For Indians building their own house is one of their biggest life time goals. They take this job very seriously and once done all the relatives say "Ohh, they have built their own house now. No more worries for them." I understand the feeling of accomplishment when we build our first house. But people buy/build 4 houses and for the 5th house the feel the same way. How many houses do u need to live in? I guess the idea is one house for the kitchen, one house for the living room, one house for the bedroom etc. One thing I have noticed is that people believe that real estate is a great investment which I completely agree with the roaring price of land in Chennai!
I remember when we built our house in Chennai, my parents took the role of an architect, supervisor, contractor, manager, name it and they did it. I don't think many people in the city would have done as much as my parents did while building the house. Usually what they do is go to an architect and ask him to make the plan and they just approve it. But my parents went and sat down with the architect and designed each wall. The energy and involvement they had was awesome. I was in undergrad then and was too busy with friends and din't bother much about the house. Now I feel guilty for not helping them around. I remember once we went to 'Thousand Lights' to purchase a chandelier for the living room and to buy some special lights for the bedrooms. My parents took me to some 6 or 7 shops before they decided what to buy. Then came the task of buying fans. In the US, you can buy ceiling fans and lights online. When I was a kid we got a fan with a light in the center and my friends thought that I had a very cool fan. Nowadays you have various kinds of fans, fanimation (animated ceiling fans), hunter fans, designer fans (monte carlo fans) etc. Things have changed so much that the pleasure of building a house is kind of lost. Everything is delegated to agencies/contractors. The owners come and see the progress of the house once in 2-3 weeks. Nobody has the time to get themselves involved anymore.
My parents are living in the house they built and are constantly making improvement and changes to the house. The day we had the 'Grahapravesam' (house warming ceremony), my parents were so thrilled and at the same time felt relieved because they built the house in less than a year. They faced lots of problems while building the house with the masons, painters and carpenters but somehow they managed to swim across and reach the shore. I wish I will have the same the energy and enthusiasm when I build my house!
I remember when we built our house in Chennai, my parents took the role of an architect, supervisor, contractor, manager, name it and they did it. I don't think many people in the city would have done as much as my parents did while building the house. Usually what they do is go to an architect and ask him to make the plan and they just approve it. But my parents went and sat down with the architect and designed each wall. The energy and involvement they had was awesome. I was in undergrad then and was too busy with friends and din't bother much about the house. Now I feel guilty for not helping them around. I remember once we went to 'Thousand Lights' to purchase a chandelier for the living room and to buy some special lights for the bedrooms. My parents took me to some 6 or 7 shops before they decided what to buy. Then came the task of buying fans. In the US, you can buy ceiling fans and lights online. When I was a kid we got a fan with a light in the center and my friends thought that I had a very cool fan. Nowadays you have various kinds of fans, fanimation (animated ceiling fans), hunter fans, designer fans (monte carlo fans) etc. Things have changed so much that the pleasure of building a house is kind of lost. Everything is delegated to agencies/contractors. The owners come and see the progress of the house once in 2-3 weeks. Nobody has the time to get themselves involved anymore.
My parents are living in the house they built and are constantly making improvement and changes to the house. The day we had the 'Grahapravesam' (house warming ceremony), my parents were so thrilled and at the same time felt relieved because they built the house in less than a year. They faced lots of problems while building the house with the masons, painters and carpenters but somehow they managed to swim across and reach the shore. I wish I will have the same the energy and enthusiasm when I build my house!
1 comment:
I believe utmost greed is what we are known for. Our love for money and property makes us forget that its our own brothers and sisters(fellow indians) who suffer in the land rates. NRI Indians buy huge houses at the top most prices and land up bloating the land rates. Neither do they come and stay nor are they concerned. Only the common man know in the end the ordeal of suffering!.
www.formatnreload.blogspot.com
Post a Comment