Greenish ‘Silverend’ lives up to Garden City’s sobriquet

BEAUTIFUL BUNGALOWS
Greenish ‘Silverend’ lives up to Garden City’s sobriquet
The Times of India

Bangalore: The first thing you notice when you stand outside ‘Silverend’ is the drop in temperature. The bungalow seems almost hidden behind the lush green garden that surrounds it.

“I moved into the bungalow 30 years ago,’’ recalls Priya Mascrenhas, who moved into the ancestral bungalow of her husband Mohan. Walk down the pathway and you can’t ignore Dodda, Sanna and Ringo — her daschunds — scampering around.

It’s tough to ignore the silver Jaipuri chairs, the Egyptian Nefertiti and a reclining Vietnamese Buddha that find a place for themselves among the various trophies that the Mascrenhas’ have won for their immaculately maintained garden. In the family room on the left, she shows you her various other awards, that include the ‘Pride of Bangalore’ award in 1999. There are colourful Dutch plates and African artefacts that adorn the room, that’s used by Priya for her gymming regime.

You walk into her daughter Nisha’s room, that’s being no longer occupied by her, since her marriage. But you’re sure to notice the Bali paintings as you leave it to enter Priya and Mohan’s bedroom.

Nothing, however prepares you for the living room. It’s a rush of blue that hits you. Blue and white, you realise, when you recover from the initial impulse of colour. Her fondness for aqua led Priya to put up close to 200 blue and white plates on the walls. There exists harmony between the Chinese chests and the dowry boxes, the Lladros and the Russel market throwaways and the Russian angels and Italian glass. Even as you pass by the old German piano, look up and you see that, with the high ceiling and old fans, this is indeed a heritage home. “It’s a typical old Colonial bungalow, that’s 120 years old. So I’ve tried to preserve as many elements of the bygone era as possible,’’ says Priya.

And you believe her when you see the toilets that still flush with the century-old technology. Or the Cudapa tiles that floor one of the kitchens and pathway to the pantry.

There’s also a massage room and a kitchen tucked away. “That one’s for frying and grinding,’’ explains Priya.
And then we come to the other living room. This one has a window where one gets a view of her garden. And although the seating’s comfortable, it’s not possible to resist the temptation of stepping out into the garden.
With over 2,000 ornamental plants and 25 fruit plants, waterfall, fountain and a kitchen garden, it’s not tough to see why she got the Javarayya rolling cup for the best ornamental garden 29 times in a row. One mustn’t miss the Krishna statuettes and tree parrots, even a little bridge that add to the ornamental value.

A discreet pathway leads to the guest cottage, almost a miniature depiction of the bungalow.

The maintenance bill of running a heritage house runs into thousands every month, including the battalion of maids that Priya hires. But more importantly, it takes discipline and dedication to keep it in perfect condition. The house is mopped and swept twice a day and every dry leaf is removed from the garden on a daily basis. “When I become too old to run this place, I’ll move to an apartment and lead a Spartan existence,’’ declares Priya. But one look at the passion with which she runs the bungalow, and you know you don’t believe her.