Watching the world

In Mumbai, these days, they rarely construct houses with an open balcony.

In Mumbai, these days, they rarely construct houses with an open balcony. A house with a balcony is considered an unaffordable luxury. In any case, even if builders were to provide balconies, residents would soon have them enclosed with a sliding window and iron grills. They would then proceed to pile up all the unwanted household items they can lay their hands on, into that space.

Yet anyone who has experienced the joy of standing in an open balcony and staring at the stars late into the night, or merely exchanging notes with a neighbour, will never get the balcony enclosed.

I say this with some passion precisely because I, too, have had my balcony enclosed 8212; and had it furnished with an iron grill. This has been largely for security reasons. In an earlier age, thieves confined their activities to flats on the ground floor or first floor. Today they have been known to break into flats on the third and fourth floors. So you cannot be too careful.

Most of the old balconies were constructed according to the cantilever design. They were not designed to take much load, but were meant for residents to push that well-deserved pause button after a hectic day. Mumbai denizens, however, with utter disregard to the romance of the old veranda went ahead and spent fortunes in modifying their balconies, without realising that they were actually weakening their buildings.

Until I let the side down by enclosing my balcony, I was the quintessential balcony person. I studied for all my major examinations sitting in an open balcony late into the night, staring at the sky for occasional inspiration. I managed to get reasonably good marks, incidentally.

The open balcony can be very stimulating to the mind. You can feel the fresh air on your face and reach out to touch the raindrops. It is the best location in a small flat to read your morning paper in uninterrupted calm 8212; away from the hustle and bustle of a typical working morning.

I still believe that the enemy of the old balcony is television. Once it invaded our living rooms, nobody had the time any longer to laze on a balcony watching the world and their neighbour go by, and generally ruminating upon life8217;s woes and blessings.