Pradeep Dadha is not only an authority on luxury in Chennai but has also married the BPO revolution to his family's well established pharma industry to create one of the most impressive success stories, says Bhanu.
There is no doubt that Chennai is changing. I love the fact that there are new roads and buildings emerging everywhere and am delighted at the variety of restaurants and cultural activities happening all around us.
Actually, I even love how today you can buy flash t-shirts and Starbuck-stylecoffee- mugs as souvenirs of the city rather than the traditional Tanjore plates and paintings.
Part of the change that I see around me is also a dramatic shift to a more cosmopolitan way of life and a growing dedication to luxury lifestyle products manifesting in the middle classes.
“Luxury is a market that people love to look at and imbibe in,” says Pradeep Dadha — pharmaceutical magnate and owner of premium fashion store Kimaya Avenue. “Once you get hooked on luxury products, the addiction goes on and on. Because of the high cost of the items people are reluctant or cautious when they first buy an expensive watch or pen or car and then you just can’t get out of it,” he laughs making luxury products seem like another drug he manufactures.
“People’s habits are changing and their likes and dislikes are being influenced by what they see going on around them. With major events like Chennai Fashion and with the number of luxury cars being driven or designer labels being worn, Chennai is changing and not only becoming more like Mumbai or Delhi but also like the rest of the world,” he says.
“I think the internet has made everything a totally different ball game. It has opened horizons way we are going back to our roots in how we do business,” he reflects. “In my great grand-father’s day business was done on trust. It was a time when you didn’t need to have physical contact or even know each other to buy or sell goods and we seem to be going back to that system now with the internet.” In his bid to propel his family’s long running pharmaceutical company into the future, Pradeep has set up a new division where the internet is used to market Indian made pharma products to people all over the world.
“ My family moved to Madras from Rajasthan in 1906 and just like so many others we have really thrived in the business climate of the south. The south has consistently outperformed the rest of India and is a buoyant and lucrative economy,” he states.
“I was born in Chennai, I grew up here, went to school and college here. I love living here and I love the fact that this city is constantly changing … for the better.”