BUNGALOW LIFE IN INDIA.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 196, 19 August 1922, Page 22

BUNGALOW LIFE IN INDIA.

THE UNCHANGING EAST.

By GEORGE CECIL .

1.,e construction of the Indian bunga)n«- an.i the disposition of the rooms Lave scarcely changvd since the days when -.'.c Portuguese and the Dutch, carting envious eyes on India, landed, and settled down "as traders—long, lonz a-o. Nor. upon the "Honourable East ■ In'h.i ' •jmpany" sending its servant*. b dfcadc ">r so later, to trade on behalf. ■;' England, did any alteration take piarv. The bungalow- of to-day, whether > ;r.i.a':t.-j by an opulent Calcutta or . I. 'n: 'ay Vi°s:ne*« man. or by a raw V'Hith V.«?'A'iv ""it from Home.'' who ;n prowinjj tea or in conducting i W.e ••'-- rat:, n= of an indigo factory. -' ar>-o>. J.:T. rs from those built, 60 to speak, in year onv. And. thanks to the ' im.T..:ta-b;:i:y >: things Anglo-Indian bun- . pa-low lire ;s much the same as it has .• always been. h FLAT AXD THATCHED ROOFS. ■ In Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, and in ]' many oj ihe "up- country -, "etatinns," the bungalow has the llat roof ; which has been aosociawd with Eaetern j •T'untries from time immemorial. During' the hateful "hot weather,'' lasting from j t-arly in April till late in October, the hvat is so appallingly oppressive that the "sahib" and "mem-sahib" and the | littie "rr.aeter-rahibs' , and "mis-sahibe" frequently sleep on the roof, which is eu-.-1.--se<l by the necesary parapet, a screen • iividing the accommodation into a dormi'ory for either sex. Soon after sunrise the family i≤ awakened by the "bearer"' a* the culoured valet is entitledl visiting the bedside of each male and pulling : tin.- sloi-j»?r'a t< - .... t!ii- being the un-j l arv.nr custom obtaining in Anglo-' Indian establishments, while the ladies j of tin? family are aroused in a similar i manner by the "ayah," a ducky domest: ■. abo ten.ls the mistress of the bunga- | . • •*■ an 1 r,cviip. : e« the position of nurse, j Although this al fresco method of, rvi ruitii:g exhausted energy has several j ajvan'.apvs, it is no; without certain} drawbacks. A dust storm, for instance, I may ?end the family flying back to the sheiter of the horribly stuffy bedrooms, thus ruining a much-need\?d night'e rest. [ or a tropical shower, coming on with I startling swiftness, will soak the bedding before the poor slumberere are half awakv. In India, by the way, "it never rains but it pours." The other type of bungalow has a deep thatched roof, which, sloping gradually, creates a most picturesque effect. It "is not, however, an unmixed blessing, for the thatch harbours enakes, who, attracted by the warmth and immunity from interference by the reptile-loathing '•sahib. ,, bring up large numbers of juvenile snakes. Sometimee one of these horrid rep;iles drops from the ceiling cloth and makes it presence known—in the usual manner—to whoever has the misfortune to be in the room at the time. KO WALLPAPER NOR WINDOWS. Wall paper is not a success in India, t"e climate being against its use. In- j deed, in the "ho* weather" it simply I crackle, up. while the "rains" loosen each sheet so effectively that in a month there is scarcely anything left on the wall. Consequently, the bungalow is, aimost invariably, distempered, both inside and out, white, cream colour, pale yellow-ochre. pale pink, and light slat.? colour being the shades generally in vogue. Bright yellow, vivid crimson, and startling carmine have also found favour with a few impressionistic persons, but the experiment has seldom teen repeated. Xor are windows always considered necessary, doors leading out on to the verandah taking their place. THE "PUNKAH." Although in the "cold leather" (which lasts, officially, from the middle of October till the end of March), a room can be kept warm by the simple expedient of closing the door, the "hot weather" atmosphere is indeed a tribulation. J-rom Eunrise to sunset the beat is fur-nace-like, or it resembles that of a Turkish bath, according to the place, while the evening is almost equally detestable. The night is certainly a Ehade less hateful, but even under "the most favourable conditions the exiJe may be put to considerable discomfort. Kvi-ry roof is therefore furnished with a punkah," which is kept in motion by a patient, perspiring black, should there be no electric fan, and the sybarite who makes the science of keeping cool the duet business of "the long, long Indian day causes a screen of dried grass to nil each doorway, a native employed to deluge it with water everY few minutes. The "thermantidote" is" also oi the greatest benefit to suffering humanity in India. It consists of a large box-like structure, some five feet high, m which is a broad-Waded paddlewheel A coloured man turns the handle and the- revolving wheel sends a current of air through a grass screen, which is continually kept wet. So effective is this arrangement that the most appalling heat is quickly converted into agreeable coolness. A certain percentage of white exiles declare that India is an unendurable " country, and that the most comfortable 'bungalow in the best "station" cannot compare with a tiny cottage at "Home," is England is termed. When, however they "retire" and endeavour to endure life in London or in the country they I lose no opportunity of lamenting their enforced absence from India.