The Old Merchant Communities

Abstract

Mandi House in Lutyens’ Delhi is a converging point for dilettante artists, amorous poets, budding musicians, and radical playwrights: understandable, as the area is home to institutions like the National School of Drama, Kathak Kendra, Shri Ram Centre for Art and Culture, Sahitya Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi, and Triveni Kala Sangam. In this very high culture zone, standing out like clear soup in a grand Mughal banquet, is Federation House. Headquarters of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), this sombre and stolid four-storeyed building epitomizes the country’s old business establishment. As one ascends its narrow, neatly-tiled stairs leading to its offices and conference halls, there are black-and-white pictures of FICCI’s presidents from 1927 onwards, down to the most recent incumbent. Their profile says it all: four out of every five are from traditional merchant communities.