Big and prosperous
Vasthu Sastra
By T. SELVA
The majestic home as seen from a distance.
SITTING majestically on a hill at the Kulim Golf and Country resort is a RM5mil
mansion, quite possibly the biggest house in Kedah, which has been designed following
Vasthu Sastra principles. It is the dream home of businessman N. Appalanaidu, 51, who
purchased four bungalow lots at the Kulim High Tech Park and designed his manor in
accordance with the ancient science of dwelling for peace, happiness and prosperity.
The built up area occupies 1858sq m (20,000sq ft) and it has nine spacious rooms, six
bathrooms, two kitchens and several private lobbies, corners and living areas.
From a distance, one might think this house was a clubhouse or a hotel owing to the
gigantic rectangular structure with gold trimmed columns similar to the Roman
Colosseum.
Appalanaidu, an avid follower of this column, invited me over last weekend to write
about the Vasthu compliance of his house, which is the talk of the town.
“I’m enjoying enhanced bliss and harmony in my spacious house and I thank the
Almighty for blessing me with a Vasthu friendly property,” said the father of four.
He said it has always been his desire to own a huge house after experiencing hardship in
his childhood.
“Whenever I drove past a big bungalow in Kuala Lumpur, I used to stop at the front gate
and admire the structure and imagine how I would own one.
“I moved into my house 10 months ago and prior to this, I
lived in a single storey terrace house for 15 years.”
Appalanaidu said his first encounter with Vasthu
knowledge was when he read in this column that the
rearing of fish was sinful and inauspicious. He then freed
his expensive Arwana fish and that was when he started
following Vasthu tips closely. He then incorporated its
values in the design of his east facing house.
“I believe in Vasthu and I requested that my architect
follow the guidelines strictly. The building had to be
rectangular in shape, the columns even in number and the
southern and western floors higher than the eastern and
northern floors.”
Appalanaidu's childhood
dream was to own a grand
home, and designing it
following Vasthu
guidelines has made it all
the more special.
Appalanaidu gave a lot of emphasis to the courtyard in the
centre of his house, which is open and allows fresh air to
flow into his house freely.
In Vasthu, the weakest area of subtle energy flow is in the
centre and this area should be open and no weight should
be placed there. Appalanaidu placed a Basil plant in the
courtyard and a decorative lotus flower, which greets visitors to his house.
He has two kitchens and dining areas, both in the north-west – one on the ground floor
for daily use and the other on the top floor for private occasions.
Upon entering his dimly lit prayer room in the north-east with the altar facing east, one
immediately feels at peace.
His spacious and cosy hall takes up the west and south-west areas and he now plans to
turn the extreme south-west quadrant into his home office.
His mother-in-law occupies the east room and his maid’s room in the west comes with an
attached bathroom and wardrobe.
Walk up the staircase and turn clockwise, and you’ll be greeted by a chandelier imported
from China. His master bedroom in the south-west is the biggest room with an attached
bathroom fitted with a jacuzzi and shower facilities.
He has an ironing room in the west and his son occupies the eastern bedroom. His three
daughters each have their own bedrooms in the west and south-east quadrants.
An oval shaped conference table with Internet facilities is used as the study room in the
north-east.
Although the western and southern areas of his house offer a panoramic view of the golf
course, Appalanaidu made sure there were no balconies as Vasthu disallows such
openings on this stretch.
The open courtyard in the centre of the home.
From the top floor, a visitor can get a grand view of the courtyard and living area on the
ground floor.
Owing to the sheer size of the house, he had to compromise on his garden. However, he
now plans to acquire his neighbour’s empty bungalow to the north and turn it into a
garden.
The only fault I found in his mansion was the stair area leading into the house, which had
an even numbers of steps. In Vasthu, even steps indicate loss while odd steps means
profit.
Appalanaidu was quick to say that he would amend that by adding another step to make it
an odd number.
Although Appalanaidu ‘s house is huge, his interior furnishing is simple and practical and
he doesn’t have any ostentatious furnishing. He used cream coloured tiles and marble
flooring which gives the house a cheerful and vibrant look.
“I’m leaving it to my children to do up the house according to their taste when they grow
up,” said Appalanaidu.
Vasthu talks
The columnist will give a talk on conscious living through Vasthu Sastra and the science
of pyramids on Oct 1 at 2.30pm at Puteri Pacific Hotel, Jalan Abdullah Rahim, Johor
Baru. Admission is by contribution of RM10 to the Ulu Tiram Tamil School building
fund. To register, contact Arumugam at 016-773 8515.
Another talk will be held on Oct 7 at 3pm at Dewan Ramai Taman Tun Sambanthan in
Sungai Siput, Perak. Admission is by contribution of RM10 to the Sungai Siput
Malayalee Association welfare activities. To register, contact Vasu 012-5151048.
A similar talk will be held on Oct 8 at 2.30pm at Auditorium A, Bangunan KOMTAR,
Penang. Admission is by contribution of RM10 to SJK (T) Sg Ara, Penang. To register,
contact Raman at 013-4300509.
 T. Selva, The Star’s Maritime Editor, has spent years researching this ancient Indian
science of construction, better known as ‘Indian feng shui’. He is a student of 7th
generation Vasthu Sastra Master Yuvaraj Sowma from Chennai, India. He can be
contacted at tselvas@pd.jaring.my