Nilgiri's@Navalur, OMR

Nilgiri's has opened shop at Navalur, and my D block friend Rahul who dropped in there is fairly impressed with the set-up. Vegetables are fresh, he says. The management that advertised 'free home delivery' clarified, when I called, that the facility doesn't extend to us at Mantri's. Free home delivery is done only within three kms of the shop, and this too, for customers running up a bill in excess of Rs.1,000. Call 044 45552224/26

Poolside planting at Mantri on OMR

 

 Most Mantri residents missed out on Saturday's cozy family-like social gathering. The occasion was  community tree-planting. Advik, barely six months, marked his presence on clubhouse poolside as his mother Anuja planted a mango tree named after Advik, the second child to be born at Mantri Synergy. His sister Aadya, experienced in tree-planting, was there to help her mom do the planting.

And we had Pramud,a surprise visitor from Bangalore who came with his parents visiting Mantri's where they own an apartment. At our community planting, held after a long gap, we celebrated the first elected members of Mantri Synergy apartment owners association.

Treasurer Mrs Indumathy, secretary Mr R Vasudevan, and president Mr Giri Sundaram planted a sapling each.. Vice-president Mr Harinarayan expressed his inability to be present in view of his prior commitment out of town. We plan to get him plant a sapling sometime soon.

 

Resident horticulturist K S Arvind, with his gardening crew, volunteered their planting expertise and labour. Mr Arvind helped us identify spots for digging, and also advised us on the choice of sapling to be planted on each spot - two mango and guava were planted on the railings side of the lawn, while the two sapota plants flanked the park benches.

Sunday Santhai, a club for like-minded Mantri residents to trade ideas, info. and unvarnished gossip, thought of the tree-planting 'do' with a twin agenda - 1) to insure sympathy/support of the community for our crazy plans; and 2) to get some shade on the poolside lawns with tree-planting.    
Mr K Santharam (left in the photo) citing a Balachander movie (which one, would you know ?) writes -  It is not necessary that you should leave only your children after death. You can leave trees as well. They will live for several years like your children and the posterity will ever remember you.
Thank you,  Mr Santharam (A-202) for giving a lofty edge to an idea by 'a crazy foursome'  that met at our first Santhai.

Ladies prefer a male tailor

Women at  Mantri Synergy can have this cloth sent to them from Surat in three days. And Anuja (H-205) can get it for them. It's pure cotton, she says. But then they have to get it stitched themselves . Each chudidar set ordered  comes  with a photo of the design  for reference by tailors.
Most women buying chudidar sets have their own tailor. And I have known women going miles, even to other towns, to have their outfit stitched,  though tailors are found in every neighbourhood. Anuja at Mantri's, I understand,  gets her tailoring done from a  professional at Adyar.

My wife gets her blouses stitched from a tailor at Vidyaranyapuram, Mysore, though the chap never delivers on time. At times, the cloth she hands in for stitching during a Mysore visit doesn't get done until our subsequent trip. Her elder sister, at Kotturpuram , relies on Murugesan, a tailor at Mylapore.
This is something neither my wife nor her sister would explain. Why do they, and most other women I know go to a male tailor ? It is because ladies prefer a male tailors those specializing   in chudidar and other women's outfit are mostly men. Mrs Geetha Viswanathan (C-block) can correct me if  this isn't so. She can tell us if more men than women sign up for tailoring courses in her school of fashion technolgy , Adyar.
Anyway, Anuja has a friend in fashion textiles in Surat, who has sent a consignment of chudidar sets. And she would be happy to share what she has with others at Mantri, and also take orders for delivery from Surat,  to be made in three days. A chudidar set costs a little over Rs.500 and one could choose from a catalogue of over 80 designs.
Anuja - Apt. H-205, Mantri Synergy - can be contacted at 044 29856074

NASA Srinivas flowers

Nasa Srinivas, the shenbagum  planted in June last, has started flowering at Mantri Synergy. The plant has been named after schoolboy Srinivas, on his return from NASA Space training center at Huntsvile, Alabama.  Son of  Sunitha and Sriraj (D-1202),  Upplili Srinivas studies in Ooty, and was sponsored by his school for a NASA conducted space camp for school students from the world over..

At Mantri Synergy we have a community tree-planting programme in which residents  celebrate with a sapling family events such as child birth, birthday, wedding anniversary, start of schooling of one's child, graduation, job placement of one's daughter, or any happening in the family about which you have reason to feel good about. Mrs and Mr Sriraj happily agreed to my suggestion that they celebrate the return of their son from NASA. The shenbagum he planted is named after NASA Srinivas. The schoolboy, and even his parents,  have moved from  here, but Srinivas grows with us at Mantri complex, and has started flowering for our benefit.

Oru Kal, Erandu Maangai

Sunday summer afternoons are not designed for shopping for saplings. But we were anxious to get things moving,  so that our plans for this Saturday ( April 28 ) don't get shot down by some wise guy who comes up with five reasons why we can't plant four saplings to celebrate the first elected executive to Mantri apartments association.
So Sourav (C-block), Rahul(D) and I took a drive along ECR in search of a nursery; and found what we were looking for,  after half-hour drive in punishing heat.
And at the toll-gate on the Kelambakkam turning,  they don't show consideration for local residents going shopping at an ECR nursery at Muthukadu village. We were billed Rs.45 as toll-charge, for a trip to a neibourhood nursery to buy  saplings worth less than Rs.350.  We aren't complaining ; merely mentioning that rules are made not for people, but  for someone's profit..  Irony was that the chap at the toll gate took back the receipt he had given us, as we returned from our shopping trip. Which made us wonder if  the toll-gate guy who threw the rule-book at us  recycled  our Rs.45-receipt by giving it to someone else.

But for this irritant, we felt fairly pleased at having done what we set out to do. Shopping for saplings proved less costly and more satisfactory than we had anticipated. So we felt we deserved a  treat, and treated ourselves to something chilled  at Kovalam beach (see photos uploaded in Mantri synergy site). The beach was much too crowded, being a Sunday.  The boy at a private parking lot doubled the charges to Rs.20.
Sourav, Rahul and I have decided  to share expenses,  though we aren't going to turn down offers from others who wish to chip in. Unlike on earlier tree-planting, when PropCare arranged for saplings, and the digging at their expense, we are this time  paying  for it all the from our contributions, to make it truly  a Mantri residents contributory celebrations. . .
We have bought two mango, two sapota and a gauva saplings, to be planted on the poolside lawns on Saturday (April 28), at 4.30 p m. The lady at the nursery told us the plants would start giving fruits in five years.  By 2017 we can count on growing our own variety of mango, - GiriHari - ;sapota - , Vasupota; and guava - Indugava. Celebration of EC members this way, we believe, would help spread greater awareness about our community tree-planting programme. You could say, we are  'killing two birds with one stone'. Oru kal, Erandu Maangai, is how we say it in Tamil.

Spray & pray mosquito repellent

Spray it on suspected mosquito hideouts in your bedroom , and pray they don't wake up before you do in the morning. Eric Rodrigues who markets a herbal-based spray says it  doesn't kill mosquitoes; the spray merely puts them in coma,  for 10 to 12 hours.  Eric would suggest you spray the bedroom, say 30 minutes before bed-time, so that mosquitoes in your room are already in coma by the time you turn in.
Spray it in spurts with a press of your finger. Three or four sprays under the bed, behind curtain, cupboard, bedside table, under sofa etc. - would hopefully work on mosquitoes in the room. Pay attention to nooks and corners in bathroom attached to your bedroom, says Mr Rodrigues, who stays in Kotturpuram, and uses herbal spray.

Three days of  nook & corner spraying would do. From Day 4 you need to spray only a few times in the air.  A 100 Ml bottle, they say, should give you 350-400 sprays; and last for about six weeks  in a two-bedroom apartment.
The 'chota'  bottle in the photo is  for application on body (spray and rub over exposed limbs). You can carry it for use on children in park or play area. The herbal spray is a concoction of neem and a few other natural oils. Those marketing the spray say the herbal oil mix  is the result of research done by Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow. They supply oil that is  bottled in Bangalore by the trading company. The spray, they say,  has established a market presence in Bangalore.
Chennai is their next stop.  I offered to share info. in this blog, if they give  sample bottles for Mantri residents. The company has sent five sample sets (for three-day trial). Call me at D-901 (29856055), if you wish to give the herbal spray a chance.  If it works,  call company representative  Mr Eric Rodrigues at 9382157641 
Company website: StrategiLab

For Sunday Santhai, anyone ?

Keeping in view the Mantri apartment owners association meeting this Sunday (April 22)  some residents ask, 'are we meeting at Santhai this Sunday?' My answer to that is, 'Yes, and no'. Yes, there is a clash of timing. But there is no clash of interest. Santhai is not confined to apartment owners. Tenants, and even guests, are invited to our Sunday Santhai. It is a forum for trading ideas, info., and plain gossip. If we have this chat session going this Sunday, then those of us attending the general body meeting could move over to the poolside, if GBM proceedings get boring or too heated for our comfort. 
At our Sunday Santhai the ground rule is, we refrain from discussing problems and grievances as residents of Mantri's. We have plenty of other things of mutual interest that we don't get to talk about at GBMs. Idea of Santhai is we get  to 'discover' one another and socialize with the like-minded people. Unlike the general body of apartment owners, which is convened by the association executive committee, no one convenes the santhai of Mantri residents.  Nor does anyone set an agenda. It is an open house for a free-wheeling interaction.

 Having been associated with the Mysore Santhe )  I thought we could try it out at Mantri Synergy.
Our first poolside  meeting last Sunday wasn't such a big hit. Four of us - Pandey, Sourav (both C block), Rahul and I (both D block) - were there. Talked of ways to make  Mantri a more 'happening'  place. Meanwhile, it was getting increasingly uncomfortable under the mid-day sun. We dispersed with the hope that our santhai initiative gains steam in the coming weeks, weather permiting .  I had e-mailed some 40  resident friends about our initiative. Some of these friends, acknowledging my mail said they were out that morning  in Chennai or were busy elsewhere. They however endorsed the idea of the Sunday free-wheeling  session .     

Weather is an inhibiting factor. Around noon we found there isn't much of a shade on the poolside lawns. Improvised roofing  over the park benches would be helpful.. My request to PropCare in this regard  is pending.  A thatched-roofing made of fallen coconut mattai can be put together by our gardener. As a long-term idea, we - Pandey, Rahul, Sourav Mohanty and I - would like our executive committee members to plant a tree each on the poolside lawns. How about it, on April 29 ? Apart from providing  much-needed shade on the poolside lawns, the tree-planting  will be an occasion for us to celebrate the first elected executive of our association.    

Scary

I am sure the technician working on the 8th floor apartment is not scared. If he were, the AC technician wouldn't be up there without  safety kit , doing what he, presumably, does on a daily basis.

The workman,  presumably,  reckons wearing safety belt (as per work manual) is a nuisense. And I confess, it didn't occur to me then,  to do anything other than photograph his foolhardy. act.     

I could (should) have gone down to the apartment below, and given the chap a piece of my mind. But then it wouldn't have been socially correct.
 (Some 10 minutes after taking the photos I looked down from our bedroom balcony. He wasn't there.)

Growing mango, guava on terrace

Mantri's landscape architect would have us believe we can't have much of tree cover in our central park, which is landscaped over the basement parking lot. But reading about what Mr M S Muralidharan has accomplished on his terrace at Santhome should set us thinking outside the box. He has grown mango,  guava and sapota trees on his terrace.
Those of us living in high-rises on OMR, with landscaped area above underground parking lot,  have a message here, if we are willing to look beyond what landscape architects prescribe. Lord knows we could do with lots more tree-cover than we have at Mantri Synergy. And it would be a bonus, if we can plant fruit-bearing trees within our complex. Should plant a tree- or two, as a pilot  programme, on top of basement landscaped area.
Referring to growing mango on the terrace, The Hindu says, " M.S. Muralidharan has given a new spin to terrace gardening. His house in MRC Nagar is crowned by a cluster of green — an eight-ft-tall mango tree that has grown out of a thick and broad patch of earth placed on the terrace. Bearing an abundance of fruits at present, the tree is the wow factor of the house".

A Tamil blogger at Mantri Synergy

S V Saibaba (F-802) who has moved in at Mantri Synergy recently is a retired bank executive (we have quite a few in the complex) with interest in gardening, movies, books and blogging. Which makes two of us, bloggers in the complex. Mr Saibaba  is one better, in fact - he blogs in Tamil as well.
As someone who shares  his interest in reading, I would invite him to join our online book club - Mantri Synergy Book Group.
Mr Saibaba's Tamil blogposts make fascinating reading and cover varied subjects such as the significance of dots in  Kolum ; the games Sangam Tamils played (he lists 36); Visalini, a 10-year-old Tamil girl who holds a Guinnes record; and how cyclone Thane came to be so named.
Saibaba's blogs:
En Iniya Tamizh Ulagum
Knowledge Sharing

Kapil, the guitarist

I would like to share this piece of music - The journey - with those who have flair for guitar. It is a 3 min. video recording by my new-found blogger friend Kapil Srivastava.
If you like the music he makes,  you would want to read more about him. The following links would help:
GuitarMonk
Kapil Guitarist

Garbage dump at Mantri roadfront on OMR

Pile-up in front of Mantri, OMR ,  photo-ed on April 10     
Padur panchayat which is nowadays on a collection spree - collecting property tax from apartment owners in Mantri and Rosedale, X S Real and other neighbourhood  communties - could be persuaded to clear garbage that is piling up on roadside, right in front of Mantri Synergy.. The trash dump is getting higher, and wider by the day. And if we don't put our hands to it  together - panchayat and apartment residents in Mantri and Rosedale - to clear the roadside pile-up without further delay, we would have at Mantri road-front  a regular dump serving the entire enighbourhood..
You would have read in the paper today that at Pallavaram the municipality they dump garbage at Ganapathypuram (around 'Periyrei'); Tambaram  civic body dump their waste at Kannadapalyam.. Alandur's garbage gets dumped at Pallikarani on Velachery Main Road.
Where does Padur panchayat dump its stuff ? We hope they don't convert the roadside in front of Mantri's  into a neighbourhood dumping yard .

Facilities Mantri Synergy lack

A residential complex coming up near Vandalur over 8.6 acres includes :
ATM,
Grocery store
Clinic
Pharmacy
Bakery.
We don't have much at Mantri Synergy commercial space, do we ?
Their clubhouse has, apart from the gym, the pool, library and indoor games, has:
Day-care
Home theatre.
The developers - Adinath Shantiniketan - with some 680 apartments in the 517 sft. - 1091 sft. segment - are planning for solar lighting for common areas and rain water harvesting.

Did you feel the tremor?

This was the question I heard from everyone I met during our morning walk at Mantri Synergy. Probably, some didn't believe when I told  I slept through the Wednesday afternoon tremor. And, this isn't a put on, I first heard of it on TV.  And then, a couple of our Mantri neighbours, who were away in the city, phone us to check out if things were okay at our end.
 OMR's proximity to the coast prompted a relation of ours to suggest we  moved to their apartment at Velachery, in view of  tsunami warning. We can see Muthukadu Lake, and the sea beyond, from our 9th floor flat at Mantri's. Even  two hours after they sounded the tsunami warning the sea appeared calm and tideless

If anyone seemed agitated and breathless with anxiety, it was some TV-wallahs reporting live from  Chennai. But the papers this morning said, This time around, no wave of panic..., as if  The Hindu headline writer felt let down by tsumani's failure to show up.  As for  tremor, seismic centre subsequently admitted that intensity of the quake wasn't as high as was feared initially,  and it wasn't the type of  quake  that sent out  tsunami waves.
This morning I watched on Puthiya Thalaimurai channel  a talk-show at which  they discussed Chennai's  quake-readiness, as evident from the  response of people and administration  to Wednesday's quake and tsunami warning. A more pertinent issue for those of us living in high-rise buildings  is whether Mantri and other developers have taken into account the seismic factor and wind velocity on OMR in their design and construction.  
Mantri resident Gurusamy Pandiyan (A-603) may recall  raising the issue one year back in Common Floor  discussion forum. Chennai is in Seismic Zone III (Upto 6.9 Moderate risk). And Mantri's say Synergy is 'Seismic Zone III compliant structure'. Has anyone  checked this out with developers ?
Mr Pandiyan's query and an article on wind-engineering in The Hindu prompted me to e-mail someone I knew  should know about such matters.
My mail, dated March 26, 2011: Today's Hindu (Bangalore edition)  carries in Property Plus section an article by K Suresh Kumar on the importance of  wind engineering in high-rise buildings. The wind power, it says, could sway  tall buildings. It may not be perceptible, but it can be felt by residents. I trust Mantri architects factored in the wind-load factor, height/.width ratio, considering Mantri Synergy is their first close-to-sea project, which is likely to have relatively higher wind current.
Response:
Wind flow:  Our structural consultants, Chetna from Bangalore, have pointed out that since wind velocity is higher in Chennai, as compared to Bangalore and Hyderabad, the steel consumption for our structure will be relatively higher...we have ensured that our structure will stand wind of the known velocity.
Quakes resistance: We have taken into account the seismic zone requirements; and the structure can withstand earthquakes of Seismic Zone II levels, which is only a zone higher than that of Japan.

Sea-watch from Mantri@OMR

Took this photo of Muthukadu Lake  from our 9th floor balcony at Mantri's,  around 5 p m today (Wed),  some two hrs after a tsunami warning was issued following the Sumarta Quake measuring 8.9 on Richter scale.  The New Delhi report, putting Tamil Nadu and Andhra on alert, said a tsunami was likely to hit the Little Nicobar Islands.

It so happened that I had also taken a photo from our balcony early this morning, for the clouds. Comparing the photos, do you see any difference in  water level at  Muthukadu lake ? Or is it just my imagination ?

A webpost for Snehal Mantri

Dear Ms Snehal Mantri,
Rahul (D-1204) and I (D-901)  took a walk around  Mantri complex last evening, talking trees. We are  aware of your concern for trees. As you put it, in The Hindu (Property Plus Chennai), dated Jan.12,2008,  When MDPL took over the land on OMR at Chennai, the entire area looked so green we had second thoughts about building Mantri Synergy there.
The Hindu report said, "Mantri Developers (MDPL) transplanted an entire grove of trees scattered through their site on the OMR, to the periphery of the site".

Our Sunday walk - Rahul's and mine - was to get an idea of the number of trees that are still standing . By your own account, Ms Mantri, the tree count when your company took over was 24 mango, 140 teak, and 165 coconut trees.

I'm sure,  Ms Mantri,  you would be just as mad as I was when you see this patch (photo) where, not many weeks ago,  stood three coconut trees in a row.. Mantri's slaughtered them to pave way for car-park space. You can't bring back the trees they killed. But Mantri's need to be made accountable. Could consider compensating us for the loss of trees on our campus.

This is the lone mango that has survived  a grove of 24 mango trees Mantri's inherited from previous landowners. To celebrate the lone mango we request Mantri's to do a spot of landscaping around the tree,  put in a couple of benches and a picnic table, so that retires seniors such as myself can make it a daytime hangout for gupshap. In the evening the place can double up as as chaat/samosa  corner, and,  possibly, Avin milk parlour. Our children at Mantri's love flavoured milk.

Rahul and I walked past this well preserved green patch around 'Wish Well'. I, however, wish our landscape architect Mr Sekhar James had listened to our plea for planting tulsi as a hedge. We could have also done with herbal plants for the well being of residents.
It might interest you to learn that we treat plants as people -  have given them  names  - Nityadhya (planted by Nitya and Adhya on Children's Day), Sidharth and Nikhil (named after my grandsons),  Aadit Chakraborti (the first child born at Mantri's) NASA Srinivas (schoolboy who did internship at the US Space center). We have saplings named Nambiar (first Mantri resident) and Ujjal (who plays Santa at our Christmas). The next time you visit us, we would plant a sapling named after Snehal Mantri.

The last time you were at Mantri Synergy they wouldn't have taken you to this spot near  the tennis court ,  where the row of  transplanted teak includes these two with only their stumps standing. And then, near STP, they covered the roots of two teak with cement concrete, leaving the trees to suffocate and starve themselves to death.

We blogged about this , took it up personally,  more than once,  and eventually threatened  direct action before Mantri project team decided to  dig up breathing space around the teaks you see in the photo. We are now on damage control mode;  and a couple of tree-friendly security men have voluteered to nurish the teaks back to health.
Must thank Mr D Venkatesan (A-209) who sent us the link to The Hindu report carrying Ms. Snehal Mantri's statement.

Of mother-in-law's tongue and other plants

A provocative name for a house plant - mother-in-law's tongue.

I came across a reference to this plant in an article on indoor plants that filters air pollutants - carbon monoxide, smell of paints, plastics, foam, furnishings, new carpet and other household items.
The inside of our houses can have very poor air quality due to fumes from cigarette smoke, furnishings, paint and other items. Some items can give off these fumes for many years - that smell of fresh paint and new carpets isn't just potentially harmful just while you can detect it.
Read more on indoor plants as air filters.

Tapping Wind/solar power on OMR

A roof-top windmill fitted on Hindustan University campus

 Those of us in Mantri Synergy, and neighbouring Ouranya Bay, Victoria Towers or Bella Tuscany and other OMR communities don't need experts to say we come under 'a wind zone'. We experience it. We also know big wind turbines over 100 metres in height wouldn't work in our place. We could try micro wind turbines, say 15-metre tall, as they plan to do, for powering street lights on ECR. Chennai Corporation is reported to have commissioned a study for tapping wind/solar energy with hybrid models.

 Residents asociations on OMR could put their heads together to explore possibilities for putting in place hybrid micro systems for tapping wind/solar power. So that we could make wind/solar powered common area a reality at Mantri Synergy in two or three years from now.

 Experts reckon that effective solution to energy problem has to be found ,not in the availability of technology, but in reducing its expense and widening it accessibility. The proposed wind/solar powered street-lighting pilot project in Sholinganallur and some parts of ECR could serve as model for us to adopt in Mantri and other communities. Bringing down the cost is a challenge. Initial capital cost is high, but subsidy is available from the central and state govts. OMR residents association (an umbrella body of neighbourhood member associations of apartment owners) could be set up to look into subsidy options and also to work on a model project report for community level renewable energy programme.

 By way of reference material I would like you to watch these video talks: 1) Bunkar Roy on his 'barefoot movement' - 19.08 mins. It is a fascinating study on how a village school in Rajasthan has trained rural women to be solar electrical engineers for electrification of villages, not only in Rajasthan, but also in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and other developing countries from where even unlettered grandmas received technician training for six months in Bunkar Roy's barefoot college.
2) MIT professor Donald Sadoway on the missing link to renewable energy - 15 mins. video talk. He is into developing battery for grid-level storage of wind/solar energy, at the lowest possible cost. The focus of Prof.Sadoway's invention is in bringing down the cost of huge storage battery.

 The photo at the top of this post signifies 'a tip of the wind turbine', to coin a phrase, (like 'tip of an iceberg'), of the work that might well be in process at the university engineering workshop. We could tap their experience/expertise in developing a wind/solar power model for Mantri Synergy.

Kalakkal at Kotturpuram

This is not a OMR-specific post.But it should interest OMR residents. Maybe they could think of setting such joint in OMR neighbourhood. My reference is to Kalakkal Cafe, a happening place that functions at a Kotturpuram school for the disabled. The unique cafe opens only twice a month - second and fourth Saturday.
The idea is for the disabled to have a place of their own, to invite others - office colleagues and friends - for snacks and music. The cafe is fitted with access ramp, has menu cards in Braile. It is a place where the disabled socialize with the rest of us on an equal footing.
An initiative by Vidya Sagar school,where its physiotherapy room is used for the cafe, Kalakkal is run by volunteers - Accenture employees volunteering at the cafe on two days a month. Winners Bakery supplies snacks at subsidised rates. Young musicians volunteer to play at the cafe's jam-session.

Energy audit, a necessity

We are in for fresh tariff burden on the power front. Power we use in the clubhouse, tennis court floodlighting will be charged under commercial category. Which means, says a media report, for every unit of electricity consumed, charges will be Rs.4.30, for consumption up to 200 units bi-monthly. If power usage exceeds this limit, the charges will be Rs.7 per unit from the first unit of consumption.
This ought to set us thinking. Play area users should put their heads together to evolve a 100-unit monthly energy budget. Floodlighting on alternate days or a power cess on use of play area after daylight hours are suggestions that will not be acceptable to all. This is where the association management steps in, to take tough, if unpalatable, decisions.
Another issue our association would do well to take up with Mantri's right away pertains to getting separate EB connection for common area lighting, water supply and lift operation. With separate connection these facilities will be charged under the tariff of domestic consumers.
Adding to our misery of an eight our power cut, Mantri Synergy residents would now have to budget their consumption to eight units a day, if they wish to stay within 500 unit limit for a two-month billing cycle. Power usage beyond 500 units in two months attracts higher tariff rate.
Going by the units-per-hr. table published in the media , we need to cutback on usage of induction stove/rice cooker. I didn't know geyser draws as much power as immersion rod. Anyway,we rarely use either nowadays, with Chennai getting warmer by the day. With power being off for 8 plus hours,we don't have AC units functioning more than an hour or more at a stretch. It is time we replaced incandescent bulb (0.04 unit per hr.) with CFL (0.005 unit per hr.)

Residents propose, Mantri disposes

When Mantri's moved children's play area from here (it's another story) we presumed this space would be suitably landscaped. Some of us suggested we plant a tree or two and put up a picnic table and benches for the retired to hang out during day; and in the evening, the space can double up as a chaat corner.

Mantri's has apparently other ideas. We need to act, for what it is worth, before Mantri's pave the space with cement tiles (no shade), and, presumably, parcel it into car park slots for sale. For all you know, they might have already sold the space. In which case, the newly elected management body of the association should press the claim on the sale proceeds.
By way of residents action, it was suggested that the residents participating in pickaxe action yesterday (Sat.) should march as a group to the office of Mantri project chief to talk about their plans for development of erstwhile play area near clubhouse. But then a mere handful of residents (my wife included) turned up for Saturday's meeting near the STP teak trees.
We dropped the plan for protest-march to Mantri project office in view of the poor turnout. Five of us going to the project office would amount to a mere representation. If we were 50, it would have been protest action.

Advertising Mantri-2

Yesterday

Sewage in full flow.
Today

Plugged.