M.V. Manikandan, founder and CMD, Adissia Developers; L.V. Navaneeth, CEO, The Hindu Group; B. Rajkumar, TN Minister for Housing and Urban Development; Arun M.N., managing director, Casagrand; Sundar Kondur, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) of The Hindu Group Publishing Private Limited, at the inaugural session of The Hindu Real Estate & Urban Infrastructure Summit 2026, in Chennai.
| Photo Credit: Bijoy Ghosh
“Today our residential communities are, in many ways, the size of a village,” said Founder and Managing Director of Casagrand, Arun M.N. What was once a village of 500 to 5,000 homes was now being recreated within a single gated development, he added. “We ensure the whole community [whole village] interacts during events and festivals, and we even go and organise things for them,” he said during a fireside chat with the CEO of The Hindu Group, L.V. Navaneeth, on the topic ‘Building the Next Decade: The New Growth Blueprint for Real Estate’.
Mr. Arun said that at Casagrand, communities were not standalone residential units which were islands. “We have ensured that residents interact through thoughtfully designed common corridors, shared spaces, seating areas and seating corners across the community. Today, we do much larger balconies. Earlier, a balcony was simply a place to step out and stand. Now, we ensure there is enough space for a coffee table,” he added.
‘Emotional purchase’
Mr. Arun also spoke about buyer profiles and said there were still a large number of first-time homebuyers in India today, and this trend was likely to continue for the next couple of decades. “Buying a home is an extremely emotional purchase for people. But today’s buyers are exposed to international amenities, specifications and great homes. They want greater comfort, lifestyle, prestige and pride….all of which have become an integral part of the home-buying journey,” he added.
Mr. Arun also pointed out how different each city was. Each city had its own culture. Though Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad were cities from the South, they were all different from one another, according to him. “Chennai does not have to show off, Hyderabad shows off everything. Pune is more of business…it is a miniature version of Mumbai. Bengaluru has so much of flashiness,” he said.
‘Larger aspiration’
Though Chennai had been the backbone for the company, Mr. Arun said: “We have a larger aspiration and we have to move to bigger cities. We have moved into cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. We have set offices in Delhi, Mumbai and Dubai. And this will offer larger volumes for us. We have added more verticals like warehousing,” he said. To a query on the future of urban living, he said it would be high rise. “It’s far more healthier.” Mr. Arun said.
The Real Estate and Infrastructure Summit 2026 is presented by Casagrand in association with Adissia Developers. The event is supported by — Associate Partners: Navin’s and Mindspace REIT; Banking Partner: State Bank of India; Insurance Partner: United India Insurance; Academic Partner: Saveetha College of Architecture & Design; Industry Partner: CREDAI Chennai; Television Partner: Puthiya Thalaimurai; and Digital News Partner: The Federal.
Published – July 30, 2026 09:49 pm IST
