The Twosome

Make a Lovely Foursome

There are people who may have the world at their feet, but their wealth is kept in the background and their feet firmly planted on terra firma. They work, they party and they enjoy life to the fullest doing it all in their own time, in their own private space. Gayatri and Vikas Oberoi belong to this class of people. Tagging them are their two well-brought up and adorable boys, Vihaan and Yuvaan

Text & Photographs: Farzana Contractor

Now this is a family after my heart. They give the word "foursome´ a new meaning. Comprising a family of a dozen, 10 siblings and super parents, where I come from is also awesome, so I could easily identify with the very together family that I saw having genuine fun the afternoon I spent with them.
Vikas Oberoi may be a construction magnate but at home he is just "dad´ with all the time in the world to fix up the table-top pasta machine and indulge his sons in making fresh spaghetti and fettucine. And Gayatri, the supermodel-looking mom´s world also revolves around the three men in her life.
Anyone who knows Vikas knows what a big-time foodie he is. He will go miles in search of a perfect biryani and is someone who makes no pretence of the fact that his weakness is not some fancy world cuisine, but Indian and that he loves to eat chicken. No snob value for this gentleman. So we can roar with laughter and pull his leg and say, "What? Chicken! Not scallops and lobsters, foie gras or even lamb," and all he will do is smile back gently, look a bit sheepish, but reaffirm his admission, the humble chicken it is for him.
"Ya, like a hardcore Punjoo, he does love his chicken," says Gayatri, adding, "I must tell you a story. We were in Milan once, in a rather fancy hotel, when Vikas tells me he wants to wants to eat Indian food for dinner. So we ring the concierge and enquire if they will get us some takeaway from an Indian restaurant. Expecting they would do a room service we waited for it in our room but were surprised to get a call which said our table was laid at the restaurant, if we could please come down. Apart from the niceness on their part, I have to say, we created quite a stir, for Mr Oberoi had ordered a whole lot of food and everyone in the restaurant was most
intrigued by what we were eating and rather distracted by the aromas emanating from our quarter, they were giving our groaning table side-long glances! It was really too much!
But that´s how much he loves Indian food and will be least embarrassed about doing any such thing."
Vikas is considered quite a whiz kid in the corporate circle. Real estate development is his core business and he has in his booty, residential, commercial, malls, schools, hospitals and even hotels built by his company, the Oberoi Realty Group known to have a great value system and a reputation for not over trading, delivering high quality projects on time, etc, etc.
From all his projects, what interested me is his venture into the hospitality area. So I enquired, "How and why did Westin, the 5-star hotel in Goregoan that you own come about?" "To be honest," replied Vikas Oberoi, "we had this 80-acre land parcel just lying there. And there wasn´t a single 5-star hotel beyond Andheri, so I thought why not create a new hub."
"My dad, Ranveer Oberoi, who started the company 30 years ago always said, "carry people with you, help them progress and get rich, too.´ Operating and expanding on that simple philosophy, I went ahead building Westin knowing that a city will soon swirl around it. That´s how the system works. Once a social infrastructure is in place, life happens. One thing led to another and soon we had built residential buildings around and now 5000 families live at the Oberoi Garden City, Goregoan. Our school, which is my sister Bindu´s "baby´, is also there. She runs it very efficiently and it´s doing well."
That´s an understatement. But then Vikas is an understated guy. Oberoi International School which opened in 2008 is among the top educational institutes, where I may add, admissions come by only on merit to the academically high level student.
But, for Vikas who has a pilot´s licence and also flies his own four-seater, (at times just to eat dinner in Ahmedabad, Satara, Kolhapur, etc) and one who has an impressive business head, Westin is only the beginning in the hospitality sector. Bombay, indeed India, is now waiting with bated breath, for his next venture. Which is racing towards completion. The opening of Ritz Carlton at Worli. Yes, you read right. Ritz Carlton. In the second half of 2019 in time for Vikas´ 50th birthday, one of the fanciest hotel brands of the world will throw open its doors to the movers and the shakers. I can´t wait for that to happen. And I expect people to go, "Wow!´ For this couple has good taste, a flair for the good life which is bound to reflect in whatever they do.
Work apart, what is life like for Gayatri and Vikas?
"We are a very normal  and grounded family. Both Vikas and I try to inculcate a value system in our lives," says Gayatri. "And we tell our children, being successful means being good human beings first," adds Vikas. "For both of us," continues Gayatri, "spending quality time with Vihaan and Yuvaan is paramount. I wake up at 6 every morning to prep the kids who leave for school at 7. After that, it´s time for tea and reading the newspapers and yoga. By which time Vikas is done with at the home gym so we sit and chat a bit, have breakfast. It´s my favourite part of the day. Then he goes off to work and I do different things on different days. I assist my sister-in-law with branding and communications as well as graphics related to the school (she studied at FIT, New York, product and packaging design, etc), I also work on site with our various designers in creating and curating concepts for "show flats´, so that keeps me busy. Other days I will go to the children´s school, either for PTA meetings or even just to fetch them if I can. But one day in the week I reserve for myself. I just stay home and do nothing or do whatever mundane chore that needs to be done. I love it!"
But evenings are precious, says Gayatri. From 5 to 7 pm, she is at home "winding the kids down for dinner´. It is only after they are settled in that she and Vikas venture out on social engagements.
"But on weekends, I make breakfast," says Vikas. "One of us has to, the boys want that. In any case I love to cook. I am pretty innovative in my cooking, the creativity comes naturally. White sauce, arrabiata, I make these from scratch. Don´t open jars for such stuff. You know the best part about my overseas trips are when I come back with bagfuls of goodies, 20 kgs sometimes. That´s when I become a riot in the kitchen. Cheese, ham, salami, truffle oil, drives all of us nuts," says Vikas who envies chefs and also wishes he was one. When Vikas discusses food, restaurants, cooking methods, his face is so bright and happy. And chatting up I can see he truly has his basics in order. Once you have mastered the basics you really can cook anything. So let´s say Vikas knows his onions and can even cook Nalli Nihari!
The two plan their trips abroad very meticulously. Meaning reservations in good restaurants are made way in advance. The question of missing a meal does not even arise! And they have eaten at the best everywhere. Though Europe is where they like it best. Here is a list of 10 of their most favourite the world over. El Celler de Can Roca (Gerona, Spain), 1947 Cheval Blanc (Courchevel, France), Navedano (Como, Italy) Enoteca Pinchiorri (Florence, Italy) L´ Espadon (Paris, France) Tetou (Cannes, France), Daniel (New York, USA), Spago (Los Angeles, USA) Michelangelo (Antibes, France) and Andr&eacute (Singapore).
Vikas discovered he liked drinking wine, some 10 years ago. At least that´s when the whole appreciation bit started. Therefore their best holidays by themselves or with friends have been when on wine tours. Visiting vineyards in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany. Meeting owners, winemakers, staying in private cháteaus have all contributed in making Vikas a big wine aficionado. He even has direct wine allocations from important vineyards. That makes him a bigshot!! With his endearing attitude and genuine fondness for Solaia wines, he seems to have won the trust and friendship of the Antinori family who presented him a bottle with his name engraved upon it for his birthday. They also gave him his very own private cellar space where he can store 50 bottles. It´s a facility offered to a miniscule few internationally, and our Vikas is one of them. Very impressed.
It´s the same at home in Bombay. Their living room has a walk-in cellar, discreetly attached to it. This houses the choicest of wines. Gayatri and Vikas are known to have a small and intimate group of friends (read Twinkle and Akshaye Khanna – buddy for over 25 years, Hrithik Roshan, Sonali and Goldie Behl), who often drop in to chill out. The children of these friends are in the same age group as Vihaan and Yuvaan, so when all these parents and children get together, it adds up to loads of fun. These are wine and cheese and kebab evenings and they are totally in their comfort zone. Guess their living room which ends up with an open-show kitchen with a bar in between is pretty conducive for all that happens when friends and kids get together.
Holidays are designed around summer when school closes and always involves children. Skiing in the French Alps, truffle hunting in Italy, driving holidays in Europe "We do go on our own, too, sometimes, but that will include a furniture fair or some work related event. If not, we love to go with our children," says Gayatri.
Seeing her fit in so comfortably in the home and family groove I ask Gayatri if she doesn´t miss the fact that she could so easily have been acting in films, become a bigger star. Remember her performance in Swades, her first and only film in which she acted with Shah Rukh Khan. "Noooo, I don´t miss it at all," she says contently. "That´s over. I´ve had my share." "I guess so," I reply, "I suppose after modelling for years, doing over a 100 TV commercials for all the top brands, you could call it quits. Especially when a prince charmimg like Vikas comes your way." Gayatri gives me a smile in total affirmation. For those who love romance stories, this is how it happened. Soon after the release of Swades, early 2005, Vikas, who already knew Gayatri, invited her on a dinner date where he saw she was a most grounded person. On the second date, he let her know subtly that there was nothing casual about the date, he in fact, would like to marry her. "But for your comfort, we can meet again and see if you feel the same," said Mr Gallant and Chivalry all rolled in one. Noble intentions thus expressed, they met a few more times and before long, they were engaged in June and married by August 2005. Their first child came along in 2006 and the next 2008. Fairytale stuff, you could say and I´d agree.
"True," beams Gayatri, "and so I never make plans for myself. For whatever I plan gets thrown off, God changes things around for me. And I am lucky He is in charge."