All is Well .... Think Again ?
Arvind Usretay
Management / HR consulting - Growth/Client/ People Leader | Top HR Consulting Voice | ICFAI - ISB alum | Ex WTW, EY | Multi industry experience
About ten days ago , my wife and I sat discussing if we should move our residence closer to our son's School ... While the answer otherwise was an emphatic 'yes' it would also mean letting out our own house on rent and then finding one for ourselves too . We debated but in the end we decided to go for it ... It was worth it ... And in Mumbai definitely.
Soon I was browsing popular property sites and making posts .... And in no time I was flooded with calls ... most from property brokers .... Heck ! I did not disallow brokers from contacting me . I said let me go with it .. I might get my job done sooner ...... Ordinarily these events should not lead to much news but what they did was to expose the dark underbelly of the neighborhood that we live in . Not that all was news to me but first hand experience is always more telling. Without naming an individual , I share some comments , questions from different individuals - all educated (or rather literate) , financially well placed, working for professional organizations , running successful businesses etc.
Experience 1 - This is when I went about house searching for my own self .. I was subjected to several interrogations !!
Q - Do you have a family ? ... Yes I do. ( I did not drop from the heavens !! ). To all who have gone house hunting as bachelors & spinsters , you would know what I mean ) Luckily I am married and my wife is a teacher and I made full use of that fact to generate some respect for 'us' and quickly move to the next question
Q - Are you a non-vegetarian ? ... I could be , but how does it affect anyone else. This is a show-stopper .... SORRY we do not give our house on rent to non vegetarians !!! (Even if I agreed to not cook meat at home ... NOT ALLOWED) What's going on ? Cant I eat what I want to .. .... Yes you can but then you are not welcome ....
Q - Will you need parking ? .. We do not allow parking to 'tenants' . Even if there is a reserved slot with the flat 'not allowed' .... What sense does that make ???
Q - Owners are not preferring South Indian families ? Which State are you from ? Are you a Maharashtrian ?...... I lost my State identity many years ago. I have lived in 9 Indian cities now and follow about 10 languages ...
Then the one which hit us hard .... This one came from a broker on phone
Q- "Sir I have a flat but they will not give it to Muslim .You must be a Hindu?"
Both my wife and I were not quite prepared for this one ... I had read 'news items' of celebrities unable to find accommodation in Mumbai due to their religious preferences ... But here I was experiencing it myself ....
I was forced to think .. What if I had been a Muslim ? How would I feel ? I wonder what kind of experiences some of our expat friends have ?
Nevertheless , we did find a place after some searching ...... where the landlord did not meet us to see how we looked , or ask questions about our food preferences and assured us that I could park my vehicle within the compound . Happy Ending !
Experience 2 - Cut to the other story .. I was receiving calls left right and center from brokers who wanted to bring potential clients to show my apartment ... and I had to interview for that too .... several times over ....
Q - The usual questions about bachelors/ spinsters & non-vegetarians
Q - Sir Will you allow pets ?
Q - Will you accept rent in cash ? .... psst .. the taxman maybe around ....
And then the BIG one ...
Q - Sir does your society allow Muslim families ?
How can such an 'unlawful' act be so organized as a "Housing Society" deciding to not allow Muslim families to rent an apartment in the Society ?? Frankly I was shocked that such deep divides exist and so close to us. In many cases we have known these exist and yet chose to look the other way pretending - "All is well"
In reality we are a deeply divided society - basis food, religious choices, social causes , marital status , community , dressing , profession or just about anything else ......... Unfortunately , many of the individuals involved , are employers, or managers or other senior executives at corporations , who pride themselves of being "EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERS".
I wonder how the very same individual can uphold the virtue at office and not care for it elsewhere ? Or maybe there is no such thing as "Equal Opportunity".
ALL IS PROBABLY NOT WELL .....
Vice President at Cornerstone International Group.Global Strategic Leadership Advisory| C-Suite & CXO Search| Enabling Companies & Leaders Achieve Their True Potential|
9 年Such a disappointing trend. Sad.
Education Sector Strategy & Solutions, Government Consulting, Public Policy & Program Management
9 年All too familiar these questions are having been there done that in my quest to find a suitable landlord willing to rent out to a family. Its questions like these you wouldn't expect in Mumbai - the so called bastion of modern society in India. Surprisingly I rarely faced this is the other cities I have lived in including abroad.
Talent Advisory at Leadership and Senior levels in B2C domain
9 年I commend you for writing this Arvind. Your observations are like hitting the nail on the head. There are deep rooted divides and biases in our Indian Society. And worst of all, these are also prevalent in our so called 'modern city societies', where educated people reside. I belong to a minority community too and have been subject to various discriminations throughout in life. Having to fight for your right to live where you want, eat what you want.....and I am a citizen of this country ! Its really pathetic.
Clients and Markets growth leader | KPMG | Financial Services
9 年disappointing trend
Revolutionizing Businesses with Agentic AI | Building Bionic Organizations | Expert in Exponential Consulting & Autonomous AI Systems | Management & AI Consulting | AI Co-Pilots| Results as a Service
9 年Sad to say the least ... I was asked a similar question just because my name is Khanna