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  The vibrant living area has paintings by top artists, eye-catching silver artefacts and intricately woven carpets

Shobha Deepak Singh's life has revolved around art and culture and that's reflected in every room of her home. There are objets d'art (a lot of them in sterling silver), statuettes of gods and goddesses in bronze and brass as well as paintings by the Indian masters.

Singh is the driving force behind the Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra, the noted cultural institution that was started by her mother, Sumitra Charat Ram, in 1952 (her father Charat Ram was one of the country's top industrialists). Her home in New Delhi's top bracket Sardar Patel Marg is next to where her parents once lived and many of the houses in the crescent belonged to her relatives and cousins.

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  The flight of stairs leading to the main entrance is lined with potted plants

She, her husband and daughter (who is now married) moved into the building many years ago when the it was still under construction. She remembers: 'We shifted in when just one bedroom and the kitchen was operational.'

Singh's home is spacious and has a basement, ground and first floors. The lobby, a drawing room, kitchen and a guest bedroom are located on the ground floor while the first floor has the couple's bedroom and their daughter's room, as well as a cosy lounge.

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  A stained glass panel depicting Lakshmi flanked by elephants adds a very Indian touch above the entrance door

The main entrance that leads to the lobby has an eye-catching stained glass panel mounted above the door. 'The stained glass with Lakshmi flanked by elephants gives a very Indian touch to the entrance,' says Singh, whose coffee table book, Theatrescapes, was published recently. The lobby is very brightly lit thanks to a skylight that allows light to stream in.

One of the most striking pieces in the lobby is a wall-mounted, Lakshmi encrusted with corals, emeralds and pearls. Singh doesn't say how valuable it is and merely adds: 'This is an old favourite which was gifted to me by my mother.'

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  The customised dining table can be extended and converted from an eight-seater to a 12-seater

An elaborate puja corner in the lobby is fragrant with incense. There's space for all the gods — brass figurines of Bal Gopal, Lakshmi, Ganesh — some urns and diyas. The centrepiece is a stone statue of a reclining Lord Vishnu surrounded by Lakshmi, Brahma, Saraswati, Shiva and Parvati. A big brass diya is lit here every evening. Singh says: 'It's customary that the akhand diya should burn through the night.'

The lobby leads to the drawing-cum-dining room that's done in predominant tones of yellow and has paintings covering the walls. The room has a feel of quiet wealth with silver artefacts all around. Yellow tones brighten the walls while a paler hue of the shade is used in the upholstery. 'All our furniture for the living and dining room was custom-made by an American designer,' says Singh. Since Singh's husband loves carpets, the living room floor has several of them.

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  Ganesha paintings and sculptures welcome you as you enter the house

The walls offer only the best and most famous with works by S.H. Raza, A. Ramachandran and J. Swaminathan. 'We also have many Tanjore paintings, Tangkas and Pichwai paintings as well as some by M.F. Husain,' says Singh.

A side-table displays a ruby-studded Nataraj, another gift from her mother. Her collection of eclectic silver artefacts have been displayed on a cabinet — a silver Balaji, a Ganesh, fruit trays, candle stands and curios. 'I have a fetish for fruit created in silver as well as unusual silver trays,' says Singh with a smile. There are two silver trays — one with strawberries in silver and the other with assorted silver fruits placed on the centre-table.

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  Gods and goddesses in stone and terracotta are recurring motifs in Shobha Deepak Singh’s home

A huge picture-window and glass-panelled door bring the out-doors in, lending the area a roomy feel. On another side of the room is a polished dining table that can be turned from an eight-seater to a 12-seater when needed.

Steps from near the puja corner in the lobby lead to the first floor where the private areas are while another flight of stairs leads to the basement.

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  Shobha Deepak Singh has created an elaborate area in the lobby for pujas

There was time when Singh used to invite music greats like Mallikarjun Mansur and Shubha Mudgal to her home to perform to exclusive audiences. The basement became the perfect place for such musical soirees. However, today the basement serves an altogether different purpose. 'It's a boutique now from where I retail fun jewellery a nd antique saris that I have collected over the years,' she says. That's a sign of changing times in a home that's focused on the arts and almost belongs to an older, very elegant era.

Photographs by Jagan Negi