“A house is made of bricks and beams, a home is made of love and dreams”.Walk down the main Mall Road in Darjeeling and ask anybody for the Plants’ home, and you will be immediately pointed to a small path covered in flowers and coniferous trees. Almost hidden out of view, is a little cottage right out of the pages of a fairytale, and its occupants are Austin and Shala Plant – an architect and teacher respectively.
Local celebrities, the Plants have lived in this house for over 35 years. What’s more, Mr. Plant designed their home himself, and the pride in his eyes when he talks about it is unmistakable.
Step into the house, and you will see Mr. Plant’s affinity for traditional architectural styles immediately. While designing it, he was determined to include as much of the open spaces and greenery around the house as possible. Even before you step into the living room, the entryway tells you stories of their travel. Filled to the brim with artefacts and souvenirs from the trips they’ve taken over the years, it feels like a haven. Mr. Plant explains that the house was designed keeping in mind the two characteristics of local Darjeeling architecture – built of stone and timber, and an attic for a bedroom!
As you enter the living room, you are greeted by sunshine pouring in through the wide windows, and lilting music coming from an old radio. Mr. Plant is a jazz enthusiast, and is almost always tuned into an American radio station. The room is complete with a wood chimney, a staple of every house in Darjeeling.
The wide windows are the best feature of the spacious living room. On a clear day, you can see the Himalayan peaks of the Kanchenjunga, all the way to Bhutan!
The Plants are local celebrities in this part of Darjeeling, and have stayed in this home for around 35 years. They individually have very interesting pasts as well. Mr. Plant’s family were refugees who moved from Burma to Darjeeling when he was 4, when the bombings during World War II became too frequent and dangerous to live with. Mrs. Plant’s great-grandfather was the Sultan of Afghanistan who relocated to India. Her full name is Shala Sultan, but she dismisses the title and says, “it’s just a title, everyone has one anyway”!
Mrs. Plant has been a teacher at Darjeeling’s most prestigious school, the Loreto Convent. She is very fond of gardening, and spends time with her beloved orchids on her beautiful sun deck.
The Plants’ home is a treasure trove of memories. This cozy dining area, flanked by a wall of curios and bookshelf on the right, and a piano on the left, is the place where you will see most of their antiques and souvenirs. The family has lived a full, peaceful life in this beautiful home. Both their children are married and settled elsewhere, and after retirement Mr. and Mrs. Plant have dedicated their lives to the services of their beloved Darjeeling city. Even though the design of their house is heavily inspired by colonial architectural styles, they are proud to proclaim that they are residents of Darjeeling through and through!
All the crockery in the Plants’ dining area is genuine crystal, carefully preserved behind glass shelves. Mrs. Plant remembers this being her favourite part of the house, where the both of them, and their two children would dine and spend time together.
The small space under the stairs is utilised to its full potential! There are books, curios from their wide travels, and an old radio that constantly belts out American jazz – Mr. Plant’s favourite.
The classical piano on the left is a shrine to the Plants’ family memories, with almost a dozen picture frames and trinkets they’ve collected over the years. Mr. Plant plays the piano once in a while, but he proudly says that his daughter is the real musician in the family.
‘Houses of India’ is our weekly photo-story project, where we discover one home, and its story. Follow us on Instagram @housingindia, and join us on this beautiful journey across the country.
