Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The Death Of Neighbourhoods

“Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. "Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition.” Wikepedia.

How many of you can say that you know your neighbours. I can. I know them in the following order, 1. Door slammer, 2. Super Spy, 3. Curly haired head, 4. Drunk man and acid woman, 5. Stuck up dude and 6. Does someone even live there?/anonymous biker.

Long gone are the days when your neighbour came over for evening tea and a bit of gossip. I can recall those days fondly, my neighbour aunty coming over for tea and chatting with my grandpa and grandma. It seemed like years ago that neighbours came over with food and a welcome basket when you moved into the neighbourhood/flat. When you could go around flat from flat collection for some charity, as part of a school project, and actually know most of the people who answered doors by name. And if you didn’t know anyone by name, you soon would and might even be good friends with them a month later.

Today what happens is you hardly even know if someone has moved out. In fact once I came back from a week long holiday to find that I had new neighbours. No one else, except the secretary of the flat knew. I was atleast on holiday while the rest actually were sitting right there.

No excuses. In fact I know of friends who live in large flats and have to see everyone in the elevator in the morning. they hardly know people that they have been seeing everyday for years.

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Considering today's situation i would say that I know my neighbours pretty well. In fact, let me introduce you to them. Super spy is an old man who is as guilty as he looks innocent. If there is a rumour about you around, you can be sure that he started it. He will, in fact, wake up in the middle of the night just to spy on the lone drunk bus driver meandering home. Door slammer is someone who slams the door everytime someone stands at the elevator. Curly haired head is all i see passing quickly out of the house every time in the middle of the night. Drunk man is someone who has no job and sits in the bathroom all day smoking and drinking, how do I know? His bathroom shares a wall with my living room and I can smell everything he does all day. Maybe that explains my addiction to scented candles. Acid woman is his wife who will have a one man staring contest with you even after you’ve long gone. Stuck up dude is too stuck up for me to describe and anonymous biker is someone whom I know by their helmet. I don’t know what his/her face looks like.

What has happened to today’s generation. I remember even five years ago when I knew everyone, it seems real estate value has made people hostile. Maybe they think, “I have to pay a bloody 25k for this hell hole, I don’t want to know anyone here” could that be it? Well whatever the reason, neighbourhoods have died. It seems like merely a myth, an urban legend.

I long for the days that I can borrow a cup of sugar from my neighbour without her asking me “Do I know you?” or even worse “That’ll be 20 RS” I long for the day that my post will be collected by someone if I’m not home. When, if I come back looking tired there will be someone who asks me how I am.

I wish I could perform a spell, ala sims3 cheats, and make people know me or make friends for me. I sometimes wonder if it is just my apartment that is like this or is everyone suffering this way.

Tell me, have you found that your neighbourhood has died? Has it been replaced with faceless zombies? Do you think aliens have taken over the world? Whatever your thoughts. Come, let us lament.

TA

VC

4 comments:

dasdasd said...
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Faraz Haider said...

Lovely to read. Something new for me and may be it has helped me looking things from your eyes too.

Appreciate. Pls do write more of them.
Faraz

( www.ledzupprulz.wordpress.com )

dasdasd said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kofykat said...

Glad to know that you liked it.