The journey is more interesting than the destination!

As I was finalizing my deal on the purchase of a flat in Chennai, I was reminded of the following story of Rabindranath Tagore. A man was in serious spiritual pursuit and wanted to have the vision of  God. He studied scriptures and followed severe austerities in his pursuit. He was roaming around imparting knowledge, gathering knowledge, doing ‘satsang’  and enjoying himself in complete bliss.  And finally he reached Himalayas and there he found a mystical hut with a sign ‘God is here’. As the story goes, he went near the hut but decided against entering because that would put an end to his interesting & joyful journey seeking God.

I had a similar feeling last week once my search for a flat in Chennai ended. Flat hunting experience is some thing unique. You will get to meet various types of personalities – brokers, builders, sellers, advocates et al. The manner in which each one of them react to a situation is both interesting & enriching. You will find all sorts of characters – some very stubborn, some with good humor, some extremely serious, some with great patience etc. In addition the project severely tests one’s management skills like perseverance, persuasiveness, negotiation, finance management, prompt decision-making etc. My advocate was an exceptionally relaxed person with a good sense of humour. His wit and wisdom helped sooth emotions when critical negotiations on structuring the draft agreement was in progress. Here are a few exchanges of interest with the advocate:

Me: Sir, the entire transaction is in white and that makes things simple

Advocate: It is good not to cheat the government. Let us not compete with the government in this respect!

He further added in Tamil: Neengo Ramarayum Krishnarayum sariya treat pannalenna, Govinda Ayudum! (If you don’t treat white & black properly, it will result in a mess!)

However, none of our intentions to do a ‘pure’ transaction would work when we reached the registrar’s office for registration. The advocate asked me to keep Rs 11000 ready. When I asked why, he promptly replied: Sir, it is  ‘anti-Hazare’ tax!

Now that the transaction is over and I have taken possession of the flat, the thrill of the journey is gone.