Because Home is for a Lifetime…

The blazing hot sun is slaying the Earth, roaring with laughter on its ‘heat vibes only’ mode. Tones of coconut water or sparkling, volcanic waters fail as we gulp down whatever liquid our perspiring bodies can use right now. We march in absolute slow-motion like a pair of super heroes geared up with tools to save us from getting baked and roasted.

 We visit a new site every now and then to watch the high rise touch the sky, realise that the entire township has been booked, with a flat or two remaining because no potential buyer really wanted them. Funny, but all the flats are gone, always, as the obese sales agents shake their heads looking hopelessly at our faces. I am like, who are these folks who buy all the flats even before the ground has been dug for the plinth. Where do they come from? Do they sit at home exploring city topography on their GPS the whole time?

We hop to the brand new apartments coming to life at the outskirts of the city charmingly called ‘city next’. Barely next to the city, they border another town altogether and offer wildlife view with network-free air where cell phones are lifeless objects. And guess what, someone’s already booked every corner of these forest towers too.

The one-room-hall-kitchen apartments are the funniest because they are tinier than the tiniest rabbit hole and I think, had I been a little fatter, I wouldn’t have fit through that show- flat entrance door! And yet they are all set to cause a deep dent in your bank account. These aren’t houses, these are pretty photo frames which look good but have you stuck for the rest of your lives. 

Laurie Baker, a British architect who became an Indian citizen, built cost-effective, energy-efficient homes, for the poor and did magic on our land. He built homes that resisted natural calamities. He seldom used cement but played with bricks. Aesthetically pleasing, these homes were natural air conditioners that offered a huge scope for creativity. They were made for humans, planned for the benefit of an individual who could feel stress free at  home.

Although property rates are constantly on the rise, and homes in Indian metropolitan cities come no easy, are we really being thought about?

A basic home is so much more than a shelter. It’s almost the person’s face who resides in it. To be able to rush back home after a hectic day with glee, to lie on the floor staring at the grand abyss of a ceiling with your loved one or a pet, to decorate chosen corners by handmade objects or handpicked antiques, to have dedicated places for furniture and place them together, to have friends over for the slumber nights, to let the sun rays naturally brighten the rooms, to sip the morning coffee with him or her in the balcony are indeed the most treasured moments. They make a house a home.

That’s how a cute rented apartment is pampering us right now… till then, I hope to race with the city and book a home that touches the clouds and better still make one ourselves (literally) with Laurie Baker handbook!