The Officers' Mess of the Central Armoured Fleet Vehicle Depot (CAFVD) looked like any other Army building with just a dash of greenery and some rose plants thrown in for good measure. But the whole effect was not very soothing. It was then that Manveen, wife of the commandant Brig. D.S. Grewal, decided to take charge. The gift of a huge piece of Jade, presented by the Regiment of Artillery to the Army Ordnance Corps as ``a token of affection and esteem of the past close ties'' - which otherwise would have been just another portion of the decor - served as the main theme for the transformation of the CAFVD Mess into a Chinese garden.

A teacher by profession, Manveen always had a flair for transforming the mundane into the extraordinary. She called one of the employees of the CAFVD and egged him to make some Chinese statues drawing references from the figurines at her home. A tiny replica of a Chinese Pagoda on a teacup gave way to a bigger version which became the focal point of the garden. A tree trunk lying across one of the roads was chipped, polished and painted in black to lend a dramatic touch. Pristine white Chinese statues were placed at various points. Shrubs in a riot of colours and a charming water channel complete the picture. Saplings planted by various dignitaries have been planted in an orderly line with a small pathway at a corner of the garden.

Not content with the garden, Manveen decided to concentrate on the ante-room of the mess. ``There are some beautiful Chinese screens presented by the same Regiment many years ago and a Chinese bar too,'' she explained. The screens had curtains across it, lending a heavy look to the atmosphere. A course in stained glass paintings done sometime ago came in handy.

Manveen has begun work on 10 panels with a running theme on a Chinese queen and her attendants. She had already experimented with a piece on cheerful flowers done for the VIP guest house which stands in a corner of the garden. ``We plan to replace the curtains with panels of the Chinese girls,'' she explained, adding that these should be ready in the next three to four months. The paint on the wooden floor of the ante-room is now currently being stripped. This will later be waxed and polished to restore it to its former glory.

The 150-year-old Ordnance House - the residence of the commandant - has also undergone many changes ever since Manveen came to live here. Since the house is located right on the main road, the passing vehicles posed a major problem. So Manveen came up with the idea of a rock garden. This not only gave them some privacy but also lent the right touch to the old stately place. Pleased with her efforts, Manveen even come up with a novel tree house right in her garden. Walk up the old wooden steps and you have a wonderful view of the house. The old lanterns on the tree provide the right setting for a hot cuppa. So the next time you run out of ideas for decor, you know whom to approach.