His expertise in vastu shastra is regularly used by political and corporate leaders for official and personal work but Khushdeep Bansal’s services are rarely acknowledged in public. The exception happened way back in 1997 when Bansal figured out that the instability in government was due to construction of the library building next to the Parliament. “I balanced the space by placing copper wires underground between the Parliament and the library building which resulted in Governments completing their tenure.”
Bansal, who has authored several books on the subject, the latest being “Vastu Shastra Today”, and writes extensively on the web, laments the lack of recognition for vastu and he feels that it has hampered the methodical study and development of this traditional stream of knowledge.
Ironically, Bansal hadn’t heard of vastu till his college days though as a student of electronics and telecommunications engineering at Manoharbhai Institute of Engineering and Technology though he was keen on knowing the effect of earth energies and bio-electro magnetic field on cellular structures and behaviour. A sheer accident set him on course of becoming aware of vastu. On realising that equipments placed in a particular corner across the six laboratories in his college did not work immediately set his rational mind ticking. “Like the falling apple struck Newton, I too was enlightened by these parallel corners in the labs where gadgets did not work. Delving into the how and why I concluded that the iron in the pillars of the structure created a magnetic cage affecting the machines. Fascinated, I began noting from which areas in the hostel successful students emerged, where more residents fell sick, etc. This became a hobby. Egged on by my professor, Dr. Chandragupta Varlekar, I presented a paper based on this data and observations at a science conference at Hyderabad where a faculty member of National Geophysical Research Institute revealed to me that this was vastu shastra.”
Bansal reveals that he brushed this aside but later pursuing the translation of a Sanskrit book given by Varlekar exposed him to this ancient Indian tradition. Destiny pushed him further as after graduation he went for an in-depth study of vastu at a gurukul near Nagpur. He moved to England for further research in the subject to correlate it with contemporary science and ultimately returned to start his consultancy.
His keen sense of observation and passion to do well in whatever he chooses is evident from the way his life has panned out. Trained in electronics and telecommunications engineering, Dr. Khushdeep Bansal went on to become a vastu shastra consultant; his eagerness to share knowledge with others made him write and observing cooks in hostel and chefs in hotels made the food lover move to kitchen to whip up delicacies for wife, children and friends.
Time to take a breath and the quick sips of the coke and juice provided us a breather from the heat outside as we are comfortably seated in the informal environs of Shangri-La’s – Eros Hotel’s Mister Chai. The staff moves in to take orders. Bansal requests for brown bread sandwiches with boiled eggs, cucumber, tomatoes and onions along with a diet Coke while I go with their recommendation to try triple decker with onion, tomatoes and potato with watermelon juice.
Vastu, Bansal claims, was practised in ancient times too. “Looking at the archaeological facts, I realised that they had a sense of direction as where to sleep, from where to enter homes, where to eat, etc.”
It may have suited that age with a handful population and the small habitats but what about present day metros offering limited space and virtually no choice. “See north has as water element; south fire; east air; west has space and earth is in the centre and in corners. Learning about these five elements one can balance them. Red represents fire so do not place it in the north while blue is for water so do not place blue coloured objects or water in the south at homes. So place the elements in their respective direction that is the core. Such simple acts make the environment more positive.”
The aroma of food draws our attention. Biting into his sandwich, Bansal informs that the direction of cooking area influences the flavour of food. “If food is prepared in the north the spices in it will not get reflected in the flavour. It will either be sweet or bland. If spices are added on top they will taste raw.”
Why is that so? “Spices are fiery, and north is the place for water, so the two do not gel. I have designed many restaurants on this basis. For example, for an eatery serving Kolhapuri cuisine the kitchen should not be in the north. Similarly, for Chinese dishes ¬¬–– fried and salty –– west is the best location.” Can adverse influence of direction be negated?
“Of course. I added yellow and earthen colours in a Marwari kitchen where oily food was being prepared. Within two months they started using less oil though the food had the same flavour.”
Stressing upon the importance of kitchen and dining area location in his book, the author recommends, “Food should ideally be cooked in south and eaten in west.” He points out eating of the same food in each of the 16 zones demarcated by vastu leads to different behavioural reactions. “The east south-east is the area of anxiety and eating there is not good. In temples, west is the direction where offerings are made to the God so eating which is a sort of offering to self should be done in the west.”
Just as I wonder if Bansal is only keyed on kitchen and dining space placement, it turns out he is loves vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. The list is exhaustive. “I relish Maharashtrian dal and chapatti, Kolhapuri dishes, especially seafood, Kashmiri goshtaba and kuboos, Malabar fish curry, Manipuri fare which is not oily but boiled with a lot spices and Mumbai’s duck fish. These I can have 24x7 without getting bored or tired. Basically I love all Indian cuisines.”
Having travelled across the country, Bansal is equally at home with street food counting dal kachoris, kababs, vada pav and misil pava as his favourites. “Whenever someone recommends a shop or a vendor for a special dish, I make it a point to try it out without wasting time,” he quips.
Among the foreign cuisines Bansal prefers Lebanese roasted dishes, Japanese sushis, Italian pastas, Chinese and Mexican preparations though he always explores local food. Visiting Bahamas bored with the usual fare offered in the hotel he asked for local food. “I was told I will not be able to eat it. I countered: If the locals can, why can’t I?”
He was served raw snail meat with salt and lime. “My son pleaded not to try it but I went ahead. Believe me, it was awesome,” he says with a wide grin. “My argument is if indigenous people can eat a dish for centuries then it must be good.”
Does he extend this experimentation to cooking too? Here the vastu expert sticks to dishing out traditional mutton dishes, marinated grilled food and dal. “My wife likes these and I prepare them once or twice a month. The several varieties of egg dishes I make are relished by my son and my daughter loves the baked French fries, pizzas, parathans and rajma.”
Signing off, Bansal quoting Vagbhatt, a classic writer of ayurveda, recommends that one should eat what suits the taste buds while taking adequate precaution as to when and how much to eat.
