Vikram Sarabhai | The Retreat

Welcome to the first post in the Vikram Sarabhai Centenary Celebrations Series. Learn about his childhood home: The Retreat.

Welcome to the first post in the Vikram Sarabhai Centenary Celebrations Series. Learn about his childhood home: The Retreat.

Vikram Sarabhai Centenary Celebrations: The Retreat

Born with a silver spoon on 12th August 1919, Vikram Sarabhai had big ears and a large head. The first proud owners of a car in Ahmedabad, Vikram Sarabhai's family lived in the twenty-one acre home: The Retreat at Shahibaug.

"The entrance to his property was marked by tall gates. A long driveway led to a squat, three-storeyed structure, topped by a turret surrounded by acre upon acre of verdant space. The simple lines and tastefully appointed interiors reflected a mix of Indian and European influences. Each of the fifty-odd rooms was fitted with electric pankhas and shutters to combat the searing summer heat. Adjoining the main house or scattered about the property were outhouses, garages, a swimming pool, and courts for badminton, croquet and cricket. Twenty hamals, six bais, two cooks, thirty gardeners, ten guards and an army of drivers and cleaners looked after this mini township which also had a dhobi ghat, a cowshed and stables with a horse for every member of the family. Exotic creatures and birds roamed the extensive grounds which were planted with all manner of trees and flowers and punctuated here and there with Greek statues, including a copy of the Venus De Milo, and serene lily ponds."

Amrita Shah, in her book Vikram Sarabhai - A Life, described the bungalow where Dr Sarabhai was born.