Button Text
BOSS

Boss

Boss

Devika Narain
Devika Narain
An unconventional wedding designer who’s disrupting the industry with indigenous culture, sustainability and the grandeur of memories.

Introducing Devika Narain—a wedding designer, whose philosophy is deeply entrenched in sustainability, a love for all things local and a joy in curating weddings that bring life to memories that last a lifetime. She’s thoughtful, fiercely proud of her team and is quite frankly an artist—a magician—who sees the beauty of the inanimate and the intangible. She designs spaces as a compliment to their psychology and unto a more creative and efficient way of living. Deeply inspired by her mother and grandmother—our Badass Boss gives us a glimpse into her gumption, her journey as an entrepreneur, her early influences as a child and her philosophy for designing weddings….


DSC04980.jpg

WhatsApp Image 2020-09-14 at 12.50.53 PM (1).jpeg

Being a creative person is a very core part of who you are. Do you recollect what sparked your creative gene and how did you express yourself creatively as a child?

I grew up in a city (Lucknow) where everything was made by hand. I remember karigars coming home to show my mum and grand-mum their chikan-kari. They would spend hours in our verandah and discuss their art and lives over many cups of chai, as they would debate what they wanted and what could be made.

I don’t think I have ever thought of myself as an artist or a creative person. It’s always been a way of life to me and it has a lot to do with the way I was raised.  I owe my entire artistic bent of mind to the women in my life. I was raised by extraordinarily strong women—each with a personality of their own—who found creative ways to showcase their love for life—via food, bonsai, crochet—and honestly, anything they could lay their hands on!

556493_10150652070083803_1780791487_n.jpg

I have always believed that growing up in a large house with gardens, pets (my grandmother was obsessed—we had birds, dogs, squirrels and at some point even a monkey!) and books has been such a privilege. An artistic license was extended to us as children to learn and interpret. Growing up we played in forts, put up plays for family gatherings and birthdays were a big deal. We had themes and costumes way before the internet, that our mothers would plan meticulously for months. Summer holidays were spent helping my dad and grandmum in the garden (my love for plants comes from them). As I grew older my room became the canvas for my art. I would paint and repaint the walls and furniture as per my mood. I remember creating a mixed media collage at the age of fifteen that my mother has still maintained. Creativity of all forms was encouraged, and art, games and stories were a part of our everyday.

A side note here for my parents who sent us for every conceivable class the city had to offer —from dance to clay modelling and art. I sucked at making anything by hand and till date cannot draw!

Of your love for literature and bookswhich characters have resonated most strongly with you?

Books are an escape for any kid who has zero hand-eye coordination! They become the only valid excuse for not playing a sport and that is honestly how I discovered the magical world of books. I hated being out and instead would devour books and would read series in a matter of days—I was so obsessed—my mother had to ban books on the dining table!

I couldn’t credit a single book or character. Books have an odd way of shaping you at every age—from Nancy Drew to Katie and Draupadi and Medea—I carry a little of all of them in me.

Your foray into the world of journalism was short-lived by your own will. How did you realise journalism wasn’t for you?

I am an out and out optimist and activist and have been since I was seven years old. Age and experience have calmed me down and made me see more grey—but growing up, the world was a stark black and white to me. There was wrong and right and I was a crusader for what the world should have been—picking up fights, debating and arguing with a temper that would put many current journalists to shame. Journalism was right on-brand, till I interned with a bunch of companies and realised it would kill the optimist in me—a good journalist cannot take sides, she must simply observe and report!

From journalism to wedding planning—how did you decide to take the plunge?

I was 10 years old when I attended my first wedding. By the time I turned 13, and had seen the movie—‘The Wedding Planner’—I knew that's exactly what I wanted to be. But to ask an 18 year old what they want from life is extremely tough. I found my calling at the end of a series of experiments with my own life. I tried being a teacher, journalist, writer and even a painter. I've understood—it's when all your plans go wrong that wonderful unforeseen things happen—and along the journey I found myself in my dream job.

What motivated you to quit your job at your dream company and start your own enterprise?

I spent almost the first five years of my career working for someone else. Truth be told, back then, I couldn’t imagine another life for myself. The goal was to work hard and forever, till I became someone important in my dream company—and that alone was what I relentlessly pursued.I lived every bit of my dream for 4 years. I travelled all over the world, met amazing people and got decent at what I was doing.

It'd be fair to say that I was very comfortable—and comfort has always been my greatest enemy. So I decided to do the freakiest thing. I quit my dream job and decided to start on my own.

Devika Narain & Company was born on the dining table of a small rented apartment, five years ago. Pinterest had just come to India, and Indian weddings had begun to look like white and vintage-y fantasies with ballgowns and birdcages. I wanted to make a company that showcased India to the world and embraced our own heritage.

As a young creative starting out, there really isn't any thought of making it big—it's a tussle between being able to make it at all—and back then I just went with it. I had an idea and I buried my nose in my work and went on with it. When I look back now on the good stuff (and I've been doing a lot of it lately!)—I realise, it's not all sunshine and rainbows, but a good amount of it, actually is! We're so busy evaluating what could go wrong, we barely ever get to doing anything—and it's only the act of "doing" that matters at the end.  It'd be safe to say we're nowhere close to where we want to be—but exactly where I wanted to be when I was 18.

What has been the scariest and most rewarding part of your journey as an entrepreneur?

I don’t think anyone prepares you for how lonely entrepreneurship is, especially for those of us who become creative businesses by fluke. You make something beautiful—you have to find a way to sell it—and before you know, things are going completely out of hand—and you’re suddenly spending more time, on problem solving and on excel sheets, than making things. My journey with my company and my team is a continuous one. I am nowhere close to my dream goal, but I have learnt a few things along the way (most of them by making some horrid mistakes).

Every year I set a bunch of milestones for myself—small and ground breaking ones—and I realise ticking them off one by one has been immensely rewarding. Today, when I see my work being shared, or people coming to us and subscribing to our aesthetic and values—it makes our gumption worth it. I absolutely love seeing my team grow. I love when they challenge my ideas and fight for what they believe in—that truly is the spirit in which I started this endeavour.

I wish more people embraced the journey. Despair comes so much easier than hope. Hope for a better future and trust yourself to pull through and reach your destination. Finding your way is not the same as being lost.

How do you manage to balance your work as a creative soul while managing your company as an entrepreneur?

A company is like a small machine—you constantly have to oil it, analyse it, see what is working and not—and fix it. Always think of yourself as a creative entrepreneur, one who is a battery in that machine. It's critical to recharge yourself, rejuvenate your mind, body and soul to keep it going. I have managed to build around myself, a circle of friends and family who keep me grounded—and a home that is an oasis for two creative souls, where we come to recharge and be inspired.

IMG-20190713-WA0019.jpg

What are three words that capture the uniqueness of ‘Devika Narain and Company’ ?

Of weddings and beautiful spaces...

How does one understand the personality of a space?

I have always believed that much like fashion, the spaces we inhabit should be a reflection of our own personal beliefs. This simple thought has led us to create spaces which are an extension of the personalities and family histories of the people who inhabit them.

As a curator of memories, could you tell us your philosophy of designing personal, sustainable and local weddings?

The idea behind starting a wedding company was to create weddings that focussed on craft. Today, we are invested in weddings that are personal, mindful and truly encapsulate the sentiment of the Indian subcontinent. At Devika Narain & Company, we don't believe that we have to do things differently—we believe that we have to do fundamentally different things—whether it is choosing to work with artists and craftsmen versus rental companies or sourcing locally in a world led by shipping this cross country. We believe that weddings should come with no preset notions. We don't believe that we have to be kitschy to be Indian—our colours and style finds its root in Indian philosophy and tradition.

While the wedding industry does generate a lot of economic activity, there’s also the environmental costs associated with the waste that is generated. How do you process and budget these collateral costs as a wedding designer?

It was somewhere in 2012 or so...we were just finishing the set (there is no other way of putting what we had created) for a wedding in Delhi—possibly the most extravagant one we had designed, complete with a florist who had flown down from France— when I noticed someone throwing unused fresh flowers (that had been imported from Holland) into a truck. Two such trucks were loaded that day and moved out before anyone saw it. I have never looked at weddings the same way again. That day marked for me a slow process of understanding weddings—what is used, where those things come from and where they go.

To me, sustainability is not a fad diet. Not using cut flowers or plastic at one event is not going to change the universe. The ideas of sustainability are essentially habits and thoughts which can be sustainedthe idea of bringing and altering thoughts and practices. Our world is changing and with it our beliefs and values also need to change. We don’t need to do things differently; we need to do fundamentally new things.

I have a very realistic way of looking at problems and finding solutions that can be actively practiced—and not things that become a one off to prove a point. Some of the ideas we are slowly building into our work practices are:

  • Working with local artists and craftsmen: Bringing in local people to help us make better decisions, especially for destination weddings.
  • Working with small businesses: There are only upsides to this, and this alone has helped us change the way weddings look and feel.
  • Reusing and recycling: We are becoming acutely aware of where things are coming from and where they go post the event. Our partners ensure that waste is recycled into things of value.
  • Building a better culture around weddings of recycling and repurposing: Slowly using our voice to inspire this change around us.

What’s the one thing you look forward to on a wedding day, which tells you that you’ve done a good job?

The happiness on the faces of the bride and groom when they enter the venue. Sometimes we get so involved in the details—that we forget the magic we create on a daily basis. These little things make us super happy!

What would you say to people who subscribe to the “Big Fat Indian Wedding” culture on the belief that bigger (& pricier) is always better?

I believe that quality is in the micro, in the handmade and in the details. However, I am more than happy if people want to spend more money in the hope that it buys quality—it's great for the economy!

Introducing Devika Narain—a wedding designer, whose philosophy is deeply entrenched in sustainability, a love for all things local and a joy in curating weddings that bring life to memories that last a lifetime. She’s thoughtful, fiercely proud of her team and is quite frankly an artist—a magician—who sees the beauty of the inanimate and the intangible. She designs spaces as a compliment to their psychology and unto a more creative and efficient way of living. Deeply inspired by her mother and grandmother—our Badass Boss gives us a glimpse into her gumption, her journey as an entrepreneur, her early influences as a child and her philosophy for designing weddings….


DSC04980.jpg

WhatsApp Image 2020-09-14 at 12.50.53 PM (1).jpeg

Being a creative person is a very core part of who you are. Do you recollect what sparked your creative gene and how did you express yourself creatively as a child?

I grew up in a city (Lucknow) where everything was made by hand. I remember karigars coming home to show my mum and grand-mum their chikan-kari. They would spend hours in our verandah and discuss their art and lives over many cups of chai, as they would debate what they wanted and what could be made.

I don’t think I have ever thought of myself as an artist or a creative person. It’s always been a way of life to me and it has a lot to do with the way I was raised.  I owe my entire artistic bent of mind to the women in my life. I was raised by extraordinarily strong women—each with a personality of their own—who found creative ways to showcase their love for life—via food, bonsai, crochet—and honestly, anything they could lay their hands on!

556493_10150652070083803_1780791487_n.jpg

I have always believed that growing up in a large house with gardens, pets (my grandmother was obsessed—we had birds, dogs, squirrels and at some point even a monkey!) and books has been such a privilege. An artistic license was extended to us as children to learn and interpret. Growing up we played in forts, put up plays for family gatherings and birthdays were a big deal. We had themes and costumes way before the internet, that our mothers would plan meticulously for months. Summer holidays were spent helping my dad and grandmum in the garden (my love for plants comes from them). As I grew older my room became the canvas for my art. I would paint and repaint the walls and furniture as per my mood. I remember creating a mixed media collage at the age of fifteen that my mother has still maintained. Creativity of all forms was encouraged, and art, games and stories were a part of our everyday.

A side note here for my parents who sent us for every conceivable class the city had to offer —from dance to clay modelling and art. I sucked at making anything by hand and till date cannot draw!

Of your love for literature and bookswhich characters have resonated most strongly with you?

Books are an escape for any kid who has zero hand-eye coordination! They become the only valid excuse for not playing a sport and that is honestly how I discovered the magical world of books. I hated being out and instead would devour books and would read series in a matter of days—I was so obsessed—my mother had to ban books on the dining table!

I couldn’t credit a single book or character. Books have an odd way of shaping you at every age—from Nancy Drew to Katie and Draupadi and Medea—I carry a little of all of them in me.

Your foray into the world of journalism was short-lived by your own will. How did you realise journalism wasn’t for you?

I am an out and out optimist and activist and have been since I was seven years old. Age and experience have calmed me down and made me see more grey—but growing up, the world was a stark black and white to me. There was wrong and right and I was a crusader for what the world should have been—picking up fights, debating and arguing with a temper that would put many current journalists to shame. Journalism was right on-brand, till I interned with a bunch of companies and realised it would kill the optimist in me—a good journalist cannot take sides, she must simply observe and report!

From journalism to wedding planning—how did you decide to take the plunge?

I was 10 years old when I attended my first wedding. By the time I turned 13, and had seen the movie—‘The Wedding Planner’—I knew that's exactly what I wanted to be. But to ask an 18 year old what they want from life is extremely tough. I found my calling at the end of a series of experiments with my own life. I tried being a teacher, journalist, writer and even a painter. I've understood—it's when all your plans go wrong that wonderful unforeseen things happen—and along the journey I found myself in my dream job.

What motivated you to quit your job at your dream company and start your own enterprise?

I spent almost the first five years of my career working for someone else. Truth be told, back then, I couldn’t imagine another life for myself. The goal was to work hard and forever, till I became someone important in my dream company—and that alone was what I relentlessly pursued.I lived every bit of my dream for 4 years. I travelled all over the world, met amazing people and got decent at what I was doing.

It'd be fair to say that I was very comfortable—and comfort has always been my greatest enemy. So I decided to do the freakiest thing. I quit my dream job and decided to start on my own.

Devika Narain & Company was born on the dining table of a small rented apartment, five years ago. Pinterest had just come to India, and Indian weddings had begun to look like white and vintage-y fantasies with ballgowns and birdcages. I wanted to make a company that showcased India to the world and embraced our own heritage.

As a young creative starting out, there really isn't any thought of making it big—it's a tussle between being able to make it at all—and back then I just went with it. I had an idea and I buried my nose in my work and went on with it. When I look back now on the good stuff (and I've been doing a lot of it lately!)—I realise, it's not all sunshine and rainbows, but a good amount of it, actually is! We're so busy evaluating what could go wrong, we barely ever get to doing anything—and it's only the act of "doing" that matters at the end.  It'd be safe to say we're nowhere close to where we want to be—but exactly where I wanted to be when I was 18.

What has been the scariest and most rewarding part of your journey as an entrepreneur?

I don’t think anyone prepares you for how lonely entrepreneurship is, especially for those of us who become creative businesses by fluke. You make something beautiful—you have to find a way to sell it—and before you know, things are going completely out of hand—and you’re suddenly spending more time, on problem solving and on excel sheets, than making things. My journey with my company and my team is a continuous one. I am nowhere close to my dream goal, but I have learnt a few things along the way (most of them by making some horrid mistakes).

Every year I set a bunch of milestones for myself—small and ground breaking ones—and I realise ticking them off one by one has been immensely rewarding. Today, when I see my work being shared, or people coming to us and subscribing to our aesthetic and values—it makes our gumption worth it. I absolutely love seeing my team grow. I love when they challenge my ideas and fight for what they believe in—that truly is the spirit in which I started this endeavour.

I wish more people embraced the journey. Despair comes so much easier than hope. Hope for a better future and trust yourself to pull through and reach your destination. Finding your way is not the same as being lost.

How do you manage to balance your work as a creative soul while managing your company as an entrepreneur?

A company is like a small machine—you constantly have to oil it, analyse it, see what is working and not—and fix it. Always think of yourself as a creative entrepreneur, one who is a battery in that machine. It's critical to recharge yourself, rejuvenate your mind, body and soul to keep it going. I have managed to build around myself, a circle of friends and family who keep me grounded—and a home that is an oasis for two creative souls, where we come to recharge and be inspired.

IMG-20190713-WA0019.jpg

What are three words that capture the uniqueness of ‘Devika Narain and Company’ ?

Of weddings and beautiful spaces...