OFF WITH THEIR GATES!​

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Is a gated community a misnomer?

There is a list that most Indians have; some keep it safe in the dainty little locker in rooms of their mind while some like to literally keep them treasured on a wall in their little cardboard houses. What is this list, you ask?

A good house
A good spouse
A good education for his children

You get my drift. It’s idyllic. Simple. Convenient. Convenience and simplicity have become synonymous in our lifestyle lexicon.

 

Sample this:

‘You can hear your own body pumping, gurgling and drifting off to sleep under a star-clad universe when the world is whispering in awe of your escape.’

Or the (almost) deceptively simple,

‘Another Place. Another World.’

‘Private’ housing colonies like such have become the norm, sweeping romantic Indians off their feet, sometimes quite literally, because the Italian marble floors are so slick and smooth:
Floors so smooth, you’ll want to lie on it, or lie with it, rather. You will lust after it, you would, maybe, want to lick it, but, sorry, you can’t do that. There are rules, you see. And unlike India, in this colony- named after an American/British/Greek/some ‘phoren’ place you most certainly wouldn’t know of-the rules must be obeyed. (Copywriters, are you taking notes?)

So,
‘Please do not wipe sweaty hands here.’
‘Please do not bang your rackets and bodies against the rear wall.’
‘Please do not use high-heeled sandals while walking on the running track.’

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There are, still, many takers for this kind of a set-up, and after they buy their tickets to their private jail, they lead seemingly satisfied lives. Those who do are fully conscious of what they are signing up for-a jail that insulates one them from the outside; noise, pollution, crowds, filth, madness and chaos. Escapist notions like such start cutting rather deep fissures in the public realm of the city. Urban land is not just a financial resource that it has become, but is also social and political entity. Saskia Sassen, in his essay ‘Who owns the city?’ writes about the degrading urban fabric: ‘The trend is to move from small properties embedded in city areas, crisscrossed by streets and small public squares, to projects that absorb much of this tissue of public space. This privatises and de-urbanises city space.’

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The crux of the matter is not the kind of spaces gated communes foster (well, it is. Can you turn a blind eye against the vulgar inequity of public resources such as electricity, water, food, land, etc.), but the choice one makes to virtually shun all social and public responsibilities, in order to enjoy their own lives. It is a defeatist notion; those who can leverage change by virtue of their power in society move away from it, and those who reside in it, don’t have enough leverage. Apart from this, consider the lives you lead-meeting different kinds of people, of different socio- economic backgrounds. The homogeneity of such a setup, for all the problems it encounters, creates a vibrant cultural space and dialogue (well, it should!) between all. Now consider, the culturally sterile environs of one of the kind of colonies I have discussing. Does anyone even give two hoots about cultural integrity?

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In times of trouble, Jonn Lennon would provoke us to Imagine, but I’m sure even John wouldn’t have imagined the delusional Disney Worldike imagination of our times.