Amazing Facts about Prime Ministers Residence

7 Race Course Road (currently known as 7, Lok Kalyan Marg), or 7 RCR, has been the prime minister's official residence for the past 30 years. It is a cluster of five bungalows - Numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 - on an avenue lined with putranjiva trees rather than a single house. A helipad is available at Bungalow 1. Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur have lived in Bungalow 3 for the past ten years. Bungalow 5 was previously used by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Rajiv Gandhi. 

Narendra Modi is likely to choose the 5 RCR used for guests during Singh's reign. Apart from his office in South Block, Bungalow 7 is the prime minister's official workplace, hence the name 7 RCR. The Special Protection Group (SPG), the elite group in charge of the prime minister's protection, is based at Bungalow 9 RCR. There is a tennis court at this home. In this post, we will look at some of the amazing facts about Prime Minister’s residence.

History of 7, Lok Kalyan Marg

Previously, India's Prime Ministers lived in their own homes or homes assigned to them by Parliament due to their status as an MP. Jawaharlal Nehru moved into Teen Murti Bhavan. This was formerly known as Flagstaff House. It served as the home for the Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army in British India. The structure was turned into the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in 1984 after Nehru's death in 1964.

Lal Bahadur Shastri, India's next Prime Minister, chose 10 Janpath as his official residence from 1964 until 1966. It was then given to the Congress (I) party, albeit a portion of it was turned into a biographical museum, the Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial and Museum, which is located next to the complex at 1, Motilal Nehru Place (previously 10, Janpath). Sonia Gandhi, the temporary President of the Congress, is the present occupant of No. 10 Janpath.

It was converted into the Indira Gandhi Memorial and Museum after Indira Gandhi was assassinated at her 1, Safdarjung Road residential garden while walking to her neighbouring 1, Akbar Road office for an interview on October 31, 1984. Before Indira Gandhi, former Chief Justice of India, Sudhi Ranjan Das lived at this home.

In 1984, Rajiv Gandhi and his family moved into the 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, formerly known as 7, Race Course Road.

When V. P. Singh was elected Prime Minister, the Ministry of Urban Affairs designated the 7, Race Course Road premises occupied by Rajiv Gandhi as the permanent residence and office of the Prime Minister of India, ensuring that all subsequent prime ministers would be assigned the same house upon taking office. Accordingly, on May 30, 1990, the government issued a notification designating these bungalows as the official residence of the Indian Prime Minister.

Narendra Modi, India's 14th and current Prime Minister, chose 5, Race Course Road as his residence because the former 7, Race Course Road, was being renovated at the time after his predecessor Manmohan Singh had abandoned it. Modi's office is now located at 7, Race Course Road.

The Layout of PM House

For the past three decades, only one entrance to 7 RCR has been shut off for the PM's house and offices. During Prime Minister VP Singh's tenure, 7 RCR became the Prime Minister's lone official home. On what was once known as Race Course Road, 7 RCR has five houses, numbered 1,3, 5, 7, and 9, sprawled across 12 acres. No. 1 RCR is a helipad.

No. 5 was the guest house, which is currently the Prime Minister's residence, and No. 6 was the bungalow where Manmohan Singh slept. The Prime Minister's office is now located at No. 7. The last bungalow, No. 9, is occupied by the Special Protection Group, which is in charge of protecting the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister's complex is officially known as Panchavati. Robert Tor Russell designed the bungalows that make up the Prime Minister's home at 7 Race Course Road. Sunita Kohli, a prominent interior designer and architectural restorer, repaired and designed 7 RCR after it was turned into the PM's official house in the 1980s.

As you approach the office at 7 RCR, there are two small rooms on either side for each of the two personal secretaries. Then there's a little corridor to the right with a visitor's room. A hall for meeting guests is located further ahead. The living room, which can accommodate bigger meetings, is adjacent to the dining room, which hosts breakfast and lunch meetings. Finally, Panchvati, which may be divided into two or three conference rooms or a huge banquet hall, is accessible by a corridor from 7 RCR. This is where Singh welcomed David Cameron, George Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama.

The National Gallery of Modern Art has loaned artwork to hang on the walls (NGMA). The works are adjusted every now and then, according to an NGMA official, in cooperation with the prime minister's office. During his trips overseas, Singh receives a variety of presents, including paintings, keepsakes, metallic bowls, and tea sets, which are either displayed at 7 RCR or sent to the toshakhana (treasure house).

Amazing Facts about Prime Minister’s Residence

Listed below are some of the interesting facts about the residence & protocol of PM.

1. Rajiv Gandhi was the first Prime Minister to stay at  7, Lok Kalyan Marg in 1984. He arrived to stay at the official mansion with his family. The Prime Minister's complex is officially known as Panchavati. It was erected in the 1980s on Race Course Road in New Delhi.

2. The bungalows of the Prime Minister's home at 7 Race Course Road were designed by Robert Tor Russell, a member of British architect Edwin Lutyens' team during the 1920s and 1930s when he was designing New Delhi.

3. During Prime Minister V P Singh's tenure, 7 RCR was designated as the official residence of the Prime Minister. He turned the house into a permanent residence for the Prime Minister. Prior to him, Prime Ministers were assigned to the same bungalows as the MPs.

4. 7 RCR is made up of five bungalows: 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, as well as 5, Race Course Road, the Prime Minister's Private Residential Zone. Special Protection Group (SPG) possesses Bungalow 9, whereas Bungalow 3 has been turned into a hotel for PM's visitors.

5. The Prime Minister's house is on a 12-acre plot of land. It does not have a Prime Minister's Office, unlike 10 Downing Street, although it does feature a conference room for informal gatherings. Narendra Modi has opted to work from the seventh bungalow, often known as Bungalow No. 7. He'll be staying in Bungalow No. 5 for the time being.

6. Without his family, Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister to live at the 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. However, it is expected that Badri, his 12-year cook, will accompany him to the Prime Minister's mansion. For more than a decade, Badri has been staying with Modi at bungalow no. 26 in Gandhinagar, the Gujarat chief minister's official residence.

7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will use the interlinking tunnel to relieve traffic congestion between 7 RCR and Safdarjung Airport. On the Delhi Metro's Yellow Line, the Race Course Metro Station is located.

Did you know?

Do you know that during Prime Minister VP Singh's reign, 7 Lok Kalyan Marg became the Prime Minister's official residence? He turned the house into a permanent residence for the Prime Minister. Prior to him, Prime Ministers lived in the other bungalows given to them as members of Parliament.