THAR DESERT HOUSES

Travelling in Rajasthan in 1996, I saw these dramatic skies over the Thar desert, an hour beyond the city of Jaisalmer in northwest India, with sand dunes, above, and a sand-devil little tornado, below. There to look at a piece of land that someone wanted to build on, I was fascinated by local walls, middle below, of narrow slabs of sandstone set into the ground, but even more so by some village houses that we visited.

These mud-walled houses are planned around a mud-floored courtyard kept immaculately clean, their walls outlined in whitewash with traditional patterns. I love the modest beauty and simplicity of the design, its natural symmetry combined with the soft, irregular lines of hand-building and features like the giant pot, left above, for grain-drying, silhouetted against the dark interior of a thatched shed.

Outside the courtyard was this washing-place with overlapping walls, above right, that gave privacy without needing a door. My Indian friend talked our way into having a tour of the interiors, below, which were more ready for a photo-shoot than most designers’ homes ever are, despite our having appeared unannounced – indeed most of the families were out working in their fields. Their decorative wall-shelving echoed the painted patterns outside, the wall painted yellow behind; everything was carefully kept off the floor, beds on their sides against the wall, middle right below, with a pin-up photo of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. 

More of their traditional patterns – all done by the women – decorated the beautiful little oven, above, in the round, thatched kitchen, while inset chips of mirror added sparkle to the décor of the head-man’s living room, below, where the radio set had a special wall-niche, its huge battery on the floor neatly painted around, and the wires draped loosely across the wall. After all the overwhelming, luxurious palaces, this humble and lovely place was a real delight, especially being owner-decorated, and lived in with such obvious pleasure.