Singh's Castle On The Mango Tree

By Super

When K.P Singh declared that he wanted to built a 'house' on a mango tree, people suggested him the way to the nearest mental asylum. This did not discourage Singh from following his dream and he passionately started building his 'dream home'. Six month later he has a gorgeous three-story tree house about nine feet above the ground.

It all started in the year 1999, when he heard that a person was selling a plot of land from his property and wanted to cut the tree. Singh went ahead and offered to buy that particular plot of land with the tree intact. A civil engineer by profession, K.P Singh quit his job in the government service as he felt like a misfit in the 'bureaucratic set-up' and began his own business. Being a conservationist at heart, he started working on his 'Nest' and very soon the house was ready to be lived in.

Singh's tree-house is completely functional with two bedrooms, study and living spaces. It also consists of open-air sit-outs, kitchen , two bathrooms and balconies. What started as a incredulity soon transformed to the envy of the neighborhood. The house stands a proud 45 feet tall, with a design based on natural valley, to present very little resistance to wind. Singh manages to recycle the ground water and treats the bacteria-rich water from the toilet for the garden.

Other than the various attractions at the Lake city of Udaipur, Singh's Nest has become a much sought after landmark and a regional wonder. He is often loaded with various offers to duplicate his idea, to which Singh is only too happy to compel, except he has laid out three conditions for the process. First condition states that there should be no insistence for three-stories, as it depends on the size of the tree. The second condition forbids any tree from being cut down and third condition expects the person involved to promote tree plantation. So far the three conditions remain un-satisfied, hence, Singh's tree house is the only one of its kind till date.

This extraordinary creation of a genius with a noble cause has fetched Singh a prestigious place in the Limca Book Of Records . Singh claims that a record was never on his mind, all he desired to do was to protect the 65-year old tree and materialize his dreams of a tree-house. Next time you happen to stop at Udaipur, be sure to drop by at Singh's Nest and he will be happy to share his 'airspace' with you!!

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