A School called Forest!

Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience. ...Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's May, peak of Central India's summer & probably the best time to visit forests here, if you are ready to bare the heat & wants to see the animals! As trees are surely not at their best but the water is scarce at these times, may it be for man or animals & most of them are on constant search of the same! And here is where lays your best chance to see the maximum of wild life!
Many a times I have faced this question from my friends, what’s there in Jungles that I visit them so often & yet don’t get bore? I too have asked this to myself many a times & the answer lies within the forest only! As the quote says it teaches so many things provided you go there & with open mind. In my recent trip to Kanha, Pench & Nagzira, though just one round at later two, here are few of the experiences & each of them was like attending separate class of life!
Class one.
There is a story behind every shot in forest!
While moving through the meadows of Kanha saw a blue jay circling over a dry tree & just out of curiosity what its doing on a dry tree we stopped the gipsy & as soon she felt our presence she flied away. Got more curious & aimed my lenses to the tree & saw the reason, she has her newborn in the nest made in a hole of that dry tree. Ignoring the alarm calls in distance & guides urge for chance of tiger sight I decided to wait to get the feeding snap as to see the blue jay with its blue display wings on is something far more interesting! But the protective mother was not ready to guide us to her newborn's location as she was unknown to the fact that we already knew the location of the nest, so she kept waiting on a near by tree for us to move away from there. The wait game started & after 30 minutes with all dilse sorry for the disturbance we caused in her feeding, the caring mother in her won over the security factor & she flew towards the waiting new born to feed & I got my shot!
*The jungle taught me to wait & be patient till the right moment comes!
Class 2
Forest is full of Surprises!
Here is one more, in Pench we were waiting on other side of a dry back water ground & there were alarm calls of chitals on other side. Each animal even the birds makes a peculiar sound when they see Tiger or any predator, which is called as alarm call & that’s the best way to locate the hunter as or else you cant see any thing by just your eyes so dense & camouflaging is the color of Tiger! As there wasn’t anything to do but wait to see the Tiger unless he comes in open I was just focusing my camera on a stork standing near a dike & just when I was clicking it suddenly the tiger leaped up in the frame from the dike! I & the stork were both equally surprised with this sudden appearance of the King of the forest!
*The jungle taught me to be ready for the surprises in the life which sometimes may be sweet & some times sour as there was equal possibility that instead the Tiger coming in frame the stork itself could have flown away before I click leaving the empty canvas of back water in the frame!

Class 3

Surprise is the word in forest!
As a routine I Was waiting to see the tiger as usual with the alarm calls from chital & monkeys & suddenly near the gipsy in which we were waiting there was a fallen dry tree which got alive with some moment, first I thought its regular flame back wood pecker but wow they were pair of gray pigmy woodpecker with male displaying orange cap! These are very rare not because of just les in numbers but because they are very small ,hardly 6 inches in size & perfectly blending colors with the tree bark.

*Once again forest has surprised me with the unexpected & taught me a lesson that while chasing big targets never miss the opportunity to enjoy smaller joys! They are far more important!

Class 4
We were following pug marks of a male tiger in Kanha & suddenly saw its glimpse in the bushes as he left the road & entered in a dry nallah along. There was a crossing to the nallah so we speed up & decided to wait at the crossing in the hope of we can have a good shot there but he wasn’t interested & left the nallah & started walking from opposite bank of the nallah from the bushes. Again we knew this track also was leading to a road which runs directly across to his path so we went ahead & kept waiting where the jungle path meets the road. There was alarm call at the opening of the jungle path from which the tiger was walking; few were of monkey on right hand side where we had been waiting & one from peacock on left hand side of our gipsy. Relying on surety of monkey call we decided to move right & kept looking where the monkeys were calling & in the mean time tiger crossed from where the peacock was calling & all we could see is just back side of him while crossing the road!
*The jungle has taught me one more lesson that even surest of our sources can fail & never ignore any information how ever irrelevant it may look on face!

So many such classes are on when you are in forest & attend them with open mind. It’s like going to a free school where no teacher will force anything on you yet you have to remember that you are there to learn & the process is ever going. Here right from the monkey to the trees all are your teachers & you have to watch them with open eyes & ears as they can’t speak in your language but yet they speak with you in so many ways & teach you to see your own life in different perception. The best thing forest teaches you is, to have patience till the right moment. As in forest nothing happens just for the sake of it. Every thing every act of animal or plant has a purpose & timing. How important is this knowledge as in our daily life also it’s the impatience which is the cause of all our troubles. We get impatient when we don’t get our morning news paper in time & even when any big job isn’t being done in time by the staff or collogues! It has become tendency of our modern times, being impatient for every thing & which is root of all the uneasiness rather I will call it as unhappiness which is growing around in the society. And here is where visiting forests makes the difference as it’s only here you learn to enjoy waiting & be patient! What you bring along from the forest is this patience & joy of waiting which you can use in your daily routine to combat with your uneasiness generated from day to day problems around.
Another aspect is most of us are continuously busy in chasing some targets in present times & all the time we can think nothing other but the target we are chasing. Like I experienced in chasing Tiger in forest, nothing wrong in aiming big but we should not lose interest or ignore the smaller joys of life coming in our way while we are running after our target. What every course like Art of Living tries to teach us is the same which forest actually displays in front of us & in a beautiful way! Not just the tiger but every small animal, insect, flower, tree & bird can give you the equal amount of joy in watching them move & just flow with the nature. All one has to do is feel it & learn from it how to be in tune with nature.

May be here lies the answer of why I go to forest again & again as for me its like new experience every day  just like I used to go the school to learn something new & get exited with the knowledge! And best part is this school has no end to any course & one can keep visiting it ever & the teachers wont say enough of teaching! So go ahead & enjoy the fun of learning with forests!

--
Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

Envo-Power Committee, Credai, Pune

Please do visit my blog to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani !

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/

Social Side of Sanjeevani !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157628805700569/

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Taking Possession of Home!

A relationship requires lot of commitment & work…Greta Sacchi.

When ever I see any of building getting completed & people saying they have got the possession & soon the will be shifting to their new home, I remember this quote of the thinker lady! Recently we handed over one of our project with small ceremony which included get together of all the flat holders along with the people associated with making of the project. As a builder I have been witnessing possession giving since last many years & yet the joy on the faces of the people not only the flat holders but so many who are involved does amazes me rather thrills me is correct word. Many a times I have heard people giving names to the profession which I am in i.e. builder & because it’s considered as just a money making & without emotion factor involved in it. Rather if we see the head lines in news about builders or real estate industry then one will think its most non creative non-sentimental profession, creating dry & dead concrete jungle! It’s not true rather for me it’s the most creative profession in world & this I am not saying because I am builder but the way I see the people & the building when its get ready!

Imagine a piece of land empty & with no human life over it & once we start working on it in few years you create home for so many on it & the place lives up after possession, hustle of people living there, kids playing in the open spaces around the buildings, the trees blossoming which you have planted & elderly people socializing in the places created for the cause, so many activities happening around once the place gets occupied. Even the building which looks dusty & gray in cement clad surrounding gets painted & covered like a newly wed bride & gets ready for the guests coming over! Who says there isn’t any creating in all this! Going a step ahead in a way its like work of a God! Here many will say I have gone crazy comparing our self with God but isn’t it like crating a complete new world out of nothing? I am not saying this in respect of powers like God but the job of making a home on a baron land & give its possession to the owner is like what God does with the world, is what I meant!

Unfortunately many never understand the charm or thrill in the whole process & the possession rarely takes place as a ceremony.  Usually the customer is invited at builder’s office & after confirmation of payment clearance keys are handed over, that’s it! A home is the only product where the buyers has to go to the product to take its ownership & the product don’t come along with you but you have to go to the product & stay with it! Even if you are buying a ship or a jet you get it delivered at your home after you purchase it but not home.  So many thing happens when you arrange a possession ceremony, actually it’s a get together of all those who are associated with the home. Making of a home is a process ongoing for 2-3 years & many agencies are involved. Right from the surveying team who measures the plot to the architect who plans the building over there & then hundreds of various agencies who are associated with building process by one way or other. And remember the one who are working in these agencies are human only & like me most get attached with this building while working on it. For all such persons handing over of what they have spent a year or two is surely a moment of emotion. As for all these months we are used to visiting the building when it’s in making & suddenly the day of handing over to its owner comes & we realize that our role is done, from next day we won’t be coming here ageing for no reason. Rather we will have to answer security at places why we are visiting the building which we only have built! It’s like job in an orphanage, for few days or months you are taking care of a child with whom you get attached & suddenly one day you know it’s being adopted now & you won’t be seeing the child again ever! Many wont agree with this concept or view of mine but believe me I have seen even workers at site getting attached to it & that’s more probable as many of them lives there during the construction & for them its their home for some period of the life.

Nothing better soothing than to watch the building you are working on getting towards finishing & been ready for possession, it’s like watching a child grow as each day there is some progress. I have made a practice to photograph the site every stage & make an album of the same & hand it over to the every flat holder at time of possession as these are the best memories of your own home making. Rather all those who can make it should visit their building periodically & do such effort of photographing as with digital camera it’s much simpler now. So many things are related to the possession of a home like making pooja or planting trees which will grow as we stay there & watch them grow along. Small thing does make big difference in presentation. Now days even a two wheeler keys are given with a small pooja & ceremony at automobile show room & the staff their smiling & clicking snap with the customers. Why can’t building industry follow such good traditions from other industries? There are few builders following the tradition but the number is very less is a fact.

Actually when we build a home for some one it’s a service rather one of the best noble service as most of the people buy this home once in life time. And then it’s not just a commodity product but in our country home has highest sentimental value too & keeping this in mind we should deliver the same. Possession isn’t just legal clearances of the document or fulfillment of all dues but at the same time a home should be delivered in real finish form. With all works completed & every agency moved out completing its job as well the formalities like occupancy/completion certificate obtained by the developer. It’s a responsibility of possession taker also to make a check list of his own & see that all the points have been duly taken care so as to avoid any future clash with the developer. Especially the civil works within the flat as well in common areas like painting, plumbing & cleaning etc. We can always add on by providing things like information of all flat holders in a form of small directory & giving it to every occupant of the building so as they can be in touch with each other. Arranging a small function, get together is proper word is the apex of all the service. It’s a joy to watch them come like coming for a marriage & take the possession of their & the pride in their eyes, it always gives me the feeling of satisfaction & fulfillment of mine & my teams commitment towards the relation which has been developed with our customers over the years of their home making! After all what is a relation? It’s trust & warmth between the developer & the customer which has to be experienced mutually & what better occasion than handing over that bridge or the cause of the relation i.e. the Home!

--
Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

Envo-Power Committee, Credai, Pune

Please do visit my blog to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani !

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/

Social Side of Sanjeevani !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157628805700569/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

http://www.punecorporation.org/GRS/Complaint/LaunchComplaintCitizen.aspx

Think Green, Think Life

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Darker Side of Real Estate!

Making easy money is the worst temptation a man can have...James Hadley Chase.

Chase was undoubtedly the best crime story writer of all times & his specialty was that in every of his story however the clever plan may be, yet the crime gets detected at end & in some way or other the criminal gets punishment! When asked that why the end is always like this where the plot of any crime ends in failure, however clever it may be planned, the master story teller said “I didn’t wanted to glorify the crime & wanted to send the message that what ever you plan, at the end a criminal never succeeds!” Well unfortunately in current days logic of Chase isn’t working at least not in real estate!

This is one side of the real industry which most of the people in it have experienced in some way or other but which never comes in day light. The city is growing & many have benefited from this growth & money does attracts all sorts of tendencies is a truth from ages. And so it has proved again with real estate. In last few years not only the prime lands in the city center but even in suburbs land rates have soured & the real estate industry turnover is touching new highs with every year. And along with land there are brokers or agents, then various material supplies like sand, bricks, metal & undertaking petty contracts. With all this many avenues have been opened up to earn money for many people around & no harm in it till some one wants to play foul & want to make fast money. And let me be frank not all uses the conventional path of earning money which is “work hard & sincerely”! One has to be very careful now days while dealing in real estate as with whom you are getting associated is important!

The things stars right from selecting proper land through reliable sources. We all have read enough incidences of land grabbing & mainly in suburbs these things have been more. Some ten years back many of the farmers in suburbs which are now newly acquired part of PMC/PCMC sold their land by way of private plotting & the buyers were mainly service class middle income group who were seeking for fulfillment of there dream of own bungalow which is getting more & more difficult with every day. But in this process they haven’t followed the proper procedure of documentation like demarcation certificate, sanctioned lay outs neither they did any thing to protect the land physically by compound wall. Nobody confirmed the proper road or access rights to such plots as the land was not of much value then. By the present time the city has been extended to such plots & suddenly everybody could see the money involved in & then started the dark race to grab the butter of such land. People started taking advantages of lacunas in documentation & flaws in on site condition. Mostly the people who have bought such piece of land were not united neither having any support or knowledge of legal system nor the money to avail security services. Result was when they went to site they found some body else’s boards on their plot & though 7/12 was on their name there wasn’t any documentation which will show that where that piece of land actually is i.e. demarcation certificate. Few who have demarcation were told that the entry road wasn’t part of the agreement & now they don’t have the road to go their plot! Many understood the faith of their plot & surrendered & sold to the party who was occupying the plot at thrown away rate. Few who went for legal system as they weren’t having enough documentation even the system couldn’t help them & have to give up soon. A very few & lucky one could succeed in regaining what they have bought & unfortunate part is the story still continues! Many a still enter in to agreements without checking the proper title/ ownership evidence nor spend money to secure the piece of land they have bought. A best policy I will advise is to buy only fenced property & unless there is drivable road to the very plot site you are buying don’t touch the deal how ever lucrative it may sound. As its not only the common men have been duped even the reputed developers have been cheated in this practice.

Another very much common thing is selling same piece of land to many purchasers. Here many of the lands around the city were open land & family ownership, to study the title obtaining every members sign of the family as per the HUF i.e. Hindu Undivided Family act is of immense importance. Its not just the sign of person on whose name the 7/12 is there is necessary but his/her's entire family trees is equally important, even the minors as later they could claim & they have claimed in many cases making the deal go in to toss a few years later. In such cases the whole investment has gone into drain. As I mentioned this all started when people started realizing the money involved & it’s said that essence of money is very strong & gathers all sort of crowd, which is happening right now around! Unfortunate part is the govt system even after knowing doesn’t change or take any step to stop this. In Madhya Pradesh which is a backward state in comparison to us, they have a system of revenue department giving NOC prior to any deal & they publish a notice in news paper calling for any claims about the land deal. In a way govt itself is assuring the purchaser about the land title as well the possession! So simple & effective though a bit time consuming yet it takes care of many future irregularities which may happen.

Why can’t we have all the pieces of land marked on site also as per the govt land record at least those which are in residential zone as per the development plan or regional plan? Make all the lands marked on plan publish such maps on web site. To my knowledge the govt is in such process but the effect is yet to be seen. Presently the biggest lacuna is matching 7/12 record & demarcation record & its this discrepancy of which ill tendencies takes the advantage of. Another is marking the roads & reservations on site, at least the roads which have been part of DP & RP. This simplest thing will help many people who are not aware of zoning & get duped by buying piece of land which only later they realize is the part of future road or any such reservation. It will also clear the disputes on many lands which presently have no entry or have been deliberately land locked by the people who are not giving their piece of land in road just to take advantage of their position! All roads should be marked on all vacant lands & made at earliest on site; it is the simplest answer to many access issues or land lock problems.

Need of the time is there has to be a separate cell for such types of crimes if we at all call them as crime. The land matters are a dicey subject & even police are not much aware of the acts & documentation. The entire crux is the slow process of changing name on title documents. Unless & until the whole things don’t go online & change of ownership directly not gets reflected on ownership documents these things won’t stop. The legal system is also equally responsible as civil/land matters keep dragging for years & possession is still a key issue, so naturally the one with muscle power holds strong!

Best part is not to get carried away by the deal how ever lucrative it may look & be a more conservative when buying any piece of land as its better late then landing in trouble later! What I will advise here to any person seeking to buy a piece of land or having already is to get the property fenced with name board displayed at site mentioning name as well dimensions & contact numbers. Similarly get the demarcation certificate as well zoning done & keep watchman at site if possible. If it’s a group of small plot holders then jointly do that to share the expense. One may find this as expensive but in actual it’s an investment! Use senior experienced advocate for documentation & don’t try to find out any short cuts in what he has advised. People even try to save on public notice by not advertising in paper like Sakal which have more circulation instead going for smaller news paper just to follow the formality of notice. Such type of practices will only make your own land vulnerable!

Another increasingly concerned thing is about not exact mafia style but about monopoly practices in certain areas like sand supply or water supply or executing some particular works at site. It was a common thing in Mumbai but in Pune it’s started slowly. Here too not many developers will not speak openly but encroachment of so called local leaders & there interference in site matters is there. And they do press or force for giving material orders or works like excavation to their "karyakkartas" & at no negotiation, basis needless to say!

Here too need is not to get surrendered & take help of the authorities immediately as once you bend your knees you remain that way only! Some where extravagant exhibition of wealth by the people associated with this industry is also reason behind this i.e. criminal element is being attracted towards the industry by seeing this display of wealth with fancy cars & jewelry & lavish offices & they think there is lot of money & fast one here! Which isn’t actually false yet it is hard earned money for many with the kind of competition out there & the hurdles in construction & the torturous process involved in it. As the master story teller said money is going to bring all kinds of attentions yet it's up to us how to stand amongst all!

--
Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

Envo-Power Committee, Credai, Pune

Please do visit my blog to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani !

http://visonoflife.blogspot.com/

Social Side of Sanjeevani !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157628805700569/

For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below

http://www.punecorporation.org/GRS/Complaint/LaunchComplaintCitizen.aspx

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com