Never judge a book by its cover? Naaa. The new mantra should be, ‘Never judge a lady by her metier!’
In Sanjanthi Sajan’s private spaces, we see a lady who may call herself a lawyer, but who may as well be projected as having many invisible arms and hands, like our beloved Navratri goddesses. In fact, she redefines the A-lister tag.
No doubt, most know her as the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Poovayya & Co., with over three decades of practice across infrastructure, telecommunications, corporate transactions, and litigation. Helming a reputed firm boasting nearly 100 lawyers, she is the visionary overseeing offices in Bangalore and Delhi, while ushering in new ideas, updating and upskilling the knowledge pool, networking and building client relationships, and bridging cultural gaps for seamless deal-making.
However, let’s toss off that black coat – for a mili-second – and see her through the lens of her home.
We see a musician who plays the veena, an art enthusiast whose collection suggests a panoramic sensibility. Here is a global soul who yet adores what is local. She knows where the wood comes from for select installations. She points to an array of painted, vibrant South Indian statues and explains how essential they are to a South Indian home.
She ‘gets’ the power of a personal gym – her mecca to stay shapely and sharp, adjacent to a kitchenette where she tosses up calorie-wise meals. We see the animal lover in the animal paintings and figurines around and learn about her many adopted pets and donations.
We see a mom, a wife, a bestie to whoever may need her – smiling across many family cameos, sitting across exquisite furniture. The profusion of plants indoors and out, point to a nature-lover who is also founded Meriyanda Nature Retreat & Spa, Coorg! “My husband is from Coorg, and it is the coffee belt of South India.”
In fact, as she talks of her passion for bee keeping, we are offered some coffee-flavoured honey from their Coorg plantation!
Sanjanthi with Husband Sajan and two daughters Laya & Tia
Smooth transitioning to the role of Managing Partner at Poovayya & Co
‘RIVERDALE’ IN BEML
Part of the ‘bridge’ generation – or the classic Gen X’er, Sanjanthi has rich recollections of her pre-digital childhood, growing up in the BEML township, near Bangalore.
“Dad was working with a public sector company, so I went to a Project School of the Kendriya Vidyalaya, which was for the children of BEML society. We were 18-20 kids in each class. Moreover, I also grew up in a nuclear family – it was just mom, dad, my brother and I.”
Life had non-virtual friends and extra-curricular classes.
“It was an idyllic, unambitious childhood. The focus was more on experiences… we learned a lot of art, craft. Every summer we’d explore something new. One summer, it would be embroidery, another summer, fabric cutting. Sometimes, we would learn music. So over the many years of my school life, I have picked up everything. Like I can stitch something for you, I have the ability to do that!” she smiles.
Those wonder years also saw her growing an athletic, disciplined mindset.
“We used to play golf, badminton, tennis. So it was a nice, balanced way of growing up. I learned Bharat Natyam for very many years. Yes, learning some art form is very integral to a young South Indian girl’s upbringing,” she affirms.
Young Sanjanthi seen here with her Dad, Mom & Brother
During her School Days
THE CALL OF THE LAW…
But here is where the plot thickens!
In Bangalore, people felt you study law only when you have failed at everything else! It was not a revered profession, back in the day,” is her unfiltered proclamation.
Fact: she was the only one of 18 kids in her class, that pursued law! Everyone else got into IITs and RECs. She chose to study law, “only because somebody from the township chose law school. Honestly, I only really knew what I did NOT want to do…. I did not want to be a doctor or an engineer!” So, although she gave her entrance exams for these specialisations, she did not check her results as “I did not want to succumb to pressure and take them up.”
We understand how lives too, can fall into the prison of cliches. As essayist Nora Ephron put it, “Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.”
Even the National Law School of India University was not the swank, high ranking institution it is considered today. “I was part of the fifth batch of law students to study there!” she points out, adding, “It looks very different today, with many more buildings and programmes.”
Interestingly, the gorgeous, romantic, tree-filled, hilly environs of NLSIU introduced her to her life partner – Sajan Poovayya. “Oh, yes, I think that’s the best thing that happened to me!” she laughs. “A lot of us found our ‘lawful’ partners there.
It was quite a soulful ice-breaker for them. She was playing the Veena as part of the law school stage performance, and he was in the audience!
Did she have to deal with any opposition, in her choice of partner?
“A little bit… we were part of different communities, but that is often a part of everybody’s life. My parents were ok – they are always supportive!” she laughs.
When your life partner is also your business partner, something’s got to really click!
Sajan and Sanjanthi are today a power couple in the legal and society circles of India, having founded Poovayya & Co.,and grown it to what it is today. But unlike the glamour one associates with power couples in other parts of India, this couple let’s their noble initiatives ‘set the bar’ An epic example is the widely reported support they extended to Junior Advocates who were out of work, when the Pandemic struck.
“Absolutely. I think we are a great partnership that way. We are always encouraging of what the other wants to do, and he has certain skill sets that I can never match up to. I can do things differently, the way he would never be able to.”
THE WORK OF BECOMING
Sanjanthi may have grown up in a humble, value-driven universe. She brought formative in-house experience from IL&FS, BPL US West, and Deutsche Software into the firm she helped build. Under her leadership, Poovayya & Co. has grown into one of India’s foremost independent full-service firms. However, we do live in a VUCCA world, where your past victories may fall off the shifting superhighways of relevance!
“Yes there are a lot of disruptions in the law ecosystem,” she reflects. ” One is, the introduction of AI as a tool for enhancing what we do. Two, is the post-Covid scenario where most courts have gone virtual. I think both, come with advantages. Virtual hearings give us great flexibility. One can be sitting here and arguing in a court in Bhuvaneshwar or Delhi. It is a game changer. Every disruption comes with advantages, and it is upto us what we take and what we leave behind. It is all about navigating the change in an advantageous way.”
Sanjanthi confesses, ”It is true, I have had to reinvent myself. “When I worked in-house, my practice was largely focused on telecom and banking law. When I moved into a law firm, I took on the responsibility of building and managing the firm’s legal practice, a role I continued to focus on for many years, including while raising my two daughters. Over time, my role has evolved. Today, I work on select transactional matters, contribute to litigation strategy, and take on broader leadership responsibilities, with a significant focus on business development and building lasting client relationships. My role now requires me to oversee diverse areas of the practice and constantly expand my perspective.”
This evolution has brought with it a wider professional canvas, connecting her with clients across the world, attending international conferences and continually upskilling herself. “Earlier, my focus was on ensuring that the work was done well and to the highest standards. Today, that remains fundamental, but there is an additional dimension to the role: visibility, relationships and strategy. Sustaining a firm of this size requires more than legal excellence; it calls for a distinctive, competitive and sustainable business model that allows the firm to continue to grow and evolve.”
“ "I would say, never tick off anyone, never burn your bridges. If you do not like something or you do not like anyone, it is better to remove yourself from the situation, without expressing animosity towards the persons involved.” ”
THE BALANCING ACT
Sanjanthi’s approach to global clientele is summed up in one word –homework! Her teams research the ethos and culture of the client, and “we do think of ice-breaker topics beyond the law, to help build bridges,” she shares, which is standard protocol today. “We always know someone who they may also know, so that too helps!”
She also reiterates that the world is a much flatter place than ever, and finding common connections is effortless.
The Poovayya family has been ahead of the curve, keeping their workplace right next to their multi-storeyed home. It has helped tremendously when Sanjanthi was juggling parental responsibilities with work, when her girls were younger. She also feels blessed to have had a great family support system. “My husband was also in Bangalore, in those days. He was an equal parent in every way. My parents were also very hands-on,” she shares.
LIFTING THE FEMALE WORKFORCE AS A PERSONAL MISSION
It is widely known that Sanjanthi has a deep emotional interest in supporting other female professionals and fostering female leadership. “I have done a lot of interesting work for women in litigation. We had one case where a mother was stuck outside India and her child was in India, because she could not have her passport renewed. We worked at getting the mother and child re-united. This was during Covid, which was already a challenging time. So we have done a lot of such good work.”
One asks about her advocacy for flexible work arrangements and helping women climb up their career ladders. “Yes, we try our best to meet women somewhere between their many roles, so they can multi-task… in fact, currently we have more female employees. I believe we need to create a work environment which enhances their productivity. If we don’t support their many responsibilities, it will affect the quality of their work, which is counter-productive to the firm!”
As a footnote, she shares that they also give male employees flexibility if their circumstances demand it, and “we also take care of our younger employees, making sure there is something for them to eat when they return from a long court session. We cover people for small concerns, so they have less to worry about.”
CREATING SPACE FOR NATURE, MAKING SPACE FOR TALENT
We ask Sanjanthi, finally about her entrepreneurial journey, her passion project, the now 15-year old Meriyanda Nature Retreat.
“See, both Sajan and I came from small towns and had a very idyllic upbringing. I was raising kids who thought all fruit juices and milk came in tetra packs or plastic bags! So very early in their lives, we decided we needed to have a space in nature where they could savour fresh fruits, drink farm-fresh milk, and we could disconnect from city life and feel rooted.”
The idea led to the setting up of a cottage in their coffee plantation, which then turned into a project! “All our friends would come and say, ‘Oh, God, you need to share this space with a lot many more people.”
So they set up this small resort property, the Meriyanda Nature Retreat, and promoted it with the clever tagline, ‘Disconnect to Reconnect,’ “because we didn’t have internet connectivity,” she laughs. The idea was to revisit a far less mediated reality.
And being a sports-oriented person herself, Sanjanthi looks at young kids and believes it is important to lend a hand to young sportspersons with potential to train and grow. So she set up an NGO to identify good talent at a very early age, and she works with coaches to support the coaching process for them.
“It’s like a scholarship system. So if they come with a coach’s recommendation, we fund their journey.”
Sanjanthi herself plays badminton at the national and international levels. She has represented India as part of the Indian team.
The Meriyanda Nature Retreat, Coorg
Sanjanthi at a badminton tournament
STAYING ROOTED
As we wind up the chat, one can’t help noticing that for all the wonderful milestones and the lavish home the Poovayya live in, Sanjanthi has no chip on her busy shoulder. She remains rooted, smart and fuss-free.
One can’t resist asking her to enlist five core values that she holds dear. “I think I am a helpful person, I am empathetic, I am sensitive and I also have great drive. I like to wake up in the morning and know I have a lot of things to address and execute. I am spiritual, but not in a ritualistic way. I am spiritual in my actions.”
When she says this, one remembers a Sathya Sai Baba poster saying, ‘Hands that work are dearer to me than lips that pray.’ She resonates deeply with that. About life, being a prayer in action. About the idea of being a Karma yogi.
Finally, she also has a strong vision of being self-made, which stems from her upbringing.
