We all have our ways to get things done especially when you
live with neighbors. It begins in the sunrise and continues throughout the day
with different events.
It’s lovely to see how different people from different
culture live in the same neighborhood with help, love-hate sharing and
obviously gossip. Gossip is an essential pillar here. We knowingly or
unknowingly love gossip It’s a tradition to welcome the neighbor and also to
sure, help one when in need.
You celebrate festivals, embrace their and your culture,
celebrate a birthday, exchange sweets and gifts and also talk about your work,
holidays and the woman be it the owner or the maid next door.
When it comes to the maid the ugliest thing happens even the best
friends go on war. Its kind of funny how much are we dependent emotionally and physically on these maids/cook.
Some even try to get the gossip through them.. Funny eh?
All kinds of people live in our neighborhood, old young
newly married coup, middle class, employed couple,.etc.
You can see the lovely routine of people that start
generally from 5 to 6 am.—you can see health-conscious people walking and
waving you with a smile and giving you goals while you brush your eyes and pick
your packet of milk. You can see the old woman trying to educate and tip the young
paperboy for throwing her paper on the paper stand, a wife hands over the
lunch box to her husband kids, promises are being made for the evening dinner,
another woman tell her neighbor to move her garbage can, a man tells his
friend to move his vehicle and asks politely not to park at his spot.
We fight, unite and we celebrate. But in the end, we are together and there for each other. We Indians surely know how to bargain and it though starts it in the sunrise it doesn’t end till someone gets what they want. But there are some places where talking to the neighbour is considered clingy.
I remember hiring an Airbnb apartment with my colleagues in Singapore. We were there for a week. There were 6 flats on each floor and I knew there were children in the next flat by identifying the cute small footwear outside their door. I never saw them I never heard a voice. No hustling no sharing no hellos and no byes. I was disappointed by the disconnect. People found it hard to even acknowledge another person's presence in the lift. Even the owner of the flat dint know who was next door and he was there for more than 7 years. How hard it is to look up and smile?. All head downs glued to their gadgets.
Thank God! I was born when we knew who was our neighbor. We are still connected. We had fun, celebrated every festival with zeal, and even fought on silly things. I still remember the stupid games we invented, we shared our books, treats, joys, and sorrows.
