TN-run co-working spaces a hit as bookings extend till June-end
They are among more than 32,000 professionals who have used the government's first co-working space since its launch on November 4, 2024 for over six months until May 18. Amid the growing trend of co-working spaces, the evolution of office spaces in a post-Covid 19 scenario, and people getting tired of working from home, the state government wanted to support entrepreneurs and youngsters who cannot afford a private working space.
So the desk rentals are easy on the pocket and yet come with facilities and aesthetics that are on par with private co-working spaces. 60 mbps internet, air conditioning, conference rooms, comfortable chairs, housekeeping, security, cafeteria. With 38 individual desks and three conference rooms, the pilot project named Muthalvar Padaipagam (Muthalvar meaning Chief Minister; Padaipagam meaning a creative space), was launched in Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin's constituency- Kolathur- which was carved out in 2011 in Chennai's northern region which is dotted with industries and not particularly known for culture of start-ups or corporates. It is occupied not just by residents of Kolathur but professionals also commute from other neighbourhoods such as upscale Anna Nagar, 7 km away. The demand for affordable co-working is indicated by its full occupancy and bookings made until the end of June.
'It costs me ₹25,000 monthly to rent desk spaces for four to eight of my team members and book conference rooms for our meetings with clients. If I had to rent a private space, it would cost ₹7000 with GST for one seat. My overheads would have been in lakhs' says the college graduate, 22, A Udayaprakash. The government charges ₹50 for half a day (6 hours) and ₹100 for a full day (12 hours) while the monthly pass is ₹2,500 monthly. In comparison, the base rate at a private co-working space in Chennai starts from ₹350 a day and hot desks range anywhere between ₹5,000 and ₹12,000 monthly.
Udayaprakash on Monday was on a table with three of his team members. He began organising group tours when he was a student in Chennai's Crescent College which has now grown into a small company, Cheroot Holidays with a branch in Madurai district and in Chennai's Vadapalani that handles domestic tourism for education institutions. In April, he expanded his portfolio to international tours, hiring eight team members and they began work from the Kolathur co-working space.
The three storey white building is tucked inside a narrow street surrounded by low income houses, a free public toilet. The co-working space is on the ground floor while a 'learning centre' is on the first floor with the same facilities and furnishings for students preparing for competitive exams. The books on this floor, mostly on competitive exams, have been picked by Tamil Nadu's bureaucrats, said Helen Anita who monitors the project for the government.
The users leave their footwear and bags in an open locker in the building and carry only their laptops and other devices inside the carpeted coworking floor. At the reception, the staff use a software developed for the scheme to verify the professionals' online booking made in the Chennai corporation website using a code or mobile number. There is a lounge space here with couches, a miniature wooden chess board, tic tac toe and a yellow book, 'the visual MBA' by Jason Barron on the centre table and a newspaper rack.
Beyond this space, at least 15 desks were occupied on a late Monday evening. The only draw back is that they have to step outside to take calls or speak softly in the lounge since it's a silent work space. 'And each of us handle 150 calls per day,' S Priya, a team member of Udayaprakash's company.
It's even busier at the learning centre where a student pays only ₹5 for a day. The demand is so high that Dr G K Balasubramaniam who has been preparing here for his NEET-PG exams says he had to book a desk for May 19 two months ago.
'You can even get IPL tickets easily but getting a desk here has become a craze,' the 25-year-old doctor says. Here too, it's a mix of students from various sectors and age groups. He is flanked by Vivanthan Shakti, 23 preparing for Indian government's Staff Selection Commission exams and Rahul, 33 studying for the railway recruitment board. Dr Balasubramaniam found out about the space in December 2024 from Stalin's Instagram account after spending ₹2,500 a month for a year at another learning centre, Achiever's Reading Room, in Chennai's Egmore. 'Now, I spend ₹750 a month,' he said. 'It's even more beneficial for poor students who mostly come after 6pm after finishing their day job. One of them is a truck driver preparing for civil services.'
The professionals and students mix at the cafeteria–an open space– on the second floor. 'Even in swanky corporate offices in Chennai, you don't have an open space to relax in fresh air,' says the 52-year-old entrepreneur and CEO of Madvero Techservices, R J Madhan.
Dressed in formals, the bespectacled Madhan brings the old school work culture to the co-working space. After being in I-T for 30 years, his last stint being in Tech Mahindra, Madhan started his own company in 2022 to develop software applications using generative artificial intelligence (AI). 'I've been here from day one when the co-working space was launched,' says Madan. He's convinced three of his 20 member team to join him here.
It's also a key change from when he used to commute for 4 hours back and forth to the city's IT corridor in OMR, 40 km away from Kolathur. Leaving his home in Kolathur, Madan in a Bajaj motorbike, is at his desk in less than 10 minutes at 9 am when the co-working space opens. He starts his work by clearing emails, leads a team meeting at 10 am and leaves only when the space closes at 9 at night. 'I'm here all throughout the week. Sundays too,' he says. He has remained in the corner seat for the last six months.
Two rows away from Madan is 30-year-old S Subramani, a financial analyst with Oracle who has to work from the office only 4 days in a month. He and four of his colleagues used to pool money and work out of private co-working space Workafella on most other days. 'In March, I booked this space for a day to check it out and I was surprised that a government facility is as premium as a private space,' Subramani says. 'From the chairs to the rugs, everything is maintained so well.' Though he has a study table and chair in his bedroom, he found himself working from bed and wanted to be in a co-working space to feel motivated. 'I'm definitely more productive here. At home, it's hard to manage time. I used to work beyond midnight. But, here, I have to finish my work at 9pm because the space closes then.'
Given the success of the scheme, the government plans to open more co-working spaces first across Chennai and then scale it across Tamil Nadu. 'Our target is to provide such low cost spaces for start-ups, women entrepreneurs, and students,' says Anita.
To ensure their target finds space, Anita says they discourage large corporations from occupying the desks and rooms and for a long period of time. Before launching the project, Anitha along with officials of the Greater Chennai Corporation (who is maintaining the project) and the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA- who funded and constructed the project) visited a popular chain of private co-working space in upscale Nungambakkam to gather a sense of what they wanted to offer at an affordable price.
'Several tables here were booked by multinational companies and banks,' she says. 'We just have to say no to such large-scale bookings. We are not looking to make income here but this project is the chief minister's idea to support students and professionals who cannot afford private spaces.'
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