Tag: mumbai

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Learn

Use RERA to your advantage when buying a Mumbai home

The RERA is a veritable boon in the hands of flat buyers in Mumbai. We explain how it helps bring greater transparency in the flat-buying process.

The real estate sector in India has been seeing some curious trends in recent years. On the one hand, there is a constant refrain from buyers that realty is too expensive to invest in at the moment. On the other hand, the luxury housing sector continues to show stable growth! Amidst talks of a slowdown in Indian realty year upon year, came the ambitious RERA (Real Estate Regulation and development Act) that was promulgated all over the country in 2017.

The RERA was created to bring in greater transparency in the house purchase process for buyers. Using RERA helps buyers become privy to all the important information they must necessarily know – flat and real estate developer credentials, project timelines, construction progress, reasons for delay, etc. The RERA is aimed at helping buyers make well-informed decisions about buying Mumbai properties and investing in the right projects.

Are you a first time homebuyer looking to invest in an under-construction property? Here’s a lowdown on how RERA can help you pick the right flat for sale in Mumbai:

* RERA assures you that everything is laid out in black and white. The primary thrust of the RERA is complete transparency, which means that buyers must be privy to all the information they seek whenever they seek it. The Act has been worded to include every facet of the process, from initial construction to final handover of the completed Mumbai property. It also specifies the legal and construction standards that developers must uphold per project, starting with taking a RERA project number that must be clearly mentioned across advertisements, brochures, project plans, etc. This number helps buyers keep online and offline track of the project’s progress. Prior to starting the construction, the developer must give written specifications, include copies of municipal approval, land title and reservation, project timelines, etc. and adhere to the same or furnish written reasons for delays.

* New constructions are more professionally handled from now on. Since RERA specifies stiff legal penalties for inordinate and unexplained delays, developers are now more cautious about using their available funds and giving completion timelines. Smaller players in realty were earlier quite glib about several parameters, which led to delays, stoppages and huge losses for buyers. But the RERA weeds out the unscrupulous developers from the professional ones. Since real estate developers must specify problems and delays in writing, there is no scope for buyers to be left high and dry with stalled projects, or builders abruptly stopping their rent payments (in case of redevelopment projects), etc. Thus, developers are now more accountable for their projects, leading to faster completion.

* Projects are now securing funding much faster. Buyers are now confident about investing in 1 BHK flats in Mumbai, or luxury 2 BHK flats in Mumbai, since every new project must be licensed and approved by RERA. In turn, an approved project automatically increases its own chances of getting home loan funding. This is good news for those buyers who wish to secure home loans for buying flats for sale in Mumbai. Meanwhile, real estate developers are also able to secure funding to start and finish the construction when there is RERA certification for the project.

(Featured image courtesy https://blog.ipleaders.in/stalled-projects-rera/)

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Tips

Daily TipSheet: How to deal with the monsoon

The monsoons have arrived – and so have mud stains, seasonal colds and dampness. Here’s how you deal with the monsoons.
Team Metrognome | editor@themetrognome.in

#1 Wear the right footwear. Stay away from flip flops. They are responsible for the back of your trousers or dress getting a million muddy droplets. Wear boots or slippers secured with a strap, so that the back of the shoe does not fly against your foot when you walk.

#2 Deal with the mud stain as promptly as possible. This is how you do it: wait till the mud dries on the fabric completely. Now scrape it off using a spoon or a blunt object, but don’t press the mud into the fabric. Turn the fabric inside out and flush the stain with cold water. Once the stain has lightened, soak it in detergent or a stain removing powder (Vanish and Surf Excel work really well, we find) for two hours. Remove, squeeze out excess water and wash as you normally do.

#3 Getting ahead of the cold. You will find that your nose tickles and you develop a sudden cold as the weather turns. Relax, this is your body’s way of dealing with the drop in temperature and rise in humidity. But you will need to boost your immunity this season, so brew ginger tea (steep freshly cut ginger in hot water for two minutes), eat fresh pudina chutney with your food and get lots of rest.

#4 Hair and skin care. Your hair and skin will most likely become limp and oily during the monsoon season. If you have oily hair and no time to wash it, try dusting baby talc into your scalp to soak the excess moisture. Do not condition your hair, unless it is a water-based one that does not leave a sticky residue. Oily skin can be treated with pulp of a ripe tomato, or fresh potato pulp.

#5 Fungal infections will strike. Fungal infections of the nail and skin on the feet are common, especially if you wear the same shoes every day. These infections can cause nail and skin discoloration, and the nail may even come away loose from the nail bed. Soak your feet in water infused with vinegar or lemon juice to kill the infection. Dry your feet thoroughly, apply some anti-fungal foot powder and see a doctor if the nails are painful or easily breakable.

Do you have a monsoon-related tip to share? Tell us, and we will feature you on this page! Write to us at editor@themetrognome.in or on our Facebook page.

(Picture courtesy https://www.skymetweather.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Showers-in-Mumbai2.jpg)

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Film

Review: Partu

This week’s release is defined by good performances and excellent camera work relating a moving true story about a lost young boy.
by Ravi Shet

Rating: 3 out of 5

This is a true story of a lost boy from Rajasthan who finds his moorings in a remote village in Ahmednagar.

A seven-year-old boy, Prithvi, arrives in Mumbai from Rajasthan with his uncle Prem Singh to enjoy the city for a few days. But on a crowded train station in Mumbai when the child is returning home, Prithvi gets separated from his uncle and ends up taking the wrong train. Soon, he reaches Ahmednagar, where he knows no one and doesn’t know Marathi, the local language.

Laxman (Kishor Kadam), a poor farmer along with his wife Sugandha (Smita Tambe) help Prithvi and take him to their home. Laxman struggles to find Prithvi’s family; however he fails and finally decides to raise Prithvi with his family and names him ‘Partu’. The child soon adapts to his new family and surroundings, and also learns how to speak Marathi and adjust to local rituals and routines.

 

17 years later, Partu (Saurabh Gokhale) is now 24 years old. Completely tied to his home with the love and affection from his adoptive father Laxman and his family, Partu has almost forgotten about his past. But Laxman still hopes that Partu will find his own parents one day. Meanwhile, Partu is married to Gayatri and settled in the same village with Laxman and his family. On a pilgrimage, Laxman manages to find out where Partu’s hometown is in Rajasthan.

Director Nitin Adsul does a commendable job in bringing a true story to the screen, and also uses the real Partu in the end credits of the film. The overall pace of the film is fine, but some scenes go on interminably. Sanjay Khanzode’s camera work is excellent – Rajasthan has been beautifully captured in this film. As far as the performances are concerned, the ever-reliable Kishore Kadam leaves his mark, and so does Smita Tambe. However, Saurabh Gokhale is miscast as Partu and is not at all impressive in the titular role.

(Picture courtesy marathimovieworld.com)

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Watch

Benedict Cumberbatch comes to Mumbai

…via a live screening of his new play, ‘Hamlet’ at the Godrej Dance Theatre, the NCPA, this evening and tomorrow.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The man who took the world by storm by playing the titular role in the BBC One series Sherlock is in Mumbai. Well, not really. For those who are suffering from Benedict Cumberbatch withdrawal symptoms (S04 of Sherlock screens not before next year), the NCPA has a bit of a repreive.

Cumberbatch can be seen at the NCPA this evening and tomorrow as he portrays Hamlet in the Barbican production of William Shakespeare’s most popular play, ‘Hamlet‘. The play will be screened for audiences at the venue. For the uninitiated, the story of Hamlet goes thus: ‘As a country arms itself for war, a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father’s death but paralysed by the task ahead, Prince Hamlet rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the State.’

 

The British actor has won rave reviews for his portrayal of the Prince of Darkness, in a return to theatre alongside a trailblazing career in film and television. The play has now stopped production in the UK while the lead actor returns to his film duties in Hollywood, but it is being screened all over the world in association with the National Theatre Live.

Head to the Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA today, Friday, November 11, 2015 and tomorrow Saturday, November 12, at 7 pm. Tickets cost Rs 500.

(Picture courtesy www.telegraph.co.uk)

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grey space

Wedding season nears for senior citizens

The wedding season is upon us. Senior citizens, too, will get a shot at wedded bliss in a December event.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It is every person’s dream to find the right partner and settle down in matrimonial bliss. If we cannot find true love, our parents do the job for us! But what happens to those who are in the autumn of their lives? If they are alone and in need of a companion, where can they go find one?

Sailesh Mishra
Sailesh Mishra

This is where excellent events such as an upcoming ‘wedding and companionship mela’ for seniors comes in. Hosted by Rotary Club of Mumbai, Nariman Point and The Metrognome’s content partners Silver Inning Foundation, the ‘Jeevan Saathi Sammelan’ is being held to encourage single seniors to find a partner for marriage or for a live-in relationship.

Singles will be encouraged to find a suitable partner and initiate a relationship on the spot. “They can meet at the venue, exchange contact details if they think they want to take things forward. It is up to them to get married in the future, or have a live-in relationship. We are also encouraging people to come find a companion at the Sammelan. Many people come seeking constant companions, not a romantic relationship,” explains Silver Inning founder Sailesh Mishra.

Silver Innings had hosted a similar event in 2013, to stupendous success. “We had people coming from interior parts of Maharashtra, and there was a huge crowd at the gates. We insist on a proper registration process and the application form is pretty detailed. Applicants must also give supporting documents when they mention their status: divorcees must submit a copy of the divorce certificate, for example,” Sailesh says.

His learning from the previous event was that women participants are more careful about choosing their prospective partner, and that they look for financial security. “The women mostly wanted marriage, while the men wanted live-in relationships,” Sailesh says.

The Sammelan will be held on December 13, 2015 at Dadar. Watch this space for more details on how to register.  

(Picture courtesy www.mid-day.com. Image is used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Deal with it

Resolution for Diwali: Stop preparing for imaginary guests

We have so many items stashed away for ‘when guests will come’ that we have forgotten to enjoy our own possessions.
Pooja Birwatkarby Dr Pooja Birwatkar

The pre Diwali mood has already set in all over the city. Everyone is busy sprucing up their homes, cleaning out their wardrobes, throwing out broken items and washing their curtains.

Cleaning is therapeutic for many of us. It is an amusing activity that makes us see how much stuff we have hoarded all year, how many items we had misplaced and overlooked. Diwali cleaning is especially disturbing to those who are compulsive hoarders. Most of us cannot resist sales and bargains, where we buy things in bulk and never even use them.

We also have a strange habit of buying things and then packing them away for ‘future use’. Be it beautiful crockery, bed sheets, towels, carpets, glassware, perfumes, silverware…we don’t use them, but preserve them. Rooted deep in our psyche is the philosophy that all expensive items must be used only for special occasions, when guests arrive. This means that we wait our entire lives for ‘important guests’ to arrive and give us the chance to use our cherished possessions. In the meantime, we sleep on ragged linen, eat in old plates, drink juice in steel containers and use threadbare towels…despite all the excellent stuff we have hidden away, unused.

Then Diwali comes and we realise that our expensive leather bags have wrinkled away, we are too large to fit into that costly dress, mould has gotten into the bedsheets we bought. Life has passed us by while we waited for people to show up.

Our desire to show off to our guests stops us from living for ourselves. We spend all our lives working hard – what stops us from enjoying the fruit of our labour? We base our entire lives on how people will perceive us, and so our material possessions define our reality. If you think about it, our houses in Mumbai are not even large enough to accommodate guests. The guests themselves are too busy to notice that they are wiping their faces on expensive towels or sleeping on silk sheets.

This Diwali, let’s pledge to use all the things we have stacked away. Give away the things that you have not used for over six months. The next time your child wants juice, unpack that beautiful glass tumbler. If you want, unwrap those new sheets when you make your bed today.

Let’s celebrate Diwali for ourselves first.

(Picture courtesy blog.at-home.co.in. Image is used for representational purpose only)

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