The Army House

Everyone has grown up in a household, specific to a culture, with all the traditions and customs falling into place within and around the house, especially in a culturally diverse country like India. Every state in India has its own culture, traditions, rituals and languages that they follow; from east to west, north to south. Usually, one resides in a locality with these cultures and traditions common. For example, the Chawl community of Mumbai, has a specific culture which is unique to them but is also complementing the state’s ( in this case Maharashtra) customs. There’s nothing out of place in that sense. But what about when a tier – 4 city has a military base? Does it feel out of context? Yes.

Image – The Chawl housing. Image source: Author.

Living the military life, especially as a child or wife or even a husband to an army personnel is completely different from the civil life. The families belonging to the military men experience vast changes in life, from frequently moving places to losing contact with childhood friends to changing schools on a yearly basis. So for them, a community starts and ends at the “military community”. 

Image – Barracks for residence. Image source: Author.

There is no specific tradition or culture in the military other than the military traditions. There are rules and regulations that need to be followed but no cultures and traditions. This gives the freedom for families from different backgrounds to celebrate or follow their root traditions, from whichever state they belong. Therefore, celebration of festivals such as Eid, Onam, Lodhi, Bihu and others is  a common deal. 

Every family is given the same typology of house. Every unit in a block is built the same. But, it is the way the house functions from within, because of the diverse range of people from different backgrounds, which differs from house to house. A house with a family from Kerala has neighbors from Rajasthan, Assam and Karnataka. And all of them in the same block!

Image – Residential block. Image source: Author.

Every house has these little spaces within from where one can identify which place the family belongs to. Families tend to preserve their traditions and cultures in the form of their daily routine and in the way their interiors are decorated. These little spaces can vary from a small storage space to one corner of the living room to the backyard of the kitchen. Even the kinds of vegetables and fruits  that are planted in an individual’s kitchen garden can determine what state they belong to. 

Image – A corner dedicated to decorating in Kerala style. Image source: Author.

Image- Kitchen garden in the backyard. Image source: Author.

In the civil, sometimes, localities are very particular in the kind of families they want to house ( for example, families hailing from the same cultural backgrounds). But in the military, families from various places can live within the same block without a single thing in common. 

When the children of the military move out into the civilian world, it’s difficult for them to adjust. They are not used to following one set of customs and traditions and have nothing in common to the entire locality they newly shifted to. Hence, even if these children can adapt in different places, they are never emotionally attached to one single town, city or state and also find it difficult to stay in one area for longer periods of time. 

Image – A military guest house. Image source: Author.

The Army House from outside, seems like a mundane unit of one block. It’s the interiors which affect the way of living. In a community where the idea of “good  architecture” is not necessarily important, it is the way the residents of the house use their spaces to the fullest while also cherishing and preserving their root culture and traditions which makes living in such a strange community, happening. 

Written by – Harshada Warrier, studio adda Intern.