India, April 19 -- In Mumbai, where ageing buildings standing on prime real estate are known to pass into the redevelopment maze, one structure built in 1972 has chosen a different path - that of reimagining its past instead of fading out.

The Panchratna building, a landmark near Opera House, which was once the centre of India's diamond trade, with around 90% of the country's diamond deals passing through it, has now returned to its original avatar - evidenced by the line of clothes drying outside windows of apartments on the upper floors. This was possible as the diamond traders moved their businesses from here to the Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB), in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), and Surat, Gujarat. 121 of its 144 flats, which once served ...