Ramkripa Ananthan didn’t plan to become a designer. It just happened. A graduate in mechanical engineering from BITS-Pilani and post-graduate in industrial design from Industrial Design Centre of IIT-Bombay, she joined Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. as an interior designer in 1997 at the Nashik plant, and has worked on designing the interiors of the Bolero, Scorpio and the Xylo. Her greatest achievement so far however has been as head of the 20-member all-Indian styling team that worked on the recently launched XUV500. Hailed as one of the brightest designers in the country, Kripa says she still has miles to go. She tells POOL a little about the journey so far… Where did you grow up and what are your earliest influences? RA: I am known as and called Kripa. My childhood was spent in various really small villages and towns in South India - both Tamil Nadu and Kerala. I have never given too much thought to influences. I think my character has been deeply influenced by my parents. The schools and teachers of my childhood made the languages,
Illustration by Shridhar Mahadevan
history and geography so interesting that literature, architecture and natural phenomena have been fascinating rather than alienating. In design, I try not to get influenced. That said, my favorite artists are Monet - simple beauty achieved by tremendous technique; Michelangelo - his ability to extend what is achievable by understanding the science behind the art; and Gaudi - for just being fantastic.
When did automobiles enter your life? RA: At design school, I guess. Once I decided to study design, I was drawn to cars. Car design seems to have that aura. Maybe it is the challenge of designing very complex forms. To a large extent, what you design is a reflection of how well you understand people and that’s interesting too.
(Left to Right) Aseef, Anis, Redkar, Sunil, Sridhar, Neha, Kripa, Nilay, Suresh, Ankur, Anand, Pimple
Naina This is what I always wanted. Now I have it. And I am afraid. Typical. www.poolmagazine.in 17