#HousesOfIndia Story 18 - Heritage

This heritage house in Old Ahmedabad in Gujarat, is testament to around 200 years of history, and the journey of the Mehta family, who painstakingly restored it to its former glory.

A 'pol' pronounced like pole in Gujarati, is a housing cluster comprising many families of a particular group, linked by caste, profession, or religion. This beautiful home, is one such housing complex.

The Mehta family lives in this beautiful home - Mr. Jagdeep, his wife, their 3 children, and his parents. The house is more than 200 years old, and was in a dilapidated condition until the family restored it to its past glory in the early 2000s. But this journey, was not easy. It took almost 2 years to restore the house, and it was proving to be a financial burden on them since no banks were willing to give them loans because the condition of the house was so bad.

As soon as you enter the house, you walk into courtyard, also known as the 'chowk'. The family receives guests here, and it also doubles up as their living room, where they spend time after dinner. The chowk is surrounded by a walkway that connects to all the rooms of the house. This walkway is called the 'padari'. During festivals, the chowk is decorated with beautiful rangoli.

The entire Mehta family is artistically inclined. Mausam and Malka, twin sisters, are doing their PHDs in spiritual music and 'bhavai' (a genre of folk dance popular in Gujarat & Rajasthan) respectively. Mr. Mehta, who works in a power company, also has a musical orchestra.

Along with vintage handmade furniture, the house is also full of interesting artefacts that would be very difficult to find today; like the ancient steaming machine in the picture, which is used to keep the water warm while shaving!

The house is now a favourite of local and national film makers, and has made an appearance in several television shows and films, the latest one being Kai Po Che, which was shot on the terrace!

After several months of trying to get the renovation started on the house, and dealing with uncooperative bank officials, it started off with a bang once people realised its historical significance. An expert in Italian art history, Mr Pierre Cardiff flew in from France and educated the family on the Italian carvings found on the ceiling, the Belgian painted glass windows and lamp holders, the earthquake resistant structure of the house, and so on. For years, the same house that was in ruins, was actually a treasure trove of old interior design from all around the world!

Students from institutions like NID and IIM, and even art students from foreign universities, visit the house and spend days on end studying the architecture and design. Recently, the Mehtas also hosted the mayor of Ahmedabad in their home.

During summers when the schools are closed, the neighbourhood children come to this chowk for dance lessons conducted by Malka, and drawing lessons held by Mausam, Mr. Mehta's twin daughters. 

Under the Gujarat tourism scheme, the family has also been approached to turn the house into a homestay, so travellers get an opportunity to live in an authentic Gujarati house!

This Photo Essay was made exclusively for Housing.com for their campaign 'Houses of India'.

SANAM

#HousesOfIndia Story 57 - Zito

Casa Miguel Vincente dÁbreu, built in 1843, is located in Panjim, Goa. It is occupied by Mr. Jose Maria de Gouveia Pinto (aka Zito), 69 years old; his wife Marie Christine de Gouveia Pinto, a housewife; daughter Karina, and son Julian.

In 1817 there was a plague in old Goa. The houses in that area were broken and the materials from there were transported to the current location to build newer houses. Hence, the stone used for the staircase of the house is very rare (they used to be found only in old churches). The stone comes from Bhasin (present day Vasai) to Goa. 

The first word that comes to your mind when you enter this home is simply 'Wow!'. Casa Miguel is a treasure trove of artefacts, antiques and memories from the yester-years.

Everything from the floor to the furniture are made of high-quality antique wood. The furniture has intricate designs and carvings, which would be nearly impossible to find now.

Mr. Zito himself is also a well-known history buff and renowned in the community for his love and knowledge of the history of Goa.

Mr. Zito’s ancestor Miguel Vincente d’Abreu was a prolific researcher and writer, and despite the bureaucratic position he held in the government, he had time to leave for posterity, a rich legacy of publications which even today serve as a base for the study of history and governance of Goa, in particular in the 19th century.

In the words of Mr Zito, “Ours was a middle-class family, although we did belong to a gentry family at the time. The house and the family maintained themselves with the income from the properties. With the takeover of Goa by the Govt. of India (in 1961) and with the new socialist laws brought about by the new dispensation, the maintenance of such families became difficult and the additional income coming from the properties was turned into nothing with the result that the family had to maintain themselves from their salaries as employees of private firms, banks or government offices. It is also extremely difficult to maintain such houses with our meagre incomes, and with no help from the government to maintain Goan heritage houses or areas, these breed of people and heritage is almost forgotten.”

This Photo Essay was made exclusively for Housing.com for their campaign 'Houses of India'.