Hunting or searching for long forgotten heritage houses in Basavanagudi, one of the oldest areas of Bangalore, I came across one or two such relics in a few shaded lanes and bylanes. But alas! Most have fallen prey to building sharks. Tucked away on the ever busy Dr Anakru Road of V V Puram, one cannot miss this old house, the Jayalakshamma Manchigiah Nivas, as it sits pretty firmly amid new tall structures and heavy traffic chaos. In fact, this almost 80-year-old house of the illustrious family of Manchigiahs stands apart, though faded, but majestic, humble yet defiant.
The moment I enter this house of Radhakrishans, I am welcomed by a pack of dogs - Jingles, Coco and the gentle Damzy, of various breeds which comfortably tail you and sit next to you in the beautifully preserved Chettinad style house with its high rise Madras ceiling. The dogs are free to roam around the precious heritage of the Manchigiahs. Another redeeming feature of this house is that it is an open house for stray dogs. In fact, one day, Jingles walked into their home and became a permanent resident. Everyday, their son Abhishek feeds more than 20 stray dogs showing the family’s concern for animals.
The opening verandah has been converted to a front office for their second hand car business while the main drawing room with its red oxide flooring and its intricate white mosaic central pattern and other old world knick-knacks stand apart. The age old huge brass vessels, antique lanterns and lights and a faded Raja Ravi Verma painting of Saraswati takes you back to the bygone days of Radhakrishan’s revered parents, M H Manchigiah and Jayalakshamma and their eleven children.
old traditions
The high walls are littered with black and white images of the family in decorated wooden frames. Even hard wood cupboards of a bygone era have been retained beautifully while the Pooja room with its tiered mantapa and an old veena goes back years and years. Being devotees of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the family still follows and continues the tradition of regular prayers. When you go around the house, the vibrations of a past era reverberates in the fading delicate facades that once had seen glorious days. The house with its stone and mortar work, decorative balustrades and the tall ceilings embellish a classical look that cannot be seen in modern structures today.
An old time resident of this area and born in 1952 in the same house, Radhakrishan says, “It is pretty difficult to maintain in its original form and the yearly maintenance burns a big hole in our pockets. If not for the support of my son Abhishek and daughter Aishwarya, it would have been impossible to maintain this huge house. We have kept the house with my parent’s furniture and furnishings intact as it was in those days. Even today, items like their book case, their chair, table, etc. have been kept as it was when they were alive.”
His wife, Reeta Manchigiah, an actress and Pune film institute graduate says, “I find it very peaceful and invigorating. I feel very close to both my in-laws and sometimes, I have this extraordinary feeling that they are still around us. All of us have experienced this guiding force. Some incidents that have happened in this house corroborate this feeling. Even today, every item of my father-in-law and mother-in-law has been preserved and every Friday, we hold a prayer meeting while the entire house is decorated with sampige and mallige flowers.”
Happy memories
According to Radhakrishan, the house resonates with the happy memories of the marriage of his six sisters and four brothers. Even now when they visit us, they are overwhelmed by the closeness that they feel and experience as the house is the same as it was during their childhood,” he says.
The classical style building with its red oxide flooring, the unique mortar work and the Madras tile roofing is similar to the way houses were built during those days.
The unique parapet wall which is of low height, colourfully painted and ornamental with its adorning gives a charming look to the the entire house that is surrounded by a garden housing rare exotic plants and a well still spewing sweet water. The maintenance of the house is an elephantine task as it needs regular painting, polishing and strengthening. His son Abhishek who takes lot of interest and has been involved in its day to day upkeep.
Even the courtyard resonates with its own charm, housing a 1959 model of an American jeep that is parked in the frontal portion. This vintage jeep has been used by film stars like Upendra, Chiranjeevi and Sudeep in their movies. A few years back, two to three television serials were shot here, however, they have put a stop to it.
With many similar houses on Dr Anakru Road demolished, the Manchigiah family, ruing the fact that their house is amid total commercialisation and traffic chaos, emphasise that they are standing firm like the rock of Gibraltar to save it from the evil designs of the real estate sharks.
m meera.bhardwaj@newindianexpress.com
The illustrious Manchigiahs
The Jayalakshamma Manchigiah Nivas was originally built in 1935 by a landlord, Chinnappa from Adugodi. In fact, he had built a series of Chettinad style houses on the same road which have been replaced by high rise buildings today. In 1950, the house was purchased by the present owners for a princely sum of `60.
Hailing from an illustrious family that included his brothers, M H Marigowda, known as the father of horticulture in Karnataka and M H Hombegowda, noted educationist, the erstwhile Chief Engineer of Mysore State, M H Manchigiah and his wife Jayalakshamma along with their 11 children lived a fruitful and peaceful life in this house, says the youngest son, Radhakrishan who along with his sister Kamala have penned a book in memory of his father and his yeomen contributions to the state.
M H Manchigiah, who was close to Sir M Visveswaraya, was associated with him in the construction of both Krishnaraja Sagara and Sharavathi Dams. He was responsible for the installation of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Corporation while in his memory, a croton sapling was planted at the frontal portion of Lalbagh botanical gardens by Late M H Marigowda.