As part of their ‘Talk the Talk’ series, I spoke to Ideal Homes and Gardens about a variety of subjects ranging from sustainability in architecture to the way in which I seek inspiration from the world around me.

This article was written by me for World Environment Day and published on realty magazine website.

It feels like we are at war. At war with a virus that has caught the world off-guard. It spreads through air and we don’t have a cure for it, yet. We all recognize that this event will be life-changing and hope that the world can emerge from this only slightly bruised but overall resilient with a strong sense of solidarity, love and respect for humanity. While all our energies are focused on this crisis, there is a bigger elephant in the room where humanity has been on a war footing for some time now, that of climate change as a result of human activities. 

The past few years have seen unprecedented wild fires, droughts and storm cycles around the world. A report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation predicts that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. In 2019, Okjokull became the first glacier in Iceland to disappear as a result of climate change. About 3.8 million hectares of primary rainforest was lost in 2019 alone. As per a report by Global Forest Watch, every 6 seconds, an area equivalent to the size of a football pitch of primary rainforest was destroyed in 2019. Entire islands have disappeared due to the rising sea levels in our oceans.

In March this year, while the world took a pause in an effort to contain COVID-19, we experienced and enjoyed cleaner air and cleaner waters- a definitive sign that humans are responsible for the environmental degradation that surrounds us. We have managed to pollute our glorious planet with poisonous gases and non-biodegradable waste, perhaps beyond repair. The silver lining is the speed with which the environment bounced back even with a temporary and short suspension of human activity. Pinning my hope on that, I wish that humankind can possibly mend our ways in an effort to bequeath a beautiful planet to our future generations. 

Architects are generally taught to believe that they have the power to change the world for the better. We do this through design and also through advocacy. So even while we, as consultants, would recommend best practices, the conversion of ideas to real impact was marginal. 

Many a times, Green Certification gets a bad reputation as it is a standardized platform of measuring sustainability across various cultures and geographies. The certification process forces us to keep detailed accounts, and make accurate calculations such that our sustainable efforts are not only in name but are real with measurable impact.

That said, certification is usually the starting point for us in our journey into sustainability. I firmly believe that ‘sustainability is common sense’. In architecture, it involves following sound design principles, respecting the land while planning new buildings and responding to the local climate and conditions.

To pursue sustainability, we must try to conserve the natural resources within our own site (through rain water harvesting, renewable energy use and grey water recycling), use materials and employ design ideas that keep the building interiors cool or warm (and reduce the use of air-conditioning and heating), allow for ample daylight (to reduce the energy use for lighting during the day), use half flushes in bathrooms along with aerators to reduce the water flow in bath and kitchen fittings (to reduce water-use), maximize the use of materials that are produced locally, and use materials with a high recycled content.

These strategies for me are the low-hanging fruit that are easy to achieve with minimal cost escalation in the process. I also think that it is key to understand the lifespan of materials (regardless of their green features). If they have to be replaced in a short period of time, then they fail the test of sustainability. Finally, to achieve actual impact, we have to think about sustainability at every stage and factor it in every decision during the design and construction process. 

To make sustainability a norm, the industry and consumer outlook also must change. We have found that most industry and product vendors still lack awareness on the importance of sustainability and green features in their products. Our perceived association that virgin materials are of superior quality, and reused materials are inferior, needs to change.

Government policy has sadly not been able to keep up with industry efforts and consumer desire for sustainable development. In Goa, when we started our practice in 2010, there was a subsidy for using solar water heaters. That subsidy is now being re-evaluated and not available to users. The policy of net-metering has stayed as a draft and has not been implemented. This makes the use of solar panels for power production not economically feasible for users.

While we endeavor to pursue sustainability as a hallmark in our projects, it is a struggle to achieve cost efficiencies. This process would be easier if we could avail of some government subsidies and programs. I believe that will attract a larger section of the industry to follow the path of sustainability.

As consumers, we should also look for ways to reduce our impact on the environment. Every small step makes a difference. We must remember that simple things can make a big difference. Climate change is a cause where the entire community must come together and play their part. The COVID crisis has evoked a sense of solidarity amongst us to fight a common enemy, I hope we can continue to utilize this positive spirit to fight climate change as well.

A simple centerpiece for a coffee table in my home with plants growing in bottles.

The dragonfly is crafted from dry palm leaves, purchased from a street vendor in Vietnam. It remains one of my most treasured possessions.

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Tips on how to love staying at home

Tip 1. Bring nature into your home. Going to a florist is not a priority item at this point, so my tip is to go cut some green leaves and branches growing near your home and create your own arrangements at home or grow them in bottles with water. Use some of the beautiful wine bottles or glass jars that you may have at your disposal. You can add drama by placing the colored bottles on window ledges to get the light to shine through them!

See Athena Calderone's video on Foraging.

Go here for a list of plants that can easily grow in bottles with cuttings.

Tip 2: Institute a winding down ritual. Start an evening ritual of burning simple incense or a scented candle after sunset. This will be a signal for the family to wind down, take a breath, tune out work and social media and focus on leisure. Keep the lights low in the evening, try to stay away from jarring bright ceiling or wall lights. Instead rely on lamps to light up your living and sleeping spaces. Adjust the brightness of a lamp by simply covering your lamps with a scarf, your zero cost dimmer!

Tip 3: Bust out the fancy! Make this a time for celebration with your immediate loved ones. Set the dinner table, add a floral (or plant) arrangement, add a candle and bring out the fancy dinnerware. This is really a time to make everyday special and to count on our blessings each and everyday!

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...very productive here at Grounded and very rewarding too. 

In 2015, at Grounded, we began construction on our second project at Goa. Named 'Navovado', we are moving full steam ahead to complete by its target date in Q4, 2016. Navovado is an opportunity for us to further develop our design principles to build in harmony with nature, to use of local natural materials, to design glorious indoor-outdoor spaces with natural ventilation and abundant daylight.

In 2015, we added Pallavi Chitnis, a key new member to our team. Pallavi is a graduate from the School of Planning & Architecture in Delhi and brings twelve years of work experience to Grounded. Pallavi can often be found obsessing over details at the Navovado construction site or absorbed in spotting, identifying and photographing the birds of Goa.

In 2015, we continued to receive recognition for our first project, 'Nivim'. Nivim was awarded the Archidesign Award for the 'Best Private Residence Design' in India in 2014. Nivim was also recognized as the first green certified home in Goa by the Indian Green Building Council's publication 'Envoy'. 

Ahead in 2016, our first priority is to complete Navovado to the highest level of design and construction quality. We will be pursuing green certification for the project and hope to achieve the highest standard possible. As we grow, we are also putting together plans and ideas for future projects in Goa. 

We are committed to expanding our brand identity through our presence on the web and social media. Please take some time to explore our Facebook feed, Pinterest boards and Instagram Photos.

Here is wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Grounded Team.

I was fortunate to visit the Frida Kahlo museum in Mexico City last week, and was struck by the powerful, vivacious, full of life Frida.

Frida contracted polio very early in her life and then met with a road accident as a teenager. This left her with multiple health issues for the remainder of her life. Here is what she had to say about that: "Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly"

The above statement sums it up for me. Lesson learned: Do not limit yourself...limitations are for lazy suckers. Life is to be passionate and to follow your heart... 

Fearless, powerful Frida, we love you...

It is another new year, maybe time for resolutions and new beginnings... Here are a few paragraphs from a poem that has struck me and I wish to remember it as we build Grounded !

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A Psalm of Life

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

TELL me not, in mournful numbers, 
        Life is but an empty dream ! — 
    For the soul is dead that slumbers, 
        And things are not what they seem.

    Life is real !   Life is earnest! 
        And the grave is not its goal ; 
    Dust thou art, to dust returnest, 
        Was not spoken of the soul.

    Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, 
        Is our destined end or way ; 
    But to act, that each to-morrow 
        Find us farther than to-day.   

    Lives of great men all remind us 
        We can make our lives sublime, 
    And, departing, leave behind us 
        Footprints on the sands of time ;

    Let us, then, be up and doing, 
        With a heart for any fate ; 
    Still achieving, still pursuing, 
        Learn to labor and to wait.

Times of India, Goa Edition, December 11, 2011

At the beginning of this month, I heard them arrive. At 4pm one evening there was suddenly lots of activity in my backyard. There was lots of twittering and flashes of colors as the winter migratory birds had arrived.

My backyard in Goa is basically a jungle, so we are now honoured each day with spectacular shows courtesy of these beautiful creatures. The Bulbuls are the friendliest, they que up at my birdbath and one by one jump in, wiggle their bottoms, fluff up to twice their size and then fly away.... The bigger birds don't bother with many cute antics, they stay perched regally on some high branch and glide off most gracefully to survey the salt pans and hunt their catch. Then there are the birds that chase the squirrels and the squirrels that chase the birds... It is all very amusing and calming..

Here are some more common birds that I see in my backyard:

The most well dressed of them all, the Asian Paradise Flycatcher (Photo Credit)

The playful and friendly, Red Whiskered Bulbul (Photo Credit)

The most noisy, Rufus Treepie (Photo Credit)

The calm one, Black Drongo (Photo Credit)

The undisputed king, Brahminy Kite (Photo Credit)

The most colorful, White Throated Kingfisher (Photo Credit)

The tiny, Sunbird (Photo Credit)

One of the bigger birds, the Greater Coucal (Photo Credit)

The beautiful, Eurasian Golden Oriole (Photo Credit)

I had to buy this gorgeous flower when I saw it in the market even though I had no idea how to cook it. Regardless, the bright purple hue and the little flowers delicately placed the petals was enough reason for me to bring three of these home !

After some research online and with some local intel, my cook and I found that cooking Kelful is a long process that involves pealing the flower petal by petal and then removing the smaller flowers from within. These small flowers are super cute and are arranged like tiny bananas (as they would eventually turn into bananas). The Kelful bhaji is made with these flowers. From the flower, two different parts are removed as they are bitter and not eaten. One is the long dark color stem inside the flower and second is a part of the small petal called 'feather'. Below is a video that describes the cleaning of Kelful.

After cleaning, some cooks recommend soaking the usable flowers in water with lemon. This prevents the delicate flowers from oxidizing in air. Next we chopped the flowers and cooked them as regular bhaji with coconut.

The flowers are very delicate, but I felt that cooking them as bhaji does not do justice to their texture. For next time, I am looking for a recipe that will require minimum or no cooking of the flower. Suggestions ?

The flowers are 'champak' and they are blooming in Goa right now. You can find them by following their sweet smell in the markets or on road-sides where village women have strung them into gorgeous 'venis', little garlands designed to decorate one's hair.

The botanical name of the plant is 'Michelia champaca' and it is a variety of the Magnolia family. 

Interestingly, I found a

video

that shows how to string flowers together in a veni using two long threads and stringing each flower using special knots. I don't think the video explains enough for one to try this on their own but clearly shows how delicate the process is.

Click here for link

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The strong sweet smell, vibrant yellow color and delicate shape are a treat for all senses.

And did I tell you that they smell like heaven... the entire house smells like a perfume factory !

This is a local vegetable that grows in the wild in Goa in the monsoons. It looks very intriguing and tastes like meaty beans... 

Can anyone help me find its name? and any other interesting information/ properties ?