CHENNAI: If you plan to replicate Anushka Sharma’s wedding outfit, you don’t have to hunt for Sabyasachi’s store or empty your pockets...you can head to Surang on Cathedral Road. A boutique of repute, it boasts of clientele across South India that are some of the biggest names in fashion, films and businesses.
“Our USP is that we have the latest designs you will get in Mumbai or New Delhi. Or if you like a particular dress an actress has worn, we can get you a 100% replica of the same,” says 71-year-old Bhupendra Kumar Sethi, who owns the women-only shop along with his wife, Indu. They live by three rules — customer is god, ensure the perfect fit, and keep it reasonable. An effervescent couple, they’re enthusiastic and courteous, and admired by their clients for their never-say-die spirit. Excerpts follow…
Tell us about your journey in garment industry.
Bhupendra: The business was started by my wife. I was working for Coromandel Garments and she told me that I should quit and do something better. We started in 1981 and it has grown tremendously mainly because of what we have. We can make perfectly fitted clothes in the biggest size possible. That’s our USP, really.
Indu: I was always interested in women’s fashion. I started off with a small factory of 20 tailors where we made nighties called ‘Talk About Dress to Kill’. Then in the 90s, we opened ‘Ansonoma’ at Kasi Arcade where we sold western garments. I had some collections like halters and spaghettis, which were bold fashion back then.
Bhupendra: As many branded clothing lines came up in the city, we thought we should change our line of thought and we started Surang in 1998, where we concentrated only on Indian ethnic wear. As customers started asking for western outfits, we started bringing them in as well.
It’s been almost 20 years since...
Indu: We asked our guruji, Parthasarathy Rajagopalachari, if we can purchase this place. Without event coming to this shop he named it Surang — meaning beautiful colours and also a tunnel. (The shop is in the basement). This shop is like a body and it speaks to me...it tells me what works and what doesn’t. The workers here are our family members, and they too enjoy working here. We just teach the workers that ‘customer is god’. We believe in giving honest feedback about a garment to the customers and don’t force them to purchase anything.
What makes you the best?
I’d to say our customer service is our strength. I know everyone says that but for us, it’s important that every customer feels good when he/she visits us. Whether they buy from us or not is irrelevant to how they’re treated in our shop. Plus, we have a very good working relationship with our suppliers.
How did you both meet?
Bhupendra: It was an arranged marriage. I was working in Chennai and she was in New Delhi. I have a lot of respect for her and her talent and started this business only for her.
Why didn’t you do the business yourself? Why did you put your wife in charge?
I had learnt that from my parents. I had seen how respectfully my father treated my mother, and the same was passed on to us; that we must treat our wives well. I believe that women are the strength in every house. A house where women are treated well will always flourish.
Since it’s a family-run shop, do you get time to travel?
Bhupendra: We are all workaholics (laughs). Since I was in sales and marketing, I have travelled throughout the country, Kerala is my favourite. But Indu has always taken care of the business and was never much into travelling. We lead a very simple life. We practice Sahaj Marg Yoga.
Were you always spiritual?
Not always. My wife was always religious. But I was never into anything spiritual. I was friends with a guy who was our guruji’s son but he never told me about his relationship. When my wife went to his ashram, I saw my friend there and something inside me changed. Since then, we stopped visiting temples as realised god is within us. All we need to do is look inside and respect everyone.
Star clientele
When the family owned ‘Ansonoma’, many celebrities like Sushmita Sen and Urmila Matondkar visited their shop. Today actresses Kovai Sarla, Kiki Vijay, Dhansika, and Brinda and Jyotika (Suriya’s sister and wife respectively), & others are regular customers.
For Bhupendra Kumar Sethi & his wife Indu, co-owners of Surang, their customers are akin to god
Surang is located on Cathedral Road, ( below Khazana Jewellers) For details call: 28115057