Namaste:
This post drew lots of discussion last year when it was first posted. I am interested in hearing the comments of bloggers new to my site.
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 in upstate New York, 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 with 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!
T I I I (This Is Incredible India)
TalesAlongTheWay 
I think that dream house is horrible, garish and ostentatious. My dream home is simple, small by MacMansion standards, uncluttered and in a nice, rural area. Peace and quiet!
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Peace and quiet. . . . and simple. . . sounds lovely. Thanks.
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Namaste Anne ji , Note : “Ji” is used for respecting someone
I think dream house is one where SLEEP can enter easily and came out with Birds chorus
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I love “ji” and first learned about it being called Auntie-ji. in India! Thanks for your respect !
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Namaste. Ambani’s house, right in the middle of class conscious Mumbai, is not a welcome sight-at least for the have-nots. I doubt if the redoubtable Jamshetji Tata or Birla would have built one for themselves.
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I heard an explanation to the difference of first generation wealth or inherited wealth, and I am anxious to hear your take, It is my understanding that Ambani i made his wealth himself. He feels the need to “show the world” and remembers being poor. So no matter how much he has, he worries that it somehow might disappear and he may be poor again.
I don’t know Birla, but I think Tata is inherited as well as made wealth. He seems to see the need to share his good fortune, especially to the members of his religious community . . . . hospitals, schools, nursing homes for the elderly. Please agree or disagree. . . . I was only a visitor not an expert on India.
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With the amount if money spent , I don’t like the design a bit ..
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L O L! I agree completely. First I would never have such a house, but it would look very different. I think the house is ostentation and garish.
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In complete agreement with you my friend , have a lovely weekend 😊
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And you too, my friend!
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This is dream house? Ambani’s house antila has 600 rooms, helipad, 1000 servets and 100 drivers..lol this is only for 3 people..damm…A normal indian’s dearm house would be 3 bedroom 1 hall and 1 kitchen
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I agree wholeheartedly. It is hard to believe the insensitivity of the Ambani family to the their surroundings.
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This is a monstrosity, to say the least! One can have so many other ways to show off wealth, most of which, in this case, is alleged to have been acquired by dubious means! That said, it is also alleged the building has come up on land that was supposed to house a home for underprivileged children!
As a journalist, I have had a chance to investigate some of the dealings of Reliance when it wasn’t such a big entity and what I had then come up with was sensational. A lot has happened since and we see the results now.
I am appalled someone should show off one’s wealth in such a garish way. Shame on him and shame on us Indians to have allowed this to happen.
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Beautifully said. I guess they have a psychological need to show off that is very immature as well as hurtful.
I just want to say what wonderful work Sikhs do feeding up to 100,000 hungry souls at the Golden Temple, 24X7. I am in awe at the servant hearts exhibited there. I have two posts on The Golden Temple you might like to read. Blessings for the week.
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There has always been a disparity between the haves and the have nots. If only the haves would not be so flamboyant with their spending, maybe the have nots would be less tempted to criticize.
I am with The Crazy Crone, let me have something small and easy to clean with peace and quiet.
Solomon said it another way in the book of Proverbs.
“Remove far from me vanity and lies:
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with food convenient for me:
9 Lest I be full, and deny thee,
and say, Who is the Lord?
or lest I be poor, and steal,
and take the name of my God in vain”
(Prov. 30:8)
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Beth thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and your most topical scripture from Proverbs. It is always so encouraging to see the validity of the ancient text in our world today. Blessings!
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Well what to say! Opulent from inside (I have been there) and awkward from outside.
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Well said. I am sure they give lovely parties! Great summation!
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You are right..and I have to be succinct.
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Well, I go on and on. . . and must be keeping you from your sleep!
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Not a problem at all. I enjoyed the chat as much. 🙂
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By way of explanation, he concluded the thought with a fable about a Westerner who traveled to the East and came across an Indian man sitting on the side of the road singing what sounded like a single note. The traveler asked the man why he didn’t sing other notes.
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