Vision of Life; by Sanjay

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way(Click link below)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345

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

www.punecorporation.org

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

Think Green, Think Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

New Normal, Breaking the Chain & Real Estate!

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“Stop blaming outside circumstances for your inside chaos.”... Steve Maraboli.

Steve Maraboli, is American internet radio commentator, motivational speaker and author. And no wonder as, no motivational speaker will hold responsible to someone else for the mess you have created & high time we the people of Smart City Pune & Maharashtra understand this basic principle of life! Well, Lockdown Season two is here & so is second wave of the virus & no other region or State or country has witnessed the ferocity of this wave (rather we should call it as Tsunami) than we the most progressive State of the country is Maharashtra! Not just that but no other society or the govt has faced this virus wave so miserably (read as foolishly) the way we are facing it! Mind me, I am saying “We” & I am not blaming anybody as the virus doesn’t recognize the body its attacking same way a bullet fired by the enemy from across the border doesn’t recognize the Jawan’s colour, caste or religion or regiment! And that’s why entire Army or Military or Armed Forces shows the discipline & togetherness while fighting a battle which we have conveniently forget or ignored! Unfortunately, in the war there is no excuse for your ignorance however innocent you may have been while fighting with sincere attitude, the bullet doesn’t knows that, all it knows is you have exposed yourself & bang, it will hit you!

Ok, coming to first aspect which of course is related to my field or work or business i.e. real estate which people like to call as “Builder” (I have no shame or regret nor ego as it’s my bread & butter)! Approximately from last September i.e. nearly eight months back the patient numbers started reducing, the first season of lockdown ended & the New Normal has been declared. Already two industries has been hit worst than any other in Pune as well in Maharashtra & those were Hospitality (Restaurants) & Real Estate as these two opened up last & it’s in these two industries, maximum migrant work force (manual labour) are employed & most of them are from other States where the situation wasn’t grave & the respective works were already started from Mid July. I accept even more than real estate the hotel (eateries) industry got worst hit as the nature of their product vs. their investments as in real estate at least the product is not perishable & land usually appreciates only with the time, slow sometimes but it does! But then in real estate stakes are very high, here I always give example of automobile segment that every common middle class or higher middle class’s person dream is to own a car & a home, right? So, when a higher middle class man (or woman) goes to buy a car does he looks for a Merc or Audi which starts from basic range approximately some Rs. 40 lakhs, answer is a big No rather he looks for something Rs 5-8 lakhs budget car, is a fact! But when the same guy goes for a decent two bhk home, which starts from Rs 50 lakhs (in Pune region) & yet he is ready to shell that amount, this is the difference between real estate & any other product. This is why stakes as well as risk factors are very high in the real estate though unfortunately most people (even builders) see only profit side of the industry & lands in trouble!

Let me clear in the start, this is not to justify about keeping real estate i.e. site’s work going neither I disrespect efforts of govt authorities as well everybody to fight with the virus wave as well I fully understand the seriousness of the pandemic spread & panic it has created! But at the same time let’s not forget about nearly some half a million people (5 lakh) in Pune region which are dependent on real estate’s construction & equale numbers of people seeks their homes in these constructions. At the same time though official figures are not available (as usual) but imagine the turnover related to real estate in PMC, PCMC & PMRDA jurisdiction at total halt, agreed life is more important than money but whose fault is there in forcing the lockdown like situation on masses & which lives are paying for other people’s mistake, isn’t it high time the real estate should ask this question to the govt? As last year we accepted lockdown & suffered its effects without any complaint & govt also supported real estate ( a bit) via schemes like stamp duty reduction & other types but the this lockdown two, is going to hit (already hit) real estate on both fronts, one is setback to entire construction process as all other States are open, so the work force has already weary to work here & now those which are working here they are also running back to other States. So the lockdown & curfew may be for one month or more but the panic & setback it gives will affect nearly next five to six months for the construction process as to gather all work forces again & restart is not a mechanized thing! And second is, the entire sentiment of the market (read as home buyers) get disturbed due to such on-off policies about lockdown as its uncertainty of the future which makes people refrain from concluding on decisions like home buying which is one time & costliest purchase for the most & I don’t blame them! If this is scene for residential segment then the commercial segment (projects) are in more panic mode which actually is not necessary but that’s what panic does even to the toughest of the minds & real estate is no exception to this logic! Many industries has announced work from home is a fact & then many other segments (tourism, hospitality) has seen big layoffs, even production industries also, resulting less demand in commercial spaces is a fact but its temporary phase! Because a commercial space at proper location is like gold, its rate may seem stable or demand may be less a times but gold is gold, right? Same way, the pandemic will be over some day & life will be “New New Normal” at that time, those which will be holding commercial space at right location in right city & own a home (what better than Pune) are bound to get benefitted of having ownership of such space, that’s how real estate has been always! And I am not saying this because I am a builder I am stating sheer logic as in real estate you earn money only when you look at right future (its bit risk agreed, but that’s part of the game) & take the steps accordingly in the present! We the Indian’s are never comfortable with “work from home thing” as we want to meet people & it’s not just work for us but a social gathering also, is a fact! Already the ill effects of work from home are being witnessed in many families as husband wife tied to their gadgets & kids online, surely not a healthy sight is in any home. So, sooner or later the office going work culture is bound to be there as soon the so called IT & Service Provider giants will realize the work from home culture is actually affecting their revenues (reduced output from the eployees), is again my logic! And then commerce is where people’s needs are there & needs will be where people are there, so are they in the Pune region!

Pune region is present & future of entire State & post pandemic also people will hereafter choose to live in a city which has public health infra in place (even private) which Pune has got! And that’s why from entire Maharashtra the patients are coming to Pune for health treatment, making entire public health infrastructure of city collapse as well spreading wrong news about the Pune city in the country! And future or this region’s commercial as well residential spaces is brightest among any other competing regions in the country, as this region has water, culture, public health infra & brain power all of which makes a perfect combination for the growth of the business, this even a trainee of a commerce branch will tell you!

Actual scene in Pune is, it’s much more safer than any other city & with best of the public health facilities & people here are also much aware than other regions about their health, it’s the confusing policies from the top brass (Mai Baap Sarkar) is what making things chaotic. First we say New Normal, then we realize it’s out of our hand now we say Break the Chain & then we keep Breaking the Chain with every day new circular! And about real estate the scene is worse as site's construction is allowed but only with site residing labours, is it a joke? As what small projects will do as well not all labours reside at site even in townships, so they won’t be allowed to work, what will they do? At the same time shops & showrooms of all construction related materials are to be remained shut neither offices of the consultants like structural designers etc are allowed & you say run the sites, wow! Why can’t there be holistic, practical, simple & clear cut guidelines about real estate ever by any of the govt authority (one more my Mungerilal dram), is something I never understood! Same way high time again to think for things like stamp duty reduction scheme as well reduction in premiums like fire & many others at least for coming few two or three years if the State govt is also a stake holder in real estate’s money! Not just that but as a beneficiary, the State govt must fight with Central govt over pinching issues like income tax, interest rates as well GST type things for real estate in the city or else there will be buyers for the office spaces & homes but no builders to build them, till then, amen real estate!

Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying!

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2021/01/post-lock-down-real-estate-home-buying.html

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

Think Green, Think Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s

Sunday, April 18, 2021

Aranyanaad, Anuj & Music of Wilderness!

“Success comes to those who dedicate everything to their passion in life. To be successful, it is also very important to be humble and never let fame or money travel to your head”.... A. R. Rahman

Well & who better than Allahrakhha Rahaman, a name which changed the course of Bollywood & Tollywood Cine Industry’s music, making it richer by his creations, can speak about the passion, success & humbleness! And when my topic is about exactly a personality which has got all above three things then I felt relieved to get such words to start this sharing; yes, it’s about one Anuj Khare & his book Aranyanaad. Anuj is passionate about wildlife, he is humble & about being successful, well for people like him if you are trying to count their (his) success in the figures of bank balance or assets or empire they have created then please don’t read the remaining part of this sharing is all I will tell at the start itself!

And speaking about assets Anuj has infinite of it & it’s in the form of people which included guides like Roopchand & RP Omre from the remotest parts of the forest to Mr Pravin Pardeshi & Mr Atul Kirloskar & many such whose names entire country knows, oh yes Ambanis’ too are in that asset list of Anuj! His assets is displayed by the images which he has used, clicked by his freinds which happily shared those for him & the names are like Mohan Thomas, Clement Francis, Vinod Bartakke, Viram Potdar, Rajesh Bedi (It’s his image on the cover page of the book ), Dhritiman Mukharji who has written preface also for the book & many such (Well, happy that Anuj has used some of my clicks also in the books, let me tell you Anuj, its an honor actually for me to have myslef in above big names)!

And speaking about creating empire, Anuj has entire forest of the Maharashtra & many others all over the country as his empire which no money can buy ever or no army can conquer as its nature we are referring too & you can conquer it only by being part of it which Anuj is very much! And then he has weapons like hard work & knowledge to conquer this empire of nature along & with all such things fame is bound to be there as if there has been a tag like Super Star in wildlife then Anuj would have been contender of the same for sure & will all this he is humble, living by the words of AR Rahaman!

I am sure with all these things Anuj’s fans would surely agree with me & Anuj will be very embarrassed as humbleness is a curse to a few as they can’t take their praise even it’s a fact, anyways!Well, Anuj Khare , popularly known as Anuj dada in many wildlife seeking youngsters & just Anuj to many more, is a MBA marketing & a person who has dedicated to wildlife his entire life via his organizations/associations like Nature Walk (what else name he could have) , Jungle Belles & many such fronts on wildlife! Don’t ask how he makes for living & all that stuff as a lot I can write about Anuj but sometime later as for now it’s about his book! Recently Anuj has written a book named Aranyanaad which is in a way like his mini biography also along with his experiences, observations about his wildlife ventures! Anranyanaad as the name (its Sanskrit) says; Aranya means green and bountiful forest; signifies fertility, abundance, plenitude, generosity, resources, prosperity & Naad is sound created by speaking or music. So, in the nutshell Aranyanaad is music of forests & what better Anuj could have chosen than this name as for him forest is life & its language or music is what he is master at (there is one more version about meaning of this name which I will tell at the end of this sharing, lol)! Well, right from the Author’s words you get to know how simple & reflective Anuj is, as he doesn’t hide anything & he has no regrets for surrendering career of MBA marketing, has no shame that he couldn’t follow the traditional so called success & fame track of Medical Science, like his parents & gave up art which he has mastered i.e. of Tabala playing & end up as a wild lifer! Here, I remember words of Jim Corbett, “there are no regrets or no sorrows in the nature it’s just plain acceptance of the reality” & how perfect Anuj has adopted this philosophy may be that’s why when he speaks about forests, words just flow through him like a spring jumping through the valleys & rifts!

Though Anuj has traveled extensively in most habitats (forests) of the country yet he has chosen few selected forests in Aranyanaad & mainly of Central India or say Deccan Plateau as one this is where he begins his wild life ventures & two Aranyanaad is first book & we will have many more episodes of it for other forests. Biography, experiences or expressing oneself, a man always starts with something which is close to his heart & no wonder Anuj started wilderness journey even in Arnayanaad with Melghat & Kika i.e. Kiran Purnadare, Tatya Saheb ie Vyankatesh Madgulkar (Veteran Marathi writer about nature) & WWF as all these were like his foundations of the empire named wilderness! Btw, my journey also started with forests from Melghat as I am from a place named Khamgaon which is on the Akola-Buldana side border of Melghat & that part is just the same which it was some forty years back! And no wonder Anuj & myself gets along well (even with many differences between us on working style, lol Anuj, that was Pune 30 in my blood from mom’s side) as with Melghat as first love for both of us & forests in totality!

I read every page, every line, every word of Araynanaad & the best part is, it’s like Anuj sitting in front of you & telling these stories as I could see his face overflowing with enthusiasm, excitement & joy when he speaks about forests, “Aaarree dada, you must visit this place, itaka bhari aahe na ,booal kadhi jayacha” types! Sometime I felt it’s an audio book & not the read format & I think that’s how the book should be especially when it’s about nature. Another good aspect is Anuj hasn’t much indulged in figures like numbers of tigers, years, dates, sq kilometres or percentage of forest cover & many such as you can’t describe nature in figures, you just live the way it is! And that’s what Anuj has done in Aranyanaad, he has make the readers live in the forests using his words as instruments the way you create a panting or music, so you not just read the book but listen to it & see it also! And then the book takes you through not just Melghat but Nagzira, Pench, Dajipur, Koyana backwaters & yes Tadoba too making you relive who has been to these places & making others pack their bags & start for these forests, that’s the power of his sharing!At the start of Pench chapter, Anuj writes, “you must visit this forest & its so close to my heart” & then he writes ahead, “you must be wondering why I write these words about every forest” & then he only explains because every forest is special & different, that’s why; that simple, isnt it!

One more thing, Anuj hasn’t focused on just tigers or leopards (well, his tourists do, as that’s unfortunate part of wildlife tourism) but right from sloth bear to the birds like crested hawk eagle he has tried to make the readers know about every aspect of the forests which makes the wildlife complete! At the same time he has been specific about locations (detailing is very important aspect of wildlife), situation, season & timing of everything he has encountered. And then Anuj tells us, forest teaches you to sharpen your senses like seeing, hearing, smelling & feeling too as in our city life we has almost stopped using all these things & they do help you in making you a better person in your daily life, even in your concrete jungle! At the same time Anuj’s humbleness makes him mention names of many people like RP Omre, Roopchand & guides in the forests to Mr Murthy & Mr Alok kumar which are senior officers but all linked with one common thread i.e. wildlife conservation! And yes Anuj is a foodie to so you get to know what’s best local dish available at these forests & where! And Anuj has given justice to the places around the forests along as no forest is made of just trees & tigers, it’s the people, places, stories all of them makes a forest truly alive & that's what Anuj has taught us through his writing!

So, all in all, Aranyanaad is not just another book about forests but it is, “The Forest” by itself of which you can make a safari of sitting in your living room or in car! One name needs applauds for the book & that is Omkar Bapat, who has been Anuj’s bestiee as well he has really given life to Anuj’s words & that’s not an easy job as you can’t just cut paste nature, which Anuj is! Well, “Aranyanaad” I have explained the literature meaning of it earlier but keeping Aranya as forests,“Naad’ in Kolhapuri Marathi means an addiction, so Aranyanaad in other way is making forests your habit, & I think Anuj too will agree to this version more! All the best Anuj, just remain the way you are as forests are our future & you are a living forest, is all I will say!

Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying!

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2021/01/post-lock-down-real-estate-home-buying.html

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way(Click link below)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345

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

www.punecorporation.org

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

Think Green, Think Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xX7eopH5o&t=5s

Monday, April 12, 2021

Pandemic, Lockdown & the Government !!

12 April 21

Hon CM, Maharashtra.

Respected Sir,

Keeping due respect for you & your team’s effort in the fight against the virus, felt like writing something to you, please do go through...

“Good intentions are useless unless they are backed up with some common sense... Jami.

Full name Moulana Nur ad-Din Abd ar-Rahman Jami, was one of the great classical Sufi poets of Persia & many of his poetic stories speaks about aspects of life around & the quote does show us the wisdom he has filled up with it! And I wish we could have some portion of this wisdom (read as our rulers) as I remembered these words today morning when I was on way to site & saw the empty road ahead of me on a Sunday morning at 10 am, its 11^th April 21 & I remembered this scene which was exactly same one year back (I was on road to go to site for labour payments)! Same road, same silence, same blossoming trees, same closed shutters of the shops, same occasional vehicle zooming aside, same police force faces on roads, same barricades in the chowks, same faces of a lone pedestrian covered with mask looking for any vegetable or milk vendor, same fear as well anxiety in the air; yes you can smell, feel that fear & one more thing, same statements by the same rulers about controlling the fear for the same reason i.e. pandemic! They say “history repeats” but never has experienced it so early because even the last year is also a history & we are witnessing its being repeated!

Needless to say it’s about pandemic, lockdown & unrest it has caused; I am deliberately using the term unrest as last year when we get hit with the pandemic it was fear as nobody fin the world has experienced something like this (in recent future) especially not the most progressive State named Maharashtra. And then the govt was new born (State govt), public health sector was never our forte so no infrastructure to fight with a mass pandemic was going to be a problem & people were ready to stand along with the govt on every effort & that’s why closing down of the businesses, every type of it was accepted by the masses without a word of complaint! Rather people displayed immense courage & humanity in reaching out to help & a never seen society’s human face we all witnessed! But that was last year & under fear boundaries like fraternity, caste, religion, political parties’ & many such do melt down, which happened with the fear of the unknown & the cases reduced all around the State & we thought we won the war against the unseen enemy!

Well, that’s the problem like religion, caste or corruption like unseen enemies; just its army (and victims) get reduced on the surface but that doesn’t mean we have conquered the enemy forever & the virus wasn’t an exception to this law for the unseen enemy! And then the vaccine came on the market with a caller tune on everybody’s cell phone, praising India & its leadership & we thought that’s it, the virus has gone! As soon the numbers of patients reduced we started New Normal (we actually announced it) with no masks, no sanitizers, and leave apart social distancing even the night joints were full & yes marriages with Band Baja, Barat in full swing needless to say without any mask of social distance! All over the world experts were warning about the second wave but we thought we conquered the virus! If this is on public side then govt is of the people, by the people for the people; instead of bracing up for new hospitals, oxygen facility beds, stock of vaccine as well other medicines & training the staff for such emergency as well making quarantine facilities, the govt (read as all concerned including local bodies like municipal corporations) closed down the makeshift arrangements of hospitals & the pandemic squads were winded up & sent back to their normal duty & only for god known reasons the vaccination was conducted through registration & as per discretion of the govt (btw Hon PM Sir, though I am your admirer yet even I wondered about your photo on the vaccination dosage form, that was totally unnecessary frankly as we all know you by face & accept your dedication towards this Nation). Agreed to monitor black-marketing of vaccines was the idea behind this registration thing but we could have parellely made it available in the open market for those who can afford it, right?

Then one more joke was about ambiguity over the process of vaccination itself as at start nobody told its two fold dosage & then about second dosage it’s informed that after 28 days from first dosage & later when it’s backfired then it’s been extended to 50 days post first dosage, funny isn’t it? Though this I can understand as all procedures even testing has been done in hurry considering the situation yet when playing with lives of millions such basic things like time span between two dosages must have been given clarity as all such news leads to rumours & false news for which we Indians are famous for! No wonder at the start many people opted not to go for vaccination as the side effects of it & govt has to clarify about the importance of the vaccination & later there are riots to get the vaccination done, we are indeed the funniest lot!

Oh k, now the second wave is at peak & every day govt (though mainly Hon CM) is adding to the confusion of the common man about not just the lockdown but the entire situation as right now nobody knows anything about what is ahead, is a fact! We don’t know how many patients are out there, how many doctors are available, what’s exact rules & regulations for present lockdown (whatever it is) i.e. what can be open & what is to remain closed (don’t ask why, right now), we don’t know availability of vaccine dosage stock at which place, we don’t know numbers of hospitals & beds available in a city leave the State, we don’t know whom to call at single point for any help we need for covid patients, we don’t know quarantine facilities available, we don’t know legal covid test centres & their standard fees in short we don’t know anything & that’s the anguish. Oh, yes in the "don’t know" list there is 10^th & 12^th std exams & the way it will be conducted , so those students & parents are at extreme anxiety levels & nobody cares as everyday more confusing statements by the authorities are released in the media! Why can’t they just give average of 8^th & 9^th Std marks to the 10^th guys as I wonder how many kids which weren’t accessible to even radio or TV has completed their syllabus via online classes & those who has attended these online classes have understood what they have attended & yet we making them to appear for the 10^th exam, great!

About business & work front the lesser I wrote the better as last time’s lockdown (read as an year back i.e. in 2020) every business fraternity stood behind their lower rank work force for stay, food & money but this time the business fraternity itself is looking towards govt for these things for themselves such is the scene, so let’s focus on what can be done instead wasting time on what has happened!

First of all study the pattern of what countries like Japan did at their end & let’s make three fold plan, i.e. short term, long term & permanent one with execution system in place About short term, awareness campaign in every possible media & to the point with very clear guidelines about fines if not followed! Start one single contact helpline for the entire State about clear information for anything the caller asks about his or her issues with the recording system & follow-up of this helpline by competent authority! Then open up the shops, businesses with very clear guide lines in print form make them stick on the shop or office & checking squads at random & authority to shut the unit in case found violating the norms! Don't restrict people from exercising like walking in the open as fitnes can’t be achieved by locking down people, instead make them aware about right way to fitness & monitor it! For e.g. if a two wheeler rider driving without mask then seize his vehicle for a month type actions! Just see that, this doesn't turn out another corruption centre so there has to be a squad on the checking squads also (Arya Chankya policy)! Create task force squads by appointing people from govt depts. as well from private (willing volunteers) to do these checking squads if man power is an issue. Then make a policy that only one point media contact from the govt side at State as well City level & take serious actions about any authority violating this norm even any minister also! No public functions, not even political rallies or get-togethers, leave apart marriages or social celebrations for next nine months, as these are the real centres actually of spreading the virus than any other business or profession! Strict norms for public transport of social distancing & appoint extra man power in public busses or trains to see that people follow it, get more numbers of vehicles on roads & on rail tracks to accommodate the people! Use as many private hotels & schools as quarantine centres & pay them in advance & charge people who are renting it, you can actually make some money also out of it as well make all this information available on the help line! Most important is to make the masses (public at large) free of uncertainty as that’s making more damage than the pandemic, is a fact! And the damage is not just physical but long lasting & on all aspects of the society as in the entire country our State (Pune & Mumbai) are considered as unsafe to live which is not a fact & this image will hamper many industries for a long time ahead!

In the long term (this is more important) , immediately form a permanent task force for the epidemic & ask them to submit their primary plan in fifteen days & in say three months permanent one! We can think of forming a State level as well city level brain-pool of maximum 10 people from private & govt ( five each) to meet every day on zoom & share & review the situation of controlling efforts! Start building infrastructure at every town & city according to the population density & cover not just viral but even radiation as well. Then make an action plan of every such infra centre & form a system to monitor the action plan & responsibility of executing it! Ask this force to evaluate financial losses & provision for the same as the way we give packages to farmers we can (or will have to) give the same to businesses also if at all total lockdown seems the only option for some time! After all, it’s about survival, from the virus or from hunger (read as unemployment or business loss) & we can’t afford both! Take some important decisions such as stamp duty concession extension (just an example) as well as work out industry wise damage & relief plans (for e.g. soft loans at low interest rates) for them & share the same with the respective industry. This will at least make people feel hopeful about surviving financially, may it be business, profession or job.

Lastly & most important permanent one & that is to make a system which will be on for twenty four hours, ready for any epidemic or public health disaster. And knowing our country, no system works on its own is an unfortunate fact so give responsibility to one single person the way the Election Commissioner is, along with enough power (read as authority) to run this system for the right output! Agreed they say “history repeats” & so will be some pandemic times also but it’s not about repetition of the history is a problem but has we studied & learnt from studying the history, is what will decide whether we will be able to sustain the repetition of such history or get washed away with it; Hon CM Sir, till then all good wishes & support to you & your team!

Sanjay Deshpande

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about real estate in Pune at U-Tube link below..

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying!

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2021/01/post-lock-down-real-estate-home-buying.html

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below..

Think Green, Think Life