Stopping By Ayesh, On a GREEN Evening – By Ar.Jagriti Sarda

Ar. Monica Khosla, founder of Kham Consultants, draws architecture like poetry. Ayesh, a home that exhales with the rhythm of nature and memory, is a remnant of a bygone life designed by Monica.

Ayesh is a baganbari – a garden house. A Bengali elite’s rural retreat to pause, reflect and reconnect. Ayesh, literally translating to “leisure” or “relaxation” , holds the space for those who seek refuge from the urban noise.

The house tucked away in a quiet corner of Barasat, 40 kilometers from Kolkata, originally belonged to Dr. Adi Gazder in 1950. Years later, the house built on 1650 sqft was sagging over time. The gardens had surrendered to wilderness, the rooms were cloaked in gloom, their high sills and iron grilles holding back light as much as intruders. Ar. Monica Khosla chose to revive it rather than replace it when approached by the current owner in 2006.

A home that spoke of nature was revived with nature. The region’s famous brick kilns and terracotta were used to reshape it. The old grilles and brick parapets were removed, the sill levels lowered, and in came light- pouring in generously, illuminating rooms that opened themselves to the lush world outside. On the other hand, the insides remained uncluttered, functional and contemporary.

The story of Ayesh is told by its materials and landscape. The existing flora dictates the new layout, connecting the leisure amenities and slowly revealing the house. Art and nature come together to tell the history of Ayesh.

Ar. Monica Khosla, through her design, conveys that environmentally conscious spaces are not necessarily built by adapting to trends, but rather by staying rooted. Ayesh teaches that sometimes, sustainability is about listening to the land, building with humility, and remembering that architecture is, at its best, a dialogue with time.