Overcoming challenges she faced as a female architect, Chanchal has now built a name for herself in the field of architecture.

Chanchal Batra is a veteran architect who has spent more than 20 years in the field and worked for many reputed names in the industry. She is the Director of her venture “Design Innovations” at Gurugram which she has been running for the last eight years.

Chanchal remembers her grandmother as her guiding star as she always supported Chanchal and she was the reason behind Chanchal’s  audacious personality. She recalls her childhood when society was conservative with regards to the  upbringing of girls.  She remembers, even at that time her grandmother always  encouraged and supported her.

Chanchal shares that initially she had never even heard about architecture. She had taken admission in Computer science engineering but after three months, she got a call from the best state college where she was getting a seat in the architecture branch. Finally, she joined architecture and started enjoying it a lot as it was a mix of science, design, and creativity.

Chanchal recalls her initial days of struggle where it was hard to get even a job where her friends from other engineering fields were getting lucrative offers. Society used to ask her about the scarcity of opportunities in her architecture field. She says she never lost hope and kept sailing with the flow.

Chanchal says she has experienced many challenges as a woman, but she made a breakthrough appearance at construction sites by getting involved in the groundwork of architecture from dealing with labourers to sorting out problems.

She says her first job was with an architect where she used to design small 100 sq. ft. spaces and from there now she is designing 5 acres of greenfields. Chanchal takes pride in saying she is confident enough to design residential projects, greenfield projects, or any type of commercial projects.

Her inspiration is Priya Paul, chairperson of The Park Hotels, a Padmashree awardee. Chanchal says she was fortunate enough to work under her guidance and is an admirer of her knack for designs and materials. She learned how to balance work and family life from her.

Chanchal also adds how she gets inspired by her surroundings, nature, and people, and during travel, she loves to observe things around her and put all these in her designs.

As a proud mother, she has always believed in balancing her professional and personal life. She has spent quality time in the upbringing of her kids. She says she shares a special bond with her kids.

Chanchal likes to cycle, do yoga, and meditation whenever she gets time.

Chanchal advises the youth to make a balance in life and believe in harmony, as that is where real happiness lies. She believes in doing what you love and loving what you do.