Rahul Deshpande’s chocolate coloured mud house stands in stark contrast among the rows of cemented houses in Kolhapur, but his neighbour admits that he wished he hadn’t given in to social pressures and should have built a house like Deshpande ‘s which is so much in sync with nature.

The house is surrounded by greenery as there are two gardens- a vegetable garden and a medicinal garden growing kadipatta, tulsi, lemongrass, etc. You seem to go back in time when you see a non-electric bell attached to the door with a string. The house is plastered with mud and the lady of the housecoats it with cow dung every 10 days as the family is convinced about the antiseptic properties of cow dung which science has also proved.

The house is made of natural materials such that the house remains cool in summer and gives warmth in winter. There is, therefore, no need of fans and the windows and doors are constructed in such a scientific way that the rooms inside are sufficiently airy and lit.

As Deshpande didn’t want to dig a borewell on mother earth, he resorted to rainwater harvesting. The water is stored in an underground tank of 4000-liter capacity. All the waste generated in the house is converted into biogas which is used for cooking, The slurry residue of the biogas plant is used as a fertilizer for plants. Thus there is no environmental pollution as everything is reused and recycled.

The Deshpandes also possess a unique refrigerator made of mud in which vegetables remain fresh up to 7 days! The roof tiles are arranged in such a way that it facilitates birds to build nests. Deshpande says it is a very joyful experience to be living with birds.

Simplicity is a key to happiness and prosperity and Deshpande’s unique and impressive house confirms this saying. He says that just like a flower is rooted in mother earth, so are human beings and so is the house.

Video Courtesy: Behind Truth