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Opening doors
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"Living in India" showcases modern Indian homes
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APPEALING Photographer Sushil Soorma (left ) with author Varun Soni
"Living in India", (published by Prakash Books) written by Varun Soni and with photographs by Sushil Soorma, is essentially about "Lives in Style". The book is a collection of snapshots and text of around 50 houses across the country. The text takes the reader on a walk-through of the house.
Universal aesthetic
On the suggestion of different architects and interior designers Soni entered houses known for individual creativity yet adhering to a universal aesthetic.
The Ambassador of Italy, Antonio Armellini, recently released the book at the Taj Palace Hotel. Snapshots of the houses in the book were flashed on a screen during the outdoor launch. The houses belong to the rich and famous like Vijay Mallaya, Tarun Tahiliani, Mani Shankar Aiyar and Satish Gujral. But Soni has also discovered the more interesting houses in places like Surajkund and Trivandrum.
The book took two years to produce. It took a year of research and a year for production. Asked what he was looking for, Soni, a journalist, says, "I was looking for a certain aesthetic value. Each house had to be different. We had to shoot more as the houses of industrialists looked the same!" The USP of the book is that it covers only modern homes. Does modern necessarily mean Western? With the shyness of a debutante he replies, "Modern is that which is contemporary and minimalist." He gives the example of the Trivandrum house, which retains south Indian traditions while discovering a modern style. Mani Shankar Aiyar's and Junjun Walla's house are other examples where tradition meets modernity.
Were people ready to open their homes? He says people were willing since he was working on a coffee-table book. The appeal of having ones home publicised in a coffee-table book removed reservations.
Soni reveals that the idea of the book came to him during a visit to Italy. He noticed titles like, "Homes of Milan" and wondered at the absence of the same in India. With India moving forward he felt it was time to showcase modern Indian homes. Previous books he found were either too technical or catered to the stereotypes of palaces.
The Ambassador said that in terms of style, India was unique for its majestic use of colour. He gave his support to the book, asserting, "I'm sure that this is just the first of many more. A book like this cannot be missed. Going through it is sheer aesthetic pleasure."
NANDINI NAIR
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