It was 1995 when the family drama, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, had bedazzled Bollywood fans. Against this backdrop, Deepak Mehra and Pooja Uppal Mehra – owners of AKM Mehrasons – fell in love, when Deepak’s brother had an arranged marriage with Pooja’s sister. “I was 18 and had just entered college. Initially, I did not like him. But my sister immediately had a baby, and Deepak and I always used to fight over the baby. Obviously, he fell in love first,” chuckles Pooja, 43.
To which Deepak quips, “Men are always held responsible for that. Actually, our generation was totally different from today’s times. We never weighed the options, but today’s generation keeps several things in mind while taking such decisions,” says Deepak, 47. Soon, he started gifting her sweets and presents.
“I was like, ‘what’s happening?’ but by then I had started liking him too. Moreover, I always saw a passionate businessman in him,” she adds. While Deepak’s family was happy about their decision to marry, Pooja’s parents took time to deal with the news because nobody in her family had a love marriage. But Pooja’s father asked her to stick to her decision, and the couple got engaged in 1996 and were married in November, 1997.
“Now, our elder daughter is 21, and I can’t even imagine her wanting to get married now. How times have changed!” says Deepak. After their second baby in 2002, Pooja did a course in Gemology. “Back then, we had stores in Ansal Plaza and Gurugram, and I started handling these, with a little bit of back end work and designing. In time, I started doing exhibitions,” says Pooja. In 1990, Deepak, then just 17, became the third generation to enter the family business – AKM Mehrasons – started by his grandfathers at Lahore in 1925. Then, few years ago, he had to take charge of the business single-handedly when his brother moved out, and that was tough.
“Our business is very relationship based, and you have to be physically there for the clients. That was when I started stepping back and Pooja started stepping in,” says Deepak, who believes in taking all the decisions with her better half. This is how they started walking hand-in-hand at the work front too. And all of a sudden the brand was everywhere. “I am the house jeweller, but I realised that if the clients wanted something affordable they would call Pooja. She became very approachable, and the clients who used to come once in a while, started coming more often,” adds Deepak. By 2017, Pooja wanted to explore her full potential, and founded Kasmia Fine Jewellery, under AKM.
“I wanted to create the kind of classic jewellery that I love to wear. Elegant, minimal, light and festiveoriented for the woman of today,” adds Pooja. While she learnt from his expertise and incorporated it in her designs, she also brought in a fresh perspective to the business. “Pooja looks at the inventory, design, creativity, promotion, and social media. I would come into the space of manufacturing and understanding of gemstones, whether designs are practical and cost factors,” he adds. The two say that marriage isn’t a cake walk.
“How can you expect no friction and difference of opinion when two different people come together? Only over the period of time things change. It’s not a fight that you will take to the end and say this is over. It is something you are committed to,” Deepak shares. “You do end up stepping in each other’s arena but at the same time, you need to respect each other’s work and take a step back,” adds Pooja. Another golden rule they swear by is not taking work home.
Deepak says, “If we still end up talking about it post work, our kids keep us in check.” But the current situation gave them the time to introspect. “It has helped us deliver better, and better equip ourselves. God has been kind, and the last two months have been very good for business,” she says. What is life without some ups and downs. They also disagree on things sometimes.
“Whenever it happens, I keep quiet, and when things fizzle down, Deepak comes and asks what’s wrong, and then we talk it out,” says Pooja. “Yes, I am extremely stubborn, but I put my head down when it comes to my wife and my daughters,” he says.
Ups & downs
Deepak and Pooja admit they disagree on issues but come out stronger. “Whenever this happens, I keep quiet, and when things fizzle down, Deepak comes and asks what’s wrong, and then we talk it out,” says Pooja. “Yes, I am extremely stubborn, but I put my head down when it comes to my wife and my daughters,” Deepak says.