Closely packed houses, narrow streets peppered with chabutaras (bird feeders), hole-in-the-wall shops selling jeeru masala soda… amidst this part of Ahemdabad lies a 150-year-old stately bungalow. A grand courtyard replete with a fountain leads to the mansion: architect IM Kadri’s ancestral home that is now jüSTa Diwans Bungalow.
The last few years have seen the adaptive reuse movement pick up in India, and this property is the latest addition to the country’s hospitality redevelopment projects.Built in the 1860s by Kadri’s great-grandfather, the structure had two wings connected by a small, colourful corridor. Today, it is run by jüSTa Hotels, the boutique hotel chain with properties across India.
The family’s touch remains with heirloom artefacts, paintings, perfume bottles, and portraits across the lobby and rooms
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The Kadri touch
Today, the revamped home with architectural influences of colonial Gujarat has eight rooms; two deluxe twin rooms and six heritage suites. Six of these rooms are named after Kadri’s brothers, and the other two are dedicated to his elder brother’s children. No two rooms are the same, with private balconies, sit-outs, stained glass windows, and connecting doors adding to the bungalow’s vintage charm. The family’s touch remains with heirloom artefacts, paintings, perfume bottles, and portraits scattered not just in the rooms but across the lobby and dining areas. “The internal courtyard houses a swing that used to be my mother’s favourite spot in the house,” reminisces Kadri, now 91, who helms Mumbai-based IMK Architects. The said courtyard is where Dalan, the all-day restaurant, sits.
Chasing havelis in Sidpur
An approximately two-and-a-half hour drive from Ahmedabad will lead you to Sidpur, a small town home to the now abandoned havelis belonging to the region’s Dawoodi Bohras. Ornate facades in pastel shades of rose, pistachio green, and poppy yellow — almost resembling a candy jar — greet you as you enter lanes lined with these mansions. Designed in the row-house style, the structure’s owners are now settled in various parts of the country and abroad. If you visit, do not miss the Zaveri House comprising 365 windows.
“The last person to live in this home was my mother. It was in the mid-80s,” he shares, adding that the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel, and Morarji Desai were frequent visitors given his father’s involvement with the nationalist movement.
The dining area
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Once it was redeveloped as a hotel in 2011, Diwans Bungalow was managed by the Neemrana Group before being relaunched under the jüSTa umbrella in October 2024. “Proceeds from the property go towards funding the education of nearly 3,000 girls at the Rah-e-Khair Girls’ School run by the Kadri Foundation,” says the architect known for projects such as Taj Coromandel in Chennai, Ramada Hotel in Dubai, Ceat Mahal in Mumbai, among several others.
Taste of the old city
Now run by extremely courteous staff, jüSTa Diwans Bungalow offers travellers an experience of Ahmedabad’s old-world charm. One way is by showcasing the family’s heirloom recipes of khagina, chicken Hussaini kebab, malai paneer, etc. that the family is now planning to pen in a cookbook. The standouts were the melt-in-your mouthpaneer begum bahaar, and khatta gosht. The stars of every meal were the desserts: chikoo halwa, and decadent shahi tukda, that I am definitely going back for.
Today, the revamped home with architectural influences of colonial Gujarat has eight rooms
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The contemporary additions during the home’s restoration have been done with utmost care, utilising every space and corner. The space below a staircase, for instance, is now a suite’s bathing area, and tiny nooks have been converted into open closets and reading rooms. “Back then there was just one toilet in the home for 20 people, and it never bothered us,” says Kadri, adding, “During the restoration, we had to insert new plumbing lines, which was quite a structural surgery.” In the last decade, the house has seen three sets of upgrades. “First, by my team in 2009, then by my son Rahul Kadri and his team that added a modern kitchen and staff areas, and enlarged some rooms, and finally by architects Viveka Kumari and Shimul Javeri Kadri who added sophistication, luxury, openness and a deep feeling of the old world charm of the 1800s.”
Shades of the city
As you relish the property’s various offerings, curated tours are also planned by the team. An architecture trail of Mill Owners’ Association Building, Amdavad Ni Gufa, CEPT University; an eye-opening architecture trail covering Modhera’s Sun Temple, the Rani Ki Vav in Patan, and Bohra Havelis of Sidhpur; and a detailed textile tour of Patan Patola Heritage Museum, and the Calico Museum of Textiles is a must-do for fashion enthusiasts.
The Rani Ki Vav in Patan
| Photo Credit:
Abhishek Vyas
For a taste of Ahmedabad’s history, a heritage walking tour of the old city takes you through Teen Darwaja, Jama Masjid, Rani no Haziro, the famous Hussainy Bakery, among other sites. Do not miss the many chabutaras scattered across the city, and if you are in the mood for a side of eerie with your chai, head to Lucky Tea Stall. Adjacent to the famous Sidi Sayidis mosque, it is built on a graveyard with chairs propped around tombs! The establishment also houses an original MF Hussain, who was said to be a regular.
With the holiday season approaching, if you are looking for a holiday that takes you back in time and immerses you in a city’s old-world charm, you know where to head.
The writer was in Ahmedabad on the invitation of jüSTa Diwans Bungalow
Published – March 07, 2025 04:00 pm IST
