Her father’s daughter

Varuna D Jani recounts the joys and heartbreaks she’s weathered to pursue her life’s passion—  launching her signature jewellery line

She’s the daughter of the redoubtable Ramchand Popley, considered the biggest exporter of gold jewellery in the country till he decided to migrate to Dubai in the ‘70s. And now, Varuna D Jani is back to reclaim that legacy. But it’s been a strange journey.

“When our family was about to migrate to Dubai, my father thought it best to get both us sisters married.  I was very young, but we are a very conservative family and our father’s decision was (and still is) the final word in our house.  So, at 18, I was married,” says Varuna. 

It seemed the end of the road for her special gift—an incredible  talent for designing jewellery. “I used to sketch designs even as a  child. But my father never believed in girls doing any business. He  wanted us to be in the house, taking care of children,”she recalls.

 Years later, in 1997, Ramchand indulged his  youngest son’s wish to open a store in the city. Just the three-storied showroom in Bandra, built for Suraj Popley, fresh with a design course from Los Angeles, cost an impressive Rs 16 crore back then.

But matters took an interesting turn in 2005. It was a period of great  stress for Ramchand whose health was deteriorating. There was even talk of winding up the Mumbai store. After a lot of discussion, it was decided that Varuna would come to Mumbai with her father and look after the showroom. It was almost as if fate conspired to pull her out  of domesticity and revive her childhood dream. 

“We had the best location, a lot of money for the stock, an  80-year-old reputation, but we probably needed some brand building. So  in 2006, I changed the name from Popley Gold Plaza to Popley Eternal  and launched a special line with just 40 sets - the first Varuna D  Jani collection. Bipasha Basu became our brand ambassador,” says Varuna. But just around then, the dynamics within the company started to change.

“I could sense a lot of resistance to what I was doing. Things came to  a point when my brothers, and even my father, were asking me to go back to Dubai. The business was all theirs in any case, not mine. For a son,  fathers set up a whole new business, but a daughter is told to leave. It’s so unfair. But I decided I wouldn’t go back. This wasn’t just about me anymore, it’s about so many other women who’ve remained  silent all their lives,” she says.

And while Varuna’s jewellery boutique is less than 200 meters away from her father’s showroom, she wouldn’t ever dream of competing with him. “He’s like a  God to me. But I am my father’s daughter. Maybe someday I will be able  to fulfill my own dream - to redefine the jewellery business in Mumbai and India.”

 s_saumit@dnaindia.net