Aneela Nike Post: Peek into an Indian Home

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Peek into an Indian Home

An Indian home is like any other home around the world. But there are some peculiarities or specific things about Indian homes, which again vary from state to state from North to South India and West to East India; and also from city or urban areas to towns and rural areas. Depending on the stature of the family, they may reside in an apartment, villa, cottage, bunglow or a mansion.........

Housing in India varies from huge palaces of erstwhile maharajas to modern high rise apartment buildings in big cities to huts in far flung villages. There has been a tremendous growth in India’s housing sector as incomes have risen. There’s been a western influence in residential buildings and towers. But the coziness, comfort design and décor of traditional Indian homes are missing. The old traditional homes and architecture was very much in sync with nature. A connection with nature made homes more eco friendly. The main construction material used are, stones, bricks and wood. In south India, one can see Mangalore tile roofing which provides a natural cool atmosphere. The architecture and design of the structure reflect the climate and lifestyle of the area or region.

The traditional Haveli could be made of sandstone, marble, wood, plaster or granite in various combinations but what these Rajasthani traditional houses boast, is the intricate craftsmanship and colours. The exterior of such Havelis were always grand. Homes around India adopted courtyard as a way to respond to the climate of their respective regions. In summer, convection draws warm air out of the rooms around the courtyard, and they are sheltered from the hot summer desert wind colloquially called loo in this region. Just as this Haveli, in western India, especially in Maharashtra we find Wadi or Wadas, big airy mansion type homes owned by a family. Looking at the homes, one could guess the stature of the family.

But most common type of houses in India, are apartments in major towns and cities. It’s a residential unit or flats inside a building or tall tower building, mainly made of concrete. The flat ranges from small to big flats. From a hall or living room, one bedroom and a kitchen to a hall, kitchen with multiple bedrooms, servant quarters and car parking. And group of buildings known as a complex have modern facilities and amenities like gardens, jogging track, swimming pool, play area for kids, tennis and badminton courts and a gymnasium. Some even have a library and a mini theatre depending on the area and cost of these apartments.

Bunglows are known for its old residential architecture that is normally owned by a well to do family. Then you also find cozy cottages with greenery around in the midst of nature. Villas and eco-friendly homes and farmhouses are ideal homes to live in. There are huge mansions, especially in Chettinad in Tamil Nadu. With beautiful architecture, large well decorated rooms with furniture and fixtures made of seasoned teak wood. Unfortunately no body lives there any more as the original inhabitants have migrated to South East Asia decades ago, mainly Malaysia, Singapore and other countries. These huge empty mansions are like a ghost town. Presently some enterprising locals have converted these magnificent houses into hotels with foreign tourists coming to stay and experience and learn more about these unique and majestic structures and ancient Indian architecture.

Indians love to make their home look cozy and comfortable with soft pastel colours and some like loud colours drawing attention. With colourful furnishing and attractive curtains or drapes, give it a modern and traditional look. Indians by and large are known for their hospitality, a comfortable stay and delicious food with the touch of local cuisine. For lighting homes, LED tube lights, show lamps, dim lights and chandeliers are common, with fans, coolers and air-conditioners in most homes. They see to it that their guests are happy and comfortable staying in their homes be it big or small. And love to serve delicious meals and offer an experience of the cuisine of that region.

Indian homes are generally simple, welcoming with a sense of coziness and love as Indians believe in Vasudeva Kutumb, which means the world is a family. Indian homes are known for warmth and hospitality. Most Indians believe in tradition and follow Vastu Shastra while selecting or constructing a house, particularly pertaining to the location and position of the house, entrance, doors, windows, kitchen, bathroom, toilet, water tank etc. In cities one cannot follow these Vastu principals strictly. They believe that if a home is Vastu compliant, it brings good luck and prosperity to the residents. Vastu Shastra is an ancient science for better construction of a home or any type of structure, which conveys the positive aspects regarding the location and direction of a home, the position of doors, windows, kitchen, bathroom, toilet, well, water tank and sewerage, etc. These are supposed to bring in positive vibes into a home. These positive vibrations lead to a comfortable, peaceful and happy home. Most of the Indians tend to follow it at least in part if not fully as it’s not practical to practice it fully in a city due to lack of space.

In most Indian homes, especially the Hindu homes you may notice a Tulsi plant in a decorative platform and pot. It’s considered auspicious at the entrance of homes. As you enter inside a Indian home, in some cases you find a verandha as its locally called, courtyard or a small open area to sit out, relax and remove the footwear and keep any other items you may carry befor you enter the living room. In the living room, apart from the couch or the sofa set and a colourful carpet laid out, you will find a TV set, music player or a sound system and a TV console, which is colloquially called a showcase where artifacts, photos, memorabilia collected from family travels to different places are displayed.

Being in the hall, it’s visible to the guests. One also finds traditional artifacts or metal or stone statues or figures or a handicraft or hangers made of cloth, mat or wooden hanging on the wall. One can normally guess the origin of the family looking at the displays at their homes. Generally these are either bought when they have gone on a holiday or have been gifted by close friends or relatives. One may also notice indoor plants and flowers that add touch of natural beauty to a home. In the hall or the drawing room one may also notice photographs of family members, places or events like marriage, etc or may have metal or stone statues or paintings on display. Hindus have a mandir or a small temple with statue or photo of Hindu Gods, Christians have their altar and Muslims holy verse from the Quran. Seeing this, you can guess the religion of the family.

In the dining area, you will see a well-laid out table with a neat table cloth cover or dinning mats or runners. It may be with four or six chairs depending on the size of the dining table and room area. In very traditional homes, they still prefer to sit down and eat, which is considered to be quite natural and healthy way to eat meals. During festivals, Indians have a traditional meal on a banana leaf or a stitched plate made of leaves. And this is generally eaten sitting down on a mat. This is considered to be healthy and good for the body and mind. Normally you will notice a wash basin nearby as most Indians are hygiene conscious and tend to eat by hand, the traditional way of eating; and have breakfast, snacks, lunch or dinner sitting down and eat by hand. In most homes, though eating is by hand, they have fork and spoon for people who are not comfortable to use their hands.

In India, you get to see from a large and spacious homes to medium size and small homes. Large homes need house help and servants, while smaller homes can be managed with a help of a maid and sometimes it’s difficult to even get maids and one has to manage on his own. Especially in big cities where there’s a space crunch, you find small homes like in London, New York or any other city in the world. Bigger the home, the more difficult and expensive it is to maintain the home. In some areas it is difficult to get house help too.

In India, it is believed kitchen is a place where an Indian woman or a housewife spends almost eighty percent of her life time cooking meals for her family. As kitchen elsewhere, it has a platform made of granite, marble or stone with a sink in a corner and provision for water, in some cases, hot and cold water. And you have a gas stove, or a gas hob or a cooking range with an exhaust fan or a kitchen chimney to throw out the heat. Apart from this one may find the modular kitchen with cabinets and kitchen trolley. In most homes cooking is done with gas cylinders or pipeline gas depending on the availability. In many homes the refrigerator, washing machine, oven, toaster and dish washer are kept in the kitchen. In most Indian kitchens, pressure cooker, coated pans, steel utensils, unbreakable crockery are common. And in many homes, pans and utensils for cooking vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals are separate.

In Indian homes the bathroom and toilet are generally separate while many prefer to have it combined with on the one side you have a commode with flush and water faucet. And on the other side you have shower, taps for hot and cold water. And at the entrance, you will find a wash basin with a mirror for washing hands, shaving, brushing, etc. And nearby is a spare plug and switch for shaver, trimmer or hair dryer. Besides you will find either an electric or gas geyser for heating water.

Indian bedrooms are a very cozy place where the family members relax, chat and sometimes discuss family matters. Here one notices a large double bed with comfortable mattresses, pillows and blankets. Apart from this, you will notice a large wardrobe for clothes, dressing table and a cupboard to keep miscellaneous items. Along with the ceiling fan, you also have an air conditioner to cool when the climate tends to get hot. Here you will find a LED tube light and a dim light or a foot lamp. Most of the master bedrooms have an attached toilet too.

Home is a home as in any part of the world, homely, cozy and comfortable. But Indian homes have something special that makes it more inviting, pleasant and friendly whether it’s big or small or whether it’s in a rural or urban area and whether it’s a villa or a high rise apartment. May be it’s the combination of the home and friendly people and the hospitality that makes it different and special. The nature of Indians is such that it makes even a stranger or a guest, a part of the family and community.

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Aneela Nike Post

Tuesday 9 November 2021

Peek into an Indian Home

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