Russi Modyon the lush green lawn behind his sprwling bungalow

A firm handshake and a broad grin, that’s what you get when you’re ushered into the resplendent study of legendary corporate titan Russi Mody. Even at 90, the business czar is still as busy as he was when his mentor JRD Tata called him “a legend in his lifetime”.

Mody loves blue pottery and there are pieces all over the house; (Above) An M.F. Husain canvas in the lobby; (Below) A crystal horse and wine decanters

Tata Steel and Mobar behind him, Mody still likes to live life king-size and his two-storeyed Alipore home reflects his impeccable good taste and splendid collection of objets d’art handpicked from all over the world.

But the study is not where you land first when you arrive at Mody’s plush Belvedere Road bungalow. You go through the gate down the driveway to the main entrance of the house he bought in 1993. Then, in the entrance corridor lined with stunning artefacts, you get a taste of even bigger number of treasures inside.

The corridor opens into a small lobby where we come across the first M.F. Husain painting —Mody owns five — and a staircase dotted with original Jamini Roy paintings and a huge white and blue porcelain vase.

From there, we walk into the main drawing room — opulent and brightly lit by chandeliers and porcelain lamps, showing off Mody’s blue pottery and crystal collection.

This is where Mody has entertained Calcutta’s glitterati, hosting the most elegant parties. It is also here that a part of his now famous crystal collection is displayed, along with lovely blue pottery and priceless Mughal paintings acquired long time ago.

(From top) The corporate chieftain loves to entertain and has a large collection of wine and liqueur glasses; Russi’s bedroom is sunny and cheerful and has wall-to-wall photographs; An R.K. Laxman caricature of Mody — a birthday gift from the cartoonist

But an Italian oil painting showing a street scene on one wall is Mody’s favourite. The Burma teak centre table is dotted with crystal pieces with an impressive vase in the centre. All these were bought during one trip or another to Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland.

Stunning crystal figurines of a sail and a horse are cleverly placed in other parts of the room. The sofas are blue and cream and complement the blue pottery on a facing shelf. “They aren’t all the best of brands,” confesses Mody. “I collect anything which appeals to my sense of beauty, but I like shopping in London — especially Harrod’s — and the UK was my home for 15 years. I also like to shop in Paris but I didn’t manage to go last year,” he says.

Casting an eye over the drawing room’s contents, he laments that “with Aditya not being around, there’s no one to help me look after these things.” Aditya Kashyap, former joint managing director of Tata Steel and Mody’s companion for decades, died last year.

Like everywhere else in the house, the first-floor landing is crammed with a mix of paintings and artefacts

In another area of the room stands a piano and Mody happily tinkles the ivories, rattling off a tune for us. “As I’ve grown older, my fondness for music has also grown. I play every day though I’ve cut down on my other activities like flying a plane or driving a car of late”, he says.

(From top) The dining room has a round Burma teak table and looks out onto the garden; The drawing room is filled with artefacts including his crystal collection, blue pottery and priceless Mughal paintings; A crystal sail, one of Mody’s favourite pieces, was picked up from Europe

Mody’s wit, though, is ever present in any conversation. “Also, I don’t have 16-egg omelettes anymore,” he says, referring to one of his greatest culinary weaknesses. “Now it’s only cornflakes, cold soup and sometimes toast,” he says cheerfully.

What about his Husains? Mody doesn’t discuss prices but says he didn’t pay today’s astronomical sums needed to acquire the canvases nowadays. “When I met M.F. Husain, he wasn’t that famous. I just loved his subjects and his play of colours and so that’s why I bought his canvases,” he says.

Back again in the lobby, we open another door to take a peek around the dining room. It’s a large room with views over the lush green garden. The round Burma teak dining table has hosted many big-name guests, including Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi, former Governor Viren J. Shah and ex-chief minister Jyoti Basu. But what grabs the eye are two beautiful cut-glass wine decanters and an entire set of wine glasses preserved for those “special occasions”.

Mody now works from home but ventures out for his daily trip to the Calcutta Club to meet friends and play bridge. And he reads everyday. The huge collection of books in Mody’s sprawling first-floor study testifies to his penchant for reading every day. There are big tomes on art and music that lend a lived-in air to the study while another piano — a grand by Yamaha — occupies pride of place and is a recent acquisition. Also the room boasts a huge, 42-inch plasma screen.

There are two bedrooms on this floor — one used by Mody and the other a guest room. “Any one is welcome to be my guest”, beams Mody. His bedroom is drenched in sunlight and above his bed are walls filled with R.K. Laxman’s series of sketches of him. The other wall is full of family photographs — Mody’s parents, brothers, nephews and some of him with Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.

There is also another relatively simple room which functions as Mody’s “work room”. A huge teak table is a recent addition but the sofas have been around for years. Shelves full of books and lots of Ganeshas and laughing Buddhas adorn the table and the adjoining shelf.

“I’ve collected Ganeshas and laughing Buddhas from all over the world over the past 50 years”, he says. “Doesn’t the laughing Buddha look like me?” he chuckles. Next it’s time for him to head off for his one-hour afternoon siesta that keeps him fighting fit.