On the occasion of Women’s Day, we caught up with Mitu Mathur on what inspires her, and her views and ideas as a woman in the field of design. We hope you enjoy this tête-à-tête!
Berger Paints India: What inspires you to think creatively and fuels you to ‘paint your imagination’? (Paint your imagination is Berger Paints’ tagline).
Mitu Mathur: Growing up in a family of architects, choosing the profession was a natural instinct. But architecture gave my education a new direction, propelled a creative thought process urging me to question the current norms of the practice and how we approach design… In the beginning, college regime came as a big shock, with never-ending submissions and sleepless nights, but the excitement of creating and ideating is what fuelled my enthusiasm and continues to drive me every day.
Berger Paints India: Which is your favourite project till date? Tell us more about it.
Mitu Mathur: My approach towards architecture, a shift from the traditional building box design – served as a landmark for our practice. Our firm was initially popularly known for commercial, residential and industrial projects. With my knowledge and experience as an Urban Designer, we forayed in the domains of public and infrastructure projects. A conscious effort towards working with the government sector that came along with my passion for designing the public realm, helped us acquire some milestone projects such as – In-situ slum rehabilitation projects in Delhi for DDA, National Institute of Design, Bhopal; Redevelopment of GPRA colonies projects in Delhi and Redevelopment of Railway stations.
Berger Paints India: How do you achieve work-life balance?
Mitu Mathur: Work is an integral part of my life, so I actually need ‘work’ to balance my ‘life’. As an architect, designer; my family, my life, my work has always inspired me in this journey, which has taught me key lessons, making me a socially aware and sensitive person, which plays a prominent role in shaping my life. Owing to the nature of my work, my family has been very supportive and always encourages me to challenge myself in pushing boundaries to achieve more.
Though it does get intimidating at times, I feel women are naturally blessed with the talent of multi-tasking; which equips them to strike that balance. My mantra is: “KarmanyeVadhikaraste Ma PhaleshuKadachana”; meaning – focus on your karma and be detached from its outcome, do not be driven by the end product, enjoy the process of getting there.
Berger Paints India: What made you choose architecture/interior design as a career?
Mitu Mathur: Growing up in a family of architects, choosing the profession was a natural instinct. But architecture gave my education a new direction, propelled a creative thought process urging me to question the current norms of the practice and how we approach design… In the beginning, college regime came as a big shock, with never-ending submissions and sleepless nights, but the excitement of creating and ideating is what fuelled my enthusiasm and continues to drive me every day.
Interested in more inspiration? View the remainder of Mitu’s exclusive interview with us by clicking on the video below:
Get in Touch
