Jharna Sattanathan: From New York’s fashion world to building a mahjong community in Chennai

(Nov 3, 2026) From studying merchandising at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology to working with international luxury fashion brands in New York, Dubai and Mumbai, Jharna Sattanathan’s career has spanned cities and industries. Now based in Chennai, she has turned her passion for Mahjong into a growing community and has launched At the Table, a space for games, workshops and curated experiences.

Jharna Sattanathan studied at H.R. College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai and was always drawn to fashion, retail and the business side of the industry. That interest took her to New York, where she studied merchandising and business at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). “Moving there at a young age taught me independence and exposed me to different people, cultures and ways of working. Looking back, I think I have always carried that combination with me: strong Indian roots, curiosity about the world and a willingness to keep learning and reinventing myself,” she mentions in a chat with The Global Indian.

From New York’s fashion industry to Dubai and Mumbai

After graduating, she worked with Bill Blass in sales and licensing and later joined Kids Headquarters, where she worked with international fashion and celebrity-led brands. She spent around six to seven years in New York, and those years really shaped her professionally.

“I then moved to Dubai and worked in luxury real estate before returning to Mumbai and luxury fashion. I worked with the Genesis Group on brands such as Jimmy Choo and Bottega Veneta, and later with the Wadhwa Group, where I worked with Gucci. Every role and city taught me something different about people, luxury, service and business,” she says.

A global perspective on success and leadership

All this global exposure has influenced her views on work, success, leadership and aspirations.

Living and working across New York, Dubai, Mumbai and now Chennai has taught me that there is no single definition of success. New York taught me independence and professionalism, Dubai exposed me to a very international environment, and returning to India made me appreciate the opportunities we have here to create something of our own.

Jharna Sattanathan

Which is why today, success for her is less about a designation and more about creating something meaningful. “Leadership, to me, is about bringing people together, making them feel included and creating opportunities for others to grow. That is very much at the heart of what I am building today,” she says.

Reinventing herself in Chennai

After moving to Chennai, she started her image consulting practice, JS Studio, working with people on personal style, image and confidence. During Covid, while raising her young daughter, she also trained as a life coach and completed a Conscious Parenting course with Dr Shefali Tsabary.

“More recently, an unexpected passion became a new entrepreneurial journey: Mahjong by J. What began with teaching a small group of friends grew completely through word of mouth. Mahjong, a tile-based game that originated in China is usually played by four players. It combines strategy, skill, observation and a degree of luck. It is being increasingly enjoyed as a social pastime, bringing people together around a table. It encourages interaction, concentration and friendly competition.

I Ioved how sitting around a table gave people a chance to switch off, laugh, connect and make new friends. Seeing this community grow is what inspired my next venture. Through At the Table, I am now creating workshops and curated experiences around Mahjong in Chennai. It feels like a natural next step of taking something I genuinely love, and creating a space around it with a larger purpose of bringing people together, one table at a time.

Jharna Sattanathan

 

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Finding the courage to begin again

And while all of this sounds completely seamless, her life took an unexpected turn a few years ago when she had a brain stroke. “It came completely unexpectedly and changed my life overnight. Recovery required patience, discipline and inner strength. Things I had taken for granted suddenly required effort, and I learnt to celebrate small victories,” she says.

Crediting her family, friends and spiritual practice for being a huge source of strength, she admits that the experience made her realise how quickly life can change and how important it is not to keep postponing what brings you joy.

“In many ways, Mahjong by J came from that new perspective. I became more willing to follow something simply because I loved it. The experience taught me resilience, gratitude and, most importantly, the courage to begin again,” she avers.

Navigating the many roles of a woman entrepreneur

Being a woman in business comes with challenges because of wearing the many hats of being a professional, mother, wife, daughter and carer, all in one.

“Sometimes the difficult part is not the business itself but balancing your ambitions with everything else that matters without constantly feeling guilty. My biggest learning is that your career can evolve as your life evolves. You can pause, reinvent yourself and start again at any age. Some of my most exciting entrepreneurial work has actually begun at this stage of my life,” she says.

This is why her advice to women who want to be entrepreneurs is to start before they feel completely ready.

“We often wait for the perfect time, when the children are older, life is less busy or we feel more confident. That perfect moment may never come. Start small, test your idea and allow it to evolve. Mahjong by J began simply with me teaching something I genuinely loved. There was no grand business plan; the community and opportunities grew organically.”

Don’t underestimate your own experiences. Everything you have done, professionally and personally, gives you something valuable for your next chapter. There is no age or stage at which it is too late to start again.

Jharna Sattanathan

Staying rooted while embracing the world

“I have had the privilege of studying and working in the US and Dubai, and each experience has shaped the way I think and connect with people. But wherever I have lived, my Indian identity has remained at the core of who I am. A global Indian, to me, is someone who can feel at home anywhere in the world without losing their sense of home within themselves, carrying their roots with pride while remaining curious and open to different cultures and ideas,” she says.

Family, spirituality and giving back

Family is a very important part of Jharna’s life. She loves spending time with her husband and daughter. She also enjoys travel, fashion, wellness, meeting new people and anything that brings people together.

“Spirituality has been an important part of my life for the past 15 years. I practise Nichiren Buddhism, and my daily practice of chanting has given me tremendous strength, perspective and gratitude. Giving back for me is often personal. Sharing what I have learnt, mentoring and supporting people, and creating spaces where people feel welcomed and connected gives me joy. As Mahjong by J and At the Table grow, I would love community and giving back to become an integral part of what we build,” she says.

Building a community, one table at a time

Looking ahead, her immediate focus is on growing At the Table in Chennai. She wants it to be a place where people come not only to play Mahjong but also to connect, learn something new, attend workshops and events, and enjoy being around like-minded people.

“In the longer term, I would love to take the Mahjong by J community beyond Chennai and explore how At the Table could grow into other cities. If the last few years have taught me anything, it is not to plan every chapter too rigidly. I want to remain open to opportunities, keep learning and continue building things that bring me and hopefully others, joy, connection and a real sense of community,” she concludes.

• Follow Jharna Sattanathan on LinkedIn and At The Table on Instagram 

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