DHARWAD: The picture postcard image of Dharwad of a stately bungalow surrounded by a lush garden with an open well as a leafy seat of inspiration to many an artist, poet, writer and musician and the peaceful abode of scores of pensioners is undergoing a gradual transformation.
Over the past two decades, colonial tiled-roof mansions are making way for thrifty apartment complexes, housing the new entrants: students, salaried employees and a new wave of retirees who want the Dharwad experience, at a bargain.
The change is visible in Saraswatpur, Rajatgiri, Keshav Nagar, Gopalpur, Vidyagiri, Malamaddi and UB Hill, counted among the posh residential localities, but now overrun by concrete. Not to be left behind, apartments are quickly cropping up in Saptapur, Narayanpur, Sadhanakeri and Kalyan Nagar as well.
There are about 150 apartment complexes in Dharwad, each housing about 10-15 flats. HDMC assistant commissioner Raghavendra Kulkarni says the number will only increase in the days to come as residents prefer the convenience and safety of apartments. "People want to lead a peaceful retired life and apartments do away with the difficulties of maintaining individual houses," he says.
A slew of apartments has crept up in Saptapur, Barakotri, Kelgeri Road and Narayanpur. Even old-timers in Kamanakatti, Potnis Galli and other localities in Old Dharwad are choosing to tear down their traditional 'wadas' and construct manageable apartments.
The economics bears out. Land owners make a neat packet from the builder besides ending up with a few flats of their own which they can sell or rent out. "Leaving land vacant for a long time is risky and encroachers may move in. By constructing apartments, owners can make good money which they can spend on their children's higher education or use to secure their retirement finances," says Prasanna Bijapur, a resident of Malamaddi.
Young buying flats as
an investment
D epending on the location, size and floor, a flat can fetch between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 60 lakh. "Many of the buyers are retired bank officers and government servants who are looking to set up home and set aside some money for the future. Youngsters who live abroad are also buying the flats as investment and renting them out."
The first of the shifts came with the plague in the 19th century which forced many residents to move from Old Dharwad to the outskirts. They built imposing bungalows, spanning 25-30 guntas, in Akkitimmanahalli Hill (which later came to be known as Saraswatpur after members of the Saraswat community), Gibbs Town (now Malamaddi), Saptapur and other areas towards the west and south-west of Old Dharwad.
With the turn of the 21st century, the bungalows began to make way for apartments. "Sentimentally, we feel we should retain the old structure but the practical difficulties are forcing us to tie up with builders and construct manageable apartments instead," says a retired professor who has an ancestral bungalow in Saraswatpur.
"With the money, we can lead the rest of our lives comfortably or buy property elsewhere. As of now, we feel isolated because there are no immediate neighbours. In apartments, it is like living in a community with mutual help."
With youngsters leaving Dharwad to study and work, many localities are entirely populated by ageing parents. "The possibility of our children returning to Dharwad and settling here is remote so we are the only ones left," says one parent.
Several owners say letting out a portion of their bungalows has proved costly too: tenants refuse to vacate, forcing litigation. Comparatively, apartments are a safer option.
Udaykumar, a retired state government official, chose to buy a flat though his parents own an independent house in Dharwad.
"Open plots are available even now in Dharwad for construction of independent houses, but people prefer to stay in apartments as it provides a sort of community living and better security. It is easier for the elderly to manage and their children can keep a check too," he says. "Cost-wise too, it makes better sense to buy a flat than get into the expenses of constructing an independent house."
Over the past two decades, colonial tiled-roof mansions are making way for thrifty apartment complexes, housing the new entrants: students, salaried employees and a new wave of retirees who want the Dharwad experience, at a bargain.
The change is visible in Saraswatpur, Rajatgiri, Keshav Nagar, Gopalpur, Vidyagiri, Malamaddi and UB Hill, counted among the posh residential localities, but now overrun by concrete. Not to be left behind, apartments are quickly cropping up in Saptapur, Narayanpur, Sadhanakeri and Kalyan Nagar as well.
There are about 150 apartment complexes in Dharwad, each housing about 10-15 flats. HDMC assistant commissioner Raghavendra Kulkarni says the number will only increase in the days to come as residents prefer the convenience and safety of apartments. "People want to lead a peaceful retired life and apartments do away with the difficulties of maintaining individual houses," he says.
A slew of apartments has crept up in Saptapur, Barakotri, Kelgeri Road and Narayanpur. Even old-timers in Kamanakatti, Potnis Galli and other localities in Old Dharwad are choosing to tear down their traditional 'wadas' and construct manageable apartments.
The economics bears out. Land owners make a neat packet from the builder besides ending up with a few flats of their own which they can sell or rent out. "Leaving land vacant for a long time is risky and encroachers may move in. By constructing apartments, owners can make good money which they can spend on their children's higher education or use to secure their retirement finances," says Prasanna Bijapur, a resident of Malamaddi.
Young buying flats as
an investment
D epending on the location, size and floor, a flat can fetch between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 60 lakh. "Many of the buyers are retired bank officers and government servants who are looking to set up home and set aside some money for the future. Youngsters who live abroad are also buying the flats as investment and renting them out."
The first of the shifts came with the plague in the 19th century which forced many residents to move from Old Dharwad to the outskirts. They built imposing bungalows, spanning 25-30 guntas, in Akkitimmanahalli Hill (which later came to be known as Saraswatpur after members of the Saraswat community), Gibbs Town (now Malamaddi), Saptapur and other areas towards the west and south-west of Old Dharwad.
With the turn of the 21st century, the bungalows began to make way for apartments. "Sentimentally, we feel we should retain the old structure but the practical difficulties are forcing us to tie up with builders and construct manageable apartments instead," says a retired professor who has an ancestral bungalow in Saraswatpur.
"With the money, we can lead the rest of our lives comfortably or buy property elsewhere. As of now, we feel isolated because there are no immediate neighbours. In apartments, it is like living in a community with mutual help."
With youngsters leaving Dharwad to study and work, many localities are entirely populated by ageing parents. "The possibility of our children returning to Dharwad and settling here is remote so we are the only ones left," says one parent.
Several owners say letting out a portion of their bungalows has proved costly too: tenants refuse to vacate, forcing litigation. Comparatively, apartments are a safer option.
Udaykumar, a retired state government official, chose to buy a flat though his parents own an independent house in Dharwad.
"Open plots are available even now in Dharwad for construction of independent houses, but people prefer to stay in apartments as it provides a sort of community living and better security. It is easier for the elderly to manage and their children can keep a check too," he says. "Cost-wise too, it makes better sense to buy a flat than get into the expenses of constructing an independent house."
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