|
We came back to India in our own apartment in Rosewoods Society. We have lots of memories associated with this apartment, some bitter, some sweet. I still remember that when we got the possession of this apartment in January of 1991, there was no electricity connection in the complex because Society administration refused to pay bribe to DESU (Delhi Electric Supply Unit). We couldn’t afford to pay mortgage while living in a rental place, so this inconvenience of not having electricity seemed like a minor issue and we moved into our own apartment. |
| The Society had a generator, which used to run for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening so that some basic chores needing electricity could be finished. We spent that whole winter and the whole summer without the electricity. I guess we were young and we had no other option but to fight. In the end it paid off. DESU couldn’t hold off the electricity for more than 8 months and finally we got the connection. |
| Similar incident happened in Anil’s office in Nehru Place. Their electricity meter burnt off and the DESU technician refused to fix it without the bribe. The amount he was asking was perhaps not that big but it just did not seem right. Also having won a similar battle on the apartment front, it gave Anil the courage to fight again. He went to the neighboring offices and asked for their help. Some of them gladly agreed. They ran a temporary cable from their offices to provide a direct temporary connection to Anil’s office and the office somewhat started working. They simultaneously filed a complaint against that corrupt technician and got the meter fixed in a week or so without paying the bribe. Phew… Community support definitely helps. |
| I still get goose bumps thinking about these events. Now 20 years later, I don’t know how we will behave in similar situations because now we can’t even spend one hour without the AC. I think at that time we were too broke to spend our hard earned money on bribe. When you are a little hungry, you tend to fight for your rights. I hope we have raised our kid to be a little hungry too. |
Being Hungry
Written By: ruchi
-
Sep•
23•12