Houses built in the traditional 'nalukettu' style are popular again after an interlude when Malayalis raised staid concrete structures. A Thrissur home built in the 'nalukettu' style was conceived and raised by a woman obsessed with the traditional Kerala architecture. She drew up the plan, sourced the materials and got it completed, the exactly the way she wanted.
If old is gold, this house that Linda built surely is. Built with old, yet sturdy material, the house has traditional charm and vintage architectural features. The house, which could be deemed the fulfillment of Linda's long dream, stands on five cents of land in Tirur, near Thrissur. Named “Navaneetham”, the dream home of Linda and her husband Sijo is still high on the awe factor. Even nine months after its completion, people are still flocking to the place to see if any of it is as real as its heard.
Passion for the old
There’s quite a long story behind the execution of the modern 'tharavad'. It all began with Linda’s inexplicable passion for the old and the antique. Her fascination for old ancestral homes (tharavadu) bulilt in the traditional Kerala style began at the tender age of six when she spotted one, the memory of which still lingers. The fascination did not end with this. She pursued her passion even after becoming a teacher after completing her MA and B Ed degrees. Wherever she went to, she would halt the moment she spotted an old house. With pictures and details collected, she would pore over them to know more about traditional structures.
Marriage did not stop her from dreaming of that “old” house she longed for. She knew what she wanted -- a house with tiled roofs, where the interiors would always stay cool. Her husband, who was too busy with work, was only too happy to entrust his wife with the construction. Besides, he knew that his wife had a carbon copy of what she wanted tucked away in her mind.
Linda needed just one day to draw up the plan of her house and that too with the correct measurement for each room. Wherever she went, Linda had this particular habit of measuring up the dimensions of each room with her feet. However, this peculiar trait stood in good stead when it came to assessing the area of her rooms.
Her sketch was shown to a Vaastu expert who approved it after making accurate assessments, and subsequently the construction began .
The old look and feel is a must. Procurement of wood and tiles followed as soon as the the first major task -- raising the compound wall -- was over. However, the search for the old and the traditional housing material turned out to be the most arduous task.
The initial plan was to lay the floor with tiles. Her search for the tiles she had in mind proved futile as no such tiles were being made in any of the factories around Thrissur. Her search for Athangudi tiles too came to a dead end. Such tiles, which were once manufactured in Malappuram, were not being made any more for want of demand. She had to finally settle for marble with the floor laid in the design of a chess board. Some used tiles, similar to the Athangudi ones, were sourced from a shop at Kodungallur.
For old wood, she turned to a shop at Ottapalam. All the windows and the two pillars, which adorn the entrance, came from here. The wooden courtyard pillars and the staircase were obtained from a shop at Olari, near Thrissur. A bit of bargaining later, each pillar was bought for Rs 100 each and the staircase for Rs 1,000.
The smart lady did not stop at that. She bought a mobile tower as well! That came from an odds and ends shop and the iron and steel from the tower went into the making of the truss roofs at a cool Rs 15,000. And finally, several glitches and searching later, she bought new tiles for the roofs. The house was finally done.
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