Scouting for the Perfect Apartment

Every week I would short-list few projects ( after researching) that I thought could be a good place to live. Saturdays and Sundays, I would take off to explore and meet the marketing folks. This was time-consuming and an energy sucker. 

On these weekly trips, I learned that there are no such things as a perfect house. Well, not when you are checking out apartments which entails community living and budget constraints. What really motivated me to look on is the idea of owning a place that is not a buck drainer. (No rent + maintenance + sundry expenses for the upkeep of another person's profit-making property.)

• The best place to begin is the internet. Scouting the many real estate portals and the newspaper advertisements gives you an idea about the prevalent rates in the different pockets of Bengaluru.
• Depending on your budget, work, and school accessibility, shortlist couple of localities.
• Decide whether you want a ready to move-in or a WIP apartment. If you have the means, choosing a WIP apartment makes sense. (You would then know the concrete details :) and plan and design your interiors.)
• Check out the builders and developers. Read their reviews and talk to people who are their customer. Remember NOT all reviews are accurate. You must also check out their previous projects.
• Minutely scan the structural design and the floor plan of the building. Ensure that the building is child friendly and disabled friendly.
• Verify that the plans and designs have governmental consents. 
• Validate the fire safety measures initiated in the building.
• Ensure that the building has a proper garbage disposal unit and rain water harvesting system in place.

School for Rote Learners

It was yet another colleague who recommended St. Thomas School to me. I did read the reviews of this school before approaching the Principal for admission. The reviews were very good. As my colleague said, students were expected to answer tests almost everyday. This, she said, ensured that lazy students are on their toes. She also praised the teachers and the Principal.

I went to this school twice and disliked the unprofessional approach. The Principal did not honor the appointment and kept me waiting for almost 3 hours. (This was unacceptable. If the head of the institution is undisciplined, I wonder what example would she set.) I thought of leaving many times but the school reviews were all positive. So, I waited for 3 hours only to be told to come the next day for talks.

Without arguing, I walked out to return the next day and only to be told to get my daughter for a test the day after. Need I say that I was seething but felt helpless.

Oashe stood open-mouthed on seeing the building. It was a 3 storey apartment like building bang in a residential area sharing a common wall with a private house. No play area. Not even a small garden. A tall ugly, monstrous building at the corner of a road.

She was tested on Mathematical ability and Creative English. I knew she had deliberately messed up her test. I wasn't expecting a positive response from the school anyways. It took me by surprise when the Principal called me after 7 days and asked me to come.

She showed me Oashe's test scripts. Her handwriting was extremely poor.  But the essay that she wrote was well written. She was asked to write about her school. I really liked the humorous way she started the essay. ( She showed me the test script of another candidate whose writing was well formed but the essay was completely bookish. No creativity.) The Principal told me that she wouldn't admit a child such as Oashe whose writing is juvenile. That was expected.

Clearly, Oashe had deliberately messed up this test primarily because there was no playground or a clean girl's washroom. The Principal refused to read her test script because her writing was bad.

The school do not encourage student to think out of box. Students are expected to mug up the text and write verbatim. A trained teacher with years of experience should be able to decipher a student's mental state from her writing. (One can always discern a hurried writing.)

I wondered why she called me to her office to say that my daughter was not selected. She could have done that over phone. I guess she wanted me to negotiate and and fall on her feet.

The Einstein Manufacturer

A large one page advertisement in the Times of India, on a Sunday sometime around November, 2011, drew my attention to the school that promised to churn out an engineer or a doctor out of your child. They call themselves techno school that follows the CBSE curriculum and also have a customized syllabus for the high school students. They also have many branches in Bangalore.

I went to meet the authorities for the details. The principal was not available on the first day I went. But   one gentleman met me ( I do not recollect his name.) He sold the form. The admission form cost Rs. 300/. And he told me the admission process.

• My daughter was required to answer a test to prove her eligibility and capability for admission to this school. ( Yes, age and her previous grade sheet was not an eligibility factor.)
• I was asked to pay Rs 20,000/ (Twenty Thousand Rupees) immediately for blocking the seat. Note, this was before the child answers the test. The reasoning was usual - many have applied and we have only xx seats available. ( Do Not Ever Fall for this Crap.)

Since I had studied the ICSE syllabus, I was a bit skeptical about the CBSE pattern of education. I asked around and checked the books. I liked the methodology. I also learnt about schools that do not really have formal affiliation to CBSE blatantly advertising as "Affiliated to CBSE Board". 

To check the authenticity of the claims of this particular school, I checked ( in November, 2011) the CBSE website. I did not find this school listed in their online directory. ( I checked today and it was there. the school did get the affiliation.) I wrote to the CBSE for suggestion and answers. I did not receive any answers but the school contacted me immediately and clarified that the NOC was under process and they also offered to return the admission form fee. Here is the excerpt of my mail to CBSE.

Good Day!

I am writing to enquire whether:

• CBSE controls false claim in advertisement. I had visited Sri xxxxxxxx Techno School (xxxxxxxxxxxx, Marathahalli, Bangalore -37.) on 20th November after seeing a 4 page advertisement on Sunday Times of India, dated 20th November. I was told by the Principal, Ms Rupa (080 64552082) that the school has received the NOC from the CBSE board.
• An Indian nationals can verify the authenticity of the affiliation status: I requested for the registration number or the NOC code from the Principal to verify the status of the school in the CBSE website. I was told that the these couldn't be divulged and that the matter is confidential.
• I am eligible to receive a response to my email from the CBSE office: I called the Regional Officer I/c:R Sundaram (http://cbse.nic.in/contact.htm) to verify the authenticity. He told me that I should check this on the website. I had also sent an email.
• I am eligible to get a written communication: I then called the office of the Chairperson and spoke to Mr. SukhDayal. He checked and told me that this school has not received the NOC.

Why I am concerned:

•  I have recently shifted to Bangalore from Pune. Getting school admission for my Class VIII (ICSE) daughter proved to be a herculean task. The fees are stupendously high.
• This particular school advertised that they would admit students from any board. Their curriculum attracted me. Primarily because, this school promised to take care of all the academic lackings and my child would not require to take extra private tution for the subject that she is not very conversant with. I paid Rs 300/ for the admission form. I would require to pay Rs. 20,000/ non refundable deposit to book the seat in case is selected. These are big money. The tution fee, I was told is 70,000/ pa and would increase by 10% every year.
• The reason, I took pain in contacting the CBSE and writing to you is, I am tired of running around for my daughter's admission. I wanted a school that would recognize her talents and train her accordingly. Most school do not.
• No schools were willing to take a class VIII student in the middle of the term.

Please let me know what I should do. I realized that good schools are only for the rich and the elite.

I thought I should write to you since I am an Indian and I wish to continue to live in this country and want my daughter to pursue her studies here.

Kind regards,

The reason I went about trying to verify the affiliation claims of the school was, Oashe was in the high school-soon-to-appear-for the 10th board examination. Having read about schools that were de-affiliated, I needed to be sure that the school was not harping false notes.

Clearly, education is a big business. No, I did not select this school. What education would my daughter get from a school that lies and harps false claims!

Why I Chose a Rural School for My Daughter

School hunting is an energy sucker. We were tired, dejected, and loosing hope. I rang my many so called friends and relatives for direction. But realized that most people are just words. No hard feelings though!

It is not that she was not getting through the school admission test. But, it was the fees that these schools demanded that deterred me. The one time development fee that these school demanded are nothing but bribe. And I stand against giving bribe.

What I learnt is one need to have a hefty bank balance to buy a good school for the child. Yes, I have used the word buy. School education is so expensive. Most schools have a fee structure starting from 50K PA + Transport + Miscellaneous expenses. The  reputed ones were beyond my modest pocket. To get your child through a reputed school, you should be willing to spend close to Rs. 2 Lpa.

Oashe completed the 1st term of class 8 from Spicer Higher Secondary School in Pune. This was a no fuss and no frill school. A regular school without the international tag but with many international facilities. And that too at 1/4th  the cost of what these so called schools with an international tag charged. She was among the top five in her class and was quite popular among her friends and teachers.

We were getting increasingly worried. My daughter ruled out studying in a residential school. My alma mater. I was skeptical about putting her in Lowry Memorial High School. But, this school is run by the same organization as Spicer High. Which meant easy enrollment with no extra charge. But I was not too confident. Primarily because the headmaster was the most unimpressive and seriously lacked broad vision. Nevertheless, I had to choose between going through an ICSE school or change the school board and opt for a CBSE. Having studied and taught in  ICSE affiliated school, I was partial.

Coming back to Lowry Memorial, this is an old school. I couldn't get any reviews from the web about this school. I asked a couple of colleagues at work about this school and they gave a glowing feedback. They recommended this school highly.

( Note: Never pay heed to other's recommendation unless you are sure and completely aware of their attitude and lifestyle. I chose a school for my daughter based on the recommendation of  few people at work with orthodox upbringing.)

That's how she went to Lowry Memorial. (I guess those were the most unhappy few months for her.) Seeing her depressed, I was getting worried. But, I realized that it was OK to let her through Lowry. She needed to learn about patience and tolerance and witness the other side of life. She witnessed how the orthodox functions. She became self dependent.

Lowry memorial was an experience that left a bad taste in my mouth too. We do not need teachers with just an arm long degree. We need teachers with the right attitude to guide the students.

My next post will be about one particular school that promises to churn out Einstein of your child.

School Woes

Oashe had good grades and was among the top five in her class. I was always confident that she would get admission in a good institution without any fuss. But, I was in for some major heart stopping moments.

I realized that school education is not at all about a students grade but more about her parent's salary and designation. Most schools ignored my daughter's grade card ( She scored about 92% in the 1st term in Class 8.) and instead looked more interested in what I earn, how I earn and from where I earn.

I approached about 7 schools in Bangalore. ( Note, all these schools are well known and reputed.) These schools conducted a perfunctory written test. When my daughter answers the test, I would sit in the office of the school administrator. The administrator would let out the "mandatory" fee that  I should pay before the test result. This is a six figure amount. This amount could vary depending upon how my daughter fares in the written test. Which meant that this amount would reduce marginally if she scores exceptionally well or it may increase manifold in case she flounders. I wasn't overtly worried about Oashe's performance. I later realized that this performance test is a wonderful tool that is cleverly manipulated to extract a huge capitation fee.

(She was selected in all these schools. The only school where she was rejected was St. Thomas and that's because she had deliberately messed up her test. The reason she gave was lack of playground and basic girls washroom. Will write on this school experience too. Stay tuned. )

I did not send my daughter to any of these reputed schools in the first few months of our move. I chose a lesser known school, Lowry Memorial  High School to complete her 8th grade. ( I will elaborate more on why and how I came across Lowry Memorial High School later.)

She is now in the 9th grade. But very happy in her present school, Sri Sri RaviShankar Vidya Mandir.

Looking for Rental Accommodation

I relocated to Bangalore in September,2011 and it had been very challenging from day 1. The organization that I joined here did pay my relocation expenses and a rent free accommodation for 2 weeks. 

(And nothing more. Not that I was asking for a year long rent free boarding in the company guest house.) 

I was definitely looking for tips and help in searching for an apartment that is in a well secured locality. (I guess my expectation was huge.) My budget for a 2BHK was between 10k to 15k per month. I devoured the various real estate site and nothing that was advertised met my expectation. I had to hike my accommodation budget eventually. Which meant I had to compromise on my everyday comfort.

(Bangalore is an expensive city. Make sure you negotiate well with your employer before moving to this city. Else, your lifestyle would go for a toss. You will end up compromising on your everyday comforts.)

I got a 2 BHK in one upcoming residential area in Bangalore. The housing society was wonderful and my daughter made many friends. 

But, there were moments - water woes, break ins, leaking washroom ceiling...

For the 20K + maintenance ( 9k / Qtr) that I was shelling out every month I had to stretch my vocal cord to get minor issues fixed. That was unnerving. Who would want to wake up to dry taps and erratic water supply after a grueling day at work?

I started looking afresh for new rental accommodation.  The rents in gated communities were crazy and that's when I thought of checking out ready to move in apartments.