Bhojum Yorney, his wife Yaken, and their four young children live in this pretty home in the small town of Menchukha in Arunachal Pradesh. Nestled in the Mechuka Valley, at an elevation of 6,000 feet above sea level, the town is only 29 kilometres away from the Indo-China border and is thus occupied mostly by an air base of the Indian army.
While life moves slowly in this small town where most of its local residents work as labourers, they all have a singular aim - to work hard to provide a better future for their children, so they can get out of the valley, and into a big city.
Bhojum and his wife Yaken built this house in 2012. It has 5 bedrooms, a beautiful kitchen with a firewood stove and a nice big compound and backyard where their children run around and play with their pet chickens.
Before moving into this home, the family used to stay in a shack. In a place like Menchukha, having a concrete home is a sign of wealth and prosperity, and something that Bhojum aspires to as well. When asked about the materials he used to build the house he quietly says, almost embarrassed, that it is mainly pinewood. Those of us who in live in concrete jungles understand the beauty of this modest yet beautiful handmade home.
Bhojum and Yaken's 9 year old son Sunny has his own bedroom, and its walls are adorned with sketches of his favourite cartoon characters. His talent, far beyond his age.
The family used to live in a small shack before they built this house. Here, the kids have room to play, grow and let their imaginations run wild.
The Yorney family is a good example of how the local residents of this small town are always looking to move forward, keeping pace with the advancements in the rest of the world; while always having one foot firmly placed in the past, hanging on to traditions and customs. While they wear modern clothes, almost every house here has a loom to make their traditional attire, called the Galey. Mini, the Yorneys' 14-year old daughter is skilled at using the loom.
Bhojum's dream for his family is to be able to make a concrete house for them a few years down the line, a sign of prosperity in these parts of the country.
This Photo Essay was made exclusively for Housing.com for their campaign 'Houses of India'.
While life moves slowly in this small town where most of its local residents work as labourers, they all have a singular aim - to work hard to provide a better future for their children, so they can get out of the valley, and into a big city.
Bhojum and his wife Yaken built this house in 2012. It has 5 bedrooms, a beautiful kitchen with a firewood stove and a nice big compound and backyard where their children run around and play with their pet chickens.
Before moving into this home, the family used to stay in a shack. In a place like Menchukha, having a concrete home is a sign of wealth and prosperity, and something that Bhojum aspires to as well. When asked about the materials he used to build the house he quietly says, almost embarrassed, that it is mainly pinewood. Those of us who in live in concrete jungles understand the beauty of this modest yet beautiful handmade home.
Bhojum and Yaken's 9 year old son Sunny has his own bedroom, and its walls are adorned with sketches of his favourite cartoon characters. His talent, far beyond his age.
The family used to live in a small shack before they built this house. Here, the kids have room to play, grow and let their imaginations run wild.
The Yorney family is a good example of how the local residents of this small town are always looking to move forward, keeping pace with the advancements in the rest of the world; while always having one foot firmly placed in the past, hanging on to traditions and customs. While they wear modern clothes, almost every house here has a loom to make their traditional attire, called the Galey. Mini, the Yorneys' 14-year old daughter is skilled at using the loom.
Bhojum's dream for his family is to be able to make a concrete house for them a few years down the line, a sign of prosperity in these parts of the country.
This Photo Essay was made exclusively for Housing.com for their campaign 'Houses of India'.