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| Boats, brands, bling | |
| WHAT'S IN YOUR BEACH HOUSE...? | | Priyanka Joshi / New Delhi November 15, 2008, 0:51 IST | |
Riyhad Kundanmal has several indulgences and these include pampering his eight-month old baby, Nikolai, his business (selling yachts) and collecting mountain bikes. An architect who took the family-run real estate business to a new niche by offering holiday homes with yachts in Alibaug, he also sells million-dollar yachts to an exclusive set of industrialists and royal families.
He tells Priyanka Joshi what he’s got tucked away in his home in swanky Bandra.
BASIC INDULGENCE
“I am a sailor at heart and love to manoeuvre my five boats on water. These include a Sunseeker and a Monterey yacht. The former was gifted to me while I bought the Monterey,” says Kundanmal. (For the uninitiated, Sunseeker yachts are powerful cruisers that have been featured in the last three James Bond movies including Quantum of Solace).
His island in Mandhwa, which doubles as an office and a beach home, says Kundanmal, offers him the perfect reason to go sailing from Mumbai harbour to Mandhwa. “While thousands in Mumbai struggle to reach their office in time, I sail through in minutes,” he laughs, adding that he is planning to get a marina constructed in Mumbai and Mandhwa to help boat-owners safeguard their boats.
MOUNTAIN BIKES - SPOTTED IN HIS GARAGE!
“I began mountain biking a few months ago. It became such a passion that in a matter of days I had purchased four different models and technologies of mountain bikes,” he confesses. At an average cost of Rs 1 lakh (a basic mountain bike, with 15 to 18 gears, costs Rs 18,000 but gussied-up versions from such noted Marin bike-makers as Steve Potts, Charlie Cunningham and Gary Fisher are much more expensive), Kundanmal takes his mountain bikes throughout his island on Mandhwa, from easygoing trails to even wild off-road rides.
“My wife Alisha and I,” he says, “maintain our bikes ourselves. It’s now routine for me to check their gear systems, oil the bikes, adjust the lights and braking systems and change the tyres. So, when I am not sailing, biking takes my time and garage space.”
BRANDS TUCKED AWAY IN HIS WARDROBE
Primarily a jeans-and-shirt guy, Kundanmal does not dress to impress. This from an architect who creates exclusive homes and beach properties for his clients (he takes only five projects in a year) is a shocking revelation. “I am not a gadget collector, nor a brand follower, and even shirk from designer prints,” he adds.
But in his wardrobe you’ll find Hugo Boss and Armani suits tucked away neatly. “I’ll wear suits to a beach wedding but certainly not to impress clients. Work dressing is mainly a pair of slacks with comfortable shirts or T-shirts,” he laughs. For formal dressing, he’ll complete the look with a Marco Gianni pair of shoes but admits that we won’t see too many of these in his closet.
A LITTLE CORNER FOR HIS TIME MACHINES
Resting in his closet alongside his branded suits, formal shoes and a whole lot of informal wear is his incredible timepiece collection. Hublot, U-Boat, Corum, Tag Heuer, Girard and special edition watches — you’ll find them all in his wardrobe. Some display the phases of the moon, the time of the year, the precise second that just slipped away, and can even remind the wearer of an appointment.
But which is his favourite brand? “Most have been gifted by family and friends,” he says, adding, “A good watch complements your life, complements your wardrobe and becomes an heirloom to pass along to future generations.” That, we know.
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