Making a mark with white house
Thursday, May 26, 2011
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/Making-a-mark-with-white-house/articleshow/8567672.cms
It took him 26 years to plan and build his dream house and 4 years to construct it. Ravi Grewal, an NRI, who lives in the US, has made an attempt to build a house that looks like the White House to fulfill his dream of building it and also to keep alive his connection to his motherland.
Grewal who has been living in Los Angeles, along with his entire family for the past 26 years, has made this house in 2 acres of land in South City area of Ludhiana, along with his brothers.
While talking to TOI, Grewal said that though he comes to India 4 times a year, however the house was very close to his heart as he had made it with love, besides he wanted to be different and ahead of others.
He said that most of the designing of the house was done by him, while two of his close friends helped him out with it. Grewal let in that he and his elder brother Narinder wanted to build this house in Ludhiana to stay connected to their roots as the family hails from village Dhandra in Ludhiana district. Grewal said he had wanted to make a house that looked like the White House since the time he settled down in the US but the reason for choosing Ludhiana was to make his city proud, he said.
Giving details of the house, Grewal said that the house had 8 rooms including 5 bedrooms, a theatre room, a room for indoor sports, besides a hall and stairs.
"My entire family including my two elder brothers Charanjeet Singh and Narinder Singh - who too live in the US - and their wives Jasjit Kaur and Pritpal Kaur respectively besides our mother and kids of all the three brothers visit the country during December every year and spend time in the house", he said, while adding that the kids love the house and want him to build such a house in Los Angeles too. He however admitted, "It's not so easy to build such a house in the US".
"The most precious thing for me in the world is the happiness of my mother Bachan Kaur. And I feel very happy when she proudly tells others about her successful sons and their 'White House' in Ludhiana and I feel grateful that she likes the house. She loves the house and likes to spend maximum time here only", he said.
"Money was not a consideration while building the house as my dream and the happiness of my family was more important to me than the money spent on it ", he said.
Jagjit Singh, Grewal's relative from village Dhandra said that he was proud of his relatives for attempting to build a house that looks like the White House. "I am lucky to have such nice kin who are still connected to their roots", he said.
