Really, my landlord is getting too much on my nerves. He is such a miser....!
Although an affluent man, drawing more than 60 thousand per month as rent, several thousands as his monthly pension and his son and daughter- in- law in US drawing hefty salaries, I wonder why he still lives like a poor man who counts his every penny.
His huge 3 story house in a posh area in Pune is no better than a village house. His kitchens are horribly made. Whatever articles get broken or out of use, he uses them to furnish his rental apartments and then charges huge amounts of money as rent from them; and when they further break down on use, he tells the tenants it is their duty to get them repaired. Broken pressure cooker that doesn't whistle at all, knives that have forgotten they were ever made to cut, spoons which have become sharpened from regular scrubbing , they actually cut your mouth when you put them in, cracked ceramic cups, mixers with loose lids, pans with handles missing, you name it and its there. He has arranged for one kitchen amongst 3 separate apartments. This kitchen has a 3 burner gas stove whose one burner does not function properly. There are limited utensils and of course all partially working ones. There is only one tiny open kitchen shelf where the three tenants have to keep their monthly provisions, even things like milk, eggs, butter etc which often serve as delicious dinner for stray cats in the night. So, can you can even imagine the sight and condition of it where 3 people have to cook food together or one after the other with such limited or bad resources? To top it all, he has provided no aquaguard for pure drinking water, no refrigerator, no washing machine and no electric iron so that he can save electricity and money on buying these appliances. In our 2 room apartment there are only two power plug sockets and they are so lose that keeping the plug stay in is a big problem.. Now how am I supposed to charge 2 mobiles and a laptop plus keep the internet cable plugged in all the time?
The sofa set in the hall present the ideal specimen of his miserliness. He has kept a thick ply board on their seats and has kept another thin sofa seat on top of the ply to prevent the actual sofa from spoiling ...as if he wants them intact for his next life as well !
I had been thinking this was the height when something else happened to set new standards to his stinginess.
I have mentioned earlier that his son lives and works in US. He has a small child of just one and half years. They were on a visit to India for 15 days after a long gap of more than 3 years. One might think his heart would have been overflowing with love to see his son and grandson after such a long time but it was far from that. He continuously quarreled with them for petty things like running the geyser for more than 10 minutes, became too angry with them and stopped speaking to them even to the little adorable grandson and then finally started demanding money outright for all the expenses he was running into due to their stay in his house. I heard, he even refused to provide his jeep to them which they needed to visit the wife's parents in the same city so they had to go by an auto. They got so fed up in the end that declaring they would never again visit him, left for US, 3 days before their scheduled departure.
I have heard, his daughter who stays in the same city often comes here to stay when her husband goes away on tours; he makes her too pay for her stay in his house.
Up till now, I had merely been regarding this man as extremely irritating but the episode of his son has produced a strange mixture of pity and hatred in my heart for him. He must be sick in his mind to treat his children in such a hideous manner. What does he think he is gaining by saving so much and estranging his own son and his dear family? Is it just his miserliness or something greater than that?
I wish fervently that may his house get burgled one night and all his hoarded money get stolen; I know, he has told me that a year ago someone hacked his son's account here in India and withdrew 5 lakhs. I am really overjoyed...! He truly deserves this.
There are people who just don't know how to live properly. Money is not the question. It is possible to live comfortably even if you do not have a lot of money and same way it is possible to live uncomfortably even if you have a lot of money. My landlord precisely falls in the latter category. I am actually feeling sorry for him; poor fellow ! he thinks himself wise by having saved so much money and spending it so judiciously but he doesn't know that he is in fact a very poor man - far poorer than a laborer or a rickshaw puller who strives in sweat and blood to keep their family members happy and smiling.
This man is sick...!
