Multi-storied complexes in steel city. Picture by Uma Shankar Dubey

For old-timers, the changing Jamshedpur skyline is both shocking and unwelcome. Gone are the days of elegant bungalows with lush lawns and flower gardens. Concrete structures called apartment buildings have now assumed pride of place.

Few in the steel city invest in building a house. Most people are happy living in mass-produced flats and do not miss the quaint bungalows of yesteryears. Even a few years ago, there were a few pretty bungalows dotting Purulia Highway at Sakchi. But now apartment buildings have sprung up all over the place. Sadly, the paddy fields of Sonari have also met the same fate.

There is no denying the fact that there are certain advantages of living in a flat, the foremost among them being security. You can simply lock the door, inform your immediate neighbour and the apartment’s security guard and leave for a holiday.

But then there is a flip side to living in a flat. If you are an animal-lover keeping pets like cats and dogs may pose some problem as your neighbours might object. Again if gardening gives you the much-needed peace of mind, then flats are not the place for you.

Another serious problem is negotiating the flight of stairs. Most apartment houses don’t have lifts.

So if you are living on the third or fourth floor then you should have a good heart and strong muscular legs to climb the stairs. Thankfully, promoters are now making provisions for lifts in highrise buildings.

Careless wheels

Jamshedpur roads are veritable death traps for drivers and pedestrians. It seems the district administration’s safety awareness week and the numerous seminars, rallies and sit-and-draw contests on road safety have made little impact on jaywalkers and reckless drivers.

Two-wheeler drivers continue to drive without helmets and often indulge in triple-riding. And jaywalking appears to be the national pastime of pedestrians in the country.

Then you have the drivers of trucks and minibuses who suffer from the illusion that they are taking part in a Formula One racing contest. Their insistence of driving at break-neck speed defies logic.The rampant flouting of traffic norms makes you wonder whether there is any such thing as a traffic department in the city.

Parsee surnames

What’s the difference between Saroj Mukherjee and Sarosh Mancharjee? Or, for that matter, between Leela Bhattacharjee and Hilla Vatchargandhi? Not much, except that Saroj and Leela belong to the Bengali community, while Sarosh and Hilla are Parsees.

Parsees have some unique surnames like Doctor, Contractor, Merchant and Engineer. However, a Parsee with the surname Doctor may be a businessman.

A person’s profession has nothing to do with his/her surname. Interesting, isn’t it? A historian in Jameshdpur is conducting extensive research on the origin of Parsee surnames. This column promises our readers that they will be the first to know the findings.