A place to relax and chill

 It was a short trip with a twin purpose- to attend the wedding of my cousin`s son in Bangalore, followed by an eagerly awaited visit to my younger daughter Sowmya`s farmhouse in Thally. While at the wedding, I caught up with a lot of relatives, I did not venture to meet any other friends in Bangalore because of the fear of getting caught in the suffocating traffic in Bangalore. I left for Thalli by a taxi accompanied by my elder daughter, Kavitha, who had also come to attend the wedding. The farmhouse is located in a village called Thogarai Agraharam, which is equidistant from both Thally and Denkanikottai towns, both part of Hosur District, 1000ft above the sea level. The area has a cool, salubrious weather with hill-surrounded landscape which reminded the British of England, and hence it is called `Little England. It has been a major supplier of a variety of flowers and fruits to markets all over the country.

My daughter's farmhouse is located on a property developed by Heritage Group of Bangalore, which sells quarter-acre plots to those interested in buying a plot. Aptly named `Sukh Nivas`, the house is built on a quarter-acre plot. What is special about the house? It is built using mud bricks for the entire masonry work, with only 5% of cement used in the construction. The bricks are made using the soil in the plot and dried for 20 days under the Sun, before use. It was a dream project of my son-in-law, Sathya ( @ D.Srinivasan – Group Captain, IAF (retd.), who is an avid bird watcher and a nature lover. The choice of the place was also influenced by the fact that his eldest sister and her two daughters have their farmhouses in the same property.

This architect-designed house is built in the centre of the plot with provisions for growing trees/plants or lawns in the front as well as the backyard. You get into the house from an entrance located on the side, into a hall which accommodates a beautifully designed open kitchen with the dining area and a drawing room opening to a large backyard through a French door. The adjoining `Thinnai`- a raised sit out has two Swings to chill out. The other end of the hall has two bedrooms built on either side of the hall. With an arch shaped separation wall and a sloping roof with transparent glass panels to percolate light, the house looks beautiful. It is also tastefully furnished. While the front area also houses an open garage, the utility room is located on the first floor. Though the process of construction witnessed a lot of ups & downs, including cost escalations, the final outcome can be termed as a dream project come true. As they say, all's well that ends well,

The weather, the rustic feeling, and the overall ambience lend themselves to lead a calm and peaceful life. However, as the property is still under development, and there are many empty plots where the owners have yet to build their homes, it is sparsely populated. It lacks cemented roads and street lights. Besides, the place is located a few miles away from a nearby town where you have to go for all your shopping and medical facilities. While it is a great place to live after you have fulfilled all your commitments and you have a passion for nature, it can be used only for short duration stays, like what Sowmya and Sathya are doing now, since they still have professional commitments.. Congratulations, Sowmya and Sathya for realising one of your dreams.

While I tried to `chill` during my brief stay at Sukh Nivas, I seemed to have got the `Chill` of the place resulting in my suffering from Cold and Cough after my return to Coimbatore. That does not prevent me from visiting Thally once again to spend a more relaxed time.