Asthamay

Asthamay was born in 2003. I decided to buy this beautiful place and asked my Indian partner, Balakrishna Bhat to help with the procedures.

I was back at work in San Francisco and every month i sent the money agreed for the purchase of the land. I trusted Bala because he had appeared to me sincere and dedicated. I used my western mentality, what else did i know at the time? I knew that he was a rickshaw driver, but he seemed capable, attached to me and very practical in all this matters. That was my first mistake.

He told me that as a foreigner i could not hold real estate in India, but he would help me and to make it all good, we would have an agreement, a legal document that would protect me. I have a lease for 99 years over the property called Asthamay ; in this document i am the real owner and Bala is just the title holder.

Sounded good to me, this was another mistake. I had no idea that the document had to be registered to have any legal validity. And Bala never registered it.

In 2004 i packed everything, quit my good job in San Francisco, said goodbye to me friends and moved to Asthamay.

i built a house, the house of my dreams...at least this is what i thought. this is the house: