INDIAN HOMES
Vaastu Shastra in modern
INDIAN ARCHITECTURE One of the oldest sciences in the world, Vaastu Shastra is often referred to while buying or renting a new home in India. Sowmya Putran, an architectural journalist, takes a look at the significance of this ancient science in today’s architecture.
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aastu Shastra is an ancient science of positive spatial arrangement. The process, however, is challenging; and with a lot of unexplained theories and several misconceptions, the subject of Vaastu remains puzzling. Is Vaastu Shastra merely a culture-wide superstition or a field with modern-day relevance? This continues to be a topic of heated debate. While most modern-day architects don’t want their designs to be altered by Vaastu beliefs, there are eminent architects like Le Corbusier and Charles Correa who have famously incorporated Vaastu Science in contemporary designs. A good majority of home buyers across India still opt for Vaastu-compliant houses, and several colleges have included Vaastu Shastra in the curriculum of Architecture. Given that a house is sound and functional, a house that promises to enhance one’s physical and mental well-being is preferred over a house that doesn’t. Vaastu has been a part of Indian culture for decades; however, today ‘Vaastu’ has become a sneaky back way to moneymaking by propagating a dogma, rather than providing design solutions. Your home,
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February 2021 | CULTURAMA
in essence, is a shelter to protect you from harsh weather and keep you cozy and comfortable. Thus, a well-planned house should be sensitive to environmental processes as much as possible and maintain a good balance between inhabitant activities and nature. For example, it would be smart to place the least visited rooms in the most heated (directly exposed to sunlight) corners and the air-conditioned rooms, office or bedrooms, in the cooler parts of the house. Several studies suggest that the components of the inhabitants’ visual field can have a psychological impact, and must be carefully designed to improve health and happiness. Why do you think images with spiders, or snakes, or blood are not considered pleasant and aren’t common decor options for kids’ spaces? Considering that, putting up an image of a waterfall in your living room seems to be what most people would prefer, rather than a superstition. Clutter must be cleared, and graffiti must be removed from public spaces, for the same reason; such subtle yet persistent presence of fecklessness may inadvertently creep into other aspects of life.
