An urban space with something for all

It is a great escape. It is also the perfect place to find yourself. The India Habitat Centre (IHC) is many worlds rolled into one. Pallavi Polanki tells us.

It is a great escape. It is also the perfect place to find yourself. A fine platform for brave new thoughts. A cool hangout if you don’t want to think about anything at all. The India Habitat Centre (IHC) is many worlds rolled into one.

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From professionals to artists to social workers to students, there’s something for everyone. “This is a unique experiment in urban living. It’s a place for those who have time on their hands. It is not always that one finds company. We want to create a passion for them by putting out a canvas, be it film appreciation, art or books,” said Raj Liberhan, director, IHC.

Home to 37 institutions, the IHC also has an art gallery, a library, a resource centre, an auditorium and an amphi-theatre. “It is an excellent facility and is very well-kept. It has some lovely restaurants too,” says former RBI governor and MP Rajya Sabha Bimal Jalan.

Designed by legendary architect Joseph Allen Stein, the IHC has a massive courtyard.“The garden is charming. I also like the gallery and the restaurants. All in all, IHC is a very effective resource centre,” says Tara Sinha, head of leading ad agency Tara Sinha Associates.

“The gallery for me is the most interesting place. When a show opens there, it gets a lot of attention,” says Gopi Gajwani, eminent photographer and artist.

And, of course, the eatouts — the food court, Eatopia, and the All American Diner, which are open to the public. There are workshops for children on art, cinema and music. And there are Sunday walks too, to heritage sites.

“We want to be looked at as creating a value system that serves as a light house” says Liberhan.