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<ul><li>Former PM Rajiv Gandhi said, “Do not design this office for me but design it for the Prime Minister of India.” </li><li>All working women are constantly challenged because we live parallel lives.</li></ul>I have been asked to speak about my journey as an entrepreneur and a design professional. Let me begin by saying that when I began work as an interior designer and furniture manufacturer in 1971, there were no words such as “entrepreneur” or “branding” or things like Instagram and various other forms of social media that exist today. I became a designer because of family influences and growing in a city like Lucknow which is imbued with tehzeeb and nazakat. I do not think I could have been a designer if I had had parents other than those I was blessed with. They were interested in reading and the acquisition of knowledge. My father believed that books would always remain the central element of civilisation. For us knowledge came from immersive reading, and we were voracious readers. We were always interested in places and peoples. We delighted in reading the atlas and dictionaries. In the last 50 years there have been so many places which were our dream destinations, and which one has now visited……… and many places like Machu Picchu that one has not! Perhaps it is still not too late. Because of our father’s immense love for travel and discovery we saw so much of India. The first heritage site that I ever visited was at the age of nine. That was Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu and the Temple of the Tooth and the Botanical Gardens in Kandy in Ceylon. All of these were early influences and have influenced my design sensibilities. I have a very contemporary mindset but one that is also deeply grounded in our own heritage. This is because one has had the good fortune of travelling through the length and breadth of India. Much as one has enjoyed the cultures of other countries, I have a deep and constant curiosity about our own country. All this informs the way I work. As far as design education is concerned, I became a designer by accident – serendipitously so! The study of literature and Hindustani classical music enriched my mindscape. I do not have formal training in design but grew up surrounded by design…….. with my father visiting many auction houses and kabadiwalas in Lucknow. It fills me with quiet pride that, as a woman without any formal training in design, I became the first designer in India, man or woman, to be conferred the <keyword id="25105" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="padma-shri" source="Orion">Padma Shri</keyword> in 1992. I was reasonably young to be bestowed this honour and I thought at that time that it would open the floodgates to many more interior designers. I have also had the distinction of being the first architect or designer from India to be invited to give an illustrated talk in 2003, at the National Building Museum in Washington DC. This museum is the most visited museum of architecture in the world. Its atrium is the venue of the first presidential ball after a new president has been sworn in. In 2014, I was appointed Chairperson of the Board School of Planning and Architecture in Bhopal, a National Institute of Excellence. That was also a first! But, if you ask me whether I was working towards breaking these glass ceilings, then the answer would be an emphatic no! These happened along the way, as a natural progression in a career in which one had put in much hard work. In my profession one is as good as one’s last project. That gets one more work and not because they like your face. No client is going to spend millions of dollars commissioning you to design their hotel if they do not believe in your talent and your ability to deliver. <div type="image" title="05 South Drawing Room, Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi" msid="98578011" hostid="261" sizebytes="111308" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;South Drawing Room, Rashtrapati Bhawan&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> From 1985 to 1989, I worked on the restoration and conservation of the Rashtrapati Bhavan and in 1988 to 1989 on Hyderabad House. That was the first time that HH was closed for nine months because it was not just the interior decoration that was attended to but also all the interior architecture and services like air conditioning. I designed both the decrepit courtyards in a Lutyensesque style and restored the gardens in Hyderabad House. As far as British buildings in New Delhi are concerned, I had the great privilege of working in the Prime Minister’s Office and Secretariat in South Block. And am happy to note that it has remained unchanged through the tenures of the last nine Prime Ministers. The primary reason for this was the brief from the former PM, Rajiv Gandhi…… “do not design this Office for me but design it for the Prime Minister of India”. I followed this brief and worked on the building as these I firmly believe belong to the nation. His second brief was that he wanted his executive chair to be the same height as his visitors’ chairs. These are all very telling traits of character. I also designed the official residence of the Prime Minister along with restoring the two buildings that comprise the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum. In New Delhi one has also designed the interiors of the British Council Building and Library. In my career this has been a landmark project because this is the largest of their 80 institutes worldwide. It was inaugurated in 1992 by HRH the Prince of Wales. When we were presented to him, he had a very interesting conversation with me regarding the buildings on either side of the British Council. He certainly has a keen eye for architecture. <div type="image" title="03 National Assembly Building in Thimpu, Bhutan" msid="98578068" hostid="261" sizebytes="195996" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;National Assembly Building, Bhutan&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Another landmark building for me in 1989 was the <keyword id="1142396" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="parliament-building" source="Orion">Parliament Building</keyword> in Bhutan called the National Assembly Building. For me, this was a completely new area of research. In those days so little was known of the art and architecture of Bhutan and neither were any books available. Immersive travelling through Bhutan, to familiarise myself with its architecture and its arts and crafts became essential. His Majesty’s office appointed as my guide, Dasho Khandu who was a living encyclopaedia on Bhutanese art and architecture. These have been amazing projects of learning for me. I like to deeply research new places and new cultures. So maybe, at the end of the day, I think this profession chose me and one is fortunate as this process of working suits my mindset. In a long design career of 50 years, I had a break in 1998. I had simply fallen off a ladder in the house and had fractured two of my cerebral vertebrae. That is when I decided I would stop designing hotels which I had done for the past almost 30 years. At that point I thought I would just design residences in and around India and not travel out to Egypt, Bhutan, England, Timbuktu, etc. But life had other plans! I went on to design a large residence in Sri Lanka and was commissioned to design a boutique hotel in the old city of Lahore. Sadly, that project was eventually abandoned. When I was in Lahore for their Literary Festival at the end of February this year when I saw this building standing as is, it made me quite nostalgic. Lahore is a beautiful city and the people are very hospitable. Along this design journey many institutions have asked me to come to give illustrated lectures. For the ‘Millennium Book on Delhi’, I was one of the eight contributors who wrote an extended essay on ‘The Planning of New Delhi’. <keyword id="118548" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="oxford-university-press" source="Orion">Oxford University Press</keyword>, the publishers of the book have a world-wide reach. That is how the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University heard of this unknown Indian and invited me to give an illustrated talk. Thus began a parallel career in being a speaker. Since Harvard one has given many lectures in many universities and institutions in the US, the UK and in South East Asia on design, architecture, conservation, literature, on ‘Mughal Jewellery as a Statement of Empire’, world heritage cultural sites in India and on social entrepreneurship. One has always believed that women such as oneself are privileged because we are educated. Never mind that we belong to the working classes! We must, with humility and gratitude, help those that are less fortunate. One has been deeply associated with ‘Satyagyan Foundation’ which was an affiliate of ‘World Literacy Canada’. Based in Varanasi, we have worked in about 400 slum areas and have altogether made 23,000 women literate. One has also been associated with ‘Save a Mother’ which was started by the amazing Dr Shiban Gunju. He has reduced the mortality rate of pregnant women by 93%. One was the founding member and last chairperson of ‘Umang’, an NGO that worked for the betterment of street children. These have been my interests and each has been a milestone. Another milestone was co-authoring ‘The Lucknow Cookbook’ with my mother. It is now in its tenth print run and has been declared a classic by Aleph, the publishers. More recently I produced and edited the large formatted book, ‘Kala - Essays on Contemporary Design Aesthetics’ which was launched in Dubai in 2019 by Sheikh Nahan and in October 2022. It had its first proper launches in Milan and London by Artize of the Jaquar Group. In November 2022, it was launched in New York and most recently in February 2023 at the ‘Lahore Literary Festival’. Every stage in life has its own milestones particularly if one is also a wife, a mother and a grandmother. All working women are constantly challenged because we live parallel lives. For me every project, whether large or small, has been a challenge. It has all added to my body of work and to my learning curve. I have never thought of myself as a woman doing all these things……. I think one creates one’s own benchmark and this is the way one has moved forward. I am still working and writing more books as our daughter, the award-winning architect <keyword id="8435490" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="kohelika-kohli" source="Orion">Kohelika Kohli</keyword>, has taken over the business of running K2India. She has just launched her new brand of furniture called KOKO by K2India. One feels justifiably proud that one must have done something right. One gave them the tools of a fine education and took them travelling to broaden their minds. And then left them to follow their own passions. (The writer is an award winning architect and an author)

A Padma Shri winning architect takes us through her journey from Lucknow to Lutyens

Lush green surroundings, wide roads, and connectivity to India’s best markets and restaurants, <keyword id="679911" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lutyens-Bungalow-Zone">Lutyens Bungalow Zone</keyword> is a dream place to live in. If you have been to the residential colonies nearby India Gate, India's most privileged urban enclave, you know the pleasure of those living in LBZ. 
 
However, the widespread area is all set to shrink when New Delhi witnesses a paradigm shift in its real estate. 
 
The zone houses India’s political who's who and some of India's richest business tycoons. However, the Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC), the body that takes important decisions related to city's development, has recommended that eight super-posh residential areas be excluded from LBZ. 
 
This would mean that the floor area ratio (FAR) for these localities would be relaxed, and high-rises could make way in these areas. New building activities can also be expected to see a boost since the real estate prices in these areas will be reduced if the Lutyens tag is removed. The super posh areas that will be excluded from Lutyens if the move gets a go-ahead include <keyword id="4620956" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="15" keywordseo="Golf-Links">Golf Links</keyword>, <keyword id="722056" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jor-Bagh">Jor Bagh</keyword>, <keyword id="366683" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sunder-Nagar">Sunder Nagar</keyword>, <keyword id="6356819" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chanakyapuri">Chanakyapuri</keyword>, <keyword id="3329538" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Panchsheel-Marg">Panchsheel Marg</keyword>, <keyword id="24101" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="sardar-patel-marg">Sardar Patel Marg</keyword>, <keyword id="385171" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ashoka-Road">Ashoka Road</keyword> and <keyword id="3329539" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bengali-Market-">Bengali Market.</keyword> 
 
<a href="http://www.90caps.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Photo-hc-tiwari-8.jpg">Image source</a>

Lutyens Bungalow Zone all set to get smaller; eight localities including Golf Links and Jor Bagh to be removed

The two-storey white, pristine Claridges Hotel, which sits on APJ Abdul Kalam Road, is up for sale and the transaction could be of Rs 1,500 crore. 
 
The hotel in Delhi’s Lutyens' zone since 1952 is eyed by a Mumbai-based family and a luxury hotel chain. 
 
It is being reported that The Claridges Group has also held talks with a Southeast Asian luxury hotel brand for sale. 
 
The Claridges in owned by Suresh Nanda and the group also has a hotel in Mussoorie. 
 
It is likely that Nandas may exit the hospitality business. 
 
(Image: Cleartrip)

The pristine Claridges Hotel in Lutyens’ Delhi is up for sale!

<div type="image" wfid="348918"></div>

 
 <keyword id="630348" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Taj-Mansingh-hotel">Taj Mansingh Hotel</keyword> situated in <keyword id="6442584" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="lutyens-delhi">Lutyens Delhi</keyword> towards the southwest of<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=india+gate&amp;sortorder=effectivedate"> India Gate</a> is one of the rare examples of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=mughal+architecture&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Mughal architecture</a> in the city. Constructed entirely out of pink Dholpur sandstone and set amidst a garden, Taj Mansingh is an epitome of luxury and indulgence and while a lot of people dream of actually living in this five-star property, one man actually made that very wish come true- that too for 37 years. 
 Meet <keyword id="2354145" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dadi-Balsara">Dadi Balsara</keyword>, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=parsi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Parsi</a> businessman who had lived in Taj Mansingh Hotel for a whopping 36 years- becoming Taj Mansingh Hotel’s long-standing guest until he passed away in 2014 at the age of 71. 
 
Balsara and his wife Christina Stone (who passed away in 2009) both made the Room no 901, one of Taj Mansingh’s luxury suite their home and lived and loved the hotel as his own. The couple had no children. 
 
According to hotel sources, Balsara never felt the need of buying a house in the city as he considered Taj Mansingh as his home and the hotel staff his extended family. He not only knew the hotel like the palm of his hand, but was also incredibly close to the staff. In the course of his 36-year-long stay, he had grown close to a valet who was considered more of Balsara’s personal aide, rather than a hotel staffer. 
 
He was also the first member of the Taj InnerCircle loyalty programme. The hotel staff also talked of how co-operative Balsara was. 
 

	<div type="image" wfid="348917"></div>

 
 
 
“Whenever we would have a VIP guest- such as the Prime Minister or President of some country staying with us, who wanted the floor to be cleared- we would inform of him of the same and he would promptly comply with their wishes and would return only when the guest had left the hotel.” 
 Infact, it was Balsara who had set up the largest natural mineral water plant in Dhaula Kaun in Himachal Pradesh in with an investment of $20 million and created the niche Himayalan mineral water brand. Manufactured by his <keyword id="3543750" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mount-everest-mineral-water-limited">Mount Everest Mineral Water Limited</keyword>, he ensured that Himayalan stands out in the highly competitive bottled water segment in the country. 
 
And, as luck would have it, taking his association with the hospitality brand one step closer, he sold off his priced asset, the Himalayan brand to none other than the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=tata+group&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Tata Group</a> in 2007. This marked Tata Global Beverages foray into the Indian packaged water segment. 
 
Contrary to popular belief, Balsara was not born a billionaire. He was born into a family of modest means and began his career as an LIC officer in Nagpur, earning a meager salary of Rs 600. He later went on to the US to study psychiatry on a scholarship and started his own practice after obtaining a doctorate. 
 
Unfortunately, he was forced to look at other career options when his practice failed as hardly anyone turned up for a consultation. 
His big break came when a Japanese television channel decided to host his ‘holistic lifestyle’ programmes which as time passed became a roaring success and finally money started to roll in. 
 
It was only uphill from there. Balsara later settle in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=singapore&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Singapore</a> where he earned the title of ‘Perfumes king of Asia’ by selling perfumes. In 1991 he decided to come back to India and settled in Delhi. 
 
With a business empire spread across 63 countries, Balsara was one of the richest NRI at the time of his death. He reportedly had Rs 250 crore in his bank account.

You Searched For "Lutyens Delhi" and got 4 results

A Padma Shri winning architect takes us through her journey from Lucknow to Lutyens

Sunita Kohli

Lutyens Bungalow Zone all set to get smaller; eight localities including Golf Links and Jor Bagh to be removed

BI India Bureau

The pristine Claridges Hotel in Lutyens’ Delhi is up for sale!

BI India Bureau

The curious story of Dadi Balsara, the Parsi billionaire who stayed at Taj Mansingh Hotel for 36 years

Poulomi Das

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