Author: Vijaya Rathore & Ravi Teja Sharma, ET Bureau
Publication: The Times of India
Date: May 30, 2014
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Modi-in-RCR-with-just-kurtas-a-coat-of-paint/articleshow/35771859.cms
 
Narendra Modi on Friday moved into 7 Race Course Road, the official residence of the Indian Prime Minister. Modi didn't asked for any changes to be made before he shifts, something that's surprised officials who are used to incoming occupants of government homes seeking several modifications.
 
A PMO official said the residence, vacated by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week, needs only a coat of paint and some cleaning of the furniture and curtains. No new furniture or decor is required.
 
Modi believes in spartan living. In that at least, he shares a trait with predecessor Manmohan Singh, who's also known for his simple lifestyle.
 
Officials in the special team at the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), which is entrusted with getting the PM's home ready, haven't been asked to make any changes. Some surmise this could be because Modi's a bachelor.
 
Families of ministers and parliamentarians who move into Lutyens Delhi bungalows usually come up with special requests for changes, from the colour of walls to upholstery, furniture and fittings.
 
''Maybe because the new PM comes without the baggage of a family, this time it's different,'' said one official. ''We are painting the house now and we may change upholstery if needed.''
 
A senior official at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), which loans artworks to the PM's house, said there had been no communication from the PMO for any changes.
 
Modi's residence as chief minister of Gujarat was minimalist in nature, with the living room having just four chairs and a small centre table. That home in Gandhinagar is in a compound shared with the governor of the state and nestles in a grove inhabited by swans, peacocks and other birds.
 
7 RCR is actually five bungalows - Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 - spread across 12 acres on Race Course Road, which has been blocked off for the PM's house and offices for the past three decades.
 
These bungalows were originally designed by Robert Tor Russell, who was part of British architect Edwin Lutyens' team when he was designing New Delhi in the 1920s and 1930s. Russell also designed Teen Murti Bhavan, Connaught Place and the Eastern and Western courts on Janpath.
 
After the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at her 1 Safdarjung Road bungalow in 1984, 7 RCR was chosen as a more secure location for son and successor Rajiv Gandhi. Today, No. 1 RCR is a helipad, No. 3 is where Manmohan Singh stayed with his wife and No. 5 was the guest house.
 
Modi will occupy No. 5 RCR as his residence instead of bungalow number 7, which has been the residence of his predecessors. Modi will use the bungalow number No. 7 as his office.
 
The last bungalow, No. 9 RCR, is occupied by the Special Protection Group that guards the PM.
 
In the 1980s, when 7 RCR was being set up for the new PM, his office was restored and designed by noted interior designer and architectural restorer Sunita Kohli. In 2005, she also restored No. 5. Over the years, many changes had been made to the houses - ceilings were lowered, rooms were divided and some structures were altered. All this had to be redone when it became the PM's residence.
 
Upinder Singh, the historian daughter of Manmohan Singh, said: ''The nicest aspect of the house was its lovely garden with its peacocks and many other birds. It was lovely to sit there under the sun in winters.''
 
Her father also didn't seek any alterations in the home he's moved into - another sprawling Lutyens bungalow that's just a kilometre or so away. The three-acre bungalow on Motilal Nehru Marg was earlier occupied by former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and is much larger than the bungalows on RCR. The home has four large bedrooms and a separate office block while the bungalow in which Singh was staying - 3 RCR had two bedrooms.
 
''These houses look the best when restored to their original form, just like the British imagined them. That is what we are doing at 7 RCR,'' said a CPWD official, who did not wish to be named.