Magazines are filled with pictures of the homes of the rich and famous. They seem to fly off the shelves at the market. Even today, I drove through a lovely neighborhood where I saw a sign for a Vanguard House. Every year in the spring, some homes are decorated and put on display for people to pay to visit and see how the other half lives…..and dream. What would your house be if money was no object and you could have anything you wanted? I have actually given this some thought and I would want a Mediterranean Villa with an central interior garden surrounded by rooms. There would be flowers and a lovely fountain and every room would have a view and access to the garden. I would never have to wash all those windows, and the site would be somewhere other than upstate New York and the cold snowy winters. Actually, India would be a great place for my dream house even if the Mediterranean Sea is quite far away.
The picture at the top is the dream house in India. Actually, it is the dream house of the world. It was built for the Mukesh Ambani family in Mumbai. Mr. Ambani has the distinction of being the wealthiest man in India. He certainly has the Midas touch when it comes to his fortune; made from a conglomeration of oil companies and communications under the name of Reliance. He is worth a cool $43 billion and is listed by Forbes as the 4th richest man in the world. So we don’t need to worry about his bank account being depleted by this sky scrapper house which cost $1 billion dollars…yes billion!
The family had great fun planning their dream house! It is filled to the brim of its 400,000 square feet with crystal chandeliers and sterling silver railings, for Mrs. Amani, though,to me, much of the interiors resemble a very fancy hotel instead of a home. 
There is a health club, a gym, and a dance studio for any form of exercise as well as a swimming pool. There are guest rooms , a variety of lounges as well as 3 helicopter pads on the roof. If they are having a large party there is a car garage in the skyscraper to park 160 cars. Something really fun for the three children is a snow-room, perfect for those hot , humid Mumbai summer days when they might just need to cool off in the man-made flakes. So as not to bore the family, no two floors have the same floor plan or repeated building materials. Yes, this 27 floor personal house for one family has a mother, father, and three children. No word of an extended family living there, but to make sure that all runs smoothly in the Antilla House, there are six-hundred..yes 600 servants! This is to insure that Mr. Ambani can return now to his next building project of the world’s largest oil refinery knowing that all is running smoothly at home. 
This is the view from the Ambani’s house….the Arabian Sea and the infamous Mumbai slums. I wonder if ever they give a thought to “Loving their neighbors as they love themselves?”
Oh if you do have some idea of a plan for your own personal dream house, do please share it with me!
Nameste….T I I
TalesAlongTheWay 
My dream is a log home with a pagoda roof line and a porch that wraps around on four sides. It has a modern, spacious kitchen and a fireplace in every room. There is plenty of space for all our children and grandchildren when they visit and it sits high on a hill overlooking a beautiful lake nestled among a grand and glorious mountain range.
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What a perfect house for the Gerdis clan. Thanks ever so much, dear friend. Nameste. . . .Anne
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I find the Ambani’s repulsive. This money could have been used to help those less fortunate! This is one of the reasons why India will never progress!
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It is hard to imagine how such conspicuous consumption of resources could be spent on such frivolous things in a country where 1/3 of the world’s poverty lives. The Prime Minister said in a speech a couple of weeks ago that millions of Indians live on less than $2.00 per day! Nameste…..Anne
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Nice reading about you Annet, it was a good experience visiting your blog
I stay in Mumbai, India and have a home In Ahmedabad too
Thanks for visiting my blog. Be in touch. Browse through the category sections, I feel you may find something of your interest.
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I have fallen in love with your wonderful country, and most of all the warm, friendly people I met. I didn’t start blogging until we we well into the four months stay. I wish, too , that we could have met. We didn’t spend much time in Mumbai, but we loved Ahmedabad. The students were studying architecture at Cept. I am glad to have made this connection and continue to read your blog. Thanks for your comments. Namaste. . . .Anne
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Excellent dear extremely mice to meet you dear
thank you so much dear
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How ridiculous and overly extravagant! I would never have a “hotel” house like this, and I certainly would not look down on the poor! Dirty, finite fossil fuels have made many men and some women a lot of money, including U.S. politicians who accept lobbyist money. Such a shame that greed has corrupted the world like it has never before!
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How well you experienced the ancient truth of “the root of all evil is the love of money!” Namaste. . .. Anne
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It’s sort of amazing to me really such people exist in such places – it seems so, so far removed from my modest abode, and life. How is there such extremes on earth, I wonder?
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To me it is the living proof, of the validity of the ancient saying, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” Well, the extremes of wealth is evident in India, for sure. I saw much more of the poor side than the rich side. Made me sad to see the poverty, but I loved the peace these people exhibited in the midst of chaos all around them. Thanks for commenting. Namaste. . .. Anne
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I have read about this place…..and the people who live in it. Does insensitive suffice? Out of touch? What is wrong with them besides both these things and a healthy shot of narcissism to boot. I bet you were a wonderful teacher~
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I have not idea what makes people like this tick! I have been wanting to do a post in contrast about the slums. But I like you didn’t want to take advantage of their plight by taking pictures. There are plenty available and I do have a few. The poverty ferociously slaps you in the face.
Thank you …I loved teaching especially writing to kids of all ages! Since I got back from India, I did a book writing project in 5th grade at the grands’ school. Lots of fun to see the kids be excited…had to do it after the blasted state tests…sigh…but got to do it anyway! Smiles. . . Namaste!
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This is a co-incidence – me mentioning it in your comments, when you actually wrote a post about it. Did you actually take those photos???
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Great question and the answer if no. I got them from Google Images Public Domain.
I have tried to write posts on things that are in India that are different from traffic and riding elephants…though I have mentioned both those experiences!
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I’m glad. I was getting tired of reading about elephant in india. 😀
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It is just that most tourists are totally charmed by the elephants and terrified by the traffic! 😎 But of courses , incredible India is that and so much more!
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No pictures are from Google Images. . . .Public Domain. It is a crazy house, isn’t it?
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wow great pic 🙂
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That post was a while ago. The pictures came from Google images, public domain. They are available to use. Many of the pictures I use are from there. Professor told me about it. Check it out. Smiles, Anne
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yes i know this post publish on May 19, 2013.
very nice homes and i like it..
Regards
Piyush Pujara 🙂
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That house isn’t doing it for me, mainly because my dream house is on a single level. I would rather walk a mile from end to end than climb stairs or wait for an elevator. Dream House apply here, single level only, please.
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Interesting….my dream house would also be one story but a Spanish Hacienda style house wrapped around a garden with a fountain and glass everywhere to bring the garden inside. I hate this house in India….especially for the utter ostentatiousness of it all !
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You would like many of the same Spanish Haciendas here that I like. My dream house, though, would have each room wrapped around an interior garden. Gardens everywhere! Or maybe this house: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_House
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Oh The Glass House ! Husband is professor of architecture. . Philip Johnson. Would be great in Southern CA, but I think it is in the brrr. Northeast. I lived in Valley of the Sun for 7 years and LOVED the weather . . . . all the time !
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Yeah, I always wondered about heating in the cold winters of Connecticut.
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Horrible probably comparable to your AC.
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I don’t use heating or cooling here. I open the windows during the summer and use the ceiling fans to help get the cross breeze going. If it gets up to 100°F, then I’ll go to one of the libraries and use their cooling. All libraries in San Diego County are “cool zones” during excessive heat. For heating, the computers keep the place warm.
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I have always heard of SD’s perfect weather. Wow amazing. Love Balboa Park and candle light district. . . Oh that doesn ‘t sound right but you will know. Went with my 6th graders on whale watch and aquarium trip . I loved the AZ heat if not the sun. Was always on the look – out for shade. LOL!!
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Yeah, it’s not right, but yes I do know. It’s the Gaslamp Quarter.
If I want Arizona style heat, I just drive 90 miles over to Palm Springs……..LOL
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Cobb lovely nice chat ! Thanks
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❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
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