Rukaiya's Ebike

Bought a monsoon cover for Rukaiya s ebike.

The rainy season is long past and we are into December and another six months at least for the next monsoons to begin. Then why buy it?

Well, it acts as a dust and tiny leaves cover/protector. You know the tiny ones that are like the tamarind leaves (or maybe they actually are). They fall from the trees and  lodge themselves in the  net seat cover, which is hard to clean. But that's not the only reason.

Her earlier brown coloured cover was brutally torn, ripped by some unknown person. The handicapped four wheeled vehicle itself was dragged and moved around on multiple occasions from its parking place. And I did not know who was doing it.

Then last week I happened to see from my kitchen gallery, a ground floor flat occupant of our housing society manhandling it. But before I could react to it or protest I was called by my special needs sister Rukaiya. And then later the exigencies of taking care of her 24x7 did not provide co

nducive opportunity to broach this incident 

However last Friday when I brought Rukaiya back home, I found this manhandler sitting in his parked car.  As I was parking Rukaiyas handicapped ebike he called out to me and told me - I wish you would park the vehicle a little in front...I have difficulty in turning it in reverse. I said if he brought his car into the compound in reverse he would not have to reverse his car. He mumbled about it being not feasible. I then told him that I am at home most of the day and night. If there is a problem he just has to call out to me and I would come down and do the needful.

However I complied with his request and parked  Rukaiyas ebike as to not inconvenience him. After all we live in a co-operative housing society 

I have Co operated with the Society when their technical and parking committee asked us to vacate our parking space since 1978  under our bedroom gallery of our flat  on the first floor  (then it was the sidecar scooter of my doctor brother).  This was during the paving work of the compound.  Despite it being the rainy season and despite the fact that Rukaiyas ebike was an electric, battery operated handicapped vehicle I cooperated. The ebike unsweetened suffered damage during the heavy rains due to water seepage  All in the hope that it was just a matter of days/ weeks.

But the committee had other ideas. Departing from the previous straight line parking against the compound wall they changed it to angular parking against the ground floor flats' windows 

With a triumphant look - we created two extra car parking slots a detailed pdf presentation was made justifying the change.

No thought was given to the difficulty in maneuvering the cars. The angular parking works due to sharing of open space between buildings. It works perfectly in the space between between Society s buildings Nos.3 & 4. It also works in the opens pace between our bldg no. 4 and the other bldg.no.5 because there is no compound wall there.

However, there is a compund wall halfway between the bldg no.2 and 3's open space which prevents sharing of the open space and thus prevents easy manoeuvring of cars parked on both sides. Worthy of note is that bldg. No.2 cars are parked straight one behind the other in linear fashion alongside their side of the compound wall.

Moreover the changed angular system of parking in our side of the compound open space leaves no room for Rukaiyas ebike to be transported to the two wheeler parking area in front of the bldg.

I recall my FB post of some months ago when I found Rukaiyas ebike despite the handle locked turned out from its parking space and the two wheeler of Mr.Rajesh Gandhi parked in its place. Although exigencies of Rukaiyas care prevented me from making a xomplaint I did speak to my advocate friend Mr.Harsh Desai who looked upon it as an offence under many criminal and civil laws including The Persons With Disabilities Act.

Incidentally this Mr.Rajesh Gandhi has in collusion with the housing society and many 'like minded'  persons instigated his wife Dr Ashwini Bhalerao-Gandhi to file a Suit No.174 of 2016 against my mentally challenged and physically handicapped 65 year old sister Rukaiya, my second sister Rafika Iqbal Gandhi and myself.  But today it's all free entertainment. The Life Show'.

My advocates firm M/s. Thakore Jariwala & Associates may be for all practical purposes defunct and our lawyer friend may have joined Dua Associates.... and the Suit itself may have gone into sleep mode. But as my other advocate friend said if the case comes up before an eccentric/strict judge it is quite likely that he may pass an adverse order.

This being just the tip of the iceberg without bothering much about what lies beneath I continue to strive......and evolve, hoping life will smile on Rukaiyas whilst she can still laugh.