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Gurugram’s Hamilton Court sings away the lockdown blues

BySadia Akhtar, Gurugram
Mar 30, 2020 10:42 PM IST

Amid the ongoing lockdown announced to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the Hamilton Court in DLF-4 has found a way of ensuring that residents’

Amid the ongoing lockdown announced to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the Hamilton Court in DLF-4 has found a way of ensuring that residents’ spirits remain high even as they stay cooped up in their apartments. Every evening at 6pm, residents of the high-rise come out in their balconies and sing songs as a community exercise. The routine, residents said, was a way of extending support and solidarity to each other amid the unprecedented circumstances.

People feel connected to each other, even if it’s through their balconies, said Isha Bhandari, a member of the Hamilton Court RWA (resident welfare association), said.

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“While playing handbells and conchs are a constant feature, we play different music everyday. We play three or four songs from old Hindi or English movies and a list of the songs is sent to a person-in-charge. Some days, residents play music from their balconies or people taking up a microphone to belt out retro numbers,” Bhandari said. She added that the exercise served as entertainment of sorts to which people look forward.

The condominium has been under lockdown since March 23 and has restricted the entry of all outsiders except in emergency cases. The entry of all of the domestic help, drivers, car cleaners among others has been barred except for senior citizens living alone, bedridden individuals or those who need medical assistance. Entry for external vendors such as food delivery agents, meanwhile, has been restricted to the tower gate. Residents are called the guard and asked to collect the delivered essential good. All persons entering the building are required to use hand sanitisers and get their temperatures checked. Within the condominium, common areas like lifts and play areas are regularly disinfected. A bottle of hand sanitiser is available at every tower gate.

“We don’t allow outsiders to enter at any cost. Even friends of residents are encouraged not to come. It’s only when during emergency situations that we allow anyone from outside to enter,” said Tapan Paul, president of the RWA. Paul added that the condominium had accommodated the staff within the complex to curtail their movement and contact with the outside world.

“We have a member staff and everyone is staying within the condominium complex for now. We are not allowing any movement in and out of the complex since we don’t want the staff to get exposed. Their food and accommodation are being taken care of by our volunteers who cook for them everyday. Some of the gaming rooms within the complex have been converted into residential quarters for the staff,” Paul said.

Apart from tending to the staff, the volunteer network is also responsible for catering to the needs of other residents, especially vulnerable groups like senior citizens. “We have identified volunteers in all six towers of the complex. If residents need any help, they simply need to drop a message on our WhatsApp group and we help them out with whatever is needed, be it groceries or medicines,” he said.

With the entry of part-time domestic helpers barred, members of the volunteer network are sharing the services of full-time helpers with senior citizens. “While most senior citizens manage household work on their own, some share the services of full-time domestic helpers among each other. Some of the volunteers also send their domestic help to assist the elderly once in a week with cleaning,” Bhandari said.

Besides, if anyone places any other request with the management, the staff, living on the premises, is assigned to help once a week with cleaning or any such purpose.

Complying with the government rules, the condominium has directed residents with an international travel history to mandatorily quarantine themselves for 14 days. As per the RWA’s advisory, if anyone is found violating the quarantine, the police will be informed and video footage of the individual will be submitted as evidence of the violation.

While the residents buy vegetables and other essential goods from the grocery shops on the premises, they ensure that social distance is maintained with circles marked outside the shops. “Only one person can go inside the shop at a time, while the remaining people wait outside for their turns at a considerable distance from each other,” the RWA president said.

Delivery of newspapers within the condominium is being carried out as per government directions. “If a resident wants a newspaper, it is being delivered to him or her. The RWA has not stopped the supply of the newspapers,” Paul said.

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