Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Which part of India is mine?

The title may sound a little far fetched, but that is a fact of life for several people. People who are government employees, bank employees, basically people with transferable jobs.

Take Ramesh's family for instance. Mr. Ramesh works for the ONGC. His family comprises of his wife, three children, his aged mother and a widowed elder sister. ONGC is an organization that has wide spread operations in different locations of India. Families like Mr.Ramesh's cannot afford to grow roots in any one part of India by virtue of the transferable nature of the job.

Mr. Ramesh's children have greatly benefited from the Central schools spread out all over the nation. His eldest daughter Rupa is married and settled in USA. His son, Rohit is in his final year of college while his youngest daughter, Reshma is still schooling. From the open expanses and greenery of Assam, they have recently been posted in Chennai. Allocation of office living quarters is always a mixed bag - you can only hope to get a decent livable house. It has its own charm yet, its own disadvantages.

Mrs. Renuka Ramesh wistfully wishes to have her own little cottage where she can call the four walls and surrounding garden her own. Where she can have her choicest color of tiles, design her own modular kitchen and have a garden she can tend to. Having been a home maker, caring for her ailing mother-in-law and her temperamental sister-in-law has left her craving for some respite from the routine chores of cooking cleaning, care giving and nurturing her children.

Mr. Ramesh is due for retirement in two years. He has been to several parts of India by virtue of his job. He now asks - I belong to India "part and parcel", but which part of India belongs to me? His predicament is- a final settling place that will suit all of his family members.

A peaceful place that would provide for Mr. Ramesh- an easy relaxed lifestyle, mingling with like-minded people who like community service. For his mother, who could do with daily care giving from a trained nurse and his widowed elder sister who would do well with regular yoga and meditation. His wife who could do with a variety of activities such as conducting cookery classes,teaching and learning craft work, and NOT getting bogged down with daily cooking and house keeping. She needs "time" to call her own when she can do the things she wants at her own pace.

All this sounded too far fetched, as a place housing all these facilities, yet being affordable, in a peaceful and tranquil location having a good cool climate sounds like asking for the moon...

Well, not really, there is actually such a place near Coimbatore. It is a unique gated community called Melur Meadows. The website www.melurmeadows.com gives all details.

I would like your take on "Gated Communities" such as the above. Do you think it is a welcome addition to the already existing real estate boom happening all around?
Your valuable comments please....