Positive trends like increasing flow of private equity and global capital into the real-estate sector and renewed government focus on housing augur well for Indian realty that has seen a spurt in demand lately in both affordable housing and uber-luxe properties. A case in point is the launch of India’s first Trump-branded property in Pune by Atul and Sagar Chordia of Panchshil Realty that indicates a buoyant top-end of the market, which the brothers have successfully exploited. We have featured the dynamic and well-connected duo on our cover this issue, who have changed the Pune skyline with some of the country’s finest properties. The famed havelis of Shekhawati stand as reminders of past Marwari grandeur with their imposing structures and ornate frescoed walls and interiors that have earned the region the nickname ‘open art gallery’. Once the abodes of rich Marwari merchants, who made their fortunes in faraway cities, they stand abandoned now, screaming for the attention they deserve. Our photo essay by photojournalist Sugato Mukherjee on this rightly-called ‘open art gallery’ takes you on a colourful journey to bring to life the fading glories of these havelis that are slowly ebbing from public memory. Coming to Marwaris’ growing reputation in the literary world, writer Sujit Saraf’s new novel Harilal & Sons makes for a compulsive read. It takes readers on an epic journey as 12-year-old Harilal Tibrewal travels from Rajasthan to Bengal to Bihar, growing from a shopkeeper selling jute, cotton and spices to the owner of a large enterprise. We bring you excerpts from the book.