India Post News Service
LOS ANGELES: Pavan Bhatia is not your typical contributing reporter for India Post. She usually focuses on interviewing others for reports published here. This time, it is she who is on the spotlight and is the subject of a newspaper report. On July 17, the Los Angeles Times published a full-page article featuring Pavan.
The report is titled "An India-styled garden where Old Delhi meets the valley; A Canoga Park backyard is a calm meditation on its owner's Indian roots". Pavan explains the Times article resulted from the discovery of some rusty pipes, followed by a pool and garden renovation project, then a serendipitous series of events.
Once completed, she shared photos of the garden re-do with co-workers. Pavan heard comments such as "meditative", "exotic" and "intriguing". And that was it, the culmination of her hard work, or so she thought. Then, a coworker passed photos along to L.A. Times staff writer Lisa Boone whose curiosity in this meditative and exotic space was soon piqued. The Times reporter arranged to meet Pavan and see the results of the rear-yard transformation first hand. After an evening of lively discussion, Lisa left to prepare the article with the help of a Times staff photographer.
The article highlights Pavan's experience growing up in Los Angeles, her training at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and the work she does at the Los Angeles Unified School District. Her job as Facilities Project Manager primarily consists of hiring architects and engineers to design and upgrade schools in the Los Angeles area. The Times article focused on her creating a unique "Indian style" escape at her home in the San Fernando Valley, a Los Angeles suburb. Combining her design skills with construction management savvy, Pavan assembled a uniquely exotic space on a limited budget.
The Times report can be accessed online and is accompanied by a photo gallery. Quoting the Times article: "To give the outdoor space the peaceful vibe she was looking for, she designed a free-flowing waterfall at the edge of the pool, topped with an enormous Buddha. The statue cleverly hides the filtration system, and the gurgling gives the space "a nice auditory element," says Pavan. The Buddha gives the impression that from neck down, it is fully submerged at the eastern edge of the salt-water swimming pool, adding an alluring perception and meditative focal element. In reality, only the massive carved stone bust sits just above water, ringed by a collar of hand-sized rough hewn stones arranged to symbolize prayer beads.
"I wanted to create a retreat away from the city which was reminiscent of stories I read in my youth, like "One Thousand and One Nights", and places I visited in India when I was a child". She adds, "although I studied all forms of ancient and modern architecture, my home had to be about me and my roots". With dusk falling, the moon casts an enchanting glow over the gently moving water and the fresh bouquets of flowers that merge into a kaleidoscope of color and fragrance. As you watch, you are transported to a time long ago.
Those Indian miniature paintings come to mind, with the embellished pavilions, and sheltering trees adorned by mystical lights. Surprising what you can do in a small space in the San Fernando Valley with some ingenuity and a stretch of the imagination. Pavan was also selected as a delegate for the "Mrs. Asia USA 2006 Pageant" representing India. India Post is a media sponsor of this prestigious talent competition in Los Angeles.
"Being artistic is a way of life for me. That's my language". Pavan has just returned from Harvard University's Executive Management program where she has shared her experience in the design field and as a writer for the India Post. "Indians are being represented in full force in the highest institutions in the United States and throughout the world. I am so happy to see India in the forefront today", says Pavan. "It appears things Indian are truly in vogue. I believe that whatever backgrounds we come from, we need to take the best from our culture and share it, even if it is creating a small welcoming home."
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