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The
bigger ones were enclosed in open verandah like
structures, so visitors could step up for a closer look. The walls were usually painted with
stories that illustrated Lord Buddha’s life in
pictures. No inch of free space was wasted. Beautiful murals instead of bare walls
give Colombo and many parts of Sri Lanka, a very chic
and bohemian look. With intelligent use of space,
Sri Lankans have etched
the life and times of their presiding deity for
the contemplation of all. Thus, keeping at bay
graffiti and ugly paint jobs.
Even with Lord Buddha
peering over everyone and everything, secularism
in architecture is really the order of the day.
Shopping malls have an eclectic, ‘anything-goes’
style. Odell, the premier shopping mall
is actually a refurbished Dutch mansion, with the
façade painted a chaste white while inside is
fusion of designs. Well-appointed rooms lead off
from one to another with wood finished parquet
floors with palm trees lined up in the middle of
the building that opens up to a high skylight. A
French patisserie that is all homely wood serves
delicious, freshly baked croissants, coffee and
smoothies. The display area showed Scandinavian
influences – with sleek steel, open-faced display
racks that have been well spaced out, showing off
clothes and books to advantage. Shoppers could
move around the display area instead of being
hemmed in by a counter or other shoppers. Some
recessed, well lit niches held handbags, books and
CDs. Everything seemed to belong and fit
seamlessly into one another, despite the
difference in style.
In Gaulle, the southern-most
point of Sri Lanka, a mansion called the
Historical Mansion/Museum that belonged to a Dutch
officer has been renovated and is maintained by
the Sri Lankan Tourism Department. Here, the high
wood ceilings and floors have been saved from
termites and vandalism. The museum does have a
good collection of ancient telephones, cameras,
utensils, lamps and jewellery used in earlier
eras. Behind the mansion, a courtyard that seems
inundated with lush vegetation is hemmed in by
wooden galleries on the remaining three sides.
These are living quarters for the artisans who
craft exquisite jewellery for the export market
and work from here. I did not see any hint of
unseemly extensions or deletions in the décor. The
artisans seemed to be aware of the importance of
the place they called home.
Homes have their own
striking individuality seeping from their core.
Apart from funky garden installations and
photo-frame doors, there was another home which
caught my eye. This one was innocuous enough in
its design; just that the patch of grass in
front of the house looked like the owner had a
private zoo on his premises! He had carved
life-like elephants, leopards and put them up in his
garden. I later learnt, that he used this great
marketing ploy to get people to notice his
property, stop by and shop there for those pieces
of wonderful, carved wildlife. Ingenuity combined
with business acumen makes for a very enlivening
landscape, that is called Sri Lanka.
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BY MANALI ROHINESH
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The
magic begins! Read all about 
A
history of the geography of Mumbai / Bombay