The so called 'Society'
Last week, one of my friend's 2nd floor flat was robbed, while he was away to his hometown. That's unfortunate enough, but more unfortunate was the fact that none of neighbours got even whiff of that. Or they simply didn't bother.
Aloofness. That has been the culture of affluent, and not-so-affluent societies in cosmopolitan cities these days. Interaction is negligible as we just have -I, me, myself to think about. A helping hand is termed as invasion to privacy. I know people who don't know, who their neighbours are, never mind they have lived at the same place for last 2 years.
In Mumbai, a person died in his flat and his dead body remained unnoticed for three years ! The other factor is regional stereotypes. Languages and culture don't match. One may be curious, but from the distance. And the rest of them are bitter snobs.
This flat system gives a false sense of security. A lock, a latch is not good enough. Not even the security guard. Lapses keep on happening. There is always enough scope and time for the prowler. Elderly are killed, inhabitants are robbed - all this because we depend on somebody else for our own security. The misnomer called society.
All this is very much there in Pune. Since robberies are not very common here, my friend was caught off-guard. Now, we all are wiser. The places where thefts are more common, like Lucknow, we already take extra steps for our security. Multi-locks, channel gates are used. There always is a second line of defense. Jewelry is kept in lockers( In Delhi, now a days, even they are not safe).
More importantly, we make a good, lasting bond with our neighbours and in-house tenants. We are like a family. I don't have much to worry about my folks back home. The following piece of information sums it all.
Whenever I go to Lucknow and come back to Pune, I have to stay overnight in Allahabad. One of the daughters of one of my acquaintance, who were once our neigbours in Lucknow, has been married settled there. I have been gleefully staying there overnight four times year, for past five years. Can you believe it?
Aloofness. That has been the culture of affluent, and not-so-affluent societies in cosmopolitan cities these days. Interaction is negligible as we just have -I, me, myself to think about. A helping hand is termed as invasion to privacy. I know people who don't know, who their neighbours are, never mind they have lived at the same place for last 2 years.
In Mumbai, a person died in his flat and his dead body remained unnoticed for three years ! The other factor is regional stereotypes. Languages and culture don't match. One may be curious, but from the distance. And the rest of them are bitter snobs.
This flat system gives a false sense of security. A lock, a latch is not good enough. Not even the security guard. Lapses keep on happening. There is always enough scope and time for the prowler. Elderly are killed, inhabitants are robbed - all this because we depend on somebody else for our own security. The misnomer called society.
All this is very much there in Pune. Since robberies are not very common here, my friend was caught off-guard. Now, we all are wiser. The places where thefts are more common, like Lucknow, we already take extra steps for our security. Multi-locks, channel gates are used. There always is a second line of defense. Jewelry is kept in lockers( In Delhi, now a days, even they are not safe).
More importantly, we make a good, lasting bond with our neighbours and in-house tenants. We are like a family. I don't have much to worry about my folks back home. The following piece of information sums it all.
Whenever I go to Lucknow and come back to Pune, I have to stay overnight in Allahabad. One of the daughters of one of my acquaintance, who were once our neigbours in Lucknow, has been married settled there. I have been gleefully staying there overnight four times year, for past five years. Can you believe it?
posted by Unknown at 1:06 PM
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