Divya Ramesh and Chuck Gopalakrishnan run Rough Paper as a studio of exactly two, and they intend to keep it that way. They turn down work that would force them to grow, holding to depth over scale and to the quiet worth of a good ordinary Tuesday.
Mocked for his English as a boy, Bhinoy built a company around the wound. Through Teresa’s Learning Centre he teaches people who freeze in interviews and boardrooms that fear, rather than grammar, is the thing holding them back, and that being seen matters more than being big.
Pai is a visual storyteller who works in whatever medium the story needs, from film and illustration to motion graphics. They make deeply personal work about neurodivergence and mental health, and want to use their craft to carry the people whose work matters but who have no appetite for being seen.
A pair of mud-caked shoes at a Goa music festival turned into Clean Kicks, the cleaning and restoration business Devarsh and Akash built from a bathroom. They have quietly grown a sustainability venture by helping people hold on to the things they love a little longer.
This edition introduces the Linchpins who have taken uncharted paths to define the shape of their work, and reflects on what that choice costs along the way.
