Transcendance 13 ::: Learnings from a Dead Doggy

Prelude :: I got the news from Anoo over phone (I have to attend the call at least from her, right ??) that her Grand mother is quite serious who lives with her periappa quite close to our house, in kodambakkam itself....She told me the news and suggested we can go and meet her in the evening....I felt like visiting her at once and took a one hour break.....!! The lady is frail and week....we may get the news any time....Will be going again in the evening by 8 PM along with anoo and madhoo.....
Dear Gowri,
Do you imagine one can learn too many lessons but still can end up a dozen of unanswered questions ? Imagine my fate who bumped upon a series of experiences today just because I could not resist an intution to go the next stage of my probe.....At last all my probe and progress to subsequent stages resulted in...... BETTER READ IT YOURSELF....
Today morning, I left Madhoo in her paatu class - we were slightly late and reached it at 11.10 AM only and I was supposed to pick her back at 12 Noon..... I normally reach back home, take some rest (what else a lazy person will do) and go once again to fetch her....Madhoo is particularly fond of my picking up her and prefer me over her mother because, Anoo is normally late in reaching the class...Be it picking up daughter from class OR reaching her own school where she works as a teacher OR to give a lift to her hubby from Railway station where he reaches tired and weary after tough day (??) at office.....Anoo is 10 minutes late - quite consistently... This is one of the sore point that I have on her as even now, inspite of my best communication skills, I am not able to make her understand the importance of punctuality and she is absolutely not guilty about utilising the IST - the grace time available any where and every where in our country....
Now, cutting my needless tongue wagging, let me come back to my home from the Music Class and on the way, I got a strong intution to visit the site of "Baba Temple" which is expected just back to my house....This was not narrated in this series but I consider it a great previlige to have this temple in closer vicinity which is a co-incidence after me visiting Shirdi roughly a month back.....and slowly turning to be his devotee.....!!
I parked my scooty in front of the site and when I glanced the plot of land (should be max 2 grounds), I could see the old house was completedly demolished AND hopefully the construction (excavation of soil) might get started soon after the debris clearance.....!! I reverentially entered the site where no one was there at that time....and very consciously keeping the right leg of mine imagining how I will be entering this place in 1 or two years...and how much the visit of temple could become part of my life and routine....
I walked slowly measuring the size of the plot and my eyes hit a well which was found at the end of the plot....the walls around it was also completely demolished...A curiousity welled up inside me to go and see the water level in the well as these days, we go for borewell...and to know the level of our water table at our residence area....When I reached closer and peeped into it, I was in for a mild shock....YES....there was a fully grown white coloured dog (with brown patches) lying flat in the water...and ironically the water was quite close to the brim......!! I stared at it for couple of seconds and immediately looked around but no one was there either at the plot or in vicinity....As a FROG WELL, I could not get struck what steps needs to be taken immediately when we have such unusual situations...I got reminded of a smiling face which I met just few seconds back....!! YES, just before entering the road where the temple site was present, I had witnessed a narrow miss of a NEEL FANACIA staff who in the last minute escaped from a minor hit that he could have had with a car...I was just behind the car and was feeling relieved as he jumped out of the way of the car which was going very fast...and looked at the face of the guy....who was too relieved from his escape...Both of us shared smiles .... and I was heading towards the temple site....
I impulsively took my scooty and reached that man who was hardly 50 metres away from the site who after a moment of confusion, recognised me and looked at me with raised eye brows...I narrated him about the dead dog and asked him what I should do.....OR where to report....
He told me that this must be handled by METRO (not just drinking water, they also is responsible for sewage water - I learnt it only today from the Name Board of the office) and told me where the office is it....
Believe me starting from this METRO office, I visited 4 Corporation offices today...each one different responsibile for different wards....and until 11.50 AM, I was going around west Mambalam area.....with a hope that I can do some thing to clear the dead body of the dog and save the water table of our place.....!! I originally thought I will make this posting bit shorter but now, I am tempted to write every detail of this experience....
YES, at the Metro office, after I explained them (Here there was some wisdom....I was explaining at Metro office the situation quite longer....and later I realised that I can be more effective just reporting "dog is dead inside a well in a plot of land....want to inform the concerned" is sufficient.....!! ) who directed me to CHennai municipality office and told me the route how to reach.....
I went to the office as told (the beauty is that I have never even seen these buildings all these days though I keep travelling in and around them so many times all these days) ...and the fellow there asked me a historic question "is the plot in this side of the road OR that side of the road?" when I gave him the road in which the plot is located.....!! YES, I learnt from him that he is responsible for the left side of the road only and the areas adjoining it...
I was through out cool....!! I asked him where I should go to report ..for which after a thought he told it could be either ward 123 or 124...and told me the locations of the two offices which are in two different sides of my resi area...Deciding to take the shortest distance first, I visited the Corporation office and there was a worker at the entrance who asked me what is it about...Hearing me, he murmured impatiently...."they are going to ask money only from you...why do you want to go up to the office "(The office was in I floor)....
I stopped and turned at him and told "Let it be so....Now I am understanding Indian Movie better sir.....!! I will report to them....let me see it for myself how they behave...after all, it will be a good proof for me to see it for myself on whether they do some thing without taking any money from me"....The man looked at me and coiled up "OK boss...you go up"...
I reached above and met a man who was sitting outside the office...appeared to be a staff..sipping his tea; hearing me, he guided me to go to an office which is not the second option given by the earlier guy.... I simply looked at him and asked patiently...."please tell me if you have any record / map to show what you are telling is true...The earlier guy was telling me to go to another office in case this area does not belong to your office...now you are saying some thing else...."....He appreciated my question and explained calmly....he literally drew the map of the junction from which the road of the temple (proposed) get started and told me that his office is scoped to be responsible only upto the main road and its left side...(my unfortunate road is in right)...
Then I shot back my next question...."How do we people know all these things..To day I have time to enquire and search for it...but otherwise ??"...He gave me answer quite responsibly....In the name board of every street which is in Yellow background (black fonts), please look for the Ward Number which is clearly written...We need to go that office only for any work to be done in terms of maintenance....This was a learning to me.....but still the address of office is not any way written in the name board.... (I myself discovered that there are at least 5 Corporation offices in walkable distance from my home....today!!)
This man - perhaps he was free - told me he will join me and have a look at the place himself...he hopped in my scooty and asked me why I am interested in this...I told him one lie and one truth....trying to be practical...
I told him I am a local resident couple of streets away (did not reveal that I am just behind the site) but the truth I told was that a Sai Baba temple is going to come up in this & I visited jut to have a look at the site....as I was a devotee...!! I also casually told him that my aim was just to report and to see how our Government is operating and I was not prepared to pay any thing... if demanded...
This person matter of factedly told me back that if it comes with in his area he will organise the clearing himself (he can very well tell this now...because he knew it was not his area....and he is not going to lose any money which is unearned any way !!); we reached the site and I found a motor cycle standing at the site....I realised they are people appointed to clear scraps / debris who were estimating the total volume of scrap material...They appeared to have seen the dead body of dog but understandably they did not care...totally focussed on estimating the total heaps of debris....with their eyes...!!!
This gentle man who accompanied me too paid a visit inside the well along with me...and condoled the death of the dog by sighting it...and told me to go to ward no.124 office and confirmed me the same with the number written below the street name...I thanked him, left him back at his office and headed towards home....He gave me a clear understanding of the process hinting me of what could happen....I had to fill up a form and submit it based on which they will do the needful...
I reached my home with a mixed feelings and thoughts...I did not mind going to another office but I was sure to shell out couple of hundred rupees (could me more also) if I had taken more initiative....!! BUT, I was also sure that the person who is working on creation of the building will any way do this....but there is a question how early he will know and take steps ??
I told Anoo the whole of the incidents, and asked her what I should do ?? She suggested me to drop going to one more office....as a pracitcalist...who did not realise the implication of a dead body inside water....perhaps, she was confident about not getting affected as we drink "metro water" and have a high class Reverse Osmosis system at home.....
The only initative I took on the dead doggy is to write an obituary in the web world which is going to get into the tonnes and tonnes of "word" debris that is getting accumulated every day...rather every second...MAY THE DOG REST IN PEACE.....after it gets identified and cremated / buried properly.....!! I have few thoughts / questions on the whole of incident...

(1) It appears that the corporation offices are stand alone....can't simple passing on of information not possible amongst them....If buying a computer for each of the office is too much costly for them, they can think of having some much cheaper communication system (I really dont know...it could be a personal messenger..who is the cheapest in India, right ??)

(2) Just in case some citizen takes any initiative to do what I wanted to do, should he pay for it ?? I am not talking the contribution that a citizen does in terms of his time, energy and the fuel of his vehicle...The way I was asked to go to different office without any emotions was very clear that they are incapable of doing any thing more than that....(they can at least offer me their phone....so that I can inform the other office....For that, they should have an index of telephone number of all the local corporation offices AND it should be easily retrievable and made available to the visitors like me....Worst case, they did not even suggest me to call the number from a telephone.....(I too did not get struck I can do it....any way, I did not carry my cell phone...in fact I did not have a single rupee of money with me...that made me very confident and straight faced)

(3) Is it the responsibility of the owner of the plot only to take some action in civic interest ?

(4) should he pay for it necessarily....in addition to the regular charges and fees that he might be paying ?
(5) Are the corporation office employees not getting paid any salary ?? what will they do if no dog die on a particular day ?? (Please do not laugh, I am really concerned how desparate they will become if they get used to such extra income on regular basis)
(6) Why can't the ONYX or NEEL METAL FANATIA asked to do such additional specific works also ? they can be compensated based on submission of proof....over and above the normal efforts required.....
(7) at least can't such contracts made with external agencies include a simple clause that they will matter of factedly report such instances themselves to the Corporation office (I mean the right one ) ? Is the implementation going to be so difficult considering the fact it is a private operator ?
(8) Will I be capable of having a quick tour around Mambalam every time when I face such incidents ? What would be my reaction / response just in case I happen to sight a dead dog during a working day OR on a day when I have some thing to do....??
(9) Did I visit so many offices out of sense of civic responsibility OR because of selfish interest ....EITHER because it was in the site of my BABA temple or closer to my house.....OR I did every thing because of the sympathy for the dog's soul ???
(10) What ever be the response for question no.9, why I did not complete the loop ? Was I craving for a particular response from anoo when I calmly narrated the whole story to her ? Did she suggest me to drop it because she felt like being with me some time at least on week days...and not liking me to get out on some thing which is not of benefit to her or our home ?
(11) India is continuously projected to be a super power of the future, will the changes that will be required to happen at the grass root level happen drastically OR it will be a gradual evolution ?? By any chance, we may end up as super power with such basic things remaining as it is also ??
(12) What is the state of the doggy's corpse right now ?? Has it started stinking OR it has been cleared already.....??
Suchoo