BMW X5
She is the czarina of the ship-shape world, while he is her trusted aide, faithful husband and the “best driver” she has got, all rolled into one. P Tharyan meets up with a couple in love with themselves, their work, their family and their ‘retinue’ of carefully-chosen cars.

“My husband Mukesh is the only man I can trust to drive a superb car like our BMW X5. ”

I must confess that for the last several years I have been fighting a losing battle of the bulge. No matter what silly aerobics I’ve resorted to, the stubborn fat around my waist refuses to let go. And here I was, about to meet India’s leading businesswoman with a string of VLCC slimming centres all over the country, specialising in cutting to size fat blobs like me!
I reluctantly grabbed an XXL shirt (there’s no other way of hiding the bulge) and dashed off to meet the uncrowned queen of fitness, health and beauty. Boy, she was slim, smart and carried herself well. As for her husband, he was entirely in love with her. Between them they proudly own a BMW X5, a Lexus 400, a Mercedes 220 CDI, a Merc 123, a Toyota Estima and a handful of Indian cars. Whew!
Mukesh Luthra has no hang-ups with telling me that he is his wife’s official driver. And a favourite one too! “He is really a good driver and I trust no one else to drive me. At times he is rash, yet he is enjoyable. He’s the best driver I have got,” Vandana says with rock-solid confidence. or the next several minutes she gets into a feverish pitch defending her husband’s driving skills, explaining how comfortable and secure she feels with Mukesh behind the wheels. Mukesh, who is sitting beside her, smiles with a naughty glint in his eyes. He whispers, “I am her Man Friday!” Whatever, they seem to be enjoying their togetherness to the hilt.
The BMW X5 is the couple’s car for an outing. Be it holidays to the hills, late-evening drives, or the routine travel from home to office and back.
So why doesn’t Vandana drive? “I used to drive when I was young and even after marriage. I have driven the Fiat-Premier Padmini. But then I have never liked driving, it’s uncomfortable,” she says without any hesitation. But she is particularly pleased with her Lexus. “I simply enjoy the car, in fact I am attached to the car,” she admits.
For the lady who is determined to make people look good, her level of comforts is also top notch. Inside the plush interiors of the Lexus 400 is a high-end audio system that spreads sound through several pairs of high-quality Bose speakers. After a hard day’s work, within the insulated confines of the luxury sedan, Vandana unwinds, listening to the soothing music. She enjoys listening to music with the air-conditioner chilling the interiors of her car. But such uninterrupted bliss does not come everyone’s way. Especially, for the one who is driving the vehicle. Mukesh is generally looking out for scooterists and those on motorcycles who get harrowingly close to his marques while on the road. “Even though traffic conditions are improving with the widening of roads in Delhi, the two-wheeler guys leave me petrified. They have this ability to sneak by your side and scratch your vehicle,” he points out helplessly. He once even hit a stray cow that jumped before his speeding Merc. The Merc got all twisted and mangled while the cow survived!
On visits to their farmhouse in Sohna and other places in north India, it’s the mighty BMW X5 that does them service. While Mukesh takes to the wheels, another car or two follow behind them, justVANDANA & MUKESH LUTHRA
BMW X5 in case. So it’s a retinue of cars that winds its way up to the hills on a scorching summer day. Life cannot be more deserving for such a successful couple.
I run my hands gently over my stomach and realise the hopelessness of the girth. We had talked enough about cars. I ask her whether it’s easy to cut flab. Yes, she says, “go for the right kind of food. Food that is rich in fibre content.” No sweat, I feel. I walk out of the Luthra office, leaving behind a couple in love.