INDIA INC'S ART CONNOISSEURS

Apart from scripting successful business strategies, corporate India also has an eye for art

- NEVIN JOHN AND AJITA SHASHIDHAR

The Bajaj headquarters at Akurdi, Pune, opens into a larger-than-life installation of M.F. Husain. The more than 30-year-old painting depicts the significance of Bajaj’s iconic scooter brand, Chetak, in the life of an average Indian in the early eighties. According to art curators, the painting is insured for multiple crores of rupees. The Bajaj family is known to have a deep understanding of art and has a huge collection.

Bajaj is not alone. India has a legacy of strong family-run businesses that have survived the test of time.

The country’s richest man and Chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), Mukesh Ambani’s home, Antilia, has a spectacular collection of paintings and sculptures from across the world, personally curated by none other than Nita Ambani (Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation). A significant amount of the Ambani family’s art collection also adorns the walls of their offices and Reliance Foundation’s hospital in Mumbai.