BY ASAVARI KULKARNI
There is much truth in the saying “A good home must be made, not bought”. It is the people living in a house that make it a home. Without the human element, it remains just an edifice of concrete.
The size of the house matters little. It is one’s character that is reflected through one’s home, and what can transform a mere structure into a blissful abode.
Jyoti Kunkolienkar – writer, director, actor and social worker – takes us on a journey to witness the artistic transformation of her house, aesthetically pleasing and offering the true comfort of a home.
Jyoti and her daughter Sampada Kunkolienkar have won the prestigious Sahitya Academy Award in literature and are probably the only mother-and-daughter duo to achieve this.
Through her writing, Jyoti reflects the kaleidoscope of women’s lives. She has also acted in many dramas and films, and has received awards for the same.
While she is a famous artist and a writer, Jyoti is also an ardent plant lover and enjoys spending time with them whenever she can.
All of her finest qualities as an actor and writer are reflected in her beautiful house. It is the best example of how one can convert their living space into a piece of art.
Not a single corner of the house is bare. Each wall tells a story. It is an environment that exudes happiness and success.
When one enters the writer's house, it is like entering a museum of art. You enter through a passage covered with a living canopy of climbers and more than 100 species of potted plants!
Whether it is the entrance or the gallery, one can experience the art of landscaping revealed through a selection of plant species and pots.
Besides this, the entire veranda is decorated with different artefacts placed in an organised manner. You will be spellbound on entering the hall or the living room of her house.
The wall-mounted library reminds us that Jyoti is a writer. Paintings of Ravi Varma on the wall and a collection of ancestral artefacts reveal the art connoisseur in her.
Utensils of yore, be it a chul, the mortar, grinding stone or vessels of copper and brass, are well-placed in the entire house.
Then she takes you to another part of this fascinating museum. The first floor of the house is converted into a display of her own books, awards, other achievements and again artefacts of a bygone era, including a kitchen set that belongs to her daughter.
Jyoti has maintained files of all the cuttings of newspaper articles published about her achievements. It seems her father started that practice, and she is continuing it. She has 40 such newspaper cuttings on her achievements. The first cutting dates 50 years back when she was in the 8th standard.
The writer likes to take good care of everything that she has been gifted as it was given with a lot of love and respect. She says that we are constantly searching for beauty – something that our souls and our physical needs give priority to.
Hence, she puts in great effort to make her house a piece of art wherein she can sit back and enjoy the results with her family.
Despite her busy schedule, she has converted her house into a stupendous piece of art to live in. Organised living space has strong psychological advantages and influences one's mindset, relationships, effectiveness and health. Jyoti's house is a perfect example of this.
