Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai
“You know, a house is like a person’s body. The walls are like bones. The pipes are veins. It needs to breathe. It needs light and flow, and it all works together to keep us safe and healthy inside.” — Olivia Crain, Haunting of the Hill House.
For someone who loves traveling, I can tell you wherever you go in this world, there is no place like home. There sure is thrill and adventure out in the world, but comfort and familiarity are at home. Olivia’s character is an Interior designer, and she rightly mentioned that a lot of planning and passion goes into the structure of the house. It’s not surprising, after all, it is our haven, our forever. The only sense of stability in this rapidly changing world.
A lot of factors influence the structure of the house. Climate is one of the most important factors when it comes to building houses. Just like India is diverse in languages, customs, traditions, religion it is diverse in climate. Right from deserts, dense forests, overflowing rivers, and a coastal belt, we have it all. Towards the northern cold regions of India houses are built with stones, timbers, and mud. This makes thick walls that help in maintaining warmth inside. The roof of the houses is both slanting and flat depending upon the amount of rainfall and snowfall in that region. Regions with high fall have slanting roofs, whereas regions with low fall have flat roofs. Rainfall and snowfall are high in the hilly regions. Houses that are built on the hill often also have a stilted base, to protect the flooring from floods and landslides.
On my travel expeditions to the Himachal, I observed something very unique. Instead of building the storeys above one another, they were built below one another. The hotel we were staying at had the reception on the top floor, and the rooms below, the levels were -1, -2, and so on. The road led to the top floor, and not the ground floor. I was fascinated by it and now that I look back at it I realize it helps them keep warm. These regions have high altitudes, and the higher the altitude the colder the region. The use of wood for furniture and home décor is high in these places, as it is available in abundance. Himachal, Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, and Uttranchal are places with these types of houses.
The central belt of India consists of the plains. The climate is stable, and the rainfall is moderate. The speed of the river is moderate too, hence the region is fertile. Agriculture is practiced on a large scale, giving rise to big- long houses and bungalows of the landowners aka. Kothis. They are spacious because of two reasons: storage needs and joint families, the availability of land just makes it possible. These houses are huge, with beautiful verandas, front yards, and spacious backyards. Most of the houses have gardens adorned with a variety of flowers and fruit trees. These types of houses can be found in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
Rajasthan is the host for the Pink City, the Blue City, and the White City of India viz. Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur. These cities have got their respective names from the dominant color of their houses. Colossal houses popularly known as Haveli’s are also found in Rajasthan, though the reasons differ. Rajasthan has a lot of land, but a low population. Additionally, since agriculture is not widely practiced, it gives room for more usage of land for houses. Since the temperatures are higher in Rajasthan, the marble flooring and light colors help in keeping the houses cool. This is the result of the availability of natural elements in those geographical regions. Wood is not extensively used as Rajasthan has less number of forest and trees, due to the climatic and soil conditions. However, artisans here are extremely talented and make the most intricate carvings on gates and windows.
Exactly opposite to this are the climatic conditions of the coastal regions down South. Southern regions have extremely high rainfall, and hence all these houses have slanting roofs. Multi storeyed houses aren’t seen on a large scale in this region. Small single-storeyed individual houses are seen in huge numbers. These houses are generally very close to each other, keeping the community intact. Houses in Kerala have a courtyard right in the middle of their house, to ensure air circulation. These types of courtyards are also found in the Wadas of Maharashtra. The humidity is high, and this helps in cooling down the temperature naturally. Stilt houses can be found right next to the coastal regions, protecting the flooring from high tides. Wood, mud, and bricks are used to build these houses. The walls are not too thick and consist of a lot of windows. The houseboats in the backwaters of Kerala never fail to fascinate the visitors, in fact, they are one of Kerala’s major tourist attractions. Houseboats are found in the north too, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
A very visible divide exists between the North and the South when it comes to infrastructure imagery which makes it quite relieving to find a common ground. This reminds me of how carefully yet hysterically this conflict was presented in Two States (2014). Through situational dialogues, this movie puts forward the point of view that culture can play an important role when it comes to the image of your ideal house. I wouldn’t want to stereotype, but the movie depicted that Punjabis like houses filled with thick furniture and cushions, whereas South Indians like it spacious with minimum furniture and more space. One culture thinks that the other culture’s house is not up to the mark, they just fail to understand that geography has a role to play in it. The “ideal house” is the one that suits your needs and keeps you comfortable.
The north-east of India consists of tribes, some of them are nomadic. Since these regions lie on active tectonic plates, in the seismic zone, the structure of these houses is temporary and easy to rebuild. Bamboo houses are found in this region, because of the availability and convenience of rebuilding in case of an earthquake. Some of the houses in this region have stilt bases too. Natural colors like brown and green are dominant in this region. Tree-houses are also seen in forested areas of the north-east as well as across India majorly built for the tourists.
The concept of a Bungalow is not as foreign as we claim it to be. Bungalows have graced our country with their presence since ancient times. They go by different names depending on the region of their existence. Kothis, Havelis, Wada, there are many names to it. However with the increase in population, rampant urbanization, and the change in economic conditions, the number of bungalows being built is reducing, instead, skyscrapers are built in huge numbers, housing over thousands of people. Urban areas have a higher number of nuclear families, which don’t need a huge space since it needs to habitat only 4 people or less. 2BHKs and 1BHKs work well for such families. With single-young people moving to cities for job opportunities, the concept of studio flats is getting famous, these flats don’t have a separate bedroom, it’s a compact space for the people living alone. Though most of the working people in the urban cities live on a rental basis, these are the people who somehow manage to find a home in the place they reside, it might change in months, but it works for them. I think I speak for every Mumbaikar when I say that we have made peace with the compact spaces, mostly because we are always on the run. However, I have come across people who invest in real estate and enjoy the returns later. These are the landlords for the tenants who live on a rental basis. Foresighted people also make arrangements for their retirement homes in some quiet place away from the city they’re currently working in, generally, they choose their native place/home town for this purpose.
Class system has been present ever since the concept of money has come into existence, but with the emergence of heavily populated metropolitan cities, the harsh disparity is visible. Mumbai, the city that is a host for Antilia, the most expensive house in the world, also hosts the biggest slum in the world- Dharavi. The difference of the lifestyle of people residing in these areas is huge, while one household is struggling to make the bare necessities the other has riches that would last generations. We remember and visit the palaces of kings because they are majestic and used to belong to influential rich people. Though the houses of the poor may not look majestic, they have a soul. The hard work, togetherness, and warmth of everyone residing in the house brings it to life.
This soul comes from the people who inhabit it. People pour in their culture and heart into the look of the house, and hence the house resonates with the people who live within. The designs of the doors and windows, the home décor, and color are all influenced by the cultural background of the residents. Artisans from all over the country have spent years together designing the houses. Be is the Islamic designs of domes or the British designs of arches, every culture has something to contribute. The Mughals that came to India left us awestruck with their architecture; the Taj Mahal and The Red Fort being the best examples of this. The Parsis that came to India brought their fire temples and their peaceful Parsi colonies. The houses and other architecture built in the colonial times were highly influenced by Portugal, French, Dutch and British style of architecture. The tourist places in South Bombay, standstill as a proof of the British Raj. Whether the designs of the house have a minimalistic approach or a grandeur approach, it should resonate with the owner’s personality.
Home is one’s personal space, their safe place, their comfort zone, home is a feeling. No matter where you go in this world nothing feels as comforting as home. Every place every architecture has an aura to it, but one can deny that it feels good to be home. Just how every person is unique, every house is unique. Every house has a story to tell. It speaks through its color, its structure, the photos hanging on the wall, the flooring. We can tell its age, where it comes from, and whether it is being taken care of, just by taking a look at it. You understand a person deeper when you visit their house, it talks about their familial status, where they come from, their culture. I want to travel the world, but I want to come back home, in Mumbai. I know, Mumbai has heavy rains, has far too many people, excessive pollution, and several other problems; but those don’t matter. Mumbai is home to me, it’s where my heart belongs, it is a place where I can truly be myself. At some point in our lives, we design the perfect house for ourselves. I hope that you are living in your dream house, if not I hope you soon do. I hope that your home tells your story, kyuki, Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai. In this pandemic, my home kept me safe from all the dangers in the world, and I am grateful.
