Who moved my office? Some popular co-working spaces in India

Co-working spaces are a sign of the times. Catering to the ever-changing workspace requirements of professionals, businesspeople and the now-ubiquitous startup, commercial workspaces are adapting fast

Jul 29, 2017, 05:05 IST7 min

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Khar SocialKharMumbaiYou can’t not have found yourself in one of the 16 Socials that have popped up across the metros in the last three years. The concept, pioneered by Riyaaz Amlani in 2015, is a vibrant bar by evening that wakes in the morning and becomes a workspace with a sprightly breakfast menu, thoughtfully placed plug points, and ‘why didn’t I think of that’ furniture. Most millen

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Ministry of NewKitab Mahal, FortMumbaiWhile restoring a neglected high-ceilinged heritage property in Fort, Dutch designers Marlies Bloemendaal and Natascha Chadha created Ministry of New “whose energy will make you connect to your inner creativity”, says the latter. It was their tribute to Mumbai and the Indian culture they love, for which they combined European design sensibilities with

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The HiveKhar (West)MumbaiSince moving on from his career in the hospitality sector, Sudeip Nair had been mulling over a question: What should the live entertainment ecosphere be like? Established venues in most big cities are booked for years by established artistes, leaving newcomers and experimental performers struggling to get a toehold. This led to Nair to create space in a converted

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WSquareAdyar Chennai“We were recruiting women for our digital marketing agency,” recalls Vandhana Ramanathan, founder and CEO of WSquare, “and were amazed at the sheer number who had quit their jobs because they felt guilty about leaving their children behind.” They couldn’t work from home either, given the many interruptions. That spurred Vandhana and co-founder Jinal Patel to find a hom

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Barista Safdarjung Development Area Delhi Every Delhi IITian has walked past this Barista, even if they have not stepped in. The café, right across from the gate of the Indian Institute of Technology, has, over the years, been a breeding ground for big money startups. Drop by anytime and you are sure to find a groggy-eyed IITian lounging in one of the chairs outside, stuck in a moment wi

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Cyber Hub SocialGurugramIf there’s creative anarchy let loose, it’s here, in this film set-like space, standing out amidst the bars and restaurants behind the towering facades of glass and steel. The space pays homage to Mumbai’s chawls, and features wooden railings and tiny rooms with fading grey-green walls and exposed electric meters and wiring, and littered concrete pipes that provide

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Mobile AwfisAnywhere DelhiAmit Ramani, founder and CEO of Awfis, believes this is the future of working. His efforts at making the daily commute a more productive one has taken the shape of an eight-seater van—launched last October—equipped with Wi-Fi, teleconferencing facilities, printers, CCTV, washroom and pantry. The van is available to Awfis members on hourly and daily rental plans.

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Café Coffee DayRajiv Chowk Metro StationDelhiLaunched in 1996, when internet was still in its infancy in India, it was everyman’s go-to place when free Wi-Fi back then was way too slow, and the waiters were too timid to tell you off for occupying the tables too long. The sofas were comfortable and you got your cup’s worth of air-conditioning to hammer out that pending proposal. With more

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Flyp@MTV CaféConnaught PlaceDelhiThe atmospheric illumination “mimicking the light from a thousand lamps” warms the large space of colonial heritage, while the dance floor gives in to the exuberant rhythms of the salsa. But that’s just the night. “We wanted to create an affordable space for the youth to hang out during the day,” says founder Viraj Lamba, who collaborated with MTV to creat

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Blue Tokai CaféSaidulajab, SaketDelhiIt’s a pleasure to watch the beans being roasted with care across the glass partition while working on a hotshot project over a cup of fine coffee, like many regulars who frequent this café do. When Matt Chitharanjan and Namrata Asthana moved to Delhi from Chennai in 2012, they sorely missed the local roasting shops. It struck them that while excellent

Image by Madhu Kapparath