THE WILL

A wonderful Piece by Sri R Natarajan. Thank You Sir !

Recently, one of my very close family friend died suddenly of a heart attack.  I felt very sad as our friendship spanned over 50 years.  I could not even go to Chennai to condole his family.  His name is D, he was 89 years’ old, had no previous history of any heart problem, a jolly-good fellow.  I spoke to his wife and his children, and conveyed my feelings. 

 

A few years ago another colleague-friend also passed away suddenly.  His name is A, and he was in Delhi.  I went to his house and consoled his wife and children. 

 

The sudden death of these dear friends had thrown the families out of gear. Bereavement period over, the families had to come to grips with life. The daughter of Mr. A rang me and asked me: “Uncle, (a) what is the procedure for claiming family pension, (b) whether the deceased had left any WILL, (c) do you know about his investments, (d) how to go about claiming the investments made by my father. You might be knowing, as my father was very close to you and used to go by your advice.”

 

During the course of my service in Government and later also, many of my friends used to consult me on matters relating to income tax, savings and investments, etc. among other things.  To the daughter of my friend Mr. A, I said that there was no problem about family pension, if the Pension account is held jointly with his spouse.  If not, there are some formalities which I explained to her.  About the WILL, I said I was not aware.  About his investments he used to keep the details in a notebook.  They may look for it and if any help is required I would do it.

 

As regards the WILL, many of my colleagues were apprehensive and even afraid.  “Arre bhai, do you want me to die soon?” some said, while some others said “After all, all my properties and money will ultimately go to my children and therefore there is no need for any Will.”  Some others said that “I have made valid nominations and therefore there should be no problem.”

 

In my opinion, a WILL will facilitate transfer of the property and money more easily than a “nomination”.  A Nominee is only an agent/custodian, and acts as such on behalf of the real heirs, till he hands over the money to the real heirs.  Unless the heirs themselves are the nominees.  In one case, the Bank  insisted on “No Objection letter” from all the legal heirs before releasing a fixed deposit amount to the nominee, especially when the deposit amount is large-and the two children were settled, one, in America, and the other, in Singapore.  A joint account will be helpful, in such cases.  In the case of immovable property, in the absence of a WILL, one has to go round getting succession certificate, publication of advertisements, affidavits, application before the court for issue of the succession certificate, lawyers fees, delay and so on. In today’s busy life, how many people have the patience, time and inclination to go round various offices of the municipality/corporation, banks, etc.

 

What is a WILL and how does it help.  A WILL is a legal declaration of a person’s wishes regarding disposal of his properties to take effect after the death of the maker of the WILL (known as “Testator”).  No particular Form is prescribed under the Indian Succession Act.  It can be made in a plain paper.  No stamp paper, no stamp duty, no court fee, and no registration is required.  However, a WILL may be registered if there is any doubt in the mind of the Testator of a possibility of any of the inheritors contesting the WILL.  A WILL can be made by any person of sound mental health, and should not be made under any duress, persuasion, undue influence, sentiment, etc.  No technical words or legalese are required.  A WILL can be amended, varied, cancelled, revoked or replaced by a new WILL by the Testator at any time during his life. It can be in any language (English or Hindi or any other language).  A WILL should be signed by the Testator,  on each page and attested by two witnesses, and should contain in clear terms on what he wants to bequeath and to whom.

 

So, it is simple and if you have the will, you can make the WILL.

 

Regards

R Natarajan

Tom & Daisy

 

Have you come across Tom & Daisy?

Maybe you have met them sometime, somewhere??

And I am sure you will recognize them once you come to the end of this post.

 

Meanwhile,

Not much is happening in SP, and I am running short of topics to write about.

So, shall we discuss the weather??

 

It is that time of the year…

When we exit the scorching summer and then dive into the drenching monsoon rains. And then there is a brief lull. The rains become moderate and you even enjoy walking in the light drizzle, and you look up to the sky and let those tiny droplets caress your cheeks. And so on…

And it’s so cool to walk barefoot on the lush green grass and deeply breathe in the heavy moisture laden air. Great motivation fr Yoga & Aerobics enthusiasts!

 

And today is one of those wonderful days!

I woke up to a dull cloudy sky, it was dark until 6.30AM and then the visibility improved. The sky was packed with clouds. The light grey ones with their diffused bright glowing backgrounds.

There was chill in the air, but not uncomfortable. Actually, very energizing!

 

Its mid-august in Bangalore. Days are cool, sometimes warm when the clouds part and the sun takes over with scorching intensity for those few minutes. And by evening we would have the regular rain between 5.30 and 7.30PM most days.

And I love this season. August, Sept & October is Autumn for the western folks (in the northern hemisphere).

 

And to me,

Winter is wonderful.

Summer is sizzling.

Spring is beautiful.

And autumn??

Autumn is sexy!!!

 

It brings both - laziness combined with josh!!

 

The early morning chill does different things to you on different days.

 

Some mornings you just jump out of bed, dive into your Tees, shorts and sneakers and go for that wonderful 5 Km slow jog/brisk walk. And as the  chill drizzle hits your face, your ears turn numb, your nose gets hot, a slight sweat breaks on your forehead, and you just enjoy this exhilarating experience!

 

Some mornings you are too blue to even get out of bed. And I curl up inside my comforter and go for a second and third nap – watching the drizzle from my window. And I watch people darting to avoid getting wetter, and those extra cautious folks who wear a full length raincoat and then carry a huge umbrella on top of it!

 

And some mornings you just make yourself a steaming brew and wrap yourself in your comforter and sit outside in your garden or balcony and simply stare at the clouds while sipping your favorite ‘adrak’  chai, or your special cinnamon flavored concoction.

And you repeat the same in the evenings too, and this time the beverage is accompanied with hot Mirchi bhajjis, warm mathris and naankhatais!!

 

Or just take the day off, get into your leathers, fire up your Bullet or Harvey and just drive out into the countryside. And if you can manage to get one of your girlfriends on to your pillion seat, WoW, your day is made, Dude!!

 

Or if you are a comfortably settled family man with a wife and two kids, then pack them all into your SUV along with tons of food and just drive away in any direction!!

 

And if you are a couple without any ‘add-ons’, then you might just as well not get out of  your bed and extend your ‘sleep hours’ by another day. Order out idly-vada combo for breakfast from A2B and Dominos Pastas and Pizzas for lunch and dinner. You can eat in bed while watching your favorite cartoons or suspense thrillers or steamy romance movies on your NetFlix!!

 

And what ever you do, just do it for fun.

But DO NOT waste this wonderful day by burying yourself into your MS Outlook/GMAIL inbox,  or PPTs, or watch those stupid forwards and videos on your Whats App.

Switch off your smart phone for the day, buddy!!

And of course, you are not going to office or getting into those dreary 3 hours back to back concalls!!

Nor pester your kids to study and complete their homework and attend online classes either!!

 

Life Is precious, lets enjoy each day. And today is perfect!!

 

And by the way, have you attended the wedding of Tom & Daisy.

 

This poem written by my granddad some 65 years back might  jog your memory!

Chk it out??

 

The Spectacular Wedding of Tom & Daisy

 

Tom was my neighbor and so was Daisy

And when Tom went a-courting her

It did not seem at all improper

Their amour however was none too easy.

 

Of Daisy’s lovers there were quite a band

Of high, medium, and low degree

Of excellent, good, and doubtful pedigree

Each determined to bid for her fair hand.

 

And when at last, by sheer pluck he won her,

     No priest was asked to unite them

     No cake was baked to cut for them

     Not a shred of ceremony

     Religious or secular

 

And if it lacked a certain harmony

The wedding was nothing but spectacular!

For Tom was a dog

And Daisy another!!

 

Cheers,

Krish..

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

 

It is exactly 3 years since we moved into our flat, in Aug 2017.

And I have seen the changes that have happened over all those years. Some good; some not so good and some – sad, and very sad.

When we moved in, we joined a small community of less than 25 families living here. A huge place and just a few of us.All of us had a lot of concerns - how will it work out. And we shared a bit of fear (or anxiety) and a lot of apprehension.

After spending tons of money buying our dream home and another half a ton in furnishing it, we just wanted (and desperately hoped) everything to go right and we were eager to settle down happily (& ever after). So, each one of us did elaborate poojas / housewarming ceremonies and prayed that we had made the right decision in choosing the right society.

 Some of us were the sole occupants in our entire floor and some blocks had less than 6 residents.  There were teething troubles in abundance. Power failures were very frequent and auto switch over to generator was not implemented. We had to wait as long as 5 minutes or more for the resident electrician to manually turn on the gen set. We got stuck in lifts, groped around when the corridor lights did not work and faced unpredictable delivery of milk and paper.

Each day started with a new problem.

 And along with these challenges and our human social nature, circumstances brought us all very close to each other.

And we seemed to have a lot of time.

 I remember walking out of my flat every evening between 5.30 and 6PM, loiter around the campus joining various groups chatting and sharing our experiences well past 7.30 PM.

And we met each mooring as well when some of us assembled at the entry gate to send off our kids to school. And we spent some more time talking.

We had a lot of time!

 The gym was not operational, nor the pool. Nor were there sufficient players for badminton or tennis matches. So, people just came down to talk and socialize!

 We greeted each other cheerfully and went out of the way to help each other. We borrowed and lent work tools, step ladders and loaned our carpenters & electricians to do odd jobs for others.

 When new folks joined, we happily invited them and made them feel comfortable and quickly engaged them in our group.  A new face, a new kid, a new infant in a stroller – and I would enthusiastically approach them with a welcome hand shake, strike up a conversation, where they are  from, where do they work  and offer them any help/advice if they needed. With the kids, it was about their school and what story books and characters they liked. And the infants, I would try and draw their attention and if they did not break into a wail, continue to examine how many teeth they have sprouted.

And my favorites were the senior citizens, the wizened oldies with whom my favorite topic was those good old days!!

 Yes, life then @ Palladian was calm, uncomplicated, and peaceful.

 And as months went into quarters and years passed by, this nice small happy group grew quickly in to bigger and bigger group. Empty flats got filled in fast – with owners and tenants.

People with pets and those without.  Families with kids and parents and live-in maids. And people started hiring an army of helps – drivers, cooks, maids and full-time nannies, to name a few.

 And our society started sprouting creases, blackheads & warts.

 I remember the very first open argument we had was - where the take our pet dogs out to pee & poo.Then came skirmishes between new folks and security and unpleasant arguments with ad hoc MC members.Complaints about people leaving the gym in a bad shape followed.Then people started using the pool as if it was their back yard open air bathtub. They jumped in without proper gear and people posted photos of hairs floating on the blue green waters, along with photos of dog poops and bleached grass patches.

And we had a sharp discord also on tennis coaching and playing timings.

 And somewhere along the way, I also stopped wishing & greeting new faces and did not make that effort to connect with these newcomers. And each time we passed by, we stared at each other in stony silence.Even the kids who 2 years back would cheerfully call out ‘Good Evening Uncle!’ are now grown up and wish me no more and ignore me most times.

Wonder if have grown really that old and totally lost my charm??

 And residents emptied their ashtrays into lower floor balconies and gardens.And used the utility chute as garbage dumps.And they flooded their garden pots kept on window & balcony sills causing muddy water to drip down onto lower floor resident’s freshly washed clothes.

 Frequent pet poops and pee on green grass took our differences and our belligerent attitude to the next level!People attacked each other and some strong words were used.And we had a very ugly incident and some serous fights on the allocation of enough space for a dog park within the Maidan.

 Feeding stray cats stirred a hornet’s nest and kept us busy for some time.And then came barking dogs @ midnight and hot words were again exchanged.

 And soon we all lost patience and consideration for each other, our sense of cooperation and our empathy towards others challenges.

 And the mosquito menace and frequent snakes invading our campus made people even more edgy. MC must take more stringent measures, we demanded vociferously!

 And in the women’s group, people accused each other of maid poaching, offering higher incentives & salaries and rescheduling timings without any consideration to other fellow residents.Garbage disposal became another reason for people to get angry at each other. And the ‘Galeej Gurus’ had the unenviable task of confronting erring residents and having unpleasant and difficult conversations.  Whats App messages were not nice to read in the least.

And I also found out that folks who lived abroad in countries with far stringent garbage disposal norms were the most difficult nuts to crack.

 And despite all such misunderstanding we always managed to execute some very good cultural programs during Onam, Pongal Diwali, Christmas & New Year, Holi and during Republic days and Independent days.

 The Sobha Palladian Management committee got formally elected  and a few new rules ruffled people’s feathers. Work timings of artisans and gate pass issues were main sources of arguments.

 Then the AGM and a special meeting saw the community dive into factions, and we saw some ugly discord.  3BHK vs 4BHK maintenance charges triggered the debate and other hotly argued topics followed.A strong advisory note and an inspection letter to clear the common area of shoe stands, garden pots, bicycles and other odds and ends drew a lot of wrath. I noticed frequent bitching session between people and some irate residents  took to WA to strongly vent out their feelings.

 So, what went wrong with people. They were the same ones with whom we had pleasant conversation, shared food during Onam and Diwali and danced with then during Holi!

Did the devil throw a Hex on us ??

 And slowly, our society was splitting in many ways.

The South Indian maamis made their own group, the middle aged north Indian ladies had their own CUGs, the actively retired folks and some elders ran the MC with an iron hand, the forties folks exerted their defiance, and the kids added to the commotion with their reckless playing.

 And kids caught up with their parents and went one step ahead. Some went physical and one kid even caught the throat of another!

 And very soon we were no longer a happy peaceful bunch.

And people generally started bitching just about everything.

 And then came along COVID 19!

And the lock down and the subsequent phases of ‘lift-ups’ only aggravated the situation and further exposed our underbelly!And people got frustrated sitting in their homes.

And instead of these challenging times uniting people together, it brought out the dark side of our profile.

 It was not nice to see & read Whats App fights between the MC folks and tennis & gym & sports enthusiasts.People openly disobeyed MC guidelines, flouted the social distancing guidelines, played cricket, and challenged the authorities.And the conversations over a torn fence around the tennis court was in bad taste.

 So, what happened to us.Why and when did we drift apart.Why do we escalate every issue into proportions resembling a national calamity?

 Why have we all turned ourselves into clones of Arnab Goswamy??

“Indian wants to know how & why the exit gate got damaged !! Responsibility needs to be fixed!!!”

 And as our PM would say,

Aur mein un tamaam 130 karode deshwasiyon sey pooch tha hoon,” Kya yeh theek hai ki Sobha truck haamaaara saara saamaan, khulley aam uthakar ley jaye??”

 “And I want to reach out to all the 1.3 billion Indians and ask , Is it fair for the Sobha truck to come and take away our possessions in broad daylight ???”

 So, why do we blow our fuse ever so soon and so frequently.

 And since I asked all these questions, I must have an answer too.

 Sure!

It is due the COVID 19.

And China needs to take the entire blame!!

 China must pay!

 MC, please file a FIR and raise a debit note on the Chinese embassy immediately!!!

 Krish..