The Confrontation And The Turnaround

The loud calls and joyous babble of children float to my room with the cool easterlies. It's seven in the evening and the teenagers have just gathered for their daily round of football. A few young ones are cycling around the society on their gaily colored teeny weeny bicycles. Others have just left after finishing skating practice with their instructor. Some older ones would come around 8.30 for a few vigorous rounds of Badminton after their tuitions get over.
The housing society reverberates with the laughter of these exuberant children. And this is the happiest time of the day for me when I perch on the window ledge and watch the perky children play to their heart's content, without any fear of reprimand.
Unlike those days...

The Ugly Situation

The sun had just set and we were getting ready for our evening walk when our 12-year old son came rushing in, muttering agitatedly. The society management had threatened the children to stop playing inside the premises or they would call the police!

For the past few months some people in our society had been trying to prevent children from playing inside the society premises. They would come and shout at the children for 'making noise', confiscate their ball if it went into their balconies and complained even against kids cycling in the evenings when they were taking a walk. One lady resident having her ground floor flat right in front of the society lawn was particularly against the children playing there on the pretext that the kids deliberately threw their balls in her balcony and ruined her plants. Another resident who had been leased the newly renovated community hall on the other side of the lawn would scream at the children for playing in front of the kitchen since the ball sometimes landed right inside the kitchen. He had, on numerous occasions, taken away the kids' expensive footballs which they had bought after pooling in their meagre pocket money and refused to return despite the children's frantic appeals.
Reasonable or illogical, they had been raising complaints with the sole purpose of not letting the children play in the society lawn but the management threatening to call the police to tackle 10-12 year olds! How could they dare?
My son's ashen face jolted me hard. I asked my husband to come with me. We had to take this step. For our kids.

The Confrontation

We went to the society office and asked the management what the problem was. They repeated the complaints of the other residents, about the noise disturbing the people and the kids' balls spoiling the greenery and damaging windowpanes and car windscreens. We agreed that it was a genuine problem if the residents were being put to inconvenience or things were being damaged but the children did realize their mistake and agree to paying the hefty fine that was imposed for breaking a window pane, didn't they? And why hadn't the management informed the parents when damages occured in the first place, we asked. The secretary retorted rather arrogantly that he didn't consider it necessary to inform the parents. On top of that, he suggested cheekily that the children should go to the gym park half a mile away instead of raising ruckus inside the society premises. 
'Go to the gym park at this hour! Do you really think it's safe for the children to go there at night especially when there's so much of traffic on the roads?' I was aghast at his reckless suggestion.
'No sir, that is out of question! Why should they go anywhere else when we have so much space here! And tell me, were their misdemeanors so grave that the lady and the hall lessee kept on harassing them everyday? Why did the management side with only the older residents without even trying to understand the point of view of the children?' I questioned them. The secretary cooly replied that he considered all the children as his own and that's why he had admonished them to correct their mischievous ways. 'Oh yes! In India we do consider all the children in the mohalla as our own and call it our right to scold them without even informing the parents but do we call the police when our children make mischief?' I am normally an even-tempered person not prone to aggression so easily but at that moment I couldn't prevent myself from speaking rather angrily.
Now he was on the defensive, 'No no, I didn't mean to call the police. I wanted to just warn the kids but I was not actually going to do it.' he said sheepishly. 'No sir, you did mean it. It's not the first time our children have been threatened like this. Police was actually called a few years ago too and some children were forced to even sit inside the police jeep. If their parents had not arrived just in time, you would have sent the teenagers to the police station!', I spoke relentlessly now. 
'Don't you think our children have as much right to the society land and facilities as the other residents? Where else can they go to play if not play here? Moreover, children are often forced out of their play area whenever parties and functions are organized on the badminton court, so how about their playtime and fitness being compromised? Besides, doesn't it cause any trouble to the residents when loud music blares from evening till late night? Tell me sir, do you want the kids to give up playing, remain glued to their computers and grow up as unhealthy and unfit adults? Think about it sir, the society certainly looks more vibrant with children gaily playing around. Or do you want the society to be a place for the oldies only, noiseless but dull and lifeless?'

The Solutions

'But madam, what about the damage to society and residents' property? How can we allow that?' the president knew he was losing the case but he was a tough nut, he wouldn't let the matter go out of his control so easily. 
'No sir, we can't and we should not.' I conceded a little ground since he was on the positive track now. 'The children will play here only, there're no ifs and buts on that. But we can surely find ways to avoid damage to anyone's property. The lady can be asked to protect her plants by covering her balcony with plastic mesh. You can get metal grills fixed outside the kitchen window so that the kids' footballs don't land into the pots and pans. But at the same time you have to ensure that the lessee doesn't harass the children unnecessarily and refrains from confiscating their balls and other expensive stuff.' I spoke in a firm and clear no nonsense voice. 
'As it is, we have a lot for which we can complain to the police, you know it very well, sir. The society and the lessee don't have any legal permissions to run a commercial kitchen from the premises of a residential society', my husband who had been mostly silent till now, was not going to let the matter end without striking the last blow.
'We're sorry for this unpleasant situation, madam and sir. We agree with all your concerns and in the interest of our children we will put up your suggestions for approval during the next management committee meeting', the management conceded defeat finally.
'Thank you so much Uncle, we will pay for the loss if there is any damage to anyone's property despite these measures', the visibly relieved children promised with renewed hope.

Happy Ending?

Kadam Chhota, Change Bada

Yes, a lot of things have changed after that day. Children can now play as much as they want but lights in the badminton court are switched off at 10 to curb loud calls while playing and prevent inconvenience to people who are the 'early to bed' types. Metal grills were put up outside the windows of the community hall and kitchen so that footballs and cricket balls didn't cause any damage to the glass panes, even by accident. The lessee's contract was not renewed once it got over. The management has also, quite magnanimously, got the court area fenced with thick wire net so that the balls do not fly out of the play area. 
So did the fracas result in a happy ending? 
Not really. Minor skirmishes between the residents and the new management still keep happening but that one small step taken on that eventful day had a big long term impact on all of us. 
For the first time, we the parents asserted the power we had as equal shareholders in the society and fought for the rights of our children. The complainants learnt to calm down instead of magnifying trivial issues and also to give respect in order to get respect from youngsters. The management realized that they could not ride roughshod over the rights of younger residents and threaten them with police action just because they were older and powerful. And our children also picked up a few valuable lessons...to never accept injustice, to be assertive and fight for their rights but in a logical, calm and collected manner, to argue their case firmly but never be offensive. Also that every right entails a lot of responsibilities so they should be mindful about them too. 
Hope the lessons last our young adults lifelong. Amen.

Every change begins with a small step, whether it’s a change within your family, or the whole country! India’s hero, Padman, had its digital premiere on ZEE5, on 11th May. Don’t miss this inspiring true-life story, only on ZEE5. Download the app and subscribe now. For every subscription, ZEE5 will donate Rs. 5 towards the personal hygiene needs of underprivileged women.