'I'm in no hurry to make all the buildings in India'

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: but I learnt. When you are thrown into water, you start to throw your arms here and there and ultimately learn to swim.”

Looking back, Manish feels, it’s these early years that gave him a headstart of sorts. “Delhi’s summers lasted almost six months. So, being at the site meant I got a lot of sunburns, but all in all I loved construction. I think it gave me a lot of confidence. The fact that I could handle things on my own at 20 felt great. Of course, I was also getting paid which was a great kick at 20.”

Though he admits it took him a few years to really settle down into the business, but by 27 he was completely in the groove. Since he didn’t get time to pursue his MBA, it prompted him to apply his natural instinct to business. Soon he went on to lead a professional team of more than 150 architects, engineers, interior designers, sales and marketing professionals to deliver the best.

If there are two things that Manish swears by, it’s quality and hard work. “Quality always sells. So, you should never be pennywise and pound foolish. Clients have become very quality and price conscious in the past ten years. They know what they want.” Also, he believes there is no substitute for hard work.

The project that shot the group into limelight is easily an achievement Manish is proud of. The year was 1999 and the word green wasn’t as popular as it is now. But the father-son duo saw the perfect opportunity to show how they were different from other developers. The result was Uppal’s Orchid, a hotel today well known for being environment friendly.

Ask Manish if they were ahead of the times and he admits honestly, “I think we were. We started water harvesting in private homes long before people understood the concept. We made buildings that had high performance glass that lets in more light, helping to save energy. We still struggle trying to explain the benefits of water harvesting to a lot of people. It’s not easy but it’s something we think is important and we want to continue to do it. At the end of the day, everything shouldn’t be done to be appreciated; some things are done for self-satisfaction.”