ReDevelopment -Part 5 - Sample Flat

It seemed only yesterday (although one year has passed) that I moved out from my home to a rented flat and saw my old 50-years-old building crumble down to ashes. A new foundation stone was laid, and the walls were raised again. The year went by, some months spent in recovering from pain (due to post operative care) and then a long four months tour around USA.

I came back to see the new structure rise up to fourteen stories. The name has been changed from ‘Daulat Baugh’ to ‘Satguru Shlok’ The work has been immaculately done and details have been added to ensure quality. We were asked to come and inspect the sample flat.

I am not easy to please. I am happy with the construction and the materials used in the sample flat, the walls, the fixtures, the style, everything is good but am very disappointed with the size of the rooms. I walked from room to room, maneuvered over the  length and the breath of the rooms, how would I accommodate the furniture into the small space?

The trick is to minimise our possessions, but how do we throw away the stuff that has been collected over the years? What not does the person need? I am making the list in my head and there are clothes, shoes, bedsheets, towels, utensils, bags, art work, sewing kits, books, the list is endless.

Maybe I am too spoilt. I hate borrowing things and like to have everything that is required in the house for comfortable living. My relationship with family and friends is good and I often entertain. With such small houses, entertaining becomes difficult.

That means I will have to change my living style.

Do not complain, I am told, be grateful that you have a new house with all state-of-art affairs like swimming pool around the podium, walking track on the terrace and millions of plants and lights around the building. Building will be the pride of the neighbors and every person will be awed by its beauty.

That’s the promise.

Compromise, compromise, compromise…that’s what is expected from me.

Redevelopment 5 ... My Balcony

“This house looks exactly the same, it has your personality.” Said my friend who visited me the first time, after I moved into my new rented place.

I was lucky that I was able to find a completely empty house. That meant that I could bring my furniture, my personal possessions and jigsaw them to fit them all in proper position. The only difference was that this house was smaller than the previous one; hence I got rid of all the extra furniture.

In my new abode, the living room has the same set up, with same artwork decorating the walls. The kitchen has the same cabinets, arranged in the similar pattern, same beds, same mattresses, same wardrobes and the same dressing table. There is not much difference between my old house and the new one. The colors and the tones are also similar. Yes, I agree, it suits my personality.

But still, I am yet to find a new comfort corner.

I miss the balcony of my old home.

Nine feet by four feet balcony was the area where I would spend most of my evenings. As the sun slumped across the horizon, its golden rays filtered though the tall trees spreading its warmth over me. I sat in my balcony with a cup of tea on the ledge and a mobile in my hand. Many evenings were spent sipping tea and surfing through my ‘WatsApp’ messages. Sometimes I would listen to the music and sometimes watch videos on its tiny screen. Then there would be chats on social media, forward messages to read or the missed phone call to be answered.

Balcony appeared to float above a large open space between wing A and wing B defying gravity. It was a structural masterpiece as well as architectural one. Fancy cars sparkled under daylight and occupied most of the building compound, but the area between the parked cars was large enough for children to play outdoor games. On weekends and on holidays, children and their friends from neighboring buildings played various outdoor games that included cricket and football. Younger children played running and hopping games. Babies sat in their pram chewing on fingers. Old men walked carelessly, lost in their own world, distant.

A group of senior women sat on wide, rectangular platform, built over the water tank. They met every evening for endless conversations dissecting the TV serials, or discussing the news that they had collected during the day from their maids who were the carrier of tales.  The distance from the tank to my balcony was not much, two floors upstairs their murmur was audible. The news that I collected while surfing the net seemed pale against their juicy gossip. At regular intervals, they would glance up to acknowledge my presence.

My relationship with balcony is deep seated. During my growing up days, I was a loner. I tagged along with my mom wherever she went, but I was a child of minute importance, everybody ignored me. I was different, somebody to be left alone. I found solace in balcony. Most of my childhood has been spend in balcony, counting car on a busy road, differentiating vibrant colors on the street, reading ads on the moving buses, it’s the little game I played on my own. I didn’t need friends to sit with me in the balcony. I was happy when left alone.

One question I always pondered. If one is in balcony, is one inside or outside the house? The fresh wind stays outside, but the warm glow is inside the house.

 Many evenings I sat in my balcony, on a stone bench, cross-legged, with my back against the cool wall. Through the grill cage, I watched the sky change its hues from pink to red to blue to dark blue. I sat there immersed in my own thoughts, the sounds in the building fading away slowly, leaving the silence behind. On other days, I would cuddle up with few soft cushions flung careless against me, and be engrossed in an interesting book.

My balcony was also my rendezvous, a place to entertain my friends. We sat in the balcony, munching on snack and sipping coffee. The fresh air lifted our spirit. Laughter and happiness filled the crevices of the walls. Even on sleepless night, balcony was my refuge. Suspended mid-air between heaven and earth, I could solve the undeniable inner conflicts, I would sit under stars, watching the moon till the eyes drooped.

I miss my balcony. There is none in my new house. There are just windows that have been covered with long curtains. I feel claustrophobic sitting inside four walls.

After I moved from my old house, I revisited the lane to have a look at my balcony that I had loved so dearly. The grills and doors of my balcony had vanished. It was bare, with its mouth wide open; it looked like an old man without its dentures. I heard it complain that I had abandoned it. I could not bear to look at it.

Last week I went back again. The balcony had met its death. A big crane occupied most of the ground. Huge trucks transported the debris. There was no compound, no rectangular platform over the water tank. The golden rays still filtered through the trees but they reflected on the pile of stones and mud.

The beautiful memories of the time spend in my balcony are buried now deep under the sand.

Redevelopment - 4 Re-locating

This was the last picture I took before I moved out from the house I had lived for many years. It was not easy. Although it looks a mess, it was not always like this, sometimes it was even worse. Nevertheless, My house was comfortable, cozy and had positive vibrations and every visitor felt the same the moment they entered my house. Its strange how we spread our tentacles and claim every corner of the house as our own possession. It is difficult to let go. But then, everything is perishable.

I had begun to clear up my house one month ahead.  But clearing is a slow process. I didn’t know that I had collected so much junk. I was not aware of the dirt that had accumulated in dark corners. So what was my helper doing, regularly charging me for cleaning my house? She could never tolerate late payments. The minute I would change the page of the calendar, her eye-brows would arch in askance of her salary. I have learnt now not to depend too much on helpers and a personal touch is required from time to time. Maybe I had got too lazy or maybe I was too involved in other activities and trusted my helper too much. Or maybe my eyes were shut to the dirt that I saw sometimes. I should have shifted furniture from time to time more regularly, I should carried a broom too.

Most of the things I have thrown away. But the most difficult part was organizing books. I was able to discard many but there are some books that you cannot just give it away. How does one dispose away the cookbooks, fiction, art, religion, philosophy, memoirs?, There is unlimited variety of interests. I have found some room in the iron cupboards (lower shelf) and have stored it away in the new rented house. All the magazines I gave them away to anybody who wanted it, and there were many takers. Who would refuse travel, style and food magazines? Another challenge was disposing kitchen articles: steel utensils, crockery, gadgets, spices and food, what can I possibly discard? I have disposed off clothes, utensils, furniture and many other things. Didn’t sell anything. Moving from a bigger house to a smaller one means I had to reduce my possessions.

The last day of leaving the house was one big confusion; my furniture was transported out to the rented out, so I sat in the empty house, picking up the last remnants and disposing off the things that I didn’t need. House was filled with rag pickers picking up everything, they found of value. Building compound was filled with truckloads of packers and movers. All the packed furniture spread in the building compound, everybody conversation was on exchanging the new address and promises to come back after two years to a newly re-developed house with better amenities.

The building was in bad shape, we were asked not to remove the doors and grills of our house. I saw people removing taps, doorknobs, locks, lights, fans and some even electric wires and switches. Neighbor said he made Rs2500 only on sale of finer things of the house. Some neighbors secretly sold doors and grills too. I had no patience for bargaining on petty things and I gave away everything free. The rag pickers told me I am very generous. They didn't know I was lazy. Bargaining and selling used stuff is lots of effort.

But relocating to a rented house is tedious too. I rented out an empty house and brought my used furniture, but shifting the furniture has resulted in many scratches to my furniture. So here I am with painters, electrician, plumber, tailors, styling up my house to a better shape and trying to create a comfort zone of my own in my new place.

But I still miss my own house......

Redevelopment - 2

The deafening sound of the grilling machine under my window pierced through my deep sleep. 

I woke up with a start. Gently I lifted the curtain to peep down. Muddy water had replaced the four beautiful tiles of my building compound. 

“They are digging a bore well” I told S. 

“Shut the window.” she said. 

“No, I need to hear these sounds and would like to see how deep have my roots buried down under that soil since last 30 years.” 

Visiting Home Away From Home

When we first moved to Buen Paso, a rural, hilly area of Tenerife, our house was in a remote place. There were very few houses around us, with natural scenery of Atlantic Ocean on one side and volcano Teide on the other side. The cold crisp wind from hills kept the temperature low at all times of the day. Every evening I watched the beautiful sunsets, either from my kitchen window or from my balcony or from my terrace. The colors and hues in the sky was a treat to the eyes, but how many sunsets to watch?

I wanted to go out to explore the city

Tenerife is a beautiful island with hundreds of beaches all along the coastline. It is a tourist paradise with clubs, water sports and many great places of interest. But my family stays far away from city in a small quiet town.

Going independently to town meant climbing four steep hills to reach the bus station. It was not worth it. I was confined to home because I cannot drive. Most of the time I passed reading books, making handicraft items, cooking or painting. 

Just below our balcony were open fields. A farmer would come everyday and tend to his vegetables, it was a hard work but I would watch him grow rows and rows of cabbage. Sometimes he would offer me his produce and it tasted so fresh and succulent. His field was evenly spaced out with proper drainage and water sprinklers at regular interval. There was a pretty house at a distance, a holiday home of some German family, which was active and lighted up during summer.

One summer, I spent my time in the balcony painting the scene outside my home. I am glad I did, because that scene is there no more.

Some five years ago, Government decided to build a hospital behind my house. The farmer was given enough funds to give up his land for redevelopment of this area. A big hospital stands now with a concrete motorway cutting across the field. There is a big parking area behind the highway but the house still stands and the ocean beyond.

There are row houses up across the pathway leading up the hill. Most of the people remain indoors so I don't meet any one even if I want to climb this path

The hills are till steep, there are beautiful sunsets and chilly breeze from the sea, but no more fresh cabbage for me.....

Our Children deserve a better future

Although Mumbai is my favorite city in the world, it fails me sometimes when it cannot keep itself clean.

It stinks.

Walk down any beach in Mumbai and it is filled with plastic bags and garbage. Sit in the auto rickshaw and you will see the auto fellow spit  bright red patch on the side walk, when he stops at the signal. Travel in the train and you will see the woman sitting opposite you munching on a snack, as soon as she has finished eating, the empty wrapper goes down on the railway tracks.

Are Mumbaikars dirty by nature? They get seriously annoyed if we point out their bad habits. How do we educate them?

The 5^th June is the world environment day and the theme this year is green economy.

So what is green economy?

Green economy is having a good quality of life with less environment risk and is ecologically green

It is important to inculcate the good habits of caring for environment and keeping it clean from childhood itself.  A child who grows up in a clean environment at home develops the habit of showing such etiquettes in the society too.  Children pick up the habits from their parents and from their grown-up with whom they spend most of their time.

How do we train a child if we have not been able to understand this concept?

The area of the earth is not going to increase, we will always use the same square foot of the space on this earth, but what will change is the natural resources that is inversely proportional to the number of people using these resources. If we don’t use our resources intelligently, we will be depriving our children of good quality of life.

With the redevelopment mushrooming in all parts of Mumbai and sky scrapers dressing the sky-line, there will be shortage of water, electricity and greenery if we are not careful.

How many birds do we see in Mumbai?

There are only crows that spread garbage from one balcony to another; there are pigeons that spoil our window sill and fly into the empty homes through broken windows to raise a family. But we don’t normally see those pretty birds that we often saw when we were young, birds like sparrows, cuckoo, parrots and many more?  

The birds have disappeared and have gone away to look for trees, where they can build a home and care for their young ones.

In the concrete jungle of Mumbai, children can take a very active part in making their environment clean and green. It should be mandatory for every child of 5year-old to plant a tree on his birthday, the tree could be planted either in the building garden where he/she lives, or on the street outside his/her house or at the park closer to his/her house. The tree should belong to him/her; he/she should take care of it throughout his life.

Children should be taught to use electricity stingily.  Why do we need to watch TV and still have computer on to socialize with friends on Facebook/twitter during the promos, use AC for all 24 hours of the day, have too many lights on, in short why must we waste electricity?

Children should be given the responsibility of switching off the lights when leaving the room and saving electricity and water in the house. Incentives like extra pocket money can be given to a child when the monthly energy bill shows low consumption.

When we go for marketing, how many of us carry a cloth bag?

Most of the time we forget to take a bag with us and then we have to buy a plastic bag which the vendor will sell. If we don’t stop using plastic, children will learn to ape us too. We have to discourage our children from using plastic; we have to teach them to say ‘No’ to plastic.  No plastic plates, cups, straws, caps, bags, and water bottles. Plastic is very difficult to dispose and when it goes down the drain, it could choke the drain pipe, if dumped into the sea, it could harm the fishes and whales.

source:google

We have to make them aware that we need to maintain a green economy.

They must know how to recycle the waste and create something useful.  They can be encouraged in environmentally friendly activity like making some innovative product from used electronic waste, of creating re-cycled clothes for fashion and cultural shows., of creating films on saving the planet and putting on plays on topic of sustainability.

On this World environment day, let us be the responsible citizen and let us set an example that our children can ape.