The changing house styles
By: K S S Pillai
During my annual visits to my native state of Kerala in the past, the sudden change in the dress style and the look of buildings would tell me that the train had entered the state. Most men would be bare-chested with a thin white towel around their heads and wearing a white or colourful dhoti folded above the knee.
The buildings were thatched with woven coconut leaves and a few tile-roofed. There would be a rush of passengers to the tea stalls on the platform to drink tea full of bursting bubbles in glasses and eat dishes they had not enjoyed for a long time.
The sloping roofs provided temperature and sound insulation. They also allowed for quick water drainage, protecting the buildings from moisture damage in a state with heavy rains most of the year. They also kept the interior of the buildings cool, a blessing in the absence of electric fans.
Coconut leaves were collected from trees in the compound. They were seasoned by keeping under the water of the nearby Pamba River for some days. Those staying away from the river used canals or ponds for this purpose.
Women usually wove and stored the leaves for the annual changing of thatches, which was like a festival when neighbours practising different religions came together. The roof would be thoroughly cleaned of the soot that accumulated from hearths which used split wood, twigs, and leaves as fuel.
If there were any damaged wooden frames to which the coconut leaves were tied, they would be repaired or replaced by the local carpenter. Food and tea or coffee, often without milk, prepared a little away from the house on the makeshift hearths, would be provided to all at intervals. The women would have a busy day preparing food and drinks while gossiping.
As the old leaves burned brightly, they were stored in the hearths. Paddy farmers stored excess paddy, coconuts, and large bronze vessels in a central underground room called a ‘nilavira’.
People usually slept on mats spread on the floor, periodically plastered with mud and cow dung. There would be enough passage of air through the roof, ensuring sound sleep.
There would be a cowshed in front of the main house. In addition to cows, some also had bullocks and buffalos for farm operations. The militant labour unions did not allow tractors and other farm machines because they feared they would cause unemployment.
The front portion of shops had numbered vertical wooden planks, which were removed while opening them. Some had wooden shutters which could be folded and secured to the iron hooks in the ceiling.
As with everything else, the buildings have also changed. The only houses with thatched roofs are now the huts of poor people. There are concrete buildings now with various electrical appliances. Swanky cars are parked in front of the houses. As most houses have someone working in foreign countries, the cultures of those countries are also reflected in the lifestyle of people.
There used to be hedges around the compounds with wild bushes that provided sweet fruits to hungry children rushing from schools to their homes. Those hedges have been replaced with compound walls. Some have posters or political slogans, and others warnings like ‘Stick No Bills’.
While the compounds were sandy in the past, most have coloured concrete interlocking blocks or tiles to cover the space around their houses. Some rooftops have electricity-generating solar panels over them. As maintaining natural grass requires regular attention and is expensive, many lawns now have plastic grass needing minimum attention.
While almost all houses were single-storeyed and very few with two storeys in the past, there are several multi-storeyed buildings and housing societies in cities now. They have all facilities like the services of plumbers and electricians, a supply of cooking gas, 24-hour security and even a shop that sells essentials.
(The author is a retired professor of English. A regular contributor to ‘The Kashmir Vision’, his articles and short stories have appeared in several national and international publications)
