A Mirage Named Affordable Homes!

“Everything needs to work at the same time. But what keeps society vibrant permanently are jobs, industry, business, and stuff like that. It pays for everything else. If you just build affordable housing, and those people don't have jobs, it'll no longer be affordable soon. So you really have to build around the business community”… Jamie Dimon.

Jamie Dimon is an American business executive. He is chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, the largest of the big four American banks, and previously served on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Well no wonder with such an exposure to entire business fraternity Jamie has hit the nail in head of the subject which is dear (or at least it’s painted as dear) to our rulers i.e. Affordable Housing! Well, you open any new paper & when you are done with the scams as well accidents or mishaps then the news which catch your attention is about affordable housing. Agreed “roti, kapada aur makan” is tag line of our beloved country since my childhood & that’s nearly four decades back yet the “makan” seems to be a haunting term for every ruler (read govt) of this country. I wonder with the kind of frenzy in making affordable home right from “galli to dilli” means central govt in Delhi which is our countries’ capitol to PMC?PCMC & PMRDA which is “galli” means local govt, everybody seems to have only one agenda & that is affordable homes! And our State govt (I like to mention as “Mai Baap” govt) is also not behind in participating in this race to make affordable homes but only problem is nobody knows how to make a home affordable, despite so much of hohllah & efforts! Recently I read two headlines in news paper about affordable homes, one says the home sizes are shrinking to make them affordable & another was increasing upper price bar for eligibility home loans at lower interest rate of affordable homes by Reserve Bank! Incidentally there is a very famous & apt quote I remember here, “It’s not the first step but direction of that step decides where you will reach at the end of your journey”!  Well, here it’s not just first step but entire race is in wrong direction rather opposite direction is the reason we are not being able to reach the destination named affordable homes!

Many won’t agree with my statement as, what about so called “Pantapradhan Awas Yojana” by virtue of which every first flat buyer will get Rs 2 lac subsidy in his /her home price? Then look at the efforts State govt is taking to make every sq inch of land residential (NA is the key word) which eventually will make more raw material for homes available? (well, don’t mind if that’s is damaging environments as well reducing tree covers, as homes are more important than trees, isn’t it?) As well look at the development plans of cities which are being made with provisions of loads of TDR as well paid FSI types things to increase land potential, so more homes can be build on the every piece of land. And how can you forget four times FSI type provisions under name of TOD (Transportation oriented development) to make things like Metro & BRT feasible? And yes how can we forget the generosity of the govt to regularize all the possible illegal construction keeping in mind that these are poor & innocent people’s homes actually! I said, regularize possible illegal homes because there is a very bad element named High Court here in this State & it doubts very intention of the govt itself behind regularizing the so called illegal homes! Had it not been so then our govt would have erased the term “illegal” form the Development Control rules, making homes affordable for all in overnight, anyways that’s different topic! Though some fools may keep shouting about burden of civic infrastructure & encroaching every other so called environmental treasures like rivers, lakes, hills & green belts in this noble thought process of govt but look at the larger perspective; we can’t expect our citizens to reside on lakes, hills & trees, that’s what our forefathers were used to do but we are developed society & here home to every single living human being is his birth right, isn’t it?

So now it should be clear to all that our rulers means  govt seriously, dedicatedly wants that a home should be affordable to every home buyer but don’t ask why even with all this die hard efforts by the govt, homes are not being affordable to the people or else why they will be still buying flats in illegal constructions & why the cancer named slum is growing everyday in every city? As asking such question will mark you as enemy of the State & in case if you are a developer by yourself then you are more in trouble as with all these schemes, facilities & policies, as per the govt its now job of the developer only to make the affordable homes & deliver it to the needy ones! Well, now please neglect the facts like there is no control on land prices when you as a developer buy the land for making these affordable homes. Also don’t make fuss about the near impossible to follow norms like parking provisions or side margins as well ever changing urban development policies which can make your building’s design over costly, that’s not govt’s concern! And then any day you can get stop work if your project is near by a nallah or near any hill as govt wants to protect environment also while you are supposed to build affordable homes! And yes please don’t expect govt (read PMC, PMRDA, PCMC, MSEDCL, Revenue & what not) to give you any discount in any of their premiums or taxes as govt is not saying that you give these homes free of cost to the citizens, rather are you not making money by selling these affordable homes, is what govt will ask you as a developer!

Well, one more thing, while you are supposed to build affordable homes then you don’t expect that you will get finance from the govt or Nationalized Banks at cheaper rate of interest as yours is the most risky industry, is what bankers will tell you, so don’t expect finance at cheaper rate! So while you build affordable homes, you only have to carry all the risk, don’t ask how, as the govt hasn’t told you to become a builder in first place! Yes, govt (read RBI) will reduce the rate of interests on housing loans to the buyers of affordable homes as well increase the price bar of these homes but to make them available in that price is your job & not govt’s, mind it! And at the same time it’s not govt’s job to cut down on taxes like GST & lower other life style’s expenses apart from buying home. Also its not govt’s job to supply things like water, drainage, roads, street lights as well public transport to the people living in these affordable homes. Neither govt guaranties affordable education & public health along with the affordable homes for the residents of these homes; this all you as a developer has to manage! You can either collect the necessary money for these things from the home buyer (don’t mind if home doesn’t remain affordable in this process) or just tell them don’t buy flat in your project as there is a law (read act) named RERA which needs you to be transparent also while you build affordable homes!

And most important govt won’t assure security of jobs or strong financial balance sheet of their respective business for the buyers of these affordable homes. As how can you expect govt to assure some IT or auto industry guy about not getting “pink slip” on any fine morning! That security (suraksha kawach) is privilege only if you are a govt servant as like the govt hasn’t asked your builder to become a builder, the very govt hasn’t asked you to join private industry; you could have joined govt service or flew out of the country for being paid in USD! You opted to work in a private industry or thought of starting your own business here in this State then you should take care of your home loan installments, why govt would care for your job security or business status! Doesn’t govt have taken enough efforts to make affordable homes possible already for you, now what more you want? Should the govt should pay your “Big Basket” or “Grofers” bill for grocery also under the name of affordable housing!

I think to make affordable homes we should first define the term “affordable” as just calling some homes affordable by reducing its sizes of rooms or specifications we won’t be ever able to make affordable homes! As Jamie Dimon said it’s a holistic approach towards the entire societies wellbeing is what going to make home affordable & the sooner we will acknowledge this that will be the first step in right direction towards which is like a mirage right now named as affordable home!

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 Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

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

https://youtu.be/g3lx1Nq7pBs

Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)

http://visonoflife.blogspot.in/2017/06/conveyance-unique-get-together.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

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

www.punecorporation.org

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com

Being Forest by Myself !!

“The steel blue of the fern-fringed pool where the water rests a little before cascading over rock and shingle to draw breath again in another pool more beautiful than the one just left - the flash of the gaily colored kingfisher as he breaks the surface of the water, shedding a shower of diamonds from his wings as he rises with a chirp of delight, a silver minnow held firmly in his vermilion bill - the belling of the sambhar and the clear tuneful call of the chital apprising the jungle folk that the tiger, whose pugmarks show wet on the sand where a few minutes before he crossed the river, is out in search of his dinner”… Jim Corbet, Man-Eaters of Kumaon.

I think whenever I start sharing my experiences about wild then this name i.e. Jim Corbet’s quotes comes to my rescue to give me a startup push, just the way in my childhood the Fiat ( I beg pardon) popularly known as Premier Padmini car used to make its engine start by a push! Indeed there have been other great wild life writers but the way Corbet has explored Indian jungles & penned them down; I haven’t found anybody to match him! It’s not just tigers Corbet writes but he write with equal zest about trees, hills, springs, birds & even the locals around the forests & that’s why it makes him a true wild lifer. Those who recognize Corbet as “man eater’s hunter”, I pity them as Corbet never loved shooting tigers by gun, it’s just to save some human’s life, he said I killed those tigers; in reality the man was a living jungle by himself! And no wonder when I started to pen down my recent trip from the land of Sal i.e. none other than Kanha, once again its Corbet whose words I started with! See the way he describes forest around a tiger, indeed tiger is there but it’s just in last line, the entire paragraph tells us about the world of tiger which we call habitat & every aspect of that habitat is equally interesting as well important for the tiger! Had I not read Corbet in my childhood, I wonder whether I have understood the beauty of jungle the way I do now! And when its jungle nothing beats Kanha, keeping due respect to Tadoba which is now pride of country’s tiger sightings, yet the ever green Sal has fascinated me the day I first saw them . There is something magical about kanha’s Sal forests, the road keeps on taking turns through the Sal trees walls on both sides, suddenly there are huge meadows surrounded by hills. And it’s not just tiger but the barsingas which are equally majestic, roaming on the canvas of grass lands bordered by green walls of Sal trees. Whatever the season may be yet the beauty is ever enchanting of kana forest & that’s why when it was gap of two years it seemed like ages to visit here!

Of-late I wasn’t been in kanha in mid May which indeed is a good season for tiger sightings yet even just to be within the Sal trees is most exciting for me. As my Innova started towards kanha from Nagpur airport, the first thing I noticed is the widening of the road. Its mammoth work which is going on & it will cut the distance by two hours to kanha from Nagpur, which sure is good news for the travelers to kanha. My only concern is the entire patch goes through forest, right from Deolapar which is last Tahasil in Maharashtra to Seoni i.e. first district in MP. Once up on a time this entire land was forest acting like a corridor where tigers must be roaming right from kanha to pench to tadoba, though our so called growth has now cut off this corridor yet there is still lots of wild life left around the road. And knowing our countrymen’s attitude for speed (when get a good patch of road) then all I am worried about road kills on this road! By me the entire road passing through the forest must be barricaded so as not to allow animals on road as there seems to have arrangement of underpass at frequent intervals, yet in a country where grown-up men cross the road from anywhere at their will & wish how can we blame wild animals for doing same! And then there still is issue of safety of reptiles as well smaller animals like jackals & porcupine, which can come through such barriers.

And while I was travelling to kanha, suddenly the dry weather becomes cloudy & black clouds started pouring all way along. This is the last thing you want as a photographer though rains are most essential for any forest yet the selfish photographer in me was upset with the weather, I must admit! I really don’t know about weather effect on tiger sighting but the poor light sure makes photography difficult & then entire wild animal’s body clock moves on sun, so there must be some change with sudden darkness around is what I feel. Though there have been sightings of the tiger in full rains yet the upset photographer within was concerned. But fortunately in kanha, the sky was still clear & it was humid hot outside the park.

My first safari was in Sarahi zone, for those who are not familiar to kanha, there are four zones in core part of kanha forest, kisli, kanha, mukki & sarahi. This has been made to avoid flow of tourists in one zone as well it’s a huge forest & you can’t cover even one zone in single safari. Then there is buffer zone too, which is in between the villages on fringe & the core forest. As per my information the major tiger sighting was going in kanha, kisli & mukki & I have got sarahi zone for first ride. With so many outings in forest now I know one thing if you are going to hit a jackpot then you hit it (read good sighting of tiger), despite any zone or timing! Yet it’s always advisable to have information of the sightings as well situation of water especially in summer as if there is no water in any particular part of a forest its obvious that there will be no major animals in that part! Sarhai as I have been told wasn’t having much water & tiger sightings are not that common though forest of sarahi is much unexplored & if you see a tiger in sarahi then its best chance that you get to see it for good length of the time. So the safari started & here is what I came across & posted in bits on FB, sharing the same to describe in words my exposure with a male tiger…

Undisputed King!

First ride at kanha after a gap of two years & its mid May, you are all geared up & though guide says Sarahi zone doesn’t have much sighting yet when you get to see a tiger in sarahi you see it in best way; & gypsy start rolling on hilly roads, you cross one up & a huge male tiger is walking leisurely ahead, marking his territory! For a split second it moves away from road & the gypsy goes past him giving you head shots, you can’t believe your luck, its dhamangaon male aka yuvraj, a very less photographed tiger, guide tells you, but you are engrossed in his massive yet graceful strides even the way he sits!! The knaha trip has started with bang, more to follow!..

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One more of the undisputed King!

To get head on snaps of a young male tiger right looking in your eyes is a dream of every wild life photographer & I too am no exception to it! And when the male is Yuvraj aka Dhamnagoan male from Kanha the joy gets multiplied, I really wonder when a tiger looking at you head on in camera, what he must be thinking about us, may be nothing, just a blank stare yet those piercing eyes locks in yours, asking you, "what are you doing in my way?"! At the same time important is your position as if you can position your gypsy a bit lower side & at perfect distance to get eye level with the tiger then that’s best, which happened here with me & the tiger is on walk so you too have to keep in motion not to allow him too close to your gypsy, as no point in cause of anger to such huge tiger :)

Generous Kanha!

Kanha has never sent me back without tiger sighting & indeed kanha Sal’s has a lot more to offer than just tigers yet to see a tiger in kanha is always a special experience! May be just like the water of Himalayas tastes sweeter, so is sighting of tiger in kanha & this time the Dhamangaon male aka Yuvaraj obliged me with probably every angle you can click a tiger, really Sarahi zone rocks when it plays the tune! Here is one more pose or say mood of him.

Sarahi Sighting!

There is something special when you get to see a tiger in sarahi zone & sighting of yuvraj aka dhmangaon male confirmed it! Less numbers of vehicle isn’t the only thing but as this zone is less explored & tiger if comes on road gives you his full time, making you able to observe him at length! Here in this sighting yuvraj gave us every possible pose & he was least concerned about us, in his own mood! Here is one more from series...

Moods of the King!

One more from series of Yuvraj aka dhamnagoan male from Sarahi zone, Kanha! Tiger is ever alert, those ears listens smallest of sound around & those piercing eyes rarely miss anything! Tiered, panting due to May heat & sitting in the shadow from a long walk which was in search of kill as well territory marking, he seems relaxing but even the camera clicks he can hear which were on like a machine -gun fire! This one I liked most.. as so calm & in control he looked!.  ------

Don't angry Me!

The yuvraj aka dhamngaon male series continues; when I first saw him on road he was walking ahead obvious we were eager to get some head shots & for that we needed to go past him which is not allowed by forest law & it’s right as well the road was so narrow that with the size of tiger he is its nearly impossible. So we waited patiently keeping our gypsy at safe distance & watch him mark his territory on trees with jet of spray! He must have walked long so with luck on our side he stopped at a clearing on way & got down from the road, giving us space to go ahead of him & then again we could keep looking at this majestic king which obliged us with every possible pose. Here he is showing his canines as if he is angry at us but no, he was just tiered with May sun & yawning :)

Size does matter!

Many a times with head on shots of a tiger you don’t get to know his size yet if you go by likes on FB you will find every photographer dreams for head on shot of tiger. But to know the real size as well identify the tiger it’s important to get his side profile as it shows the lengths as well the pattern of stripes. Here the yuvaraj aka dhamnagon male gave us his full massive side profile while turning away from the road & he was empty stomach, so imagine what he will look like with full meal in!

My Home!

Off late I have realizes to zoom in on a tiger & get his solo snaps is ok but real pleasure & fun is in understanding its habitat, the forest in which he moves the way we move in our home! The tiger is most at ease in bamboos thickset as well woody terrain. I remember some ten years back the kanha meadows i.e. grass lands were the best sighting place for tiger but somehow recent sightings isn’t that frequent in meadows, may be kanha tigers are no more fond of grass land, just joking! But tigers prefer shaded areas with water body nearby where they can chill themselves out especially in summers of central India! Here is one home shot of yuavraj aka dhamangaon male where finely he is heading for water & possibly a kill around the water!

Well, as by now you must have got the essence, the very first ride has hit the gold for me & again I am not saying it’s all about tiger sighting, yet in a forest as big like kanha a male tiger sighting whose territory can be nearly fifty to seventy sq kms, you get to see him at length is indeed luck! As I have shared earlier also, every time I go to forest with a wish list & to see a full grown male tiger & capture his moods was a long pending agenda & I knew it’s not easy because as I mentioned to see a male tiger in itself is something rare & then to be able to have his time at length only except when sitting at water-hole, is very rare. As a male tiger when not sleeping or relaxing in water is on constant move & to cover as well protect his huge territory is a big job. This kanha trip made me able to watch a young & huge male tiger’s behavior at close & needless to say was a treat to that selfish, greedy photographer in me too!

And then two more things made this trip more memorable as that way every moment I spend in forest I relive again & again yet some of them are more precious! Sighting of sloth bear is one such as it has very erratic nature & you never know where it will head next or what it will do. Those who are veteran wild lifers only knows how rare & lucky one can be to get opportunity to see  sloth bear at leisure & in this kanha trip I got that opportunity four times. Many a people found sloth bear sighting as a very causal thing as they don’t know about the shyness as well it’s being endangered species! Hardly three or four decades back sloth bear was a common sight in most Indian forests even nearby hills of any town but as all other species habitats got demolished by we the human this big animals also is finding hard to get a home & result is now its existence remains mostly only in protected forests. Though at night it’s been seen hanging around near villages in buffers of the protected forests, rarely it gives opportunity to photograph in day light. In my nearly twenty years of visiting to kanha just once I could click a sloth bear in clear & this time I got to click it four times, now you can imagine the luck! This is how I described the scene…

“It has rained heavily last night & the air was damp in the morning as the earth was breathing steam due to absorbed rain water. The Sal trees were silent with no breeze & gypsy started taking turns through the silence around, the sun has yet to come up full & on the damp road ahead we saw a black rock rolling, the guide whispered , "sir bhalu chal raha hai aage"! In my many recent trips to kanha, I have never seen sloth bear in clear & the excitement was more than seeing a tiger! Bears are very unpredictable in behavior & that's why their sighting is always exiting!, though I was eager to click him by side or front, yet the entire frame from back with the bear amidst green wall was mesmerizing! And this trip I saw slot bear in kanha for four times & very clear, another bonus by kanha! Sharing first post of sloth bear…”

This time sloth bear also gave every possible pose to us except standing. The best thing was to watch it drinking water as it sucks water & don’t use tongue like most other animals to gulp it. As well it displayed the way it digs the earth mounds for search of termite & making unpredictable moves all the times!

I have taken a full day safari also in kanha as well in tadoba this time. But let me share you it doesn’t necessarily guaranties tiger sighting in full day safari as we could see just one tiger in full day at tadoba but that doesn’t meant there are no tigers in tadoba, it means we were just unlucky as well in hot summer of tadoba as well kanha, the noon times are of no actions with every animal taking shelter in cooler places or shadows. In kanha most of water holes (read, accessible by gypsy) are under open sky i.e. providing no protection from harsh sun, so tiger avoids them only except very thirsty, so waiting is the only thing you can do & for that it needs lots of patience as well persistence to bare the heat! Though you may not be able to sight a tiger yet to get fourteen hours strait inside forest & you can witness many moments which otherwise you would have missed on the run for getting a glimpse of tiger! And these moments not necessary be involving big animals as jungle is always live & happening however silent & dead it may look on surface. On one such harsh hot May noon I saw a jackal under a tree standing upright on a small mound & howling as there was a tiger nearby where its puppies (don’t know what’s called to jackals’ new born), it was so fascinating as I have never witnessed jackal’s alarm call & the entire scene was like from a Disney animation movie! Or even you can stop to see the dance in air the paradise fly catcher does. Trust me you will forget everything watching this snow white long tailed bird in action & then try observing its habitat & click him on the background of those green bamboo leafs!

And then come the best part of full day safari as in summer real action starts late noon i.e. after 4 pm. While we were geared up for some sighting ahead, the weather was real hot & humid, the tigers were bound to hit the water holes soon & suddenly the wind started howling not just blowing, dark clouds covered the sun & tall Sal were started swaying on the tune of the wind! Our driver said, “sir toofan aanewala hai” i.e. there seems a storm coming & soon the wind was blowing at fearful speed, we hurried out of Sal as to avoid any tree falling on us & stood in open patch of ground. For next hour I realized what it must be for the forest guards as well labors who get caught in open in such storm as sitting in an enclosed concrete home, sipping tea & clicking snaps of heavy rains outside is easy but to face that rains with thunderbolt of lightning crashing all around with trees falling with nothing in between you & this wild nature, it’s a nightmare! But then that too was an experience which I won’t forget & it has made me to respect people working in forest more!

It’s funny the entire time in jungle as if you ask how was your day in jungle, then most people can replay in two or three sentence, if they haven't seen a tiger then the reply will be, ‘’Kuch dikha nahi yaar, bakwas hai ye forest”. But if they have seen a tiger then they will go on & on, telling how lucky they were & how cleverly they (not guide or driver) located the tiger & followed him. That’s all, but in actual even one ride in forest you can keep speaking or writing about but what is most important for me is like we saw CD’s of some events & rejoice those moments, when I am back in my concrete jungle I review those moments with Sals’ in my mind again & again. As I may be back in this so called modern world of ours but I have left behind a piece of mine which is everywhere in the forest, right at water hole to on the top of a Sal tree to got tagged with a termite house, making me feel yes I too am forest by myself! I think it’s this feel which is why one should go to forest & try to look rather live it by the words of Corbet as then only you realize life is not just being successful but its understanding the meaning of being successful & who better teacher than forest can be there for this self understanding! 

* plz do see  some more kanha/tadoba moments at link below

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157669148784018

Sanjay Deshpande 

Sanjeevani Dev.

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

https://youtu.be/g3lx1Nq7pBs

Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)

http://visonoflife.blogspot.in/2017/06/conveyance-unique-get-together.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

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

www.punecorporation.org

Think Green, Think Life

www.sanjeevanideve.com

Employer, Employee & Increment!

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.”… Barack Obama.

Sure no need to introduce this name as it has been USA’S President for eight years & more than that without controversy, which is most important for any power yielding position around the world! And its words from such personalities which helps us in choosing the right path especially when it’s about work! Friends we all work in some or other role & for some reason; most of us, when asked, “Why are you working?” will reply as, “to earn money”! Well I too am not different as yes I also work to make money but very few of us understands money is one of the outcomes of the work! As when we don’t have got money (read as enough money, again this line one has to mark for oneself) it remains prime object of working, whatever philosophy you may be reading or listening. But later on one starts realizing, money is important but it can’t be forever driving force behind our work. Or else there wouldn’t have been things like depression or frustration or fatigue even with the fat salary package people! So the most important question, if you are an employee or an employer is irrelevant & that is why are you working? I think things are easy (I mean on routine part) if you are a employee, though many won’t agree with me, even I myself won’t agree with me but that’s different aspect, what I meant is when you are an employee then you have put fate of yours in reference to money part in the hands of your employer! And that makes employer’s role a shade difficult provided you care for others fate & accepts that responsibility. I think duty of the employer is a bit wider as along with defining his or her work definition, he has to share or explain it to his employees also, rather call it as a team. As an employee is a captain of the team & if you have accepted than position then you can’t deny the responsibilities comes along with it is a bitter truth. And every that organization has doomed where the captain (read employer) has failed to give justice to the responsibilities towards his team mates!

As a captain of my small team I always try to analyze  where I stand on the front of responsibility towards my team & I think every one of us who is working at any position should do this because finally today you may be following orders but some day you will be the one who is giving orders & that day it might be too late to introspect your attitude towards your team. These are difficult times actually, though every generation thinks so about their times yet in present times expectations from everybody from everyone has increased like never before. May it be service, attention, time & yes salary (read as rearwards in money form), everyone wants more & neither employee nor the employer is exception to this rule. Right from management schools where they are supposedly teaching how to manage business, outcome is measured in how many students got how much package! Obviously when your start of career is package oriented no wonder we apply the same yard stick for everything that comes to use & this is what making us blind & deaf about real self development & here my this statement is for everyone around as well want something from other person but what we deserve or what is expected from us we seldom care! That’s why I think these are very difficult times for us as right from customer to vendors to public relations, everywhere expectation levels have gone all time high, so how can be your team members will be exception to this expectation wave? That’s the tricky job as a captain one has to handle & in one such effort I write something to my team at the time of yearly increment, I don’t know how effective it will be, only time will tell that yet sharing here just can be useful for someone who wants to improve himself or herself as increment is one dearest word to all working souls, including me! Here it is…

May 18

“Each position has its corresponding duties.”… George Eliot.

Dear Team Sanjevani,

Mary Anne Evans, known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. And by now you all know my love for the quotes from great men & women as they say so many things in so less words, an art we all should master! Well, the most difficult times for me are not to face the challenges in business but May salary as you all expect from company in form of increment & many will say what difficult in it as either its there or its not, which most of my fellow businessmen does but not me! I always wanted you all to understand the duty you face & get paid for as unless you know what & why are you doing your job, you will never be able to improve in your job & this is applicable to your personal life too! And for that sharing my feelings with you is important at-least I try for that just the way I do with my sons, & I do consider my role here in Sanjeevani as a father & mother too! As if mother is caring & accepting any fault of her kids then the father has to be strong, some time even rude to make the kids tough enough to stand adversities of the life! And worst part is in the process the kids often grey loving their mother while hating their father for what he was!

Well, while playing both roles I will share frankly I hate father’s role but then for me its duty the way sometimes you might be hating your job yet you have to do it! You must be often wondering how the company rates you at the time of increment, let me tell you strait, it’s in a way balance sheet of what has been happened over the span of last eleven months & ours being single line structured organization, mostly what I have experienced while working with you is the sole aspect in increment! And trust me I try my best to analyze you only by your attitude towards the work at hand & not by its outcome. For eg last three years we are trying to sale Dhruva but from foundation to near finishing we are able to sale just two flats but I don’t blame sales/marketing team for being unable to sale these flats neither considers this as your failure. Same way we struggled to finish the developments of Orchid Ph-1 yet I wont call it as incapability of the respective engineering team at site as in both cases you have tried your best! Yet one thing remains & that is our entire team’s efforts on work front versus market scenario & expectations of our clients from us. As repeatedly I was telling you since last two years the things are changing for real estate & very hard times are ahead. Here after appreciation won’t be there which earlier was & it use to cover our lacunas on financial fronts & when I say lacuna it’s not your incapability but our entire teams draw backs whatever little they may be. Here after we will have to buy land from our money, build it from our money & then wait for the customer just like in any other counter sale business. And in this way we have to be extremely careful about two things, first is our control on budget & expenses & second is sticking to possession targets! And then third aspect will follow that is the way we present our homes to the buyers. And let me tell you on this aspect I am lucky to have you all as team as I never doubt your commitment towards the work, may it be peon serving tea to all of us or may it be marketing team, you all are very much committed to the work at hand.

Now speaking about next aspect of increment which is what should be salary each of you getting? By me we all know our worth & I never expect any of you to work with a feeling that you are underpaid than what the salary you would have been getting in outside world. As if you are doing so then you are doing injustice to your own self & that is bound to reflect in your duty some way or other. So, whenever I decide increments then I always keep in mind about the outer markets trend & yes do mind it’s not just the package but what expectations comes along with that package, that too one has to take in to consideration!

Lastly the hard facts of balance sheet, which no one should ignore as there have been many recent examples around teaching us what happens if you fail to understand how much deep water you are standing in!  Friends, we were lucky on one project this year which made us stay stable in so much turbulent water is all I will share & as your captain my first job is to keep the shim named our company stable as then only the sailors can be comfortable to do their duty & I am trying every possible way that. Here after as I said we will have to work on margins & every rupee saved is profit, mind these words as we will need to recite them often!

As Elliot said no position in our team is less important as in cricket team there are eleven fielders on ground & catch can go to any player on the field, so we all has to be alert as catches wins matches. And catch can be replying back to the customer in time, making work order as per budget provisions before starting any work, maintaining proper record of every rupee spent, keeping company cars in good condition or even making good tea for our visitors, every single act by our every team member is important for deciding our future, is all I want to share! As it’s your individual image which is projected in-front of your colleagues or customers or contractors is what helps them understand our team’s image!  One more thing on a personal note, do think what increment you will be giving to yourself, confused? Well, it can be a good habit you can cultivate as well some hobby or some good initiative which you can start as remember Sanjeevani should not be your end destination rather make it your mid landing as some day you should have your own set up to live or a bigger platform to perform & for that company’s increment should not be your crutches but what you make out of yourself will only decide that!

So once again thanks for being together & sure long way to go for us, get geared up!

Sanjay & Nittein.

Sanjay Deshpande 

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

https://youtu.be/g3lx1Nq7pBs

Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)

http://visonoflife.blogspot.in/2017/06/conveyance-unique-get-together.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/

Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below) 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/

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www.punecorporation.org

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www.sanjeevanideve.com