Finding one job you love is not easy for some. There are a few exceptions like Greshma Dhanarajan. She has managed to pursue not just two of her passions – fitness and fashion, but, also made a parallel professions out of them. A fashion designer, Greshma retails under the label “Simply Gresh”, which was started in early 2013. It offers ethnic and western wear for men and women. She has also been working as a freelance Les Mills RPM instructor for five years and has been taking classes at fitness centres such as Fitness First, The Tribe Fitness, and Zela.
An English graduate with a Masters in Sociology, Greshma moved to Bengaluru in 2005 in search of a job. “Back then only IT jobs paid well. A technical writing job offer came my way so I took it up. I had my younger brother who I needed to put through college so it was clear that money was the priority,” she recounts, adding, “I was also a chubby kid so my friend pulled me to her gym. I’ve worked out at most of the gyms. That’s also when an opportunity to do a certified course in Les Mills RPM came my way and I grabbed it. I was bored with my job and thought this would keep things exciting.”
Greshma forayed into fashion shortly after this and set up her own studio. When her business picked up, she quit her job to concentrate on fitness and fashion.
Having grown up in the Middle East, Greshma says, “A lot of my fashion sensibilities come from what I have seen. My USP is elegant, minimalistic and classy.”
“As a fitness trainer, I’m a bit of a maniac! I’m told that I motivate and ‘push’ my class. With the limited number of bikes in a class, I almost always have a spill over of gym members wanting to attend classes,” she states . She works long hours and adds that striking the perfect balance is vital for her. “Each day is different and working around this tends to be tough, especially fighting the city traffic to get to a class on time. Money is also a variable. As long as you have your health, money flows in. When you fall ill, the money stops. There’s also work stress, lagging payments, and difficult customers. What helps is I enjoy what I do!” While she’s “having the time” of her life doing what she loves best, she also points out, “It’s important to carve your niche when competition is big.” Looking ahead, Greshma states, “As a fitness instructor, I’m happy with taking my RPM classes as well as volunteering with The Republic of Fitness on Sundays at Cubbon Park, and with respect to design, I’m currently exploring options to scale up. Plans to foray into retail is underway. But at the moment, wedding and festive wear orders are keeping my hands full.”
This column features those who choose to veer off the beaten track.
