MAM
Painting by numbers India’s colour choices get a replay in 2025
MUMBAI: If walls could talk, India’s homes would tell a surprisingly consistent story. In a country known for its riot of hues, nearly half of Indian consumers quietly stuck to the same 20 shades through 2025 proof that when it comes to colour, comfort still trumps chaos.
That insight emerges from Birla Opus Replay, a first-of-its-kind national snapshot by Birla Opus Paints that looks back at how Indians actually painted their homes last year. Built on millions of real purchase decisions captured through Birla Opus Tinting Machines, the initiative skips trend forecasts and designer predictions, focusing instead on what people chose across towns, cities and seasons from Kupwara to Kanyakumari.
The data reveals a country balancing loyalty with occasional bursts of experimentation. While whites and neutrals dominated overall, warmer tones such as yellows, oranges and blues quietly claimed second and third place in household preferences, especially during festive moments.
Leading the charts was Fort Kochi, a dark bluish-grey from the neutrals family, which emerged as India’s most travelled shade. More than 6 lakh litres were sold across 30,000-plus dealers, enough paint, Birla Opus estimates, to coat Mumbai’s Marine Drive multiple times over. Close behind was Morning Birdsong, a light bluish-grey that found its way into the homes of over 5 lakh consumers, making it one of the country’s most popular light neutrals.
Regional choices, meanwhile, painted distinct stories. North India leaned into earthy, muted palettes anchored by trusted neutrals, with Fort Kochi again leading the way. The South stood apart for its love of whites and light tones, a preference most pronounced in Kerala, where Compact on Skin, a pale orange, topped the charts. Western India favoured light, modern hues such as Easy Hope, a very light blue, reflecting contemporary urban architecture. East India gravitated towards richer midtones and darker hues, with Just Woke Up, a pale yellow, emerging as a regional favourite. Central India preferred cooler, nature-inspired colours, led by Goodbye Winter, a soft yellowish green.
Timing mattered too. Over 35,000 homes were painted during the onset of the monsoon, with blues and greens dominating choices. Diwali told a more split story: over 14,000 litres of vibrant festive shades were sold alongside 8,000-plus litres of minimalist whites, suggesting tradition and restraint comfortably co-exist.
What stands out is not just variety, but consistency. These patterns appeared across metros, tier-two cities and smaller markets alike, pointing to a nationwide confidence in familiar shades, tempered by seasonal curiosity.
By turning raw purchase data into a national colour diary, Birla Opus Replay offers a rare look at how Indians engage with colour not as abstract trends, but as everyday decisions shaped by emotion, occasion and trust. In a year of bold claims, India, it seems, painted thoughtfully.
Digital
Anthropic eyes $900bn valuation in new funding round ahead of IPO: Reports
Claude maker may surpass OpenAI as investor interest heats up sharply
SAN FRANCISCO: Anthropic is exploring a fresh funding round that could value the company at more than $900 billion, potentially making it the world’s most valuable artificial intelligence startup, according to Bloomberg reports.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg News reported that the Claude maker is in early-stage discussions with investors and is entertaining offers at more than double its current valuation. No deal has been finalised yet.
The interest marks a sharp jump from February this year, when Anthropic raised $30 billion at a valuation of $380 billion. Since then, investor appetite appears to have intensified, with multiple pre-emptive offers on the table.
According to TechCrunch, the company has received proposals to raise around $50 billion at valuations ranging between $850 billion and $900 billion. A decision is expected to be taken at a board meeting in May.
If the deal goes through at the upper end of that range, Anthropic would overtake OpenAI, which was valued at $852 billion in March, to become the most valuable AI startup globally.
The potential fundraise also comes against the backdrop of a possible initial public offering, which could be launched as early as October, the Bloomberg report noted.
The company counts tech heavyweights such as Amazon and Google, part of Alphabet, among its key backers. Both firms have continued to deepen their ties with Anthropic through multi-billion-dollar, performance-linked investments.
Interestingly, earlier reports had suggested that Anthropic was cautious about raising funds at valuations of $800 billion or more. The latest developments, however, indicate that market enthusiasm for advanced AI models and infrastructure may be shifting those thresholds quickly.
As the race for AI dominance accelerates, Anthropic’s next move could set a new benchmark for startup valuations, and signal just how high investors are willing to bet on the future of artificial intelligence.
