“What makes our practice successful is how we envision success and how we choose to perceive it,” said Principal Harsh Vardhan at FOAID Delhi 2025, where he joined Sachin Gupta, Sonali Bhagwati, Tanya Khanna, Zaki Shaikh and Salil Ranadivé for a candid conversation on the unspoken realities of building a practice and an identity. Drawing from over a decade of shaping Studio Lotus’ organisational and business frameworks, Harsh identified alignment, communication and clarity as the foundations of a sustainable design practice. He noted that success is a “constant effort,” shaped as much by the type of project as it is by people and place, acknowledging that “not all projects are profitable.” He also reflected on identity in an era saturated with noise, emphasising the need for practitioners to speak with a clear and personal intent. It is this distinct point of view, he said, that helps clients understand the unique value a studio brings, strengthening the long-term arc of practice-building.