Trees and a vague memory Geoffrey Bawa inspired the design of this house in Alibag

In the central courtyard of a house in Alibag, a semi-cascaded champa tree grows, its scent flowing like uncontrolled joy into the dining room, living room and swimming pool. Landscape architect Kunal Maniar, who planted the lonely beauty in memory of Geoffrey Bawabelieves you can’t go wrong with a champa tree: “It’s like that classic Banarasi sari in a woman’s wardrobe.” Maniar’s weakness for nostalgia is a recurring motif throughout the two-hectare estate – a motif that is strongly manifested in the way he has annexed ideas of intelligent, biophilic landscape design with memories of childhood comfort. For example, there are groups of mango trees, sculpted to form an igloo, in which charpoys nest – a perfect place to take an afternoon siesta under the overhang of sweet, juicy mangoes. “We’ve gotten to a point where we find it easier to put a parasol in the middle of the lawn. It is as if we have forgotten the joy of resting under the shade of a tree,” says Maniar. Out of respect for the old customs, his team – including Hamza Barafwala, Pandurang Patil, Nikhil Kawale and Chetan Mhatre – planted heliconias everywhere, allowing gardeners to trim and decorate pots and vases around the house. “Why order hydrangeas from another city when you can also get local flowers from your own soil? Our mothers did this every time they cut a few flowers from their own garden and arranged them – leaves, branches and all – in a vase.”

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The fact that nature is given free rein on the site is evident from the abundance of pomegranates, custard apples, avocados, bananas and moringa. You can’t help but feel joy at the sight of kokum trees preparing to yield the dark harvest that will eventually find its way into spicy sorbets and fish curries.