M91/6 was very lucky

#155

The apartment I currently reside is bang opposite the famed RBI staff quarters. Besant Nagar was as suburban in 1960s than a Thoraipakkam or Siruseri today before RBI opened a residential quarter for their officers in the late 1960s. Besant nagar was famous for three things at the dawn of 1970 – RBI staff quarters, Astalaxmi temple and the cremation ground. Then in the 80s-90s this part of city became SUPER PREMIUM for its proximity to the Beach and later in the 2000s with the advent of Tidel Park and IT parks on ECR and OMR. Today Besant Nagar is perhaps the hottest place for a youngster, he/she finds the beach an ideal dating place with every kind of fast foods and eatery in the vicinity, the New Year celebrations in Besant Nagar is on a global scale (meaning every Chennaiite anywhere on the planet will talk of Besant Nagar New Year celebrations). In these 4-5 decades this part of the city has grown astronomically – one of my friends bought two and half grounds in Palavakkam for 30-40 k whose market value is over 9 crores today.

            Anyway I got distracted singing the glory of Besant Nagar but for a justifiable reason. I am finally moving out after spending the last 3 decades of my life here. Strangely I am happy moving out, there is too much vehicular traffic here, too much people movement and my heart aches for a bit of solace and quietness and a lot more trees which my new residence accommodates. As for me, my photographic memories of Besant nagar is walks on Theosophical Society lawns (I was a regular for years) and Swami Paramarthananda’s spiritual talks.

            Now let me get focused on what I had in mind when I started this blog post: my current apartment has been very fortunate, in the 12 months I spent here I have grown as a person and importantly on the wealth front. For the first time in my life I have a money making skill; Gods be infinitely thanked for this. I also had a lot of travels in 2019 and I will put down this apartment M91/6 in 2019 as the best of my three decades stay in Besant nagar.

             The registration for GREEN PARK is getting pushed by the week. If I get a HDFC housing loan, the papers will be signed tomorrow. If I don’t make it to the loan – strangely banks lend on the basis of salaries of employees or IT returns of businesses when more people are getting fired and more businesses turning red. I have a skill which is only now showing good returns but “banks play by the safety of numbers” than make an allowance of skills- then I borrow 5 lacs for a personal loan and finish this matter. I most certainly will shift to GREEN PARK in Palavakkam before Christmas or on 31/12 as the last of my Fixed Deposit matures on 28/12. So that’s how things stand today. I am comfortable with both though a housing loan would make my life infinitely easier.

            I narrate this personal tale just to make this point. Raghu who I befriended just a little over two months said of his own volition without any nudging, “Sathya, if you fall short of 4-5 lacs, I will be happy to loan it to you.” I was talking about GREEN PARK housing finance as I briefed him on the  HDFC housing loan before he made this voluntary offer. No one in my life has placed such trust on me. I will never risk such a confidence, I will go for the Personal loan but Raghu’s words cooled my hearts like never before. Here was a person who is extraordinarily good in today’s rat race world of selfishness and it is that act that I wished to record for a blog post.

            I visited my mother this Sunday and she looks on the edge. Her face is shrunk from no teeth at all. I was there only for 30 min fearing that my sister would make an appearance any moment and my mood was revolting against that encounter. So I sneaked in like a thief and sneaked out. Next day I spoke to my sister in ages saying, “I am buying an apartment and would you come if I invite you for a puja in the middle of January?” This is no noble gesture from my end except a little warmth with a sister which will not make me feel like a sneaking thief in my next month’s visit to Adambakkam.
            I feel sorry that Thangam's tenure as a cook comes to an end with this shift to Palavakkam. She is a classy person though she was plagued with bad health this year. I gave her a 25 k bonus for 10 years of faithful service, also an assurance, "Please contact me anytime if there is a financial emergency. I will be more than happy to lend." Thangam speaks little; there's a lot for me to learn in terms of daily discipline, commitment to family and she carries more grace than I can ever muster in any social setting. She was good, even great and it will be sad missing her company. Now I pray for a new cook with some proportion of these qualities; it's vitally important that a person with a good heart cooks your daily food. 

            As the year comes to an end, I spent over Rs. 3,000 on books – I got one on Alexander the Great and another on Hannibal. I also ordered some stock trading books. This is one domain I have thirst for learning, I don't wish to squander this state of mind by distracting myself elsewhere. I have a wish in 2020 – buy one BBC documentary or a National Geographic Special each month I gross 4 lacs in monthly earnings. These DVDs don’t cost much except a delivery service from a UK or USA but I would treasure them with my life. I also have a couple of material goals for 2020 – finalize the Kumbakonam villa deal, then have a two wheeler for transportation to gyms and nearby restaurants (in Besant Nagar everything was walking distance) and finally afford a car. Car is a luxury I can live without but I would like to have that experience before I can cast it aside. The purpose of this post was 2019 was an extraordinarily good year for me, M91/6 was inordinately fortunate for at long last I got something out of the marketplace for an earning.

M90 Issues –finally make peace

The “MIG Flat owners” meeting was scheduled on 29^th July, at 4:00 pm. Arun Kailasam of Kaar had come in the morning and we had a wonderful lunch, it was his way of ensuring I had company. I rearranged the furniture in the house hoping at least 10-12 people would attend to my invite. I went to the local grocery for 1.5 L Fanta and Bovonto (it’s a local grape flavour which I fancy!!).

            At 4:00 pm just Santhanam of M102 turned up; Suloch joined from downstairs – I was expecting at least 5 families attendance of the 15 I had invited. We waited for a while, gossiped on flat matters and it was damp squid show as any – in fact I took pictures of Santhanam saying: at least there is one Madrasi left with a conscience on these “land grabbing” issues. And importantly, one person gracious enough to my invite

            Santhanam said: if we are sensible, we will form an association but we don’t have any social spirit even in protecting our own self-interests. That day I resolved: fuckin sell this flat and go. 28 years I have been in this area and one person responded to my plea. Later I realized; this is the sign of our times. Everyone frightfully busy doing nothing.

Suloch’s counsel:

Suloch’s one month vacation was drawing to a close and the family was busy with last minute purchases and visiting friends before they go back to Lagos, Nigeria for office duties. He advised, “Sathya, don’t lose heart. You have done all that is possible to drive these SYNAPSE pests out. Why not try God?”

             Suloch is an ex-preacher and a lot of evangelical spirit. He explained: Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and so you are already deemed. Just submit your problems to him and he will solve it for you. Give me a year and I am sure God will work his miracles; HE never lets down honest, hardworking people.  

            I had to agree; my one year efforts coming to nought. Faith or no faith, I shook hands saying: Thanks Brother. Your one month stay has given me lot of tonic and strength to take on these rascals.

            I still had two more leads: Dinamalar and Ramaniyam.

Dinamalar:  This is one of the largest Tamil dailies and T H Iyer mama said: Speak to the MD’s secretary, refer my name and they may send a reporter and publish your plight. I kept calling and Ms. Kala advised: Send me a draft of your complaint with pictures and I will talk to my editors. I complied but nothing came out of it. I fail to understand how a land grab in a posh Besant nagar has a zero reading interest value especially when an ex-MP’s daughter is involved. Maybe, the media is not independent as we assume

Ramaniyam: Bala, more a business contact than a friend, said: Sathya, I will help you sell your apartment for the best price. But you must pay me a commission of 1%. I nodded saying “I am looking at 1.4 crores” (realistically 1. 2 is the going rate).

            The Iyengar lady at M105 (this building is right behind mine) said: The SYNAPSE people brought this flat for 2. 0 crores. I whistled and realized 1.5 for my M90/4 is a just price. No idiot would buy this flat at that price for residential purposes but any smart businessman will – he can likewise have a separate 40 ft gate this side of the building, a private generator, signage signs and this apartment faces the main road. I made some enquiries and someone at M94 said: I get a lot offers in the 1.5 to 1.75 crore range but this price is ONLY for ground floors; they are no takers for first and second floors.

            I approached Suloch and suggested, “Why don’t we sell our apartments to one single buyer for 3.5 crores – you take 2.0 for being the ground floor and I take the rest.” These apartments have become PRIME COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES and we can’t fight a trend. With this money, we can buy new apartments in Besant nagar itself and nearer the sea minus this vehicular traffic and shops. Suloch said, “Give me some time; I intend to stay for now. But if there is a good offer, I will always consider.”  

            Then Bala said, “Sathya, I will introduce you one of the biggest builders in Chennai. He has over 100 properties in Chennai and you can make a trade-in; sell M90/4 to him and he’ll give an apartment of your choice and pay the differentials. You will have a new house and at least 30-40 lacs excess in cash.”

            So I went along and met Mr. Jagannathan, Managing Director, Ramaniyam (truly one of the most respected builders in the city). I told him my horror stories of SYNAPSE people and how this flat has suddenly lost its charms.

I said, “Sir, I did my best complaining to the Chennai Corporation and Thiruvanmiyir Police but nobody wants to help, so I am inclined to sell if I get a good price.”  

            Mr. J has a lot of charisma and a strong voice. He advised, “Don’t sell it now for it will be a distress sale. I will put you on my lawyers and this is fit case; you can get a stay order from the judge, this is a text book case for unauthorized constructions.”  

            I asked, “I am not rich that I can spend on courts and lawyers. But how much would the process cost?”

            He said: 15 -20 k and I assented: something I can dispense with.

            He promised to give his lawyer’s contacts the next day; I chased him for two weeks and kept hitting a brick wall before realizing that it was never his intent to help me.

Peace of mind finally:

Suloch went to Africa in the first week of August. I wrote to him saying: I am fed up and exhausted; I want to sell and go. Each time, I see the water logging at the foot of the staircase, I feel like murder.

            Not for nothing is Suloch a great leader in the church, he writes back: Sathya, no one is troubling you. These people came and put up this CLINIC because M90/3 and M90/5 allowed them. Why should you drive yourself nuts for water-logging? Learn to ignore and take care of your interests. You fought ALONE taking on powerful interests for a year and you are no coward. SELL the flat by all means but it should be for your purpose not because of corrupt, land-grabbing doctors.

            I sensed the wisdom of patience. I also saw this as an opportunity to practice MINDFULNESS. In any situation, I have ONLY three options – change the situation to my liking, or reconcile to changed status when it is beyond my ability, and lastly, just walk away. 

As Suloch advised, I finally reconcile to peace. I accept that I cannot force the authorities to act. This SYNAPSE issue no longer agitates me. My Mindfulness meditation finally works: I am able to grin and bear it. I am gaining in wisdom leaps and bounds.  I think, I wait, and I adjust. 

Post Script: At the beach, Mr Krishnamurthy, retired from Electricity board, furnished the concluding thought: Sathya, think that you have donated the FREE SPACE to SYNAPSE people. The good thing about a mind is you can always give any troubling thought a good spin. I saw the humour and shook his hands.  

M90 Issues – Inviting MIG owners

Mani’s idea made immediate and practical sense: Indian democracy does not always work as per the rule book but the corrupt system is amenable to mob pressure. I drafted a letter in ten minutes which essentially said: I am Sathyanarayanan, who has been staying in M90/4 since 1989.  Last year a greedy and corrupt doctor opened SYNAPSE clinic in my building without my permission with these violations for DAYLIGHT robbery:

- 40 ft private gate,

- Private industrial generator,

- 30 ft signage

All these building violations have resulted in stray dogs and strangers into the building, compromising safety and hygiene.

The invitation continued: As you might all know M93 went first and we are second at M90, tomorrow it will your turn when Apollo Hospital consultants with nexus to politicians will invade your building with evil intentions and profit motives. So please support me and we will put the corrupt people in their places. Please make yourself available at M90 on 29^th July at 4:00 pm for MIG flat owners meeting.

            I went to Student Xerox with a pen-drive and got 20 copies of this message in A4 in simple plain white paper – no fancy, no frills,

            I gave the first invitation to Suloch, at M90/2 and he felt the message was apt, crisp and persuasive.

Action @ M105:

            I went to M105 which is a MIG block right behind M90. I have not gone knocking on stranger’s doors since my summer training for MBA in 1991 and later John Kuruvilla made me run with questionnaires to the watch dealers in Bangalore in 1994 in the Contract advertising phase – so you could I see that I am not comfortable in this chore of accosting people. By nature I am recluse; if you are my neighbour for a decade I might just know your name and maybe throw in a smile once a month.

            The Iyengar lady is quite a vocal voice and she read my A4 and said: good, we will attend though I have a wedding to attend around the same time. Right above at M105/4, another lady said: Sure, you have a just cause. Please hand your A4 and I’ll read it when I am back from picking my daughter from the tuitions. I asked: Is there anyone I can approach in this building? She said: try M105/6.

            I rang the doorbell and when I said: I am your neighbour and not a pest salesman. You see, SYNAPSE people have come and despoiled my building. She immediately made me come inside and offered a sofa seat: I am so glad that you are organising a meeting. Unfortunately I am bound for Karaikal tonight. We must meet some other time and she offered her visiting card. It read: Anu Chandramouli, BJP state secretary. I couldn’t believe my good fortune – the third door I knock and I get the biggest fish in town.

Action @ M102:

This is a building where an iron pressing man has made it his office!  One house was locked over litigation for three years now. I saw visible signs of despoliation with broken windows. At M102/4, Mr. Santhanam heard my case patiently and advised: First, we must form an association and register it. I said: whatever it takes, but please come on Saturday. Santhanam directed me to M102/5 where I met a retired man from National Highways, Mr. Perumal. I made the now practised pitch: SYNAPSE by opening a clinic at M90 has robbed us for our peace. Please support me.  

Action @ M95:

So far I knocked on five doors and all of them were decent and gave patient ears. They made me sit on chairs and offered drinking water. But approaching strangers and enlist them on my cause felt like an Eureka Forbes salesman – I am a creative writer and salesmanship is not my cup of tea, in fact it gives me the jitters. But I was trying to save my house and that was motivation enough to go knocking.

            At M95/5, Mrs. Vishwanathan said: I know all about your building. I spoke to M90/3 lady Ms. Kalpagam (my neighbour who sold out to SYNAPSE and now their brand ambassador espousing the clinic’s cause. Had this stupid neighbour of mine saw eye-to-eye with me on this issue, we could have stopped “Quick Gun Murugan” in his tracks a long while back) and she said: it is our service to society.

            I almost laughed our aloud: Ma’am first this is not Kalpagam’s property to distribute it on dole. It is my COMMON AREA and if she is so inclined for charity, let her do so on her income. As to service to society, this is a private clinic with profit motive. This fellow has spent over 10 lacs on refurbishments and he will milk his patients to cover these expenses. Besides no honest doctor would be a land grabber. 

            Mrs. Vishwanathan said: there are only tenants in this building, so don’t waste your time knocking their doors. Just try  the immediate neighbour at M95/3.  On ringing the doorbell, an old woman opened the door. Seeing her weak and emaciated, I had no heart to give a sales pitch. I said: Ma’am, she this A4 sheet and please attend a meeting on Saturday at M90.

Action @ M94:

I made a similar appeal to Mr. Meenakshi who works at Accenture. Their mother knew my mother and common friends and so she offered me a tea. The young son at Accenture said: I appreciate your efforts but unfortunately I am on an office tour in the weekend. But I am so interested and curious – this is my visiting card.  Please drop in an email as to what transpired at the meeting.

            I met the downstairs people at M94 and a familiar face at the temple in Rudram chanting. We smiled and I thrust the A4 in his hands saying: You are invited for a MIG Flat owners meeting on Saturday.

Action @ M92:

I met a very interesting Vasudevan, retired from service. He said: This Nathan fellow’s generator used to rattle at high decibels and when I complained, those people threatened: if you keep complaining, we’’ll uproot all your ACs for they also mutter! Strange rationale thugs in DMK and AIADMK use to threaten retired men whose only need is a little tranquillity. He complained about his neighbour at M92/4: Raghu is cheap that they refuse to pay even for sewage blockage issues saying that it is the problem of the ground floor flats. Bloody hell, what obtuse logic, it is not as though the sewage from first and second floor evaporate into air! They even have separate maintenance for ground floor residents and those in the first and second floor. They contention is that they will not pay for sweeping the portico as it only benefits the ground floor residents. Vasudevan said to a classic that found immediate resonance in me: I resided in Delhi for decades and Punjabis are loud, gross and verily the devil but they are broadminded, Madrasis are chors (narrow minded). 

At M92/4 met Raghu’s wife and she said, “We are busy as my son is going to US on Sunday for Masters, so kindly excuse us.”

I came back to base at M90 and gave an invite to Jon Ranjit my overhead neighbour at M90/6.

Learning:

I was on the streets for an hour. Actually, I found most of the residents are not even on talking terms in their adjacent flat people, and often blow hot and cold. Queer thing was all of them wanted bonding and good neighbourly affections but none knew how. The daily strain of living for decades made for frozen hearts and bad blood. This came as a great relief to me: it is just not my sisters – Viji and Latha – who are selfish but the entire world.

            What transpired at the meeting on 29^th July on a Saturday evening is a tale I carry to the next post. Please click on the label M90 for all these juicy tales, it is recommended you start from the beginning. 

M90 Issues – friend’s advice

(This is a continuation from the previous post, so any reader is advised to go down for a browse and land here).

There are certain things you take for granted in life – no stray dogs inside the building compound, no trespassers, and certainly no signage boards. But with SYNAPSE PAIN & SPINE Clinic inside M90 premise, I lost all peace. Now the open gates were an invitation to stray dogs, strangers knocking for consultation and that terrible generator making a hell of a noise.

            I knew that chasing the Chennai Corporation people or Electricity Board was a futile exercise. They had sold their souls a long time back. You sadly hit upon this truth: Chennai is a fuckin corrupt city. Power and influence greases hands; this is daylight robbery and none made answerable. Why? Dr. Karthic Babu Natarajan, Quick Gun Murugan to us, had the ears of the state government. By which time, I lost all respect for him both as a medical practitioner and even a human being – no self-respecting person would build his empire grabbing lands from others. If his motive was money making, why take the trouble to go all over USA or Europe and get those fancy degrees? Or do medical students compromise on ethics, since they spent so much on medical education, prone to using patients as a revenue stream and a business model.

            This building M90 faces the main road and there are lot of commercial establishments eager to set up shop on the road.  M93 went first, usurped by Nathan Dental Clinic five years back, so SYNAPSE had a template and went about replicating it in M90. Of course, they would not have bargained for a nuisance like me to come in their way.

            Last month Suloch of M90/2 came for a monthly vacation and now I had one ally to complain and groan about this new invader. I wrote to Dinamalar and other newspapers besides writing to the Chennai Corporation Commissioner and marking a copy to the Synapse people. For the first time in 12 months I had the balls to mark a copy to them as I went to town complaining on the building violations – remember a 40 ft private gate, private generator, and lots of signage can test the patience of a saint.  But at the same time, I can’t be foolhardy. I stay alone, I am an easy target. These doctors – ex-MP’s daughter and access to top leadership in AIADMK - don’t look like they would serve in a Mother Theresa centre; rather they would slit my throat if I made too much noise and stood in the way.

            So I wrote to Radha Rajan, a famous Besant Nagar resident and animal activist, saying: If something happens to me, straightaway the needle of suspicion should go to these people. Don’t allow them to go scot-free. She advised me: Sathya, these people are garbage (Sakadai in Tamil makes it more compelling and served with a force), so why get caught needlessly: SELL and GO.

            I sought Bala’s advice; he is a street smart guy – he used me on copywriting assignments in a freelance capacity and not pay my bills. But he is a friendly chap and I turned to him in desperation. He echoed Radha’s suggestion – Sathya, sell and go. Buy peace of mind, this tangle is not worth it. It has you running from pillar to post and banging a dead wall feel to it.

            I was outraged, “Bala, this is my home. How can I allow dacoits to enter my front door, I do nothing about it. I will place my life on the line and save this?”

            Bala asked, “What do you have in mind? More petitions to MLA, or councillor or what?”

            I said,” Bala, I plan to have a signage board on my side of the building outer. I will hang a flexi-print banner reading: Save MIG flats from greedy doctor clinics or some such thing.”

            Bala asked, “What will you achieve by this?”

            “Maybe, some newspaper guy or a post on Facebook and given an initial thrust can become viral. If not for anything, this simple banner will earn SYNAPSE a bad image when patients come visiting.”

            I did not stop with this, “Bala, I plan to print 300 copies of a brochure and distribute to friends and strangers on Eliot’s beach and the Ratnagiriswarar temple. I know at least a hundred faces and so there is no trouble reaching out. If the civic authorities won’t take my complaint seriously, I will generate enough word-of-mouth publicity of my own. Let those SYNAPSE bastards know there is a battle on their hands. There will be no easy surrender.”

            Bala being the street-smart man said, “Sathya, I wish you all the best. But when you take on powerful interests, you are just a moment from being run over by a truck. These fellows are thugs, it is for you to decide whether you want to live the rest of your life with a broken spine or maimed hands.”

            Instantly I saw the merit in Bala’s assessment of risks. It sounded nearer home.  After this counsel, I stopped that “flexi-print banner idea” and “distributing brochures to Besant Nagar residents.”

            I sought Manikandan’s help but he also said the same thing: Sathya, one person can’t take on a system. If you get a good price, SELL and GO. Otherwise organize a meeting and involve others in the neighbourhood – Indian democracy does not work on brains or rules but it runs on the strength of the mob.

            So this got me started on this idea: there are 6 MIG buildings. Of the six, two buildings were ravaged by Apollo consultants for personal greed.  Apollo Hospitals already saddled with a dubious reputation for lousy treatment and now its consultant doctors specializing in land-grab in Besant Nagar. So I had at least 36 apartments to approach, make my case, and seek their support.  My rationale was: if two have gone down the drain and we did not wake to stop the intruders now, the rest of the owners too would be at high risk of their own building going to dogs.  So my pitch would be: today I suffer and tomorrow will your turn. So why not support me a little now.

            This idea appealed to me; this is still a Gandhian way of protest. There is no danger of SYNAPSE people hiring thugs to eliminate as I go canvassing; they know the system too well to worry about reputation or morality.  We shall see the “MIG Flat owners” campaign in the next blog post.  

M90 Issues – the problem

Without ado, let’s get straight away in this tale.

            Towards the end of 2015, an apartment in my building M90/1, was sold to a doctor. That fellow kept refurbishing, reconfiguring by smashing and shovelling the rooms. The other residents adding up to “we” were worried that the new entrant may dig so deep as to knock the building down; maybe he was in search of some hidden treasures. We were disturbed, rattled by this endless shovelling; but we kept quiet hoping it will go away.

For the next three months they kept despoiling the ground floor apartment – with all those noise and heaps of construction refuse – we held our nerves and patience. Hoping someday they will settle down.

            Then the new owner – Dr. Karthic Babu Natarajan – started to occupy the FREE COMMON SPACE by having new tiles laid; that’s when I woke up. Within a month, this rapacious doctor had installed a 40 ft private gate, 30 ft of signage, a private generator and by now I realized this fellow was no ordinary Apollo Hospital consultant but a veteran land grabber with access to political power. His partner in crime was Dr. Vanmathy Venkatapathy, daughter of an ex-MP in the 14^th Lok Sabha. It was almost like they could do anything they wished, the Chennai Corporation, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and Thiruvanmiyur Police would turn the other way.

            I was livid. These rapacious, avaricious, and corrupt doctors just did not bother. It felt that in this building the rest of five residents don’t count at all. We have staying in this building since 1974 and suddenly it is sold to a rowdy who was robbing our lands and devaluating our properties. Drunk with absolute power, the goons violated all building violations with impunity – as though they were collectors and zamindars and we were serfs expected to wait outside with folded hands -despite our protests.

            They purchased M90/1  - M90/2 is in Africa, M90/3 and M90/5 were cajoled and persuaded so much so that these residents acted as SYNAPSE CLINIC”s personal assistants. I at M90/4 was livid while M90/6 did not bother. The Corporation people sensed my helplessness and they had an alibi for their inaction: We would have taken action had at least a couple of residents raised their voice.

            So the past 12 months this apartment lost its charm. The 10 ft open gate from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm is an open invitation to stray dogs, the private generator makes noises above the permissible decibel levels, that I thought: Better to sell this place if I find a right price.

            It appalled me to realize that no one rose in protest at the flagrant violations. The M105 lady who would be disturbed by the generator kept mum. She is some sort of a leader and nothing seem to stir anyone. As for me, I was a raving and ranting idiot: how could this happen in a posh colony like Besant Nagar?? How could a metropolis like Chennai be in the grips of thugs and goons?

            I went complaining to the local civic bodies – Corporation, Electricity Board, Thiruvanmiyur Police under whose jurisdiction our building falls – and not a whimper. The constable said after a scrutiny said: These are big fishes; no common person can violate with such gay abandon as though a private property.  I sent tweets to PMO but Modi was busy on overseas tours and demonization and so he gave this petition a miss. I wrote to Urban Affairs Minister Mr. Venkaiah Naidu but he was busy in Parliamentary Affairs duties. No response, as dead as a dodo from Delhi. Besides they can always say: this is a state subject.

            So I approached Adyar publications – Adyar Times and Adyar Talk with pictures and this blog post. One felt this was private matter angst (stupid fellow, how can an ex-MP’s daughter swallowing prime property in a posh colony be private? Had I been the editor, I would run this story for a week for this has lot of middle-class eyeballs potential written all over it) while the other felt that this is a “common interest” problem but for somehow reason did not pursue it. 

            In desperation I wrote to Mumbai Mirror editor Faye D’Souza who shouts on Urban Debate each night: This is shameful, despicable on the conditions of Mumbai roads and that damn Bellandur lake in Bangalore. I thought my case would appeal to her social conscience but she ignored it as they saw no story in my plight and no TRPs.  Only Mohandas Pai, a panellist on Arnab Goswami's debates, responded saying: this is a fit case for a police complaint after reading my blog post. But then he resides in Bangalore and not Chennai where DMK and AIADMK are a law unto themselves. 

            I told myself that I will take this case to United Nations Secretary General if need be. This is my home for the last 28 years and I am not going to allow corrupt doctors to come into my life uninvited and throw my life out of gear – I was anyway going along that rocky road walking with a noose in hand without this added nuisance. now I steeled myself: I will die protecting my house. I will not be a coward any more.