Living in a green house

Catch lovely glimpses of the outside from each room of builder Kamal Taneja's Satish Gujral-designed home.

Living as he does in the heart of New Delhi’s “power zone”, on Prithviraj Road, home to some of the most expensive real estate, and impressive last names, in the country, it is only fitting that Kamal Taneja should have many famous neighbours: The Jindals, the Meattles and Advaniji, as he points out. But for the real estate baron that’s obviously not enough. In about a year’s time, he tells me, as we sit in his dining room eating a surprisingly restaurant-like, home-cooked Chinese lunch, “this will be the most beautiful home in the country.”

Taneja, who lives with his parents and son in a sprawling bungalow (6,000 sq yards), plans to do up an entire private suite for himself within the space. Not just the living quarters and work-out area, and “obviously a swimming pool”, but also a complete spa with jacuzzi, bath and shower; the rooms all enclosed by “just glass”, to effectively let in the outside greens. “My philosophy is that wherever you live, you should come back to a relaxing, green home,” he says, giving us also the punchline that is to sell mid-budget homes, at far more modest prices, at his flagship project, the TDI township in Kundli, NCR.

Taneja will not share pictures of what his private domain will look like — he’s invited us back to see that. But what we do get is a conducted tour of his Satish Gujral-designed home that he moved into about five years ago, having bought the property from a “Sindhi NRI” family.

The original structure was not tampered with — the house that dates back to the Emergency is done in quintessential Gujral style, with multiple levels, all allowing one to glimpse the vast green spaces outside from each of the rooms within.

As you enter the gate, this is a house that is not visible immediately. The building has been kept low (Taneja talks of height restrictions during the Emergency, which is also why some areas like the dining room are, in fact, sunken). Big arches define the façade, and there is a substantial front lawn in place — a space that Taneja says is to “actually sit down” and relax.

The back lawn, on the other hand, much more sprawling, with a water body (with a Buddha idol) at one end, and ancient trees (with floodlights) at the other, “is the party space”. “We’ve had so many parties here,” he recounts with obvious glee, “a Moulin Rouge night, a white night...” Take your pick.

Amongst its many lessons, the downturn has brought an interesting one for Taneja. “For the last four-five years, I and others in the industry, who are all young, in our 30s and 40s, were working too hard. Now, with things going so bad many have not only lost a lot but will possibly not even come out of it. With so much uncertainty, I feel, it is not just important to earn money but also enjoy your money,” he says candidly.

In the Taneja household, there are “lucky” Ganesha idols all around, possibly to bring in the wealth. But there are enough glimpses of money on the walls too. I see a lovely Bose Krishnamachari on one of the walls near the informal lounge area that the family uses.

There’s another interesting work by Sunil Podwal, more modern in its sensibilities, and colourful, which, points out Taneja, describes his own design sensibilities as well. (“All glass, minimal” are words that pepper our conversation, and that’s how Taneja wants his own suite as well, whatever you may think.)

But what I like the best is a work that covers almost an entire wall in the dining room (there’s also a 12-seater dining table and a wooden chandelier in place here). It’s signed by someone I don’t recognise. But Taneja doesn’t quite know the artist either. His sisters picked up all the objects. “I only collect real estate,” says he. Touché.