A Macro Perspective to life

In these times of startups and unicorns, the world is witnessing more women from the Marwari clans assuming bigger roles as entrepreneurs, breaking the gender bias and leading the way as huge inspiration for others who strive to follow. Meet one such highly motivating woman entrepreneur Priyanandini Bajoria Mullick, who brings to the fore the fact that women-led ventures will play a major role in the times to come.

Priyanandini, Director of Macro Graphics Pvt. Ltd (MGPL), a New Delhi-based communications agency offering graphic design, print and video solutions, is a force to reckon with. Set up by her father-in-law Kunaal Mullick, MGPL was launched many moons back to make a creative impact in the world of design and print. Priyanandini, an IIT-Delhi alumnus who passed out in 1993, joined the venture in 2003 and has been successfully managing the family business.

The entrepreneurial journey

In the last two decades, Priyanandini has had an enriching journey of creating solutions for well-known organisations across the corporate and development sector such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, UNESCO, Union Ministry of Health, etc. Be it copy-editing, visualisation, art direction or video editing, she has learnt all this and more on the job. “It’s been an extremely rewarding experience to be able to make a difference towards advocacy for pertinent issues such as health, education, gender equality and working towards the sustainable development goals as set by the United Nations,” she says.

With a flair for customised printing products, she started the vertical of creating event coffee table books and commemoratives for both individuals and organisations, and later added promo video invites as well as curated videos. Some critical campaigns that she has had the privilege of developing content for are: WHO’s Alcohol Use and Abuse series created for the adolescent age group across some public schools of New Delhi; the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban Mission campaign for smart cities supported by the World Bank, launched by Prime Minister Modi in 2016; and more recently a coffee-table book showcasing success stories for Management of Covid-19 in Rajasthan supported by the Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI).

Charting Family Roots

Priyanandini’s roots go back to the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. Her father, AK Bajoria, the President of JK Tyre & Industries, a Singhania group company, resides in Delhi. Having studied in engineering from BITS Pilani, he worked for 30 years with the Birlas. The Bajoria sisters Priyanandini and Priyadarshini took up education, and were supported by their parents, Chitralekha and Arun, in making individual career choices. While Priyanandini is into the printing, publishing and digital communications business, her sister Priyadarshini took up financial consulting and investment banking.

Priyanandini studied at the prestigious Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya in Gwalior, where she was awarded the coveted President’s medal for all-round-proficiency. After completing her Bachelor’s in Computer Science (BCS) from the landmark Fergusson College of Pune, she went on to pursue MBA from the established Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD). Throughout schooling, graduation and postgraduation, she actively participated in all campus extracurricular activities, especially music, dance, drama and art. She has been playing the keyboard since the age of eight and has trained in piano during high school and college. “My training in both Hindustani vocal from a very young age as well as the sitar gave me a foundation in music enabling me to enjoy them as active hobbies even today,” she states. Music is her passion and she continues to participate in informal music projects with friends and family.

With her family

Spreading Her Wings

While studying MBA at SCMHRD, Priyanandini she met her future husband Ashish, who is currently working with a leading Management Consultancy firm in technology consulting focused on the banking and financial sectors. The two got married and have two lovely daughters, Taarini, 15, and Ishani, 11, studying at the Shri Ram School, Gurugram. Together as a family, they bond over music, food, art, swimming, travel, cinema and animals, dogs in particular. Both Priyanandini and Ashish believe that they are relearning so many aspects of life once again as parents.

She enjoys a wide array of hobbies and the happiest part of her day is spending time with family. “I enjoy my hobbies: be it a jam session at home with my daughters, rustling up interesting dinners for family or watching period English dramas with my mother-in-law or appreciation of the visual and performing arts while watching a concert with my mother or learning a new board game with my friends. I especially look forward to cooling down over a swim or a Zumba session with both my girls and finding quietude in a solitary walk in one of Delhi’s many parks,” she informs.

All-Round Development

Priyanandini has also found her anchor in the study of Vedanta. In 2013, she began her study of Vedanta facilitated by the Chinmaya Mission. “Entailing the study of detailed commentaries on scriptures has helped broaden my outlook and kept me grounded in daily life,” she tells. As a family, she continues her legacy of giving back to society along with her daughters, through social initiatives such as a musical event at any home for the elderly or volunteering for Chinmaya Mission’s Bal Vihar classes. She looks forward to being a scribe for students with special needs at her children’s alma mater, and encourages everyone to make time for some form of spiritual practice, especially in today’s day and age. “My keenness for continued all-round development comes from my school life, but more so from my parents, and my in-laws (Paula and Kunaal), who have always lived by that diktat,” adds the entrepreneur who loves celebrating every festival as a way of carrying forward our country’s cultural heritage.

A highlight of the two pandemic-induced lockdowns were the multiple Sunday Kahoot quizzes that her sister Priyadarshini and brother-in-law Sandeep living in the USA created and played. “As a family, we believe in learning something new every single day and soon each of us were creating thematic quizzes to be played every weekend,” smiles the promising entrepreneur. Despite lower business volumes during the pandemic, she was able to retain her team at MGPL owing to her commitment, even if it meant working with a no-profit motive. That’s Priyanandini for you, a perfect example of woman entrepreneurs making a social impact.