Masters of Luxury: Pavitra Rajaram and Amit Syngle on Building a New Language of Indian Luxury

At first glance, Pavitra Rajaram and Amit Synglel seem to come from two quite different worlds. Rajaram has spent decades in design, curation and cultural storytelling, while looks Syngle at the same world through the lens of business, branding and commerce.

Yet their paths meet at Nilaya Anthology, Asian Paints' design-led luxury platform. Here, the two share the task to build something that sits between their two worlds. This isn't meant to be an ordinary retail space. Instead, it's an immersive universe where design, craft, culture and commerce can all exist side by side.

In conversation with Robb Report India, they talk about how Anthology came together, how the idea of Indian luxury is changing, and why they believe the future of design lies in staying true to yourself rather than following a set formula.

Robb Report India (RR) : Amit, Asian Paints’ Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai campaign, which began in 2002, has become almost a leitmotif for the brand. How do you envision Nilaya Anthology evolving this vision and bringing it to life?

Amit Syngle (AS): The whole idea of Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai was a gem because it was about the emotional energy that goes into homemaking. It was about people and their relationship with their homes, and we felt it was an idea that was universal and cut across different audiences and segments.

When we looked at Nilaya and at luxury, we realised that there was nothing fundamentally different about how this segment understands the home. It is the same emotion, but expressed differently. It is about how people evolve their homes into spaces that evoke very different feelings, emotions and expressions. We wanted to give them a place that they could nurture and treasure — something that truly epitomises the beauty of making.

RR: So, would you say Nilaya is an evolution of the campaign you started in 2002?

AS: Absolutely. It takes that idea to the next level. It looks at how an expression can become authorship — how a feeling can be converted into a sensibility that people can actually bring to life in their own homes.

RR: Pavitra, you have collaborated with several well-known names, including Ashiesh Shah, and, of course, the Sabyasachi and Nilaya collaboration has been one of the most talked-about. What was the thinking behind that partnership? How do you balance collaborations with established names with your role as a space of discovery, where you are also introducing audiences to lesser-known artists and makers?

Pavitra Ranjan (PR) : Honestly, I don't think of Sabyasachi as being outside of Anthology. Sabya has been a personal friend of Amit's, and I have had the privilege of working with him over the last 10 years across various projects at Asian Paints. So he was no stranger to us.

I think two things were important. One was the deep personal relationship that he and Amit have, and the second — and I am very grateful to him for this — is that Sabya does not endorse many things. He is very careful about what he lends his name to.

The fact that he chose to be present at Anthology and have the Sabyasachi Art Foundation as part of the space is his way of contributing to a much larger conversation around India and luxury.

There is a perception, particularly over the last 200 years, that India has primarily been a maker. We all know that things can be made in India. But the reality is that the Indian customer has been at the centre of luxury for centuries. The Indian customer has been a patron of luxury for centuries.

Forget royalty. As far back as the second century BC, there were references to Egyptian cotton in India. This is not new to us.

For Sabya, I think this is a personal philosophy — to champion the idea of India, and not just Indian craftsmanship, but design of the highest quality.

At Anthology, we are not simply representing craft. We are representing a new generation of craft, where design, quality, workmanship and storytelling come together. Sabya is a master of that. So it was a very natural synergy and relationship to have him here.

The fact that he chose to bring his name to this partnership is, first, a testament to the deep relationship he has with Amit and Asian Paints, and second, to his genuine desire to be a patron and spokesperson for India.

RR: Amit, you have worked with Sabyasachi for more than a decade. What does that relationship mean to you?

AS: More than a friendship, I think it is a deep respect for Sabya — for his relationship with India and with Indian craftsmanship, and for the fact that he presents India without apology.

He is constantly saying, in his own way, that this is what Indian design is about. He has always transcended boundaries in a very different way. There is an originality to what he does and a signature that is unmistakably Sabya, while remaining contemporary and deeply rooted in Indian art, design and culture. Our relationship spans more than a decade. It began when we started working with him on something he had never worked with before: wallpaper. It was a medium he discovered with us. From there, the relationship evolved from one medium to another, eventually moving into furnishings. Then Anthology came along. When Sabya visited the space, he fell in love with it. He said that if there was someone who matched his sensibilities and shared his vision, it was us. That ignited the partnership in a very different way.

Since then, we have continued to build on that relationship. We now have a full tableware collection with him, and the Sabyasachi Art Foundation has unfolded here for the first time. Ultimately, it is about a shared vision for India and where Indian design can go. I often call him the Steve Jobs of design.

RR: You have spoken about taking Asian Paints to a global level. What does it mean for a homegrown brand to tell the India story aesthetically, and where do you see that journey going over the next decade?

AS: In the evolution of any brand, you have to ask how you can take it into another realm — somewhere different, somewhere people may not have thought of before, but which is still deeply connected to the brand.

That is the mystique we have always wanted to build. Asian Paints has traditionally been a premium mass brand, catering to every segment. For a brand that has occupied that position for decades, transitioning into the luxury space is not easy. That is why art, culture and design have become so important. They allow you to give the brand a different kind of leeway and create a new aesthetic language.

With Nilaya Anthology, we wanted to build a distinct brand while retaining the lineage of Asian Paints in a more understated way. We wanted people to enter with a fresh mind, rather than be influenced by the perception of Asian Paints as a mass-premium brand.

The larger ambition is to engage with the design community, make design-forward thinking central to what we do and create a confluence between Indian and global design. We want the best of design-forward thinking, both from India and abroad, to come together. The ambition is to create a brand that is contemporary, Indian and global at the same time.

RR: Looking ahead, what do you see as the future of Indian design in homes? What will Indian homes look like over the next few years?

PR: I think the future of Indian homes is like the future of India and Indians: bright and shining. This is our century.

I often call this the return of the Indian century because here we are, shining brightly—with agency, power, confidence, wisdom and 5,000 years of cultural continuity. What could be better? I see more and more homes reflecting that. They will reflect our position in the world.

AS: I completely agree with her. I think it really is a time for India to shine. People today have the resources, the mindset and the exposure. They are becoming aesthetes in terms of what they love, what they can express and what they want for themselves.

There is a whole new desire to say, “I want to create something of my own.” As I said earlier, people don’t necessarily want a prescription to follow.

I think a multitude of design influences will start coming into homes. It won’t only be about your roots; it will also be about what influences you, what enamours you and what you discover through travel and experience.

People will begin embracing stories that make them value good design and the way they choose to bring it into their homes. I think we are at the right place at the right time.

And when we say “Indian homes”, I think it is important to remember that it is not limited to India. Indians are global. It could be a home in Los Angeles, New York, Paris or Japan, just as it could be in Mumbai or Coimbatore.