Cheeru muthachi

THE HOUSE

The house was very old; a two story building. It had a high foundation. Steps were built from the front yard to the prime portico. Small verandahs attached to the portico ran around the house. Laterite blocks bonded with lime mortar constituted the walls. The long, steep sloping roofs were made with woven coconut leaves, thatched on a framework of hardwood beams. Wooden pillars were built at certain intervals in the verandahs, attached to the roof. Floors were plastered with, charcoal-cow dung-herbal paste. The doors and windows were all wooden. The doors all had raised step-like sills. The windows had square bars and casement style doors. The inner walls were plastered with a mixture of lime, sand, soil and herbs while the outer walls were not plastered.

Slightly ducking to not hit the slanting roof while entering the portico, Janu wondered how different this house was from her home. It was also a two story building, but, considerably new compared to this one. It was built by her father. The roofs were laid with clay tiles. Mortar and plaster used were, made with cement. The walls were white washed and the flooring was mainly red oxide except the kitchen and back verandah which were plastered with charcoal-cow dung-herbal paste.