As the matriarchs of the Poddar clan celebrate 25 years of the curated fashion store Carma, Vogue takes a first look inside the tasteful homes of LEKHA and MALVIKA PODDAR.
Curved concrete meanders into neatly stacked geometrical shapes angled into postmodern façades—the twin homes signal a thing of beauty that is quite unlike the opulent Delhi farmhouses that surround it. This estate at the end of the lane is a sanctuary tucked away from the surrounding urban chaos, each home contoured into the land delicately balancing the rustic natural with constructed luxury. Both are lorded over by the women of the Poddar family. On one side is the charming Lekha Poddar (the visionary behind her family home), who will almost convince you that she is untrained at everything she does—according to her, she pursues her passions and learns on the fly. This, even when she’s unanimously acknowledged as one of the leading art collectors and patrons of India, is the co-founder of Devi Art Foundation and the woman behind the luxurious RAAS Devigarh Palace Hotel in Udaipur. On the other side is her daughter-in-law Malvika Modi Poddar (married to Lekha’s older son, Devashish), businesswoman and custodian of Carma, one of Delhi’s oldest multi-designer fashion boutiques.
FRAME OF REFERENCE
This story is from the August 2016 edition of VOGUE India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2016 edition of VOGUE India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
HEART AT WORK
London is a stomping ground for many South Asian creatives. AKANKSHA KAMATH meets an artist, an author-stylist and the duo behind a first-of-its-kind label on Savile Row to see what their work desks reveal about their unique expression
TSUNAINA
Otherworldly and bewitching are two words associated with the multi-hyphenate model. But who is the person behind the sculptured mask?
Viscountess of Hearts
She was catapulted into the stratosphere as Bridgerton's leading lady in 2022, but Simone Ashley is quite enjoying the descent as the spotlight shifts to a new couple this season. Speaking with Grammy Award nominee and fellow South Asian artiste Anoushka Shankar, she reflects on navigating fame, where she's headed next and if her path will lead her to India
Waning and waxing
The terror of inherited trauma always made SHYAMA LAXMAN keep her mother at arm's length. Now, with both of them older and wiser, there's a new dynamic to their relationship
Three's company
For as long as she can remember, SADAF SHAIKH has only ever hung out with her friends in groups, rarely one-on-one. Finally, she enlists help to excavate her passive pal origin story
Welcome to paradise
In the heart of the Mediterranean, a sisterhood gathers to pray, paint watercolours and pursue peace through spiritualism. MEDINA TREVATHAN reflects on the heaven to be found within The Women Sanctuary
The long game
Tamannaah Bhatia knows exactly what her skin needs-simple rituals, serums and stress-free days.
Current affairs
Can you plug into better skin with microcurrent therapy?
Ice me out
Torture method or genius life hack? NIDHI GUPTA investigates whether ice baths are really as cool as they're cracked up to be
She's got the look
Pop on a Punjabi song, fill a bowl with ice and get ready to immerse yourself in Kriti Sanon's skincare universe
