Since she bought her first painting—an NS Bendre—at the age of 21, Malika Amin, the well-known art patron, philanthropist and businesswoman, has acquired an incredible museum-worthy collection housed across her various homes, but pride of place goes to the family abode in Baroda (Vadodara), Gujarat. Built over 60 years ago by the visionary architect Anup Kothari, who passed away recently, and who built a number of significant buildings across India in the mid-to-late 20th century, the five-acre home feels more like a resort than a city residence. Birds chirp, vines tumble down over windows, a water body gurgles in the distance and a large swimming pool beckons.
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The Vadodara home of art collector, patron, and businesswoman Malika Amin and Alembic Chairman Chirayu Amin—just past the entrance is a staircase surrounded by Yera glass plates painted by a number of artists, including Dhruva Mistry, Amit Ambalal, Madhvi Parekh and Jeram Patel, among others. Below is a set of antique furniture; the large artwork is by Subodh Gupta.
The Amins wanted a living tree in this extension to the living room, but it transformed into this almost petrified state soon after planting and has been like this for the past 20 years. The room is decorated with a bevy of Art Deco furniture. On the far wall are artworks by Bhupen Khakhar (left) and Manjit Bawa. Beyond is the main living room. “when you are entertaining, guests can form nice seating groups; that’s very pleasurable,” says Malika.
Over the past four decades, Malika has amassed a staggering number of paintings and sculptures by some of India’s most significant modern and contemporary artists, a veritable roll call of artistry—including Bendre, Jamini Roy, MF Husain, FN Souza, Bhupen Khakhar, Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, Krishen Khanna, Manjit Bawa, Atul Dodiya, Nalini Malani, Dhruva Mistry, Manu Parekh, Madhvi Parekh, Paris Viswanathan, Rekha Rodwittiya, Rini Dhumal, KS Radhakrishnan, Tanya Goel and others. “I was always interested in art and in my younger days I would visit the Fine Arts Faculty (at the University of Baroda),” Malika says, in her soft-spoken way. A Mumbai native, when she married Chirayu Amin, the scion of the Alembic Group, and moved to Baroda, she pursued her interest as she now lived in a city that historically nurtured art from the early 20th century by its great visionary ruler Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad.
This Chinese opium bed in the living room was found in Beijing and the antique glass painting in the centre is from the Qing Dynasty. Malika likes to create interesting juxtapositions with a variety of both objects and art.
Another wall of the living room is decorated with a large Bhupen Khakhar artwork, flanked by portraits of the couple—Malika’s by Rekha Rodwittiya and Chirayu’s by a Russian artist. The antique Chinese jar on the left is one of a pair.
Malika in the breakfast nook on the first floor of the house; the teapot in front of her is from a French antique market. The portrait of the Amins was painted by Ranjitsinh Gaekwad, Maharaja of Baroda. The large artwork on the left is by an artist created at Space Studio, the not-for-profit organization founded by Malika and her daughter-in-law Krupa.
“My in-laws built this house,” Malika reminisces. Despite its age, the home is compellingly contemporary. Various interventions undertaken over the years kept it up to date while retaining its historic antecedents. As one enters, a stunning stone jali dominates an entire alcove. Malika purchased this in 1980 in Jaisalmer, turning to her friend, the celebrated Baroda-based architect Karan Grover, to help in its installation. As one walks into the main living area of the house, whose original frame was extended 20 years ago, a gorgeous golden-hued tree stands centre stage. “It’s frozen in time,” Malika says. “It was a real tree but when we installed it and painted the walls, the melamine froze it.” Miraculously, none of the leaves have fallen off! The furniture is mostly antique, the tabletops sporting silver but not overloaded with objets d’art. A mid-century teak sofa and two armchairs occupy an inviting corner. They were bought from interior store Kamdar, founded in 1934 in Mumbai. Another corner houses an opium bed, found in Beijing and brought to India for her son.
In another view of the breakfast area, books, objects and memorabilia blend with antique furniture paired with a Sabyasachi rug.
The living room walls are chock-a-block with paintings, truly an art lover’s paradise. Here, works by the prolific Bhupen Khakhar abound. “He was a dear friend and a real character,” Malika says fondly of the late artist. While she shared a special rapport with Khakhar, she also had wonderful friendships with various artists developed over the years when she used to host art symposiums and residencies in Baroda. In fact, Malika is one of India’s principal art patrons, encouraging young artists of today through Space Studio, founded in 2017 in a repurposed former factory and helmed by daughter-in-law Krupa. “I grew up with a lot of the artists who are now established,” Malika says. “Rekha Rodwittiya would say, ‘Malika, I need to buy a crib for my baby, so buy a painting’,” she recalls with a laugh. She points to another work with a signature, Akbar plus 4—“That’s Akbar plus four whiskeys!” she exclaims, referring to artist Akbar Padamsee.
The living area in the guest cottage, which was built about three years ago. The triptych on the right was made by a young Vadodara-based artist at Space Studio.
The breakfast area in the guest cottage; the painting is by a young artist from Space Studio.
A white creeper covers the exterior of the living room extension; on the left are a Chinese ceramic table and stools.
And then there are the glass plates. Entire walls are encased in stunning large plates depicting art done by various important artists. “We have a glass company called Yera, and every time we had an art symposium, I would suggest that we use some of the colours we produce to paint onto the glass. Every artist created a plate.” She pieced together her collection over years with plates made by Madhvi Parekh, Gogi Saroj Pal, Ved Nayar, Amit Ambalal, Bhupen Khakhar, Dhruva Mistry, Atul Dodiya, Jeram Patel, Farhad Hussain and many others. She kept adding to her wall until she ran out of space.
One of six sculptures that can be found around the garden—KS Radhakrishnan was commissioned to create these for the home around 25 years ago.
The view from the veranda is accompanied by the sights and sounds of avian life.
The dining room sports mid-century furniture; the table, which seats 16 typically, can be split up or added to. A large painting of her husband Chirayu painted by Bhupen Khakhar dominates one wall while a huge Tanya Goel painting resides on another. “Between the two of us, it’s form and function,” she says with a laugh of the couple’s distinct approaches to design. “Chirayu is function and I am form.”
Sunlight streams through the French windows in the living room. The Art Deco furniture is paired with a Persian rug.
An arrangement of jalis from Rajasthan and antique statues occupy a corner of the garden.
An invitation to their home is a food lover’s dream. Malika is celebrated for her beautiful table settings, while her husband loves to cook. Some years ago, they extended their kitchen to include a large island around which friends could dine and be entertained. Nearby is a guest suite extension that has two bedrooms, a large living area and a veranda. A massive canvas by Mahavir Wadhwana, who teaches painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, hangs on the wall.
The home was designed in the 1960s by the Delhi-based architect Anup Kothari.
The expansive garden, extended over the years, is an oasis, a testimony to Malika’s keen eye and creativity. Sculptures by KS Radhakrishnan dot the landscape as do those by Praful Singh. Malika’s favourite place to sit is in the outside veranda. It is difficult to imagine that just beyond the property’s boundary lies the hustle and bustle of a fast-growing city. Did she ever imagine that her first painting purchase would lead to a long-abiding passion for art? Malika says with a smile, “No, but it has been great fun. We all had good times together. It was a simpler time and has been a wonderful journey.”
