Mixed Masala

Chapter 3

Lakshmi Devraj and her husband had lived in a modest home for most of their married life but then the neighbourhood had changed slowly but drastically. First was the emergence of several low-rise apartment buildings close by that, to Lakshmi at least, ruined the scenic view of the hills that she and her husband had previously cherished. Then came the massive flyover which, although helped alleviate the traffic congestion in that area was nevertheless an undeniable eyesore.

So it was that when Meera turned fifteen, Vishwanath and Lakshmi wisely decided to relocate. They sold their property for a huge profit and purchased a nice piece of real estate in a brand new residential area nearer the hills they both enjoyed and far enough away from high-rise buildings and noisy traffic to appreciate their newfound peace and solitude.

Vishwanath designed their home with the meticulous precision of the surgeon that he was and the vast knowledge of the intricacies of construction work that he had inherited from his engineer father. Meera would watch over her father's shoulders with fascination and awe as he carefully planned every detail, her conviction growing with every passing day that this was truly her calling. A year and a half later, the Devraj family moved into their present home.

Theirs was a large double storey bungalow with a beautifully landscaped garden fronting the property. The house itself was a combination of browns and creams on the outside. Inside, polished marble floors complemented the tasteful dark wood furniture collected over the years from India and places with similar motifs like Bali, Thailand and Burma. The vibrant splashes of colour from the tasteful artwork that adorned the walls, the plush carpets that accentuated the floors and the ornate cushions that graced the armchairs and sofas in the large living room only added to the overall ethnic but opulent feel of the house.

Meera's favourite retreat whenever she came home however was the warm, bright and spacious kitchen that opened onto a small lawn at the back that doubled as a barbecue zone. Though the kitchen itself looked rustic, it was nevertheless fully but discreetly functional with state of the art equipment.

The ground floor also boasted a large dining room and a cosy den with comfortable armchairs, an LCD screen TV and a polished walnut bar in one corner. There was also a study with two large mahogany tables and high backed leather chairs for each of these and in one corner, a comfortable sofa and coffee table. There were wall to wall shelves here filled to the brim with books on every subject, from architecture (naturally!) and aromatherapy to studies of the zodiac and even zoology ... and needless to say, what seemed like an infinite number of medical books.

There were also two guest bedrooms with attached bathrooms on this level along with a smaller room and bathroom for the Devraj's live-in help, Nura, an Indonesian lady who had now been with the family going on six years.

The family bedrooms were all confined to the first floor where the largest of course belonged to Vishwanath and Lakshmi with three other spacious rooms for each of their three children, all with their own bathrooms.

Nura had been given the formidable task of keeping Haresh busy. Lakshmi and her sister had quickly changed out of their saris and opted for kaftans. They had volunteered to prepare dinner but for the moment were content relaxing in the kitchen with a pot of hot sweet tea. Their husbands meanwhile had retired to the den along with Ravi, each armed with a large mug of tea to watch something or other on the Discovery channel.

Jayashree was taking a nap in her room and Raj was in the study in the midst of losing yet another round of "gin rummy" to Vidhya's husband. As for Vidhya herself, she had ensconced herself in Meera's room where for the past couple of hours, the two girls had been reminiscing about old times and catching up with each other's lives.