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Building on correct principles Vasthu Sastra By T.

SELVA Developers who build according to Vasthu guidelines can make more profit selling fewer houses. IM delighted to write this weeks column because I have finally managed to speak on Vasthu Sastra to my target audience: developers and real estate experts. Last week, I was invited to present a talk at the 18th National Real Estate Convention in Kuala Lumpur on how Vasthu can be applied to encourage harmonious living within housing developments.

The road spearing into this house in Klang, Selangor, is inauspicious in Vasthu. Its owner, Port Klang state assemblyman Datuk Zakaria Mohd Deros, might agree as he ran into trouble for building an unapproved structure. The point I stressed to the 200 or so builders and real estate negotiators there was that the ancient science could be incorporated into their site and house designs without compromising on their profits.

In India, several new housing schemes in Jaipur and Chennai have included Vasthu principles in their projects and have attracted a strong response from house buyers. During the Vedic period (2500BCE-200CE), the Indo-Aryans used Vasthu in town planning to shape settlements into various categories, depending upon the characteristics of the population. Vasthu was applied not only to residential buildings and temples but also military barracks, marketplaces, ports, administration buildings and palaces. Many of these places have stood the test of time. Vasthu goes beyond architecture: great masters have recorded that its principles encompass the geological, geophysical and, above all, cosmological and celestial aspects. The demands of Vasthu and feng shui from China for housing developments are logical and both the sciences encourage developers to be more conscious of the environment when putting up structures. Incidents of housing schemes that are abandoned half way through construction, landslides and mishaps occurring at the construction stage, and completed houses that prove difficult to sell could be attributed to poor Vasthu practices and builders being insensitive to the environment. When selecting a site, developers should choose land that is square or rectangular in shape and ensure that the land is higher than or at the same level as the road. Also, the land should be fertile and the soil colours should be black, pale green, yellow or red. Land infested with ant and worm hills should be avoided. Having natural bodies of water like a river, lake, pond or waterfall located in the northern and eastern stretch of the land is favourable because this will create tranquillity and a pleasant environment. Such features in the western and southern quadrants of the land are inauspicious and residents will fall sick frequently and experience dullness. Ideally, tall structures like apartments and condominiums should be placed in the southern and western quadrants and the north-eastern area should be allocated for a park, playground, field, swimming pool or manmade lake. A row of terrace or individual houses should have roads on all four sides. Avoid placing garbage bins in the north-east (spiritual corner) and south-west (prosperity quadrant). Recommended quadrants are north-west and south-east.

Drainage outlets at the site should be located in the north-west and south-east and sewage pond should not be located in the south-west and north-east. Developers should not build houses at the T-junction because such an inauspicious location will not benefit the dweller owing to the negative flow of energy hitting the house. Any land that faces a T or Y junction should be turned into a playground, garden or park. For the interior of the house, the main door should be located in the centre, and all locations are fine except the south-west. Architects should design the master bedroom so that it spans the southern and western region of the house and place the kitchen in the south-east or north-west. Most of the Vasthu recommendations can be included in the site plan easily; the biggest challenge for developers would be reducing the number of houses built on certain portions of the land to ensure the designation of amenities are Vasthu friendly. Feng shui consultant Henry Fong, who also spoke at the convention, said incorporating feng shui compliance into a housing development could mean developers might have to spend more money or perhaps even end up with fewer houses to sell. However, this can be offset easily by selling the houses faster (to buyers who believe in feng shui) and, likely, at a higher price. Fong said, in feng shui, the location of the surrounding mountain and water in relation to the house is very important. The placement of the main door, kitchen and bedrooms is also a key factor and it would be great if the houses are designed based on the ancient rules. Residents staying in housing schemes that comply with Vasthu or feng shui principles can be assured of health, wealth, happiness and peace of mind. Vasthu talks The columnist will present a talk on effects of the science of pyramids, Rudraksha (the divine bead), and Vasthu Sastra for life today (April 8) at 3pm at the Tropical Inn Hotel in Johor Baru. Admission is by contribution of RM10 to the Nyana Yutham Foundation. To register, contact Arumugam at 016-789 8303. A similar talk will be held on June 10 at 2.30pm at the YMCA Hall in Ipoh. Admission is by contribution of RM10 to the Bank Indian Employees Society of Ipohs welfare activities. To register, call Ganesh at 012-593 9065.

T. Selva, The Stars Maritime Editor, has spent years researching and writing about the ancient Indian science of construction, better known as Indian feng shui. He is the first disciple of 7th generation Vasthu Sastra Master Yuvaraj Sowma from Chennai, India.

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