Living in an Apartment - Know your Social Sensitive Index

Apartment living is common everywhere today. And according to 2011 census data, 27%* of Bangalore population lived in apartments which would have easily doubled by this time which deciphers that people are opting for investing in apartments as their preferred homes for various reasons right from affordability, availability, safety, micro families, relocation, easy accessibility, amenities and many more.

But, much more significant is ‘OUR BEHAVIOR’ in a social set up and living in a community. Are we sensitive with others privacy, choices, cooperation and discipline! Are we looked up as good neighbours! What is the perception we build within the community we live in! Perception solely depends on how we have been behaving consistently.

This is important because majority of the apartment complexes are built in a limited area with small space expanses in between which also leads to many snubbed behaviours.

Social sensitive behaviour index is rated on below overlooked common behaviours in a community:

1.Quack-Quack in common area: Most commonly seen. It does look awkward if voices raise and conversations go with no full stop.

2.Noisy neighbours – Exchange of discourses can be recorded from outdoors. Speaking is different from creating noise and it is certainly a nuisance when heard outside your doors. Few music lovers make it so evident that playing music with amplifiers with ear splitting decibels is another oblivious behaviour. Addition to this is noise from children. It is disturbing to your neighbours if they are screaming, dropping things, or rolling toys on floor or any disruptions whose result is noise.

3.Clean inside filthy outside – Many complain of casting the garbage either in common area, or throw things downstairs either to road or out of window if living upstairs. Accompanying this comes a bigger issue of non-segregation of dry and wet waste, the only reason being irresponsibility of residents. Because of few recklessresidents, others too are penalised for such acts.

4.Someone’s job is none’s job – Saving electricity and water is everybody’s job. Irrespective of number of people in each apartment, sharing comes as equal. So, saving becomes a group accountability.

5.Smoking is injurious inside homes too – Another annoying habit of few residents. No doubt it is your own home, but some habits demand you to be more cognizant about things around you and its impact within a closed environment.

6.Savoury vs stink – With all the due respect to people’s various choices, and understanding India is a democratic country, it is equally important to be sensitive about others inconvenience too when non-vegetarian food is cooked inside Indian homes. If the odour is too strong, a simple act of using fresheners or exhaust fan is certainly a caring act.

7.Elevators on hold – Elevators are meant for convenience, not for entertainment. Wait for elevators, don’t make elevators wait for you.

8.Parking discipline – Limited space with mutual optimal usage demands discipline. Parking haphazardly isn't a sign of a licensed expert.

9.Sustain your amenities – Starting from the community hall, gym, swimming pool etc should be considered as collective accountable zones.

10.Live and let live – Easy to advice, challenging to genuinely extend. It is more significant to be collaborative in a community set up as small conflicts too grow as bitter correlations.

A dwelling place is just not a financial investment. You are investing your time, fostering relationships, build memories, grow, develop and much more which is all a part of life. And as aptly said – Human is a social animal, and when we draw a territory for ourselves, it is important we recognize our radius and other’s diameter with circumference & its extension from where we live.