SFV-2016 - The Year That Was

Let us sign off 2016 with a bird’s eye view of what came about during the period. I promise, the review shall not carry shades of an annual report of the MC.

The year has been eventful by and large, and enchanting too. It witnessed an exodus of several families from their erstwhile comfortably-settled houses to the new, and hopefully better, homes in SFV. Few owners had reservations on that if my interaction with them is anything to go by. 

Even the investing community which initially was wary of its returns either because of not getting a tenant, or a good re-sale price, is less skeptical now. Let’s hope demonetization, with its predicted downslide in real estate prices, will not shatter their long-term aspirations. Umeed par duniya kayam, they say (the world is better off on hopes). 

The original inhabitants, not the animal kingdom encompassing our complex-area too, but those who set foot in Forest View first, were a handful as on 31 Dec 2015.  But they paved the way and emboldened others to take a call on relocation. And the late settlers are thankful to them to no little extent for the infrastructure in place. 

I am not sure if Shankaran Ramachandran of Oak was the very first, unless someone stakes claims that he had moved a day or an hour early. Anyway, together they braved all the inconveniences that are attendant with the early birds to a complex - no water, erratic electric supply, no shops nearby, freer flow of reptiles, and ever so many other shortcomings. Undaunted, they brought about improvements slowly but steadily. The antagonists could argue that they did these primarily to serve their own interests. So what? At the end of the day, we all benefit by those. As of now around 200 families have moved in. Which means there is a movement of around 800 humans in the complex, given that each family consists of four members on an average. 

The year also saw Sobha hand over Cedar and Ebony apartments. I am not sure about Pine, if the hand-over was done in 2015 or 2016. Thus, the influx can only be expected to increase manifold in the months to come. And when Alder also gets ready in 2017 our community will be all the more resplendent. More the merrier. We all look forward to it, and welcome in advance the new-residents-to-be.

The SFV community owes a great deal to the members of the MC for an admirable job they did setting in motion several steps - developing a software for easy payment of maintenance fee biannually, pitching Food World, Tata Sky, Airtel, negotiating weekly vegetable-vendor arrangements in the premises, establishing communication networks like ADDA, Hike, SFV Resident Groups, formulating norms and guidelines that serve best the interests of community living, and not make it a free for all (thought one can’t speak with certainty that these are being adhered to). Well the list is endless, and ongoing. Three cheers to the MC. Well begun is half done. Midcourse correction is always a recourse.

By its very nature, the activities of some sub-committees get more visibility like the cultural wing - Ekatva, Onam, Karnataka Rajyotsava… received overwhelming accolades. Others, for no fault of theirs, just fall into the They Also Serve Who Stand and Wait  category - the team that developed the Maintenance fee software, the waste segregation team, the newspaper collection and forest conservation team; not to speak of Vivek …(?) who developed a Ready Reckoner and its revisions. It is a different thing that some residents mistook it for the handiwork of my friend Vivek Jain. But he lost no time in disowning it. Incidentally he is equally active on other fronts.  

Not lagging behind have been the valiant efforts of Jagadeesh and Vijesh, supervisors entrusted to fulfil Sobha’s warranty obligations - thus far, no further. Operating within guidelines and constraints, they both did a commendable job in bending but not breaking the rules, thus satisfying both Sobha and residents in one go. Kudos, my friends, wherever you are now posted. 

And Chandra Kumar? With his imposing figure, he may appear a man to be kept at an arm’s length. But appearances are deceptive. Underneath his tough exterior you find him a person with a good heart. Very few might know that he contributed his mite to India’s first nuclear test-fire from Pokhran. It was done with utmost secrecy, not even USA, Israel, China or Pakistan whose network to sniff around is best, had no inkling. Every morning, along with others he too would go 250 feet (or more?) below the ground where the scientists developed the capsule, to perform his assigned duties, whatever those might be. This is all what he shared with me one day as I waited for the cab at the Gate.

Speaking of Gate, whenever I passed through it, the security staff would greet me with a smile and were courteous. Also when I telephone them of no water, or electricity in my apartment, they were prompt to get the message across, rather than redirect me. We had thus thanked ourselves for this exclusive prerogative. But that impression was short-lived until my morning-walk friend casually mentioned in some context that he was fortunate to be treated the best by the Security force, which the third friend tagging along, corroborated as true for him as well. Though I felt deprived of what I had harboured close to my heart, I was happy for the Security staff and appreciated their knack to give each resident that exclusive feeling. Our compliments to the team. 

These said, life is not, nor intended to be, a cakewalk. And life in SFV is no less. One might encounter difficulties in the parking lot allotments, the car wash, the laundry set up, milk supply, the drive against beehives, with the bees getting the better of humans by switching over balconies for their new habitat…  None of these is insurmountable given the will and patience.

Before I sound being on a sermon spree, let us, SFV-ians, pray and hope to augur 2017 in a spirit of live and let live. Let us resolve that we shall leave the gym items the way we saw them and not just scatter them around, children shall not convert the lift walls into a drawing board to let loose their imaginations with inscriptions and line-drawings, those who still hold dearly the cart or the basket of Food World would return them, and carry with them bags in 2017, residents atop would refrain from aiming the litter to the ground floor dustbin, and the bird-lovers would not feed birds with leftovers of the night in a two-in-one bid - disposal cum compassion.   

May the year 2017 bring all of us happiness, prosperity and plentiful.

V V Sundaram

Maple 3195

29 Dec 2016

Retiree's Dilemma

One of the embarrassing moments I face, mostly at social events, is when someone walks up to me and asks, “So uncle, how do you pass your time?”  To say, “Oh me? I wish there were more hours to a day,” is a spot invitation to be branded snobbish. If I begin, “The thing is this…,” he will guess the fellow doesn’t have much to say, but is trying to cook up something. On the other hand, if I venture,  “Well, I browse through my computer for the day’s news, mail…, ” the man is sure to murmur, “Big deal. We too do all these in day, plus slog eight hours in office.” Gradually you begin to wonder if you are at all really busy, or you just think you are. To set at rest this complacency I did a sample check the other day - from morning-coffee till breakfast. Maybe it is a sweet nothing, but here is the recap.

After a morning walk, the laptop in front and the aromatic hot Columbian coffee by the side (in the American-size mug till in USA, courtesy my son’s intervention), I am all set to update myself with the goings-on. At national level, it is demonetisation, open-arms reception by public despite inconvenience, Opposition’s vain bid to cash in, further reforms in the pipeline… At State levels, the sad demise of Jayalalitha, elevation of Sasikala to top party post, saashtang namaskar becoming a permanent stay in Tamil Nadu politics; Mamta Banerjee’s bitter attack of Centre for not informing her of Army’s routine toll-check, her efforts to mobilise Opposition to decry demonetisation, and…

A message pops up on the screen to announce the arrival of a fresh email. It is from my brother’s son Arvind, a happy father sharing the feat of his four-year old son. There was a telescope up for grab at the Memphis Astronomical Society. The child who writes best on what he would do if he got it would receive it. His son submitted one and was not successful. But he did receive a commendation letter from the Society which hinted that he missed it by a whisker. 

When I read this aloud to Aunty, busy clearing her own backlog of 107 mails, she was less keen initially, but when she heard the name Darsh, she jumped, “Read it for me again,” which I did. That only acted as a lead for her to take on. “Remember, last month, Anand (Arvind’s elder brother) shared with us the breakthrough his son and classmate had made on Robotics?” Yes, in a “Catch’em Young” programme, in the august presence of President Obama in Washington DC, the boys made a joint presentation in the same manner as Naveen Kashyap and Sajan compere our SFV functions - Naveen one sentence and Sajan the other. 

As is wont, that steered our conversation to other children and grandchildren of my siblings. As of now my youngest sister’s son’s achievement steals the thunder. Years ago, he and his handful friends sold their start-up company to a giant firm for a three-digit million dollars (if my memory serves me right).  But then records are created to be broken. Tendulkar overtook Bradman as the best batsman. Now his protege,Virat Kohli, is giving Sachin a run for his records. I therefore keep my fingers crossed for the next generation to surpass the milestone, as we just bask on their glory.

Another sibling’s grandson completed his graduation from Cambridge, and is now doing MBA from Wharton. His younger sister is doing medicine from Oxford. In another case the grandson is doing medicine from Rhode Island (he did namedrop a few greats who passed out from there). He plans to specialise in Orthopaedics. By norm, with due respect to those practising these disciplines, Ortho, dentistry are among lower options in India. So when I questioned him on the choice, he said: “Sports activities are an integral part of Americans, and Ortho is a lucrative practice, as I had personal knowledge when I had to consult one,” he clarified. His sister is doing Microbiology (doctorate?) from an Ivy League university. (For the uninitiated, Ivy League, is the collective name given to a select best universities of the East Coast.) In yet another instance, the grandson is pursuing Applied Physics from the University of California, Irvine. The other grandchildren are in their Nursery to the 9th grade, including one whom the school identified as a gifted child, and had him attend the 6th grade maths class while studying in the 4th. 

In the midst we received the customary call from our younger son in California, while driving to office. He is slated to come to Phoenix for a family Reunion. His son, my third grandson, Rishi, is all enthusiastic on two counts - at the prospect of meeting his cousins here, and of not having to enact his role in his school-play scheduled for Christmas eve. “But why? He has won several accolades in recitation, one-act play and the like.” We wondered. Anyway, the teacher was alerted to arrange for a replacement. Instead she advanced the date of the play, with Rishi very much in it. “But why so much resistance this time?” we insisted. “He is playing a side kick to the villain.”

Haan ji, mein ki kya, naashta tayaar, I hear Aunty’s voice, imitating our Delhi neighbour Sonu’s mummy’s call from kitchen to her hubby.

V V Sundaram

Maple 3195

22 Dec 2016

Man's Best Friend

Yes, dog is man’s best friend, from Mahabharata to modern times. The dog had the sole distinction to be with Yudhishtira on the last leg of his Heavenward journey, when the rest of Pandavas and Draupadi collapsed en route for being not totally blemish-free. The modern era is replete with instances where owners bequeath wealth to their dog, for him to maintain a  standard of living he is accustomed. 

Closer home, in SFV, months ago a prospective tenant came to rent my son’s apartment in Oak. As he inspected the facilities, I heard him tentatively assign spaces for X and Y. Maybe earmarking places for his two sons, I thought. Nay, for his dogs. In the other instance, my Delhi friend had some disposable income and wanted to buy an apartment in Ebony, Oak or Alder. He chose Alder, though it meant stretching his budget too far. But he persisted. His argument?  “Let me provide my Tiger (Alsatian dog) a large  balcony for him to move around free.”

The relationship between the pet and its owner is such that the love of one for the other knows no bounds. Decades ago on a visit to Tokyo, my uncle directed me to get down at a particular station and “wait for me at the Dog’s Corner.” I was at a loss to know where on earth this could be. Only to realise that it was more popular than the Regal or Rivoli landmarks in Delhi. The story is a dog would see off his master every morning at the rail station and come back again in the evening to accompany him back home. One day the master never returned - died of cardiac arrest at work. But the dog waited for days. A metal statue of the dog still stands to perpetuate its memory. This happened in 1925. When the metal corroded decades later, it was promptly replaced by a new one. In India statues serve more as a repository for bird droppings.

Ko Ko is my sister’s d-i-l’s dog in California. Poor fellow is diabetic of late, and she gives him insulin shots every day. The family takes very good care of him. Both her son and daughter have recently joined universities in the East Coast - the other end of America. But unfailingly they call their mom daily - less to speak to her than to enquire the welfare of Ko Ko and hear his voice - be it a bark.

Biscuit, my son’s friend’s dog, is another instance. Last week the friend had invited us for dinner. Earlier in the day, he rang up to say that he had already announced to Biscuit of the impending visit of Rohan (our younger grandson) and Biscuit was all eager. ‘How could a dog understand that and be enthusiastic in advance?” I murmured. But when we showed up, Biscuit received Rohan as though it was Ram-Bharat milan, or meeting of a long lost friend. He took Rohan to his designated place where the two played together the rest of the evening. No wonder, months before leaving Bangalore when we called our grandchildren to ask them if they needed anything from India, Rohan was prompt: “Can you get me a dog, Thatha?” “A doll, or the real one?” I asked. ”Of course the real one, Thatha. I am eight years old, No more dolls.”

The grief at the loss of one’s pet is often no less than that of losing one’s own offspring. My friend in my previous apartment complex narrated how his ailing dog was literally waiting at the door step for him to come back from his travel.  As soon as he stepped in, the dog prevailed upon him to sit on the sofa and rested his head on the master’s lap. He too enjoyed the brief moments as he sipped coffee only to realise that the dog was resting in eternity. The Delhi old couple’s story is different. They loved Caesar immensely. When he died they buried him at their backyard. On the 13th day they distributed a  big packet of Parle Glucose biscuits to the dogs in the street. “Caesar was fond of them and friendly with them,” they said.

That takes me to a snippet from the great Tamil orator Suki Sivam. One day the street dogs of the village walked up to the pet dog at the corner house and asked him: “Why don’t you get out of the rut and join us? Almost everyday there is a feast in the village, and we get a variety of food to eat; we are never on leash; we roam around free.” “Wait for a while,” reassured the pet, and shared with them a conversation. “Come what may, I will not let you marry the boy next door even if I have to marry you off to a dog,” he overhead his master warn his daughter the other day. “I am waiting for my master to take a final call.”   

And I await Suki Sivam’s next discourse for an update.

V V Sundaram

Maple 3195

02 Dec 2016