The quintessential Indian ideology of ‘atithi devo bhava’- which means ‘treat a guest like God’ is embodied in the soul of almost every Gujarati home. In this Gujarat-special issue, then, the top spot of Insite Story was automatically grabbed by some gorgeous Gujarati homes in Gujarat, designed by Gujarati-led design firms! Whilst we were spoilt for choice with the astounding array we scanned, we hand-picked these five for the cover story.

Over five decades, Prof. Charanjit Singh Shah has left an indelible mark on India’s landscape, from iconic airports to cultural hubs. Dubbed as the “King of Airports in India,” Prof. Shah's accolades, including the ‘Jewel of Punjab’ and ‘Architect of the Year Award,’ reflect his transformative influence. His global projects, endorsed by Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi, position India as an architectural powerhouse.

Rajasthan International Centre designed by Jaipurbased Pramod Jain & Associates was intended as a platform for dialogue between intellectuals, artisans, professionals, public servants, entrepreneurs and people from Rajasthan, India and abroad. Creating a network for sharing their knowledge and experience, it serves as a cultural hub for fostering cross-cultural understanding, intellectual exchange, and socio- economic development.

This season of Asian Paints’ home décor series, ‘Where the Heart Is’ features celebrity homes. Our celeb this month is well-known film director Karan Johar who shares his home with his mother and his twins. Karan, despite his flamboyance and flair, is known to be a homebody, a devoted son and a doting father. Let’s see him at ‘home’!

We can close our eyes and meditate. Whatever be the faith we have, the God we pray to, the Almighty we beseech – prayer kindles a spiritual joy in our hearts. The same prayer done in a place of worship takes the joy several notches higher. Here, we examine five places of worship of different faiths – and understand how architectural compositions done in a contemporary context induce spiritual uplifting of the human soul.