“I'm an artist and always had an eye for art, for meaningful objects,” says Shalini. She's sitting in the dining room of her home, simple, in a blue cotton dress. The table is groaning under teatime snacks, with tea served in vintage Meissen porcelain (there's no hostess quite like a Delhi hostess). I go to museums, scour antique shops, look at fabric, feel the textures of stone, and seek the provenance, and the beauty of an object. Shalini Passi keeps the art on a constant roller coaster; this home is not a museum and nothing is static here.