Saturday, April 28, 2012

Ek Mithi Baat

"Make Life an Occasion".
"The Life you have dreamt of is available now".
"I, Me, My Dynasty".
"Seize the moment, add glory to your Life".
"A Wife always dreams to live like a queen".
"Come over, experience the joy of fulfillment"....

Wondering what these attractive tag lines are for? It takes a 5 minutes drive into the streets of Pune for the mystery to resolve. Real estate advertising at it's persuasive best! Gigantic hoardings rising above the streets and corners form the backdrop of Pune today. The 'assurances' these construction companies provide are mouth-watering, mind-blowing and soul-agitating. No matter in which part of the city you are in, you can surely not miss this fiesta of real estate.

What's wrong with it? So much. There are few people who really have the money to afford these homes. But the majority are those who continue to dream about that 'dream home'. Real estate is an every day topic for the young IT crowd of Pune. And how can it not be? They are the hot targets of these construction companies. All routes to the IT parks are just flooded with these frames of advertising.

Not going into the extensive details of 'how greedy builder's are manipulating real estate market' or 'how people are stretching their financial limits to buy these homes', as a 3 month old Puneite I just have the feeling that this is all wrong. Every time I see a huge hoarding blocking my view of something behind, it irks me. And sometimes when I see a lot of them in white paint marked 'Contact Shubham or Call Swapan', I really wish I could call Super man to strike a hole across them.

So this is for you - "Ek Mithi Baat, a dream home within reach", I know you are bluffing. It is not as easy as you have made it sound. I want my blue sky and horizons back.