They make Vaastu tick on a timepiece Dou makes watch based on Vedas which also has an almanac

Architect Sanjay Mahashabde and his partner Vittal Dhuri are returning to their roots on a time machine. The two have fashioned a watch that incorporates an almanac. During the creation of Auspiwatch, we use the Vaastu principles and the Vedas. “We are bringing together quality and quantity of time in the Auspiwatch,” says Mahashabde. “The work of our ancestors is of no use if it can’t be utilised by the man on the street.”

The watch, that streamlines one’s daily activities with cosmic mapping, took about eight years to develop. The Auspiwatch is person and place-specific.

“A doctor and a lawyer will have different watches, as will a Mumbaikar and a Delhiite,” says Mahashabde. But won’t it be a hassle to keep consulting an Auspiwatch all the time? Mahashabde replies, “Don’t we refer to a Railway timetable despite our hectic schedules?” Mahashabde and Dhuri plan to launch a digital edition too. “May be we’ll tie up with a telecom operator to offer Auspiwatch on the mobile,” Dhuri says.

What motivated Mahashabde to switch to Vaastu and the Vedas was a visit to Raigad Fort. “Everything there is architectural poetry!” he exclaims.

Mahashabde’s other inventions include Grahadhop, that assimilates the expertise and ingredients of different kinds of havans, yagyas and homas into a dhoop stick. Grahadhoop, of which actor and MP HemaMalini is the brand ambassador, has takers in South Africa, Singapore, London and Malaysia. His Vaastu based modular kitchens focus on proportions, colours and use metals instead of stones because they are better conductors of energy. Mahashabde’s collection of Vaastu-based innovations will be on display at the Indian Institute of Interior Designers (IIID) at showcase 2006, Nehru Center between February 16 and 19.