What happens when two people realise India isn’t lacking luxury, but starving for togetherness?

They walked away from stable careers and built a ₹120 CR hospitality brand that proves ‘luxury’ isn’t always required to succeed!

In this episode of The Barbershop, Shantanu sits down with Deven Parulekar (Founder of SaffronStays), who built his brand on one simple belief: where families bond. From a honeymoon dream many years ago to a reality in 2015, this vision has expanded into a network of 425 villas, each designed to bring people closer.

But here’s the part that sets this story apart: SaffronStays refuses the ‘luxury’ tag. Its heart lies in homes that feel welcoming, with villas kept ready for every moment without anyone stepping in uninvited.

An unexpected call about a 130-year-old heritage home changed everything, opening the door to a vision that would one day aim to become the Taj of homestays in India. And through the years, the brand has quietly reshaped how India thinks about travel, belonging, and human connection.

What you’ll discover:

- Why the brand refuses to be ‘the largest’, but strives to be ‘the finest’, with a mission to combat loneliness.

- How human bonds spark real business growth

- How hardships during COVID-19 opened the door to unexpected success

- How one historic villa changed the company’s direction

- The three values that build lasting brands.

If you’ve ever experienced the joy of bonding with your people, watch how a villa brand reimagined Indian hospitality by focusing on bonds, over luxury.

Navigate your way through the chapters

00:00 Coming Up

01:44 Introduction

03:28 How Deven Built SaffronStays

05:42 How Hospitality Has Changed

08:27 What Makes Villa Stays Special

12:27 Growing and Understanding Guests

16:00 How SaffronStays Stands Out

19:05 How Travel Trends Affect Hotels

26:14 What SaffronStays Promises Guests

31:18 Villas Today and Why “Luxury” Feels Overused

35:26 The First Home and Brand Journey

39:44 Where Most Bookings Come From

41:48 Meeting Post-COVID Guest Needs

47:57 The Philosophy Behind Caretaking

50:25 Using Instagram to Connect

53:11 “Where Families Bond” in Action

55:19 Favourite Villas and Top Picks

59:22 Do Guests Come Back?

1:03:25 Making Marketing Meaningful

1:08:27 Advice from Shantanu

1:14:02 Why They Chose the Blue Ocean

1:20:40 Understanding Valuation

1:24:53 How Travel Is Changing

1:26:45 Closing Thoughts

Men are breaking silently, and most people do not notice until it is too late.

This Men’s Day conversation brings Shantanu together with Chirag Taneja and the GoKwik team to talk about the quiet struggles that shape a man’s life.

Men live shorter, visit doctors less, hide pain behind work, and carry pressure they never learned to talk about.

Many grow up without strong male role models. Many lose friendships after marriage.

Many feel responsible for everyone but themselves.

Most of this remains unspoken because men are taught to stay strong even when strength is slipping away.

In this episode, they finally say the things men usually swallow.

They talk about exhaustion that has no outlet, about feeling misunderstood in rooms full of people, about why therapy often misses what men cannot put into words.

Watch this if you want to understand the men in your life. Or if you are a man who has been waiting for someone to understand you.

Navigate your way through these chapters:

00:00 Coming Up

01:00 Introduction & Opening Discussion

05:05 Male Health & Mental Wellness Statistics

10:14 Society's Expectations on Men

14:13 Legal Frameworks & Therapy Challenges

19:02 Q&A: Stereotypes About Masculinity

25:15 Balancing Ambition, Career & Self-Care

31:03 Financial Responsibilities & Partner Expectations

37:00 Leadership & Modern Men in the Workplace

41:45 Shared Values & Relationship Manifestos

44:08 Men's Starter Kit for the New Generation

50:00 Closing Thoughts

Scared of interviews? Maybe you're following the wrong rulebook.

In this episode, Shantanu sits with a group of students to break down what interviews actually are. Not tests. Not interrogations. But human conversations where trust, honesty and connection matter far more than memorised answers.

Shantanu pulls apart the fear, the overthinking, the nervousness that students walk in with, and reveals the real strategy: show up as someone your interviewer will genuinely enjoy working with.

From decoding the classic McKinsey-style interview model to understanding why fun, clarity and natural communication create the strongest impression, this conversation opens up the side of interviews no one teaches in college.

What you’ll discover:

• Why interviews are built on connection, not perfection

• How trust, honesty and humility shape your first impression

• The three-part structure interviewers use to evaluate candidates

• How fun, flow and real conversation shift decisions

• The difference between trying to impress someone and working with someone

• What interviewers actually remember after you leave the room

Can staying relaxed, real and human be the biggest interview advantage?

Tune in to see Shantanu decode the mindset that helps students walk into any interview with confidence, clarity and heart.

Navigate your way through these chapters

00:00 Coming Up

00:40 Introduction

01:31 How Consulting Interviews Really Work

03:06 What Interviewers Actually Look For

11:40 Students Rank Top Interview Qualities

16:31 The Real Interview Filter

19:10 Strategy to Crack Your Dream Interview

23:07 What You Think Matters vs What Actually Matters

25:41 Stop Impressing, Start Showing You Can Work With Them

29:41 How Shantanu Interviews & What He Notices First

32:06 Lessons From Anuj Paul

33:47 Closing Thoughts