I write with reference to "Battling sewerage ingress” (Events and Personalities, Parsiana, November 7-20, 2023) on the problem of sewerage contaminating the well of the Bai Maneckbai Nusserwanji Chenoy Fire Temple in Hyderabad and efforts to resolve the impasse. During the many yielded-no-definite-result visits to those in authority, I often asked myself what leadership quality would come in handy if I met the very influential, contentious owner of the dhaba (eatery) next door whose actions were responsible for the problem and who had great political clout and financial pull. How should I speak to him? The corporate lingo and management framework ain’t going to work here! How can I show leadership in dealing with government officials and political people who often have an element of quid pro quo in their dealings and lack a sense of urgency. It was not like I could send "gentle reminder” emails to them as I would at work. We had to go there, in person, and wait long hours to get 15 minutes of their time.
When I attended business school a few years back, amongst the long list of things I wanted to learn there, leadership skills featured in the top three. Turns out, I was not the only one — almost every student I interacted with wanted to march out of B-school armed with all the tools that would make them great leaders. And, to their credit, B-schools do deliver on their promise equipping students with the arsenal we need to make our mark in the corporate world.
In March 2022 the beloved colony that I had grown up in suddenly faced a crisis such as I, or most residents who spent almost all their lives there, had never witnessed. Our sewerage line, which had been laid almost a century ago, was blocked — just like that — no heads up or reason given. The culprit? A dhaba with whom we shared a common wall. The result? The dirty water had nowhere to go, resulting in a large part of our colony being flooded with it. The hygiene hazard also extended to contaminating our agiary’s well — a religious blasphemy!
A few like-minded individuals from the colony, in tandem with the colony management, sought to explore every option available: from seeking legal counsel, to multiple meetings with the local member of the legislative assembly, to pulling every contact to meet with the mayor of Hyderabad, approaching the Agarwal Samaj head (since the dhaba owner was a member), talking to one of the dhaba owners, meeting the area corporator, police station visits and using social media to reach out to the state government authorities. We left no stone unturned. About 20 of us even showed up at the Hyderabad Water Works managing director’s office, including my adorable, petite 90-year-old neighbor who was happy and willing to come for the joy ride, even if it meant meeting a government official!
After over a year of living this nightmare, the awareness of our problem had spread within the community. Many of my friends and I personally spoke to anyone and everyone about it and welcomed all ideas, suggestions and contacts we could leverage. We then brainstormed, tried to execute, but even by August 2023, we were missing something — a punch, an X-factor.
In October 2023 entered community activist Jehangir Bisney and lawyer Shireen Sethna Baria. While Bisney was the persistent, unwavering strategy maestro, Sethna Baria was the backbone and legal expert we needed. These two forces and a common track record of exemplary community service over the years resulted in a winning combination!
Over the next two months we observed efficiency, attention to detail, constant communication, teamwork, meticulous planning, seamless coordination and flawless execution. It was an exemplary lesson in leadership — for free. And, as a resident, I even benefited from the result!
On January 9, 2024, we woke up to a WhatsApp message from Bisney, a message that we had been hoping to read for 22 long months. Our sewerage line had been reinstated, and the ordeal finally ended — in record time of less than three months, unheard of in the existing legal landscape!
We had a khushali nu jashan (thanksgiving prayers) at our agiary on February 4 where Bisney, Sethna Baria and others were felicitated by the agiary trustees for their efforts in helping us resolve the tussle. Their commitment and dedication deserve the loudest applause and deepest gratitude. It is a great example of selfless service, one I personally will never forget. NIANAAZ DARABNA
Hyderabad
nianaaz@gmail.com