Tips for an ideal kitchen
How many times have you seen that lovely ad on the T.V, where the woman of the family, dressed in the best of silks, is rustling up a delectable meal complete with starters and desserts without a frown or bead of perspiration spoiling her glowing, perfectly made up face, and wondered how she managed that eight course feast without getting harried , or how her kitchen looks so perfectly neat and cosy, spic and span, almost inviting one to take up the ladle and start stirring the pots and agonised over why your kitchen can’t look the same?
Welcome to the real world. While you may not be exactly inclined to pull out your best silks for a culinary experience in the kitchen you can surely, make that little home within a home a place you can be proud of . It requires just a little bit of imagination and some Vaastu tips to help you achieve the desired telly effect.
It is often said that “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” and while many a woman goes that extra length and effort to keep her man happy, a little thought for her convenience would not be out of place.
Considering that the kitchen is the place which governs the health and well-being of the family the best gift surely would be an ideal workplace which complements the wife’s culinary skills and expertise. Gone are the days when a serviceable room with a gas stove and basic facilities passed off as a kitchen.
Like everything else today, there has been a come-uppance for that humble room called kitchen! Today, kitchen’s are truly accorded the pride of place.
Call it what you will, but kitchens do make a domestic fashion statement .
There are designer kitchens, and made-to-order ones, elaborate and roomy ones or small, neat, cosy to work in units. And in a world which lays great store by the ”in -a-jiffy” or “two-minute” culture , the stress is on convenience, utility and keeping things to a miminum.. Whatever your choice, they speak volumes about the kind of person you are– expansive, generous, a foodie, or couldn’t -be-bothered with cooking person.
If you’re planning on building a house or refurbishing your kitchen , remember, the kitchen is the place where the fire god or Agni resides. Hence it is a place which must be kept scrupulously clean and pure and definitely built away from the bathroom and toilet.
A plot in the south western direction which faces the point where the east and west directions meet is called the Agneya disha and the residing place of Agni or fire god, an ideal place to build a kitchen. But a thing to keep in mind is that the place is not located between two thoroughfares or approaches on the east or south sides as this is considered inauspicious and
may cause a decline in the fortunes of the residents.
In order to keep the negative and positive magnetic currents within the house the southern side of the house should be made higher, and the windows be located on the eastern side and never on the southern. These precautions are a must for the mental and spiritual well-being of the residents.
The northern and north-eastern sides should be at a lower level than the south-eastern side which is the Agneya side and have more open spaces to bestow life-giving and rejuvenating energies to the residents.
Vaastu says that the door on the Agneya side especially should not be round or oval shaped, the windows should be even in number. Since the south-eastern direction is meant only for the kitchen or the fire place take care to avoid building or locating a septic tank or a toilet which mars the piety of the place and results in debilitating health problems for the inmates of the house.
Vaastu has some ingenious tips for keeping the climatic conditions in balance. If building pillars in such a building is necessary, those on the south- eastern side and the southern side must be round in shape and not square or rectangular. The south western (Nairitya) side must be replete with greenery and trees etc. to balance the natural energy flow. Windows on the southern or south eastern sides are not recommended, although fire wood can be stored in this side and the chimneys, exhausts, electric apliances too can be installed for best results.
The drainge should be on the north-western direction. This direction is also good for having tanks and water storage facilities. The Ishan side is also good for this purpose provided the north western direction is kept at a higher level.
Dr Jaiprakash Laldhagewale
laldhagewale@hotmail.com
