When we meet Devita Saraf, the CEO and design head of Vu Technologies dressed in a dark-blue Michael Kors dress is in the middle of a global shoot for her latest line of high-end, customisable and luxury television sets. But there is not an iota of stress on her face.
<img title="Devita Saraf" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2014/jun/13-Devita-Saraf.jpg" alt="Devita Saraf" /> Devita Saraf, CEO and design head of Vu Technologies, at Grand Galleria, Lower Parel. Pics/Bipin Kokate
&ldquo;I need to do 10 things at a time. I get worked up if I have nothing to do,&rdquo; quips 32-year-old Saraf, who founded the company at the age of 24. Today, Vu Technologies is worth R100 crore, and has even launched the first Apple-enabled television set. &ldquo;I am happy and relaxed, when life is led at 240 km an hour,&rdquo; says the young entrepreneur who was the only woman CEO to drive the Formula One car at that speed around the Budh International Circuit last year.
<img title="Devita Saraf" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2014/jun/13-Devita-Saraf-1.jpg" alt="Devita Saraf" />
Daughter of Rajkumar Saraf, chairman and owner of Zenith Computers, Saraf branched out to start her own venture after a short stint in her father&rsquo;s company. She wanted to set up Vu Technologies, a premium display brand in the high-end display space. Today, the television has become an interface for sharing pictures, downloading, watching different kind of content. &ldquo;The screen&rsquo;s bezel (the width) size has shrunk drastically. Televisions are so much thinner and sexier,&rdquo; says Saraf, who has a new television set in her house every two weeks for testing. &ldquo;I love the fact that the TV is a bonding product, as it brings a family together. I also like watching it alone. I am hooked on to the political sitcom, House of Cards, because I want to be India&rsquo;s prime minister one day,&rdquo; she says, nonchalantly.
In spite of stepping into the business world at 24, Saraf does not recall being scared. &ldquo;The only problem I faced was retaining people, especially the IIT and IIM freshers who only wanted to gain experience and jumpshift. It really hurt me after all the effort I put in to mentor them,&rdquo; says Saraf.
Did she have trouble getting people to take a 24-year-old seriously? &ldquo;My personality type is such that it takes people two minutes into a conversation to know that I am not someone to mess with,&rdquo; she laughs.
Travelling for business is an integral part of Saraf&rsquo;s life. While last week she zipped between Bangalore and Delhi, next week she will be in China. But she ensures that she makes the most of these frenetic trips by getting a new haircut each time. &ldquo;I love reinventing myself. My haircut reflects the phase I am in,&rdquo; says Saraf. She recalls an incident in Paris when she left it to the hairdresser to give her a new look. &ldquo;I saw my long tresses scattered on the floor. When I looked at the mirror, I had a boy cut!&rdquo; she laughs. This habit, too, says a lot about the feisty CEO who loves to experiment. &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t know if I didn&rsquo;t try, right?&rdquo; she asks.
Constantly on the move and busy juggling creative ideas or executing orders we are not surprised that her only day off is packed, too. &ldquo;Two Sundays ago, I went off on a Mumbai photo walking tour, clicking pictures in the pet market at Crawford Market. I am always looking for doing different things to keep my creative juices flowing,&rdquo; she says.
Saraf comes from a close-knit family, which revolves around her. &ldquo;I am the youngest you see,&rdquo; she smiles. While she turns to her &lsquo;Dad&rsquo; for advice and brainstorming ideas, her mother is always keeping a track of which part of the world she is in.
Saraf finds her balance in the Indian Classical dance, Odissi, which she has been learning for the past decade. &ldquo;I have my class at Ravindra Natya Mandir every Sunday morning. Odissi demands physical and mental discipline and one cannot think of anything else while training. I have the attention span of a two year old, and dancing is something that grounds me,&rdquo; she says.
A fussy eater, Saraf prefers to make her own food if she doesn&rsquo;t like what is cooked for dinner. &ldquo;I am pretty good at it, too,&rdquo; she smiles, who loves eating Thai and Mexican cuisines. &ldquo;I am always on the hunt for what&rsquo;s new in every city,&rdquo; she says.
Interestingly, Saraf is a member of the Mensa Club of Los Angeles, the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world. &ldquo;As a student in school, I was not good at Mathematics and irreverently, my teacher would always check my homework. One day, she passed a sarcastic comment: &ldquo;If you think you are so smart, why don&rsquo;t you join the Mensa Club.&rdquo; At that time, she didn&rsquo;t even know what this meant, but years later, while studying in the US, she thought of &ldquo;giving the exam a try&rdquo;. &ldquo;I passed with flying colours,&rdquo; says Saraf.
Being a people person many times, Saraf has walked into a store pretending to be a marketing staffer. &ldquo;I interact with customers to get feedback. Why pay a research company R1 lakh for a report I can get within 15 minutes? Business is fun. It is not like in Bollywood films where all you do is spend time in the boardroom,&rdquo; says Saraf, who has a desire to keep evolving. &ldquo;And fashion to me is a form of evolvement.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I am always upping my ante, making a mental note of brands I aspire to own once I reach a certain level.&rdquo; As a child, Saraf confesses that she was a brat. &ldquo;I always allocated my homework. Ever since I was a tiny tot, men sort of knew I am not someone to mess with. I am very picky. Men do get intimidated, as they don&rsquo;t expect someone to be so picky,&rdquo; she admits.
Coming back to her plan to be prime minister, Saraf is working towards it, one step at a time. She is the member of the executive committee of the policy making organistion, FICCI, and even Young Bombay Forum, Chamber of Commerce&rsquo;s wing that works for the emergence of young leaders in various spheres of business. &ldquo;Once I hit 40 or 45, I want to be in policy making,&rdquo; says Saraf, who believes in finding the seedha rasta where people only see a &lsquo;murky&rsquo; road. &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t create paths for others, what is the point of life?&rdquo; she asks.

Devita Saraf, CEO and design head of Vu Technologies,&nbsp;speaks to Phorum Dalal about doing 10 things at a time and her motto in life &mdash; to spread happiness&nbsp;

One day, I want to be India's PM: Devita Saraf

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One day, I want to be India's PM: Devita Saraf

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