I think that anyone who’s pushed to do the very best that they can is privileged. It’s a luxury.

—Twyla Tharp, American Dancer

Luxury in the elite housing space is set to get a new address in Gurugram—Sobha Aranya. Two expert groups are pushing their limits to deliver the best they can. In that sense, as dancer Twlyla Tharp would say, they are both privileged in doing what they are, it’s a luxury they can afford. Aranya is as much a meeting of a pair of creative minds, as it is an aesthetic collaboration of two partners who over decades have sharpened their skills at being both inventive and innovative at the same time.

Sobha, founded by the legendary P N C Menon, and Karma Lakelands, led by its dynamic Founder-CEO Ashwani Khurana, are bringing in best practices in real estate when it comes to Aranya, an eco-luxe project. Mr Menon built his construction empire in Oman, and to that extent has been a beacon for the Indian Diaspora—a special group that we have tracked relentlessly for over 19 years.

Sobha Aranya is nestled in landscaped greens and 270 acres of golf course inside the Karma Lakeland campus in Gurugram. They will bring in signature values of Sobha’s eye for immaculate quality and detail in luxury, and Karma Lakeland’s award-winning drive and penchant for environmental practices and green projects.

In a chat with our magazine, Ashwani says that what makes their coming together more special is his personal, long-standing friendship with Mr Menon, a builder extraordinaire whose genuineness and poise he’s come to admire. Read more about the project brought to you by our Business Editor Yogesh Sood.

There are many other stories of interest in the magazine that you can navigate through. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the Government for a third successive term, an impressive outcome after a bitterly fought election in the world’s largest democracy. In alignment with his vision, in May, the National Archives of India (NAI) in collaboration with the Indian Embassy in Muscat, concluded its first-ever overseas digitization project for the historical documents of the Indian diaspora in Oman. This will help preserve a shared heritage and strengthen India’s diaspora connections. The project was supported by the National Records and Archives Authority of Oman.

Also in May, India reminded Maldives that it has remained a key provider of developmental assistance to this archipelagic state. Several projects funded by New Delhi have benefited the lives of thousands of people and contributed directly towards enhancing the quality of life in that country. These include infrastructure projects, social initiatives, medical evacuation, and health facilities. This was during a meeting between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Minister of Maldives Moosa Zameer in the Indian capital city.

On May 29, at a ceremony held at its National Stadium, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele handed over 20 Tata buses worth USD 1 million that were gifted to this south-western Pacific island nation by PM Modi. The buses were handed over to educational institutions, city council, and local police forces. The Solomon Islands National University thanked India for its generous contribution that will undoubtedly help increase mobility and accessibility of its staff and students across its three campuses.

Elsewhere, Nikesh Arora of Palo Alto Networks is now ranked the second-highest paid CEO in the US in 2023. Overall, there are 17 Indian descent CEOs who are now a part of the top 500 rankings.

Happy reading.

Sayantan Chakravarty
sayantanc@gmail.com