Rohit Kochhar is the man who
doesn't easily accept 'no' for an answer when he has decided to do
something. This was something Kochhar's architect found out while
building the foundation of his dream house. The trouble was, he had a
clear idea of every inch and space he wanted for his house and the
problem was that his architect thought otherwise.
Kochhar, who formed the legal
firm Kochhar & Co
in 1994 and is already included in the crème of corporate lawyers in
India, is an achiever. He was enjoying an enviable practice, a
privileged lifestyle and now he wanted a house to match his style. He
wanted a Medici palace.
If you are good in history, then you can remember that the
Medicis, were Florentines who, between the 13th and 17th centuries,
were among the richest families of Europe, keen interested in
science, art and architecture, who later became members of French and
English royalty. Some of the grandest surviving architecture of Italy
dates from this period and includes the Renaissance and also included
the supremely elegant Neoclassical. And it was this that Kochhar
wanted in his home.
To completely understand the personality of Kochhar, you need to
first understand him. The National Chairman and Managing Partner of
the Rs 50 crore firm, Kochhar did not considered himself appropriate
for Modern School, Delhi, where children came in luxury cars, whereas
he, from the middle class family, was only permitted to have cold
drink on the occasions when there were guests at home. After
completing education in Mumbai, he came back soon in Delhi, employed
as a criminal lawyer who would have specialisation in the
Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling
Activities (COFEPOSA).
Back to his house, he was always interested to have a ceremonial
space and his Medicis house clearly mirages that. Instead of a
swimming pool, he has a tennis court on the premises and also there
is a well-built gym in the basement. Similarly, the drawing and
dinning rooms are overlooking a huge lawn-this is where he might be
interested to get entertained on a cool evening. The dining room has
a sitting capacity for eighteen people and in the drawing room, he
has had his parent's wedding picture painted by artists from Jaipur.
The one thing that is missing in his home, is the absence of
books. After all, the Medics were prolific readers. “I do not
read”, says the proud owner of this revivalist Medici palace. He
further said that he wants to read books as this will help him in
getting better understanding of the world.
