WOMEN IN RWAs: 9 months pregnant, but no stopping this ATS Advantage G Sec
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WOMEN IN RWAs: 9 months pregnant, but no stopping this ATS Advantage G Sec

There are more brickbats than bouquets, but never mind. Indirapuram resident Lipika Bhushan shows you how if you got the spunk, you can bring about changes in your housing society.

WOMEN IN RWAs: 9 months pregnant, but no stopping this ATS Advantage G Sec Lipika Bhushan: Forever in the thick of welfare activities within her residential complex

She may be in an advanced stage of pregnancy - she is delivering in August - and she has a 3 year old daughter already , but that doesn't stop this 36 year old Indirapuram resident from carrying out her duties as the General Secretary of the ATS Advantage AOA (Apartment Owners Association). As the only female member of this 10-member housing committee (with 2,000 odd apartments under its wings), she is out there attending resident meetings, brainstorming ideas, and implementing welfare schemes day in and day out.

It isn't an easy job, of course, when you are also a busy marketing consultant in the publishing industry. But she has always loved doing things for the greater good. But it wasn't by choice that she became an official in the  residential welfare body. "Fellow residents pushed me into it. In fact, I filed for nomination only on the last day," she says. And why wouldn't they? After all, she had been very vocal and active over issues concerning her residential community. "I was already in touch with GDA officials and associated with various issues," she says. That includes opposing mobile towers near the complex, greening drives and over all cleanliness. Seeing her commitment, residents "pressured" her to contest the election, and there she is, six months on the job.

The other reason for her being there is that she isn't one among the original owners of ATS Advantage. She is a second buyer, which meant she had to shell out a lot more for her apartment. "Having spent so much, I naturally expected things to be in order. But that wasn't really the case. To begin with, there was no residential body. So the first challenge was to build a body of dedicated residents who have the drive to work for the community. There is no point complaining about the ills, instead one has to plunge head on to remove the ills. One has to be an active administrative official for that," she offers her nuggets of wisdom.

Being the second AOA of ATS Advantage, the first challenge as its General Secretary was to bring the house in order. To that effect, she has put systems, guidelines and rules in place. Following which, she got the builder to agree on CCTV installations in the basement and fences around the boundary wall. Her other responsibilities includes revenue collection for maintenance and daily interactions with residents to drive home the point that "a resident body can be truly residents' if active interraction and participatory decision making process is followed."

                                                                                     

Lipika Bhushan has even used her three year old Aadya for a campaign

 

Currently, she is engaged in persuading the builder, ATS, to offer smart access cards and boom barriers at the gate; better signages and clamping equipment for disciplined car parking; and other details like repainting the buildings and greening the environment.

Does she get compliments for her work? Bhushan smiles. Or is that a sigh? "Sure it is nice to receive compliments, but as it happens, there are more complaints. Often people do not respect my time and privacy. Residents call at all odd hours to crib or to sort out issues," she says.

Besides, any new initiatives are met with disapproval. Removing encroachments by the vegetable vendor and the chaiwalla from outside her society gates had residents complaining that she had removed two very important 'conveniences'. "As a matter of fact, removing them have altogether stopped cases of chain-snatching!" she explains.

Other brickbats follow. When Bhushan, following residential bylaws, fixed time limits for tennis or basketball training in the common area, there was a huge outcry. Similarly, when a rule was introduced for one-way lane driving within the complex, residents cried fowl.

But Bhushan wouldn't be intimidated. "More women should participate in the male dominated residential welfare bodies. They shouldn't just be restricted to looking after cultural affairs," she says. In fact, she believes, women are multi-taskers, better than men at handling job, family and other affairs simultaneously.

Of course, a supportive family helps. There has been times when she has been away on AOA work for hours leaving her little girl home to the care of her hubby. "The poor guy has been great. But my career has been taking a backseat. I have slowed down."

The next election is due in December and Bhushan isn't sure yet -  with a new arrival on her lap - if she is likely to contest, but she will definitely urge fellow women residents to come forward and contest. "There is no difference in the way a woman or a man thinks; the difference lies in the method of execution," she signs off.

And that's for all the men to chew over and all the women to digest.