So finally I came up on terms with my queen and decided to renovate our old ancestral house, ‘Kizhakkinipura’, meaning the house that faces the east. Being an amateur perfectionist, I called upon the best architects in Kochi, to get me a blueprint, which in no way should hinder the Vaastu maintained all over the house. We agreed upon the most innovative design, and started working towards the same. Renovation, in fact costs much more, as it involves knocking down of walls, creating new beams for support, multi-plastering, evacuating the mud tiled ceilings, flooring and last but not the least, painting. I was getting impatient day by day, as the wages of the workers went incompatible with the zigzag timings, they worked for me. I cursed my decision of not considering the building contract which Mr. Ramadasan, the Real-Estate Developer of our colony, had put forward.
The bedroom and living room were joined to form a spacious living room altogether. The door of the next bedroom was shifted to the left to maintain the ‘Vaayu Sanchaaram’(air- circulation), as per the Vaastu. A new ‘Puja Muri’ (prayer room) was also created and the dining room was thus shifted accordingly. All bedrooms in the first and second floors were made bathroom attached. The vitrified tiles gave a novel feel to the floor. The dining room became a bit gloomy, with only one window panel as the light and air passage. This really upset me as we had to switch on the light, even during the day time while dining.
But then, when you are not an expert, at supervising the process, it’s always better to hand over the same to the professionals. In deed I lost not only my precious time and hard earned money but in the hustle and bustle, the glory of my wooden furniture, some crystal showpieces and ever cherished antiques were also lost forever. Now when painting the house was something, yet to be done, the budget stood as a question mark before me. My queen turned pale, on my decision of compromising over the painting process. But then, just like any other typical Indian, for me too, family mattered more than money and I left the decision on her, but with a patriarchal anxiety and grin.
For the next three days I found her hovering over her laptop, every now and then. In between she used to come and ask for some color suggestions. I didn't pay much attention, as I had an ostensible notion, that finally when she gets fed up, she will compromise. But to my astonishment, on the third day, I found her filling a form, which made me more fretful to peep into her screen. She had finally landed over the website of Asian Paints. She called up their helpline and talked for a few minutes or so.
Exactly on the very fourth day, an executive from Asian Paints was at our door steps. I welcomed him with a double mind. After having tea, I found my queen having discussions with him over the colors to be used. She was smiling, which indicated that she was impressed, but the budget dangled over my head like a dagger. The gentleman assured me the best service, though I was still doubtful about the whole process. The very next day a bunch of painters came with technologically advanced machinery. We never thought that it would be that quick, so we hadn't moved our furniture and other valuables. To my surprise, they did it all and there was a motherly care in their handling of every bit and pieces. They covered the entire floor and the wooden furniture with plastic. Their electric rollers gave a classy finishing over the walls. As they had suggested, we used pure white color in the dining room, and unexpectedly it eradicated the gloominess of the room. The sunlight from that one window was enough, and the white color did the rest to light up the room. The room of the children were made more colorful with caricatures. The prayer room was painted in wooden brown, which gave it a gorgeous look, especially in the dim light of the oil lamp. All new bathrooms were painted to match the respective bedroom's color. They used different paints for interior and exterior in accordance with the climate of Kerala. I was awestruck at the wood finishing and was getting impressed by their professionalism and the beauty of my house. The next surprise, which awaited me, was the bill. Yes, it was much cheaper than expected.
I was very proud of my queen for bringing Asian Paints, home. They not only add beauty to my walls but colors to my life also. My house has turned out to be the best house in the colony, which constitutes even the modern villas of the times. We didn't even require an interior designer, as they brought home, the whole package of wonders. Now-a-days the passersby come and ask me for suggestions, and I simply direct them to the helpline of Asian paints. Some of my relatives envy and some accolade, but I enjoy both.
NB:This post is in accordance with Asian Paints- Great Ways To Create A Beautiful Home Blogger Contest
