I was probably five years old when our joint family of 30+ members slowly started dispersing. Marriages, new jobs, job transfers-all the usual things. We lived in Mumbai. My Grandmother's brothers lived in the family estate very close to our place with their rather large family, and of course, the houses were like extensions of each other with Mom's cousins constantly visiting or staying over.
Around this time, five of her cousins got married in one huge rather grand ceremony. And subsequently, one of them was to move out of Mumbai to Coimbatore. It was a major heartbreak situation, because we love our Mumbai. It is like Hotel California -you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave! Or rather, never want to.
Anyway, she had no choice and was sent off with much fanfare, as was the custom for newlyweds.
Now this cousin had a problem. She was constantly worried about her hair fall and thinning of hair. Definitely something to freak out about, as I can understand it only too well, going through the same situation currently.
She fretted over what would happen if she moved to a new climate, a new place. Would the water there agree with her? Would she become bald? Yikes.
Fast forward to six months later and she was gushing over how wonderful Coimbatore city was and wonder of wonders, totally agreeing with her hair. When she came home for a visit, she showed off her tresses. Sure enough, she looked transformed. Fairer complexioned - not that that matters, but just to highlight how healthy and happy she looked.
It's been several years, she's a grandmother now and rules her roost cheerfully.
When we met at a wedding in the family recently, after the usual catch up, she mentioned that she bought a villa in Coimbatore and invited us all for a holiday. And thanks to the family WhatsApp group, we went ga ga over the images she shared with us. Definitely looks gorgeous.
My aunt is used to luxury living-her dad, my grandma's brother was a business magnate and not surprisingly, her new home is a custom signature fully furnished luxury villa from JRD Realtors, well known for their residential projects. The villa is in a gated community in lush green surroundings in a quiet neighbourhood in Kovaipudur, Coimbatore.
It was interesting to learn that Kovaipudur is also referred as Little Ooty, thanks to its cool climate and lovely locale. And who wouldn't want to live in Ooty? The township is at the entrance to the Palghat Pass and the southwestern fringe of Coimbatore city, bordering the Western Ghats at the foothills of the Madukkarai range in Coimbatore and the Walayar ranges in Kerala. It is also just a 30-minute drive from Coimbatore Airport and Gandhipuram.
Her villa has a private swimming pool. Some of her neighbours have their own gyms, home theatres and other amenities custom-built into their homes. And there's an exclusive club for the residents with a tennis court and other services.
While they have a choice of two and three-bedroom villas, my aunt has opted for the three-bedroom version, what with constant houseguests. There's 24-hour CCTV security surveillance with eco-friendly solar streetlights, and Siruvani water facility, since the property is close to the Siruvani River, considered the second sweetest lake water in the world.
What sounded really attractive is the greenery around her place, with easy access to schools and colleges, supermarkets, hospitals, ATMs, food joints and petrol bunks. It is also close to the arts and culture hub, which is important to her-she loves concerts.
They looked at a variety of villas before deciding on the one she finalised.
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There are contemporary designs, the traditional Nalukettu-built around a central courtyard, traditional villas, terrace garden villas, Spanish villas, English cottages, Italian villas. The villas are custom-built based on the buyer's design preferences and comes with a property care program. The homeowner gets to choose tiles, electrical fittings and fixtures, painting etc. to make their own vision of their dream home come true and can track their villa's progress via a login. Construction is vaastu/feng shui friendly, for those who care about that. There are customisable payment plans to make it easy to own a home.
The award-winning JRD Realtorss have an interesting background story. The CEO, Dr J Rajendran had humble beginnings in Namakkal where he attended a Government Hr. Sec. School. He had to quit school to earn a living and he started a provision store. While this was successful, he was ambitious. However, things didn't work out and he moved with his family to Kovaipudur where he got a job as a table cleaner at a hotel and then explored the brokerage business. As things improved, he started a construction company, JRD Realtorss, which went on to flourish. With 25 successful years behind them, the company has earned the trust of its customers for its quality homes and luxury villas in Coimbatore.
What I really liked to hear was the realtor's commitment to eco-centrism.
Their signature villas in Kovaipudur are quite gorgeous, going by these photos. I'd definitely like to live in the Nallikettu style house-it brings back great memories of my childhood visits to my aunt's place . . . cosy afternoons in the courtyard after a heavy lunch, lazing, enjoying snacks and tea, playing board games, then having my hair combed and decorated with flowers from the garden and then going out for a walk to the temple followed by a visit to the market. Sweet memories.
I can now picture my aunt sitting in her patio, gazing up at the clear blue sky, watching the clouds and perhaps enjoying her own nostalgic memories as she awaits our visit to her new villa in Coimbatore. In her own words, "heaven is right here in my home."
Take a look at JRD Realtorss website-you'll know what I mean!
Have you been to Coimbatore?
