#HousesOfIndia Story 13 - Retreat

Ghoom is a small town sitting pretty on the hills slightly higher than Darjeeling. Here, the air is always cold, the smell is always fresh, and the view is always magnificent. This is home to Mr. Birendra Pai, a retired soldier who served in the Indian Army for around 15 years. He lives a peaceful post-Army life here with his wife Matrika, a homemaker, and son Maka, a BBA graduate and a footballer.

While recounting his army days, Mr. Rai remembers the time his battalion was called to serve towards the end of the 1962 Sino Indian War - a difficult war fought between India and China at very high altitudes in the Himalayas. However, by the time their battalion could actually move, a ceasefire was declared. 

Now Mr. Rai spends his days reading the morning paper, tending to his plants, and basking in the peace he deserves, after serving his country for close to 2 decades. 

This is the living room inside Mr. Rai's house. Like most houses in the area, it is modestly furnished, homely and very cozy. The room itself is barely 10 feet by 6!

The typical arched roof, characteristic of houses in Darjeeling, gives the home a feeling of an era gone by.

Mr. Rai is a proud army man who served in the 11 Gorkha Rifles. Like him, there are many veterans that stay in this part of the state after they retire. After Mr. Rai left the Army in 1988, he built this house to settle into a more idyllic life.

Gardening is a favourite passtime of the residents in this part of the country, and Mr. Rai's house is no different. While the exterior of the house is almost completely dotted with potted plants, they also have a big nursery in front of the house with rows upon rows of small flowering plants. 

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

Polyandry/Poligamy in Uttarakhand

These images were taken in village called Mungaad in the Chakrata district of Uttarakhand.

According to the folklore in the region, the Pandavas spent their 'Van Vaas' in these forests. A direct result of this is the tradition of Polyandry where one woman has more than one husband at a time, usually all the brothers in the family. Uttarakhand is one of the few places in India where this is practiced. 

Polygamy may be practised for a lot of reasons; one of them being "families in areas of scarce farmable land to hold agricultural estates together. The marriage of all brothers in a family to the same wife allows plots of family-owned land to remain intact and undivided."

Just 24 years of age, Rajo is married to 5 brothers of the family, much like Draupadi in Mahabharata who is married to the Pandava Brothers.

The kids are raised collectively by the family and there is no pressure to know their children's paternal lineage .

Rajo was 25 when this photograph was made.

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#HousesOfIndia Story 9 - Enchanted

Walk down the main Mall Road in Darjeeling and ask anybody for the Plants' home, and you will be immediately pointed to a small path covered in flowers and coniferous trees. Almost hidden out of view, is a little cottage right out of the pages of a fairytale, and its occupants are Austin and Shala Plant - an architect and teacher respectively.

Local celebrities, the Plants have lived in this house for over 35 years. Not just that, Mr. Plant designed their home himself, and the pride in his eyes when he talks about it is unmistakable. 

As you enter the living room in the Plants' home, you are greeted by sunshine pouring in through the wide windows, and lilting music coming from an old radio. Mr. Plant is a jazz enthusiast, and is almost always tuned into an American radio station. The room is complete with a wood chimney, a must for every house in Darjeeling. 

The Plants are local celebrities in this part of Darjeeling, and have stayed in this home for around 35 years. They individually have very interesting pasts as well.

Mr. Plant's family were refugees who moved from Burma to Darjeeling when he was 4, when the bombings during World War II became too frequent and dangerous to live in. Mrs. Plant's great-grandfather was the Sultan of Afghanistan who relocated to India. Her full name is Shala Sultan, but she dismisses the title and says, “it’s just a title, everyone has one anyway”! 

The Plants' home is a treasure trove of memories. This cozy dining area, flanked by a wall of curios and bookshelf on the right, and a piano on the left, is the place where you will see most of their antiques and souvenirs. 

The Plants have lived a full, peaceful life in this beautiful home. Both their children are married and settled elsewhere, and after retirement both Mr. and Mrs. Plant have dedicated their lives to the services of their beloved Darejeeling city. Even though the design of their house is heavily inspired by colonial architectural styles, they are proud to proclaim that they are residents of Darjeeling through and through!