Ethnic elegance (page 2)

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The home as it stands today is the recently rebuilt version of the spacious bungalow the couple had occupied for four decades.
The recreated home has a spacious and sunny courtyard in the hone's central area. Open to the Sky, it keeps the house awash with natural light and fresh air.

The study has no real doors-just intricately carved Kashmiri rosewood room dividers. Instead of being placed on the floor as they conventionally are, these were fixed midway to the entrance so as to partially screen the room. Visible above these dividers is a beautiful "jada', a heavily decorated artificial plait used by Yakshagana (Karnataka folk-dance) artists, mounted on a blind laced with a cotton sari.

Even the puja room shuns a regular door. Instead, there are two small, beautifully carved rosewood screens, part of a three-piece fireplace screen sourced from an old home. The third piece forms the top for a drawing-room Centre-table!

The couple also wanted an old-style courtyard. So, the recreated home has a spacious and sunny courtyard in the home's central area. Open to the sky, it keeps the house awash with natural light and fresh air. At the far end-on a specially created niche-a large Ganesha sits serenely, flanked by old wooden pillars. Fronting this is an old-fashioned swing. A Malaysian-made terracotta urn recently gifted by Vimala's friend Vyjayanthimala Bali occupies courtyard centrestage. Vimala has planted a lotus plant within and is waiting for it to blossom.

The floor is paved with terracotta tiles interspersed with patches of green for contrast. A carefully chosen mix of green bushes and colourful flowering plants line the courtyard which also sports benches with Cuddapah slabs. This space is used by the couple for reading, and for earlymorning and late-evening coffeesessions-a great way to take in the famed Bangalore weather. And also for the occasional party or informal gathering.

(Continues...)

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