Friday, April 20, 2012

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.    

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