I have been extremely fortunate to experience the “Architecture” of real and virtual things from my birth. Generally Architecture is related to buildings, however it has great relation with everything we see around us, the fundamental of anything we want to achieve depends on the perfect architecture that defines it.
The design and architecture of Kunnumkulam house was like a citadel for me. This is where I started observing and learning creativity, when my parents and Amma’s siblings from south met Valiappachen and his group of amazingly talented craftsmen from north, construction, business, worship, creativity, cooking, jewelry, costume, antiques, manufacturing, interiors, food and wine, landscaping, agriculture, nature, sustainability, governments, farming, family time, everything under the sun had perfect architecture and now software….
If I can use the terminology “Detailing” as part of my lifestyle, I believe I inherited that from my parents, ancestors and from Kunnumkulam.
The entrance to the home which expanded horizontally like an opened note book had a flight of nearly ten low rise steps with deep treads. The steps were so wide, nearly 3 meters at the lowest step and had 2 curved sidewall, like abutments to support the rise of the whole stair, replicating the one at the gate, done in an ornamental manner, which served the purpose of handrails, when elderly and little kids had to climb up they held on to these side walls, ergonomically designed with the curve.
Kids love steps and stair cases, there were plenty of them in all shapes and sizes at Kunnumkulam.
The top of this side wall/handrail built in stone was wide enough like a beach chair with a canopy; the canopy was the projecting eaves of the verandah rafters.
The top of the wide sidewall and the verandah half wall had flat coping with chamfered edges like a Roman Ogee, with plants at the bottom pedestal and top joined with the pillars in the verandah, the verandah extended to either side of the house for the complete width of the house. These chamfered edges were later used when I built home in Sydney for the kitchen granite countertop, there were no sharp edges and water wouldn’t seep directly onto the shutters.
From the hearsay stories I heard as a child, about the royalty of this mansion before Valiappachen bought it, these wide steps must have been used to carry the palanquin (പല്ലക്ക്),in olden times right inside the home .
As soon as Appa landed with his Airbag, he took me in his arms and sat on the curved side wall by the side of the steps leading to the home and leaning on to the pillar, he lay me on his legs, holding my tiny hand, I must have felt like going down a slide watching the most amazing sky in blue and lush green leaves, steps and buildings all over me.
The unique setting of the front courtyard at Kunnumkulam was simply beautiful. Valiappachen was a wizard when it came to landscaping and he had a perfect architecture, to be honest there was very little garden area; after the driveway, parked cars, surgical instruments office, display center on the right and workshop shed on left which took 75% of the front courtyard.
The plinth was at a height of 1.5 meters and there were flower and foliage beds on either side of the house, right side had more sun and plants which needed bright sun like roses were planted there, left gave me the feel of a rain forest. This was just about 10 meters x 5 meters.
There was a huge mango tree which took the shape of an umbrella. There was a tiny pond under the mango tree; this mango was so special it had a dark green color, very thick skin and a deep golden yellow flesh, so sweet you cannot define until and unless you have tasted. I have never ever eaten so good a mango anywhere.
The little garden under the mango tree had a unique Japanese rockery with water dripping, moss communicating to every bit of life around, rarest species of foliage, palms and ferns along with exquisite anthuriums. Valiappachen had yellow anthuriums, and the rarest of roses. It was dark, green-y dark all the time.
The fish in the pond, were full of glee sliding on top of the rocks and bathing in the rush of water pumped through a steel pipe embedded in water, engineering and imagination made the habitat live in harmony forever.
The lovebirds kept chirping all the time.
Valiappachen had made a raised platform seat around the mango tree which allowed us to sit and watch the life around us for hours and visitors drivers sat there chitchatting, mostly turning their back at the beautiful site.
This is where I learnt not as in the power points, but in real, a healthy human’s Urine is the best therapy for plants, with so much of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. My tributes to Sri. Morarji Desai. Valiappachen was a great proponent of this and his plants were the best ever. Every egg that was eaten at home had its shells crushed and fed for the roses.
Banana peels, salt and wood ash were used in abundance to fertilize the plants.
Banana was at its best in Kunnumkulam. Valiappachen had a room with banana bunches hanging in rows of coir hooks.
Whenever I am missing in action, all they used to do was check whether the banana bunches are dangling, I would be there, it was my staple food. I would eat a whole bunch at a time. They were tiny, thin skinned and heavenly. So much is missed these days.
My induction to sustainability, nature, creativity, and so much more ……
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