[Reader-list] Colonial Gatecrashing

[Sopan Joshi]

This is in response to Joy's posting "Gates":

ours was the corner house. so when the good people of
our Delhi "colony" decided that security depended on a
tall, heavy iron gate--just the sort that Joy
mentions--it came up just outside our very own 'main
gate'. the gate was constructed by one of the
gentlemen residing in the colony who, i think, was in
the construction business. the stalwart who guarded
this gate was over 50, had a wrinkled face, and used
to walk with a limp. he could barely carry the weight
of his lathi.

one day the gate came down upon the chowkidar and
smashed his head. he died. the gentleman who had got
the gate constructed handled the matter with the kind
of concern and dexterity that one associates with
Delhi Police. he paid some compensation to the
chowkidar's wife and blamed the man who had welded the
gate. some concerned people in the colony also
contributed.

a few days later, we shifted to another colony. this
house is on the main road. so no gates have to be
negotiated. but the gate is three two houses away. and
the chowkidar here is a young man with the first
inklings of facial hair.


--- joy at www.sarai.net wrote: > For the first time in
my life I found that to be
> short in height is 
> definitely useful. For the last few years’
> residential areas in Delhi started 
> installing gates at almost every corner of the
> streets. 10 feet high gates 
> with solid iron rods. Designs seem to be inspired
> from Hollywood war films. 
> Every gate splits open for the cars etc. but they
> are mostly closed except 
> for very few. It is almost a living puzzle game to
> find the exact gate which 
> is open to enter or exit. The gates which are closed
> they have a small 
> opening of 4ft. by 2ft. for the pedestrians. These
> gates are useful for 
> various kinds of people. One I have already
> mentioned. Second are those 
> people who suffer from identity crisis can stand in
> front of the gate and 
> boost their ego as almost every person bows in front
> of him/her. Tall Indians 
> can feel proud remembering the sequence when Amitabh
> Bachchan emerges out of 
> similar gate of the jail in his famous film Sholay.
> Doctors can be benefited 
> from this gate as it can cause casualties to absent
> minded and rushing 
> people. Though these gates are said to be made for
> security but number of 
> locks in individual household doesn’t show respect
> to this huge gate. And 
> finally these gates can be very interesting “idea”
> to write a book, make a 
> film or paint a series.
> 
> Joy
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