From a BITS Pilani engineering degree to the design studios behind Mahindra's best-known SUVs, Ramkripa Ananthan helped shape the Thar, Scorpio and XUV500. Her career spans vehicle interiors, industrial design and electric mobility, with a journey that began amid India's changing landscapes and took her into a male-dominated industry today.From a BITS Pilani engineering degree to the design studios behind Mahindra’s best-known SUVs, Ramkripa Ananthan helped shape the Thar, Scorpio and XUV500. (Representative, AI-generated image) Millions of Indians recognise the Mahindra Thar's rugged stance, the Scorpio's imposing road presence and the XUV700's distinctive styling.

Fewer know the woman who helped shape the design of these SUVs.Ramkripa Ananthan, a mechanical engineering graduate from BITS Pilani, went from designing vehicle interiors to leading teams behind some of Mahindra's best-known models, including the Scorpio, XUV500, Thar and XUV700.Her journey into automobile design began with an unusual combination of engineering and an instinct for observing the world around her.FROM BITS PILANI TO MAHINDRAAnanthan completed her Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering at BITS Pilani in 1992. She later pursued a master's degree in Industrial Design at the Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay, graduating in 1997.

She joined Mahindra & Mahindra that year, initially working as an interior designer. Her early assignments included the Bolero, Scorpio and Xylo.

Over the years, she moved into larger design responsibilities, eventually becoming Chief of Design for the company's automotive and farm equipment sectors.Her teams worked on vehicles including the TUV300, KUV100, XUV300, XUV500, Marazzo, Thar and XUV700. She was also instrumental in setting up Mahindra's design studio.A CHEETAH INSPIRED THE XUV500 Ananthan's approach to design has drawn from experiences beyond the drawing board.

Growing up, she moved between villages and towns because of her father's transferable job. In an account on Ola Electric's website, she recalls being surrounded by rice fields, rivers, mountains and forests, and learning through trekking, travel and observing her surroundings.That eye for the natural world also found its way into her work.

While developing the XUV500, her team explored the cheetah as a design inspiration. The animal's muscular build and movement informed the SUV's stance and exterior styling.The team explored multiple concepts before settling on a design direction built around the idea of "feeling the power".FROM SUVs TO ELECTRIC MOBILITYAfter more than two decades at Mahindra, Ananthan moved into independent design consulting through KRUX Studio.

In 2022, she joined Ola Electric as Head of Design, taking on work across electric two-wheelers and the company's planned four-wheeler programmes.BITS Pilani recognised her contribution to the automobile industry with its Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2021.From vehicle interiors to large SUVs and electric mobility, Ananthan's career has crossed several parts of India's automotive industry. Her work also offers a reminder that the vehicles people identify with on the road are shaped by design teams whose contributions often go unseen.- Ends