Monsoon is here and with it has come a swirl of emotions. From the lazy mornings to the soothing feel of having a cup of tea in the evening; enjoying the cool breeze to getting irritated with wet floors and clothes, the rainy season makes us both joyous and annoyed. There are many things we love and many things we hate about the monsoon but the fact is we can’t live without it. 

This year the Indian Meteorological Department has forecasted 101 percent rain across the country. What this means is that most parts of the country will receive normal to above normal rainfall. You need to start planning to make the most out of this monsoon and there are a lot many ways to do that.

While stepping out might be a luxury, staying at home can also be turned into a retreat (if not a luxury!). You only need to know the ways to do that. Here are a few things that can let you have a pleasant monsoon, from the comfort of your homes. 

Secure the Doorways 

As we mentioned earlier, there are some things about the rainy season that certainly annoy us. The biggest being wet floors, especially near the entrance of your home. The balcony and window areas are also a concern. Keeping water-absorbent door mats near all the entrances – balcony and the main doorway will make sure no one can get in with wet feet. This will keep your floors dry.

You also need to keep a bucket or vase at the entry point. Anyone who comes in should put their umbrellas inside the vase. You can paint an old bucket or vase to make it look more inviting. This will ensure anyone who comes home will notice the dedicated spot dedicated to keeping umbrellas! Once you take care of wet floors, your monsoon will indeed become dearer.

Make Your Home Smell Fresh

The smell of the first rains might be mesmerizing but too much of it can get unnerving. Fungal build-up around wet areas further aggravates the problem. Overall, the humid air can create enough bad odour that needs to be dealt with. You can either purchase perfumed sprays to make your home smell good or use natural substances. Lemon, rosemary, water and vanilla extract can be mixed and kept in a glass jar. You can add the mixture to a spray bottle and spray it occasionally. This homemade recipe will provide a fresh smell and keep your mood happy. 

If you are a romantic kind, you can even use scented candles. These are affordable and easily available at local stores. Lit them up during the evenings or when the bad odour becomes intense. They will instantly transform the smell.

Keep Food in Air-Tight Containers

The cool breeze during monsoon days warrants an obvious lip-smacking food time with your family members. You can make spicy Pokaras, Ghugni, Begun Bhaja, Rolls or Jhalmuri. While Kolkatans love having them throughout the year, there is something special in having these lip-smacking food during the rainy season.

Whether you order food from outside or want to cook yourself, make sure to keep the food only in air-tight containers. Food spoilage is a common problem because of the high moisture during the monsoon. 

To make your dining area and kitchen look appealing, get bright and texture air-tight containers. These will secure your food from moisture and also make your home look better.

Enjoy the Rain

The temperature during the rainy season is slightly lower than in the peak summertime. This makes it a great time to restart and rejuvenate yourself. Pull out the curtains, open the windows and get your chairs near the balcony or windows. Sit with your family members and just enjoy the rain. 

You can watch the flowers blossoming or birds shaking their feathers to release water. Don’t mind if children become curious and start asking questions. They just love exploring. 

If you like reading, this is the perfect time to pick up a novel and start diving into the story that you have been waiting to read. You can even play music and relax during the pleasing weather. There are many fun activities that you can do during the rainy season.

Grow Your Garden

For those who love gardening, the monsoon arrives as a blessing. The rainwater does not contain chemicals, added minerals or salts. This makes rainwater an excellent resource for plants, and you can expect your plants to surprise you with bright colours and better blossoms. It is a good time to make additions to your small garden. You can start growing fruits and vegetables. 

If you don’t have a garden, you can consider starting one. Several species of houseplants can be bought. Fancy and colourful vases can be bought to spice up the decor. A few minutes of gardening can be an excellent stress-buster.

Hang DIY Windchimes

Monsoons have truly become unpredictable. It might be sunny one moment but can get cloudy the very next moment. If you want to be greeted by a pleasant sound every time the winds blow, hang a windchime at your window or balcony. The wind chimes will add a whimsical feel to the monsoon. 

It can be a great exercise for families with children to get them involved in making DIY wind chimes. Many videos on YouTube can help you create a wind chime from spoons, metal pieces or bobs lying around in your home. A similar and even more fun activity could be to make a DIY fountain. These can be made from plastic bottles and can add a charm to your home.

Monsoon is here and with it has come a swirl of emotions. From the lazy mornings to the soothing feel of having a cup of tea in the evening; enjoying the cool breeze to getting irritated with wet floors and clothes, the rainy season makes us both joyous and annoyed. There are many things we love and many things we hate about the monsoon but the fact is we can’t live without it. 

This year the Indian Meteorological Department has forecasted 101 percent rain across the country. What this means is that most parts of the country will receive normal to above normal rainfall. You need to start planning to make the most out of this monsoon and there are a lot many ways to do that.

While stepping out might be a luxury, staying at home can also be turned into a retreat (if not a luxury!). You only need to know the ways to do that. Here are a few things that can let you have a pleasant monsoon, from the comfort of your homes. 

Secure the Doorways 

As we mentioned earlier, there are some things about the rainy season that certainly annoy us. The biggest being wet floors, especially near the entrance of your home. The balcony and window areas are also a concern. Keeping water-absorbent door mats near all the entrances – balcony and the main doorway will make sure no one can get in with wet feet. This will keep your floors dry.

You also need to keep a bucket or vase at the entry point. Anyone who comes in should put their umbrellas inside the vase. You can paint an old bucket or vase to make it look more inviting. This will ensure anyone who comes home will notice the dedicated spot dedicated to keeping umbrellas! Once you take care of wet floors, your monsoon will indeed become dearer.

Make Your Home Smell Fresh

The smell of the first rains might be mesmerizing but too much of it can get unnerving. Fungal build-up around wet areas further aggravates the problem. Overall, the humid air can create enough bad odour that needs to be dealt with. You can either purchase perfumed sprays to make your home smell good or use natural substances. Lemon, rosemary, water and vanilla extract can be mixed and kept in a glass jar. You can add the mixture to a spray bottle and spray it occasionally. This homemade recipe will provide a fresh smell and keep your mood happy. 

If you are a romantic kind, you can even use scented candles. These are affordable and easily available at local stores. Lit them up during the evenings or when the bad odour becomes intense. They will instantly transform the smell.

Keep Food in Air-Tight Containers

The cool breeze during monsoon days warrants an obvious lip-smacking food time with your family members. You can make spicy Pokaras, Ghugni, Begun Bhaja, Rolls or Jhalmuri. While Kolkatans love having them throughout the year, there is something special in having these lip-smacking food during the rainy season.

Whether you order food from outside or want to cook yourself, make sure to keep the food only in air-tight containers. Food spoilage is a common problem because of the high moisture during the monsoon. 

To make your dining area and kitchen look appealing, get bright and texture air-tight containers. These will secure your food from moisture and also make your home look better.

Enjoy the Rain

The temperature during the rainy season is slightly lower than in the peak summertime. This makes it a great time to restart and rejuvenate yourself. Pull out the curtains, open the windows and get your chairs near the balcony or windows. Sit with your family members and just enjoy the rain. 

You can watch the flowers blossoming or birds shaking their feathers to release water. Don’t mind if children become curious and start asking questions. They just love exploring. 

If you like reading, this is the perfect time to pick up a novel and start diving into the story that you have been waiting to read. You can even play music and relax during the pleasing weather. There are many fun activities that you can do during the rainy season.

Grow Your Garden

For those who love gardening, the monsoon arrives as a blessing. The rainwater does not contain chemicals, added minerals or salts. This makes rainwater an excellent resource for plants, and you can expect your plants to surprise you with bright colours and better blossoms. It is a good time to make additions to your small garden. You can start growing fruits and vegetables. 

If you don’t have a garden, you can consider starting one. Several species of houseplants can be bought. Fancy and colourful vases can be bought to spice up the decor. A few minutes of gardening can be an excellent stress-buster.

Hang DIY Windchimes

Monsoons have truly become unpredictable. It might be sunny one moment but can get cloudy the very next moment. If you want to be greeted by a pleasant sound every time the winds blow, hang a windchime at your window or balcony. The wind chimes will add a whimsical feel to the monsoon. 

It can be a great exercise for families with children to get them involved in making DIY wind chimes. Many videos on YouTube can help you create a wind chime from spoons, metal pieces or bobs lying around in your home. A similar and even more fun activity could be to make a DIY fountain. These can be made from plastic bottles and can add a charm to your home.

In India we celebrate festivals throughout the year. People of all religions and sects gather together to celebrate the diverse customs and traditions with much fanfare. No matter what the festival is, the ambience of our home becomes nothing short of spectacular. We gather together to celebrate the festivals and enjoy the many new beginnings that these festivals bring with them.

The act of buying and stepping into a new home itself begins with a ritualistic celebration – the Griha Pravesh. Griha Pravesh is performed to mark a new phase of life – stepping into a home that is complete from all aspects. To perform the Griha Pravesh, an auspicious day as per the Hindu calendar is selected. Important dates for performing a Griha Pravesh include Vasant Panchami, Sharad Purnima, Akshaya Tritiya, Gangaur, or Diwali.

Just like Griha Pravesh, many other festivals transform our homes into a vibrant landscape and a center of celebration. Let’s look at some of these important ones.

Gangaur

Gangaur is a festival that announces the beginning of spring. The celebrations last 18 days and culminate with Lord Shiva’s entrance to escort his bride home. In some cities, particularly Rajasthan, a parade of highly embellished elephants, camels, and people singing, led by jubilant musicians and children, transports the deity of Gauri. Gangaur celebration honours Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

The celebration is geared particularly for women. Unmarried women pray to Gauri for a good spouse, while married women pray for the prosperity, happiness, and longevity of their spouses, as well as a happy married life. They make clay idols of Lord Shiva and Parvati at their homes and dress them beautifully. The idols are placed in a basket and worshiped for a day.

Gangaur commences on Holi and is performed until the Tritiya of Chaitra Shukla Paksha. On Gangaur, women from different places travel to a lake or river to offer Gangaur water.

Raksha Bandhan

Rakhi Purnima or the Hindu Festival of Brothers and Sisters is celebrated every year by the symbolic tying of Rakhi. The sister tying the Rakhi on the wrist of her brother represents the love and trust that a sister has for her brother. In return, the brother reassures her sister to help her when needed. The Rakhi ceremony begins with the sister applying a vermillion dot to her brother’s forehead before tying the Rakhi.\par

Rakhi is commemorated every year on the full moon in the Hindu month of Shravan. Sisters bring lip-smacking delicacies to their brothers’ home when they come to tie the Rakhi. Family members usually adorn their homes with decorative lights and flowers on the day of Rakhi.

Karwa Chauth

The word ‘Karwa’ means clay pot while the word ‘Chauth’ means the fourth day. The Karwa Chauth celebration honours the lovely tie of marriage by commemorating the unwavering love and support that binds a couple together. According to the Hindu lunar calendar, it is observed on the fourth day, following the full moon in the month of Kartik.

Women fast without drinking water and swear to keep the fast with commitment and honesty. They worship the gods Karwa Mata, Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha, and Lord Kartikeya in order to obtain blessings for their spouses’ long lives. If a married lady keeps the Karwa Chauth fast, it is thought that her husband would live a long and happy life.

Married women break their fast after they catch a glimpse of the moon in the evening. They often step out in the verandah or the terrace of their homes, several times to check if the moon is visible.

Every year on Krishna Paksha Chaturthi, the Hindu custom of Karwa Chauth fasting is practiced. Karwa Chauth falls around 10 days before Diwali every year.

Sharad Purnima

The term “Sharad” alludes to the year’s “Sharad Ritu” (season). It’s largely a harvest festival with religious connotations. Goddess Lakshmi is reported to wander from place to place on this night, checking to see who is awake and thanking those who are. As a result, instead of sleeping on this night people sing, dance, and remember God.

On Sharad Poornima, Goddess Lakshmi is believed to have been born. Anyone who adheres to this fast does not eat solid foods. After finishing the fast, they must first taste a mixture of cold milk and rice flakes kept under the moonlight for the night. Family members usually keep a bowl out in their verandah. During this fast, it is customary to drink cold milk. This practice also has scientific underpinnings.

Janmashtami

The Hindu festival of Krishna Janmashtami honours Krishna’s birth as Vishnu’s eighth incarnation. The festival is celebrated throughout the country, especially with much grandeur in Mathura and Vrindavan – the place where Krishna spent his infancy and early adolescence. Devotees conduct a vigil and fast until midnight, the traditional hour of his birth. The picture of Krishna is then washed in milk and water and clothed in fresh clothing before being worshiped.

The auspicious day is nothing short of a celebration. From buying gorgeous outfits for Lord Krishna to beautifying temples with flowers and lights, the day is celebrated with tremendous passion in the temple area of a home. Devotees make a palki of Laddu Gopal and swing him back and forth as a show of their love and care.

Tulasi Vivah

Almost all Hindu homes have a Tulasi plant. The plant has innumerable health benefits – promotes a healthy heart, cures fever and relieves headaches. Family members, especially women, worship Tulasi with reverence every day.

Tulasi Vivah is the marriage of the plant to Lord Shaligram or Amla – the personification of Lord Vishnu. A simple and short ceremony is performed in the area where the Tulasi plant is kept. Usually, people keep the Tulasi plant in their verandah.

Practically speaking, the marriage ceremony marks the end of the monsoon season and the commencement of the wedding season as per the Hindu calendar. This is the grandeur of our traditions where everything around us – the plants, environment or even the food we eat is worshiped with devotion.

Conclusion

Some or the other celebration keeps going on throughout the year in our country. The act of people coming over, decorating your home, and cooking delicacies happens at least once every month. Make certain to keep your home ready and enjoy every occasion with grandness. There is nothing more joyful than bringing home the festivities and relishing them with your loved ones

Have you been confused between buying and renting a residential property?

Well, you are not the only one! 

Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions that one takes in their lifetime. The financial consideration and long term implications involved lead to excessive brainstorming before arriving at a decision. Both options seem to have their respective benefits and one truly needs weight in the constraints of each before arriving at a decision.

The only commonality that exists for both the options is that either option will provide you with a roof above your head. You will get a place to live comfortably with your family but what needs to be looked into is which option provides greater benefits. 

Why do people want to own homes?

Before we discuss whether buying or renting is better, let us understand why one wants to buy a home. None of you will disagree that if given a choice between buying and renting a home, you will choose to buy. The only thing that may stop you is financial constraints. The cash outflow for the monthly EMIs is definitely higher than the rent expenditure that you would pay for the same property. However, should this deter you from making a home purchase? Let’s try to find out.

Long term Security

The foremost thing that an individual looks into before taking a financial decision is what will provide them with long term security. When you are living in a rented home there is uncertainty about the rent agreement. This may result in you being forced to leave the rented property. Once you own a home you are the perpetual owner of the property, unless you sell it over to someone else. This provides a big relief and security to the owners.

You are the boss

Those of you who have spent time in a rented apartment would have realized the problems associated with it. There are limitations to the modifications that you can do inside the premises. Let alone working on major overhauls there is no freedom to even put a nail on the wall. The landlord does not like it and you simply can’t do anything about it. Some landlords may also place restrictions on coming in late which can be detrimental to your lifestyle. When you buy a home you are the sole owner and decision maker. This gives you the freedom to do what you want. 

Emotional Well-being

Owning a residential property is the dream of almost every individual. With a rented apartment there is always the fear of the landlord asking you to move out. Once you purchase a home it brings great emotional stability. Your family has its own space and no longer has to feel stressed about anything. Over the years your family also forms a strong attachment to the property. This is the reason why many homeowners do not want to sell their house even after moving to a new property. 

Social Accomplishment

When you purchase a new home it brings a sense of accomplishment in society. It shows that your hard work has led you to become successful and independent. Owning a home is not an easy task and buying a property will display your achievements to the people around you. People will congratulate you and admire your hard work. The feeling of moving from a rented home to your own home is absolutely surreal in itself. 

Lucrative Investment Opportunity

If you are going to stay in a particular city for a long period it makes sense to buy a home. This will give you the feeling of belonging permanently to the city. In addition to that, it is also a great investment opportunity. Rent is just an expenditure that does not generate wealth. On the other hand, purchasing a house will help you to build up a strong net worth in the future. Once the EMIs are cleared you will have a large asset value in your name. You will also tend to benefit from the appreciation in the value of property prices in your area.

Easy to Finance

Home purchases are generally backed by bank loans. You just need to contact a bank and submit your home loan request. After approval, you can select the tenure of the loan. Most buyers prefer to take home loans for a period of 20 to 30 years. This evenly spreads the purchase price of the residential property. Home loans carry low interest rates that make it affordable in the long run. In 2020 the banks are offering the lowest interest rates on home loans. This will help to take care of your financial expenses. Easy financing options will allow you to purchase a home even when you are young.

Increase in proportional ownership

While taking a home loan is a safe and easy method to finance your new home it has another accompanied benefit. With the payment of each EMI your proportional ownership in the property increases. This is not the case with a rented property. Even though you may have been paying rent for years, the fact is you will always remain a tenant and no unit of the property will get transferred to your name.

Potential Future Earnings

We always look forward to establishing permanent sources of income. If you buy a new home now and if you and your family will have to relocate to a new city in the future, you may then use your property to earn regular cash flow. This can be done by letting out the first home on a rent to a tenant. In this way, you can earn rental income from the property without having to dilute your ownership. You can then use this money to meet your monthly expenses or make further investments in other assets.

So, we see that there are several advantages to buying a home. This includes social as well as monetary benefits to both you and your family. Renting seems to be a good option but it will not help you to create any asset value in the long run. While taking any decision it is important to see both the short-term and long term benefits of your decision. When you consider this you will realize that buying a home is certainly better than renting.

If you are planning to buy a home, you can contact us to get advice from an expert.