'I prefer to sit at home, work on my dreams'

Expat zone

Expatriate Pieter Petros has a purpose in life and that is “to make this world a better place”. It may sound a bit cliched but his stay in Bengaluru has allowed him to make a difference ‑ one suit at a time.

He owns a fashion label that makes luxury suits for men called ‘Pieter Petros’ and a digital marketing company. These are the products of his two-year- stay here.

Hailing from Belgium, Pieter got an opportunity to work as a sales manager here and rest is history. He says, “I wasn’t really looking for a job in India; I took it up when I got the chance. My only aim was to meet new people around the world and this seemed like a golden opportunity.”

It was a few months after his stay here that he started his own company. “It was difficult to start a business here; I had my own set of challenges. Now that we are two years old, I’m happy to say that I have a good team who help me take my dreams forward.”

Though he says that he feels at home here, the globetrotter is mostly travelling for work. He explains, “I’m usually travelling somewhere every other week, but it’s the first time that I stayed in India for 90 days straight. I decided that it’s time for me to come back home and take care of my health before I get busy again.”

During these 90 days, he quit smoking, stopped partying, started eating healthy and joined cross fitness classes. “I needed this time off – the detox period – before I head off on my next 60-day travel,” he shares.

With his busy schedule, he says he doesn’t really get any free time. He has no qualms about it either. He responds, “When you’re doing something that you absolutely love, you don’t really need a break. Earlier, I used to go partying and meet my friends. Now, when my friends are out on Saturday nights, I prefer to sit at home and work on my dreams.”

Pieter seems to have his life sorted here, but it was not a bed of roses when he first came here. “One of the few things that I was particular about when I moved here was to maintain my health, work and have good food. It took me more than a year to find a good cook to make the kind of food I like. Till then, I ended up eating unhealthy food. That’s when ‘High Ultra Lounge’ became my second home. The chef is a good friend of mine and he prepared dishes like ‘New Zealand lamb chops’, baby corn and beef for me.” As he is not a fan of spicy Indian food, he used to go to Dubai during the weekends for a good meal.

Apart from that, he has adjusted well here. “I used to get frustrated with how certain things worked here but since I’ve been living here for a while, I’ve started appreciating it. I’ve also changed so much as a person since I came here – I’m much happier and grateful. India has shown me a different way of looking at things,” he shares.

That’s probably why he doesn’t miss Belgium so much. “It’s a beautiful city that has so many stories to share but I’ve made Bengaluru my home. I know that I can go home anytime I want, so there’s nothing particular to miss. My mom visits as often as she can and I go there twice a year as well.”

The globetrotter hopes to travel more and bring the world closer to India with his designs. He says, “I started off by making suits for men, but I’ve also ventured into making ‘kurtas’. Whenever I wear my designs in Europe or any other part of the world, people look again at what I’m wearing. I feel very proud to carry a part of India wherever I go.”

His designs are also eco-friendly following his motto ‘making the world a better place’. “I know that my suits aren’t affordable for everyone. So I’m designing boxer shorts for people. These are going to be made with bamboo fabric. I think it’s important to have people and nature work together to do something worthwhile,” he adds.

So no matter how big his business grows, he says, “Bengaluru will always be my home. I might live in other countries but I’ll always come back here in the end.”