Stepping into Elamthoattam compound in Manacaud is like stepping back into those sepia-tinted times of men in smart white bell bottoms and Premier Padmini Fiats parked on the front porch. That’s how retro the mansion is. Even the colours are old-world – muted yellows, browns and greens, which showcases the sharp lines and angles and geometric features that’s a mainstay of 1960s construction in the city.
There’s construction going on to one side of the property but that does not hamper the view of the house as we drive into the vast compound. A lone tree stands in the driveway and the only other greenery comes from a few coconut trees and a banana patch on the left. The over-hanging porch leads directly to a compact veranda where old-style cane furniture is neatly arranged. The most striking features of the interiors is perhaps the pink and yellow patterned mosaic flooring, the shine of which has not dimmed with age. In fact, the mosaic rises from the floor mid way up the walls – a design feature that runs throughout the house. “The mosaic tiles were sourced locally but the oxide polish that gives it that sheen was imported,” says Mohammed Ibrahim, the soft-spoken owner of the house, as he leads us into the main living room. It too is furnished rather austerely with dark wooden furniture, with a few knick-knacks and photos of the Haj pilgrimage to spruce it up.
“I built the house in 1966 on ancestral property left to me by my late father Mohammed Kanu a.k.a. ‘Motor’ Mohammed – called so because he was one of the first in the area to own a motor car. In those days the Manacaud road was the main thoroughfare that connected the city to Kovalam. There was no alternate bypass as we know it now. As such Manacaud was a thriving centre of trade but also a quiet suburb, home to people of all faiths,” says Mohammed, a copra businessman. He lives with his wife and his son, Bilal, an automobile engineer, and his young family. Elamthoattam is their family name. “The house was designed by one Aandi Asari, a government employee, who was good at drawing plans. He made sure that all the rooms of the house had extra ventilation in the form of air holes. This feature and the 14-feet ceilings makes it really cool inside the house even in the height of summer. Also, the walls are all 13 and a half inches thick and very sturdy thanks to concrete coating of red bricks. When I was building the house, there was a shortage (and hence a levy) on concrete and I remember that I had to travel all the way to the factory in Tamil Nadu to buy some,” he adds.
The veranda of the house also leads to a spacious room, used as an office room, again simply furnished. The two rooms in front are separated from the family’s private living quarters by a short, enclosed corridor, which in turn opens into a large hall/dining area. Two cavernous bedrooms, with attached office rooms-cum-dressing rooms, can be found to the sides of the downstairs hall. Then comes the “women’s quarters” of the house – lounges complete with several day beds, a large pantry and an even bigger kitchen. Bar some updates to the kitchen and the addition of a rather large utility room, nothing has been changed since the house was built, says Mohammed. There are two bedrooms and a hall upstairs too. Each of the 10-odd rooms of the house have huge, grilled windows, which give a light and airy feel to the entire space.
(A column on houses in and around the city that are more than 50 years old.)
