Dr A K Ramdas
Readers of City Kemp may recall that three weeks ago I wrote an article on Anandam, after attending their Road show at the St Marks Hotel, where, the Bahri Estates presented their proposed project some 40 minutes away from Kempegowda International Airport in Chikkaballapur. As mentioned in the report, the writer undertook a visit to Kodai to see for himself how the Project is functioning at Kodai.
The visit was coordinated with the help of their AGM, Shri Nandakumar at Bengaluru. I took a TuticorinExpress (leaving at 21 15 hrs) and got off at Kodai, early next morning, where I was received by their transport service. Due to heavy summer holiday rush, I stayed for three nights in a beautiful villa, which was at a walking distance from the main activity centres – the Cafeteria and the Gym. A leisurely walk would take 7 to 10 minutes at best but at the beck and call were their domestic battery vehicle and car service.
During the stay, I used both the facilities of walking as well as their transport to and from my villa and had the pleasure of meeting a number of residents. All were in great smiles and friendly, as we sat down to have breakfast, lunch an dinners within the time frame allotted for this purpose. Smiling stewards like Harish, Venkatesh and Vijay served hot food and were very cooperative. I went at different times so that I could meet as many residents as possible.
At the moment, due to requests of residents, delicious vegetarian meals are being served. However, while speaking to their Resident Managers like Ajay Sinha and Thangapandiyan, I was assured that non-vegetarian food will also be served when the new Club house, under construction, is completed.
During the course of my stay, Messrs Sinha and Thangapandiyan took me around the whole complex, showing the well knit, lit broad roads; villas under construction and security system in place. In fact, as I gathered more information on the project, I realized that the Anandam unit in Kodai is truly large. The first Phase covers 121 villas with the project planning for 172 acres in Phase II so that, when completed, it will be one of the largest Retirement Community with Villas. In total , the Anandam Retirement community can boast of some 460 villas in the next few years.
I understand that while most of the plots in Kodai have been sold out, only a handful have been occupied on a permanent basis, with many others under construction. Obviously, project of this nature can work smoothly only when buyers begin to make payments for the construction activity. Looking at this project from the future angle, I think this will grow into being the largest Retirement Community in the country, and hopefully, Hemant Bahri, the Managing Director, needs to take action with authorities, to rename the site as Bahrinagar!
In so far as the Anandam unit in Chikkaballapur is concerned, this would be 123 villas built over on a 12.5 acre plot, where, basic infrastructure work appears to have started. There is no doubt in my mind that the Chikkaballapur project will be able to incorporate a great number of improvements in their villas, based on feed back received from residents and visitors.
Apart from taking space in Anandam for the purposes of Retirement in a well knit and organized community, it may be remembered that this would also benefit as an investment in the long run. This would be a well planned investment project for those who are in the late 50s because it would take, according to the builders, some 20 months for completion of the project. Even assuming it takes a little longer, once the investor takes the “possession certificate”, he/she can always give it back to the Bahri Management, on a contract basis, so that some of those who do not have the means to invest money, can always rent out the villas and stay in the community. Here again, when the project is completed, teeming with people in 123 villas, it will be a lively community of people who could retire peacefully and enjoy their well earned rest.
To my mind, Anandam visit at Kodai made me feel it was like a Home away from Home!
