World’s Expensive House: Villa Vari, a $200 million (around 1,649 crore) architectural masterpiece built by the Indo-Swiss billionaire couple Pankaj and Radhika Oswal, is now listed among the top 10 most expensive homes in the world. Under the direction of renowned interior designer Jeffrey Wilkes, who previously created the iconic Oberoi Rajvilas, Oberoi Udaivilas, Mandarin Oriental, and Leela Hotels, the Oswals lavishly transformed the Swiss mansion, which originally belonged to Greek businesswoman, socialite, and heiress to the Onassis fortune, Christina Onassis.
This custom-built rural getaway, which is 40,000 square meters in size and overlooks the snow-covered summits of Mt. Blanc, exudes opulence and beauty. Villa Vari, the largest property in the Canton of Vaud, is situated in the Swiss village of Gingins, which is only 15 minutes from Geneva, a lakefront metropolis.
With their gifted daughters Vasundhara, 24, and Ridi, 18, the forty-something power couple Pankaj and Radhika Oswal have lived in Switzerland for the past ten years and are now all settled in their magnificent new home, Villa Vari, which bears their beloved children’s names. Vasundhara, who majored in finance with distinction, later rose to executive director positions at PRO Industries and Axis Minerals. In addition to being a successful singer-songwriter in the Indo-Western pop genre, Ridi is a chemical engineering student at a university in London.
The Pankaj Oswal family, who are worth over $3 billion USD (247 thousand crore) and have a notable business portfolio that includes petrochemicals, real estate, fertilizers, and mining, have always preferred to avoid the spotlight. The multibillion-dollar global conglomerate “Oswal Group Global” is home to businesses like “PRO Industries PTE LTD,” which also owns the largest modern ethanol plant in East Africa, “Axis Minerals,” which is involved in one of the largest bauxite mining projects in West Africa, and “Burrup Fertilizers,” which is based in Australia and produces the most liquid ammonia in the world. Aside from business, the family’s aim was to refurbish “Villa Vari” and turn it into a grand estate that honors their Indian ancestry while brimming with flair, glitz, and excitement.
Source: Bureau
