It has been pouring the last few days leaving absolutely no scope to move out and get something concrete done. We’ve just had our General Body Meeting and it seemed like the perfect time to document my own account of the meeting.
Having a roof on your head has always been considered a sign of security and safety. Hence, when the venue of the General Body Meeting was the first floor car park I was glad there would be no problems of braving the rains or the sun. The truth however was far from it. Even as I walked around the first floor of the car park I was greeted with a POP ceiling which threatened to fall on me anytime. I victoriously got past this danger but my celebrations were dampened…literally…by the 100s of drops of water leaking from the ceiling.
“Good Morning and welcome to the Phase II General Body Meeting” said the speaker. They say you have to go through various phases in life….for me Phase II has been the most painful one so far….it all started way back in 2003 when Rahu, Ketu and Shani in my horoscope must have conspired to make me book an apartment in Phase II….more on that some other time…for now let me stick to the proceedings of the meeting.
The minutes of the previous meeting were discussed and the meeting progressed. Members raised a lot of questions, some symbolic and some agitated…. visibly more out of frustration than anything else. The formation and registration of the society was revisited and the need to collect funds for maintenance beyond the initial contribution was communicated to the members.
It was brought to the attention of the members that the car park in which we were having the meeting was an illegal structure. The merits and desirability of bringing down the illegal car park was also discussed. I thought to myself…. “no need to discuss this issue, because seeing the way it has been constructed it was likely to fall on its own in a few years time”.
The issue of dog menace too was discussed. Personally I don’t have a problem with dogs per se but yes I do have a major problem when members start treating stray dogs as pets and pets as stray dogs! Terraces, Staircases, Building lobbies and car parks are all being used as toilets for pets….we truly live in “forestland” and members devoid of any civic sense are ample proof of it. The only hope is some day a member gets a pet tiger which likes dogs.
On the sidelines, some members also discussed the absence of a compound wall enclosing our buildings and how other complexes had clearly demarcated compound walls. Once again I said to myself “compound wall?….why do we need a compound wall?...people build compound walls for the safety and protection of something cherish able…all I see here is perishable!”
Maintenance or the lack of it was also a matter of concern as the builder had reduced the number of people employed for it. Members complained of leaking walls, ceilings, lobbies et al. Water seemed to be present everywhere it is not supposed to be! I recently received an email from a friend which said that the Jog falls had overflowed after 12 years. I don’t know how true that is but am pretty certain that our overhead water tank will overflow for the next 12 years!
In the meantime the attendance register was being circulated and everyone was signing it…the more I attend these meetings the more I’m convinced that one of the major reasons for people to attend is their belief in the saying…“dukh baantne se kum hota hai.”
We were two hours into the meeting and already running late. It was time for some Samosa and Tea. Based on the proceedings at the meeting I started seeing the Samosa and Tea less as a snack and more as a metaphor for the only things we seemed to have control over in this housing complex.
Gradually the meeting was drawing to a close and the final question was about our lawyer and the level of satisfaction with his work so far. In general lawyers have a reputation of believing in ‘give and take’….you give and they take. I hope for our sake this one is different.
The meeting concluded and even as I walked back home the imposing structure of the unfinished ‘Blue Diamond’ was in sight. No matter how big or high we go, what’s the point if we are colorless and empty? The incomplete building surely bears mute testimony to the sorry state of affairs. People in general are mature enough to accept and deal with shortages of water or shortages of power what bothers them the most is shortage of integrity.
If I sound despondent let me assure you I’m not. Yes, I am certainly disappointed but not despondent. The reason for this is my innate belief that there is no problem which cannot be resolved or sorted out through healthy discussions and negotiations. In the coming days, I hope that the apex committee members who have been working so hard all these months will find ways to approach the builder and work out an amicable solution to all the problems.
At the cost of sounding a bit heavy let me leave you with some wonderful words of hope by Tagore. He said “Every time a child is born it brings with it the hope that God is not yet disappointed with man”. For those of you who see the relevance of this surely know what I am trying to say.
Having a roof on your head has always been considered a sign of security and safety. Hence, when the venue of the General Body Meeting was the first floor car park I was glad there would be no problems of braving the rains or the sun. The truth however was far from it. Even as I walked around the first floor of the car park I was greeted with a POP ceiling which threatened to fall on me anytime. I victoriously got past this danger but my celebrations were dampened…literally…by the 100s of drops of water leaking from the ceiling.
“Good Morning and welcome to the Phase II General Body Meeting” said the speaker. They say you have to go through various phases in life….for me Phase II has been the most painful one so far….it all started way back in 2003 when Rahu, Ketu and Shani in my horoscope must have conspired to make me book an apartment in Phase II….more on that some other time…for now let me stick to the proceedings of the meeting.
The minutes of the previous meeting were discussed and the meeting progressed. Members raised a lot of questions, some symbolic and some agitated…. visibly more out of frustration than anything else. The formation and registration of the society was revisited and the need to collect funds for maintenance beyond the initial contribution was communicated to the members.
It was brought to the attention of the members that the car park in which we were having the meeting was an illegal structure. The merits and desirability of bringing down the illegal car park was also discussed. I thought to myself…. “no need to discuss this issue, because seeing the way it has been constructed it was likely to fall on its own in a few years time”.
The issue of dog menace too was discussed. Personally I don’t have a problem with dogs per se but yes I do have a major problem when members start treating stray dogs as pets and pets as stray dogs! Terraces, Staircases, Building lobbies and car parks are all being used as toilets for pets….we truly live in “forestland” and members devoid of any civic sense are ample proof of it. The only hope is some day a member gets a pet tiger which likes dogs.
On the sidelines, some members also discussed the absence of a compound wall enclosing our buildings and how other complexes had clearly demarcated compound walls. Once again I said to myself “compound wall?….why do we need a compound wall?...people build compound walls for the safety and protection of something cherish able…all I see here is perishable!”
Maintenance or the lack of it was also a matter of concern as the builder had reduced the number of people employed for it. Members complained of leaking walls, ceilings, lobbies et al. Water seemed to be present everywhere it is not supposed to be! I recently received an email from a friend which said that the Jog falls had overflowed after 12 years. I don’t know how true that is but am pretty certain that our overhead water tank will overflow for the next 12 years!
In the meantime the attendance register was being circulated and everyone was signing it…the more I attend these meetings the more I’m convinced that one of the major reasons for people to attend is their belief in the saying…“dukh baantne se kum hota hai.”
We were two hours into the meeting and already running late. It was time for some Samosa and Tea. Based on the proceedings at the meeting I started seeing the Samosa and Tea less as a snack and more as a metaphor for the only things we seemed to have control over in this housing complex.
Gradually the meeting was drawing to a close and the final question was about our lawyer and the level of satisfaction with his work so far. In general lawyers have a reputation of believing in ‘give and take’….you give and they take. I hope for our sake this one is different.
The meeting concluded and even as I walked back home the imposing structure of the unfinished ‘Blue Diamond’ was in sight. No matter how big or high we go, what’s the point if we are colorless and empty? The incomplete building surely bears mute testimony to the sorry state of affairs. People in general are mature enough to accept and deal with shortages of water or shortages of power what bothers them the most is shortage of integrity.
If I sound despondent let me assure you I’m not. Yes, I am certainly disappointed but not despondent. The reason for this is my innate belief that there is no problem which cannot be resolved or sorted out through healthy discussions and negotiations. In the coming days, I hope that the apex committee members who have been working so hard all these months will find ways to approach the builder and work out an amicable solution to all the problems.
At the cost of sounding a bit heavy let me leave you with some wonderful words of hope by Tagore. He said “Every time a child is born it brings with it the hope that God is not yet disappointed with man”. For those of you who see the relevance of this surely know what I am trying to say.
