her tenure, she oversaw a vast number of fundraising activities that were organized and implemented successfully. Some government schools for children were taken under the organisation’s wing, with various educational and productive activities being organised for the children and school materials provided for their use. Several homes for the mentally and physically challenged were visited. Poor children at a hostel were treated to a special celebration and treat on Children’s’ Day. 25 girls with disabilities were sponsored to undergo a three month course to empower them to be self sufficient and financially independent. Computer labs were also set up in two schools, along with sheds in three schools and various other social activities.
Another leading philanthropic role she has played is as Project Convener of the Ladies Circle India in 2016. The key accomplishment of this office was taking up the National Solar Lighting Project and successfully raising nearly 3 lakhs to provide power to a few villages across the country.
Shruti also plays a very active role in Womanifesto – a concrete roadmap that lists needs and ideas towards ensuring justice and safety for women – and to submit this roadmap to all political parties for the empowerment of women in India. She also strives to bring together women across Karnataka to learn about current legislations affecting women’s lives and to inspire new policy initiatives that will impact our future as a collective section of society.
Shruti continues to be an important part of many endeavours supporting women, underprivileged school children as well as the marginalized sections of society.
She also feels she can help generate many more crucial and much needed opportunities for women through her own work, and would also like to work a lot more extensively in the field of educating girls – all of these are causes dear to her heart.