Studying brick and mortar energies
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Traditional building wisdom needs to be revived, says S.BS. Surendran in a chat on vaasthu and feng shui with RANJANI GOVIND
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S. BS. Surendran, vaasthu and feng shui consultant
This is the New Year's first rollout of PropertyPlus and we decided to start the week with an `energetic' take on understanding the much talked about vaasthu and feng shui rules and regulations that have not only been an obsession in buildings in the last few years, but have seen structures razed to the ground to "get vaasthu-friendly."
So powerful have been the forces that one observes even property sale ads stating houses to be `vaasthu compliant' and it is now believed that "these sciences" influence human lifestyle within the brick and mortar structures. And if you do consider inviting these so-called Indian and Chinese flow of energies into your buildings, just read on to know what one busy practitioner who travels the globe for consultations has to say.
Specialist S.BS. Surendran, an electrical engineer, was trapped in an obsession to understand the nitty-gritty of building structures after his engineering that gradually led him to observing temple architecture and the embedded vaasthu shilpa shastra.
That was the beginning, for Surendran's craze for appreciating energies soon took him to an Indonesian master and other grand masters in China for formal training. Benefits of an engineer knowing vaasthu and feng shui are the curious solutions offered by Surendran for structural defects and corrections done with a comprehensive package, without demolition.
Says Surendran, "Basically vaasthu speaks of air, ether, water, earth and cosmos and feng shui of water, wood, fire earth and metal. Vaasthu predominantly focuses on the flow of energy, i.e., the magnetic lines of forces existing in the earth, and feng shui could be related to a building — water in kitchen and toilets, wood as in doors and windows, fire in stove and electricity, earth is all the bricks, cement and flooring materials and metals in the grills and RCC in roofs, beams and pillars.
No quick-fix solutions
"It is believed that each has a specific wavelength and field; so, adding and removing a few things ensures balance in your environment. Vaasthu can be adapted in land and building layouts and designing and feng shui in concepts of lighting, wall colours, furnishings and garden design to enhance the copious flow of positive Chi. However, there are no quick-fix solutions for harmony and balance. It's at best like offering an umbrella to people in thunder and rain," he says.
But one cannot ignore the resistance to the ambiguity present in these "energy sciences"?
There is no resistance but confusion. The fear is, how can we adapt a Chinese-originated feng shui to work in India? But the sceptics have to realise that with one North Pole and one South Pole for the earth, all of us do have the effect of magnetic lines, energy flow and the effect of elements exactly the same way, no matter where we are in the globe.
If vaasthu is perfect, then feng shui has no role?
Vaasthu may be perfect but we have no control on our environment. There may be a sudden change in the "luck cycle" of the occupants over a period of time due to new buildings and skyscrapers coming around. Feng shui is a tool to counter blockages and build-up of negative "Chi." And as per the almanac known as Tong Shu, every 20 years one needs to re-energise the building with systematic countering of these time-based afflictions, in spite of the tenets of vaasthu being implemented.
An example of negative energy?
The most common negative energy built up is the cluttered home. We always cling on to things, thinking they will come handy for a rainy day. This mess is neither cleaned nor moved and causes a block to the free flow of energy leading to some kind of a stagnation, most times unexplained delays in progress and discontentment even in home life.
On the success rate...
It's sad that one looks at these sciences as a `first-aid-kit.' Why don't we see them as tools to fine-tune our space? Do we have to always measure success with generating more wealth and reaching higher positions in life? They may be important, but we seldom realise the importance of self-confidence and positive feel, generosity and patience and good health that make us better human beings. The harmony is in having a peaceful mind amidst each one's hectic interests in life, after all.
Fish tanks, laughing Buddha and miniature fountains...
Symbolisms and gadgets are sidetracking people. It is not by itself a correction to specific problems and defects in buildings. These commercialised items enhance negative energy if placed in wrong places.
I strongly recommend that a place be analysed and understood prior to placing anything available in the market. There are instances where I carried corrections by just re-orienting furniture and cots, adding few plants and artefacts and bringing in new furnishings.
Bells and chimes...
Some say it is reviving bygone lifestyles in a contemporary format. Take the case of wind chime. Feng shui recommends chimes in certain areas to suppress negative Chi and the positioning strongly depends on the professional recommendations.
In all our religious practices too, sound energy is used to cleanse the space, invoke positive feelings and disperse negativity.
People should be wary of...
Open beams and girders (which are part of the construction or artistically created) directly above beds, dining table, main door and study table; Positioning toilets above the main door and the kitchen areas, having water body or fountain in the middle of the house (known as Brahmasthanam in vaasthu and Taichi in feng shui); and sloping roofs with extreme sharp drops should be avoided.
Relevance of vaasthu and feng shui to the world...
Vaasthu has been in existence for 5,000 years and is from the Atharvana Veda.
It is known in Germany too and a German firm has applied for patenting the word `Vaasthu.'
Feng shui is 3,000 years old and is popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and of course China.
Prosperous
Do you know that Walt Disney re-located its main door and re-positioned the roller coaster in accordance with feng shui? The town planning of Singapore is in accordance with feng shui, and see how prosperous the country is.
We in India have a mind-set to be sceptical about our own faiths and beliefs.
One must realise that these are a revival of our traditional recorded wisdom. Why wait for recognition and endorsements from overseas? Yoga is a classic case in point.
Do you know that the town planning in Indus Valley civilisation was so perfect with placement of toilets away from the main building, and the atriums, drainage system and roads were at right angles?
And see our grandpa homes in villages that had courtyards open to light and air! They didn't consult vaasthu experts, they only respected the God of nature!
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