We decided to change our house in the UK because of a local old man who stayed above our flat. He stayed alone in his flat and was alcoholic. He turned very violent when he was drunk. He banged his floor (our roof) with his chair and occasionally came down to our flat and banged. We had complained to police on more than one occasion but the issue was unresolved. Had that been the case in India, our reaction would have been different and would have resolved that on first occurrence but this was the UK so there was a reason why the things were the way they were. Nevertheless that guy is not the subject of this write up.
We moved to a better flat on first floor in a location very close to the previous one. Those apartments had high number of Indian residents (preferred for an Indian family with kids). As expected, my kids had good number of friends to play outside. Then I saw an old man in the apartment garden, he looked weird, untidy, and surprisingly unfriendly. One of my friends who was at that place for few years told me that, the old man is the one thing that is only the wrong thing in that place, rest all is perfect for an Indian family, over 50% of those 80 flats had Indian occupants and hence sound (very important for Indians) was a nonissue. To our bad luck, that old man stayed in the flat opposite to ours. We thought not again.
Few a weeks it was all fine but after that, I heard him shout in the middle of the night. He shouted all alone with nobody around. He spoke to himself or most probably shouted at an imaginary person and situation, because I heard him speak and argue in a very loud voice. He shouted from inside of his flat mostly and on some very rare occasions he came out in the common area and shouted. People next to my flat spoke to me on that issue. They said, his behavior was getting worse day by day. I inquired about him from the locals and most of them said that he was harmless and does not shout or do anything harmful to others, it was just that when he forgets to take his tablets he shouts. Well, for us it was almost a non-issue because all he used to do was shout and noise as such wasn’t an issue to us so we cared less about that old man and continued with our life. The guys who stayed below our flat had an issue with the old man’s sound and had complained to their landlord because they said, the old man stared at them for hours and they were very scared of him. Yes, he did stare at people sometimes and that was scary especially when one had kids running around in and out of flats. One day, the old man’s landlord came and knocked his door but he did not open. The knocking went on for about 20-30 minutes but the door wasn’t opened. When they got the door forced open, he was just standing there inside his flat as if he wasn’t aware of what was happening. As soon as his landlord entered his flat he walked out and stood. Still. We got to know from his landlord that he had’t paid them the rent for about a year. They also informed us that they are going to do something about him. We forgot about him after that.
One day, the landlords sent a few guys to that old man’s flat and asked him to take his belongings and come out of the flat. They informed him that they are locking the flat. He took his bed, water bottles, and cigarettes. We were surprised to see him thrown out especially considering his age. He may be around 70. I am sure that the last time he had his bath was around six months at least. The things that were kept in the common area, just opposite to our flat, were extremely dirty. The bed, the duvet, his jackets, his shoes, in general everything. It was a sad scene to look at. When you see an old man who until recently stared at people and shouted was now sitting there silent. Unmoved, speechless, staring at his things that were thrown out. He sat there whole day, absolutely whole bloody day. He went out of the common area to smoke and came back to sit, motionless, speechless, thoughtless. The first day was very bad for everybody who looked at that helpless old man. We wanted to help him but were not aware how, because we weren’t sure how he would react. At late night I went out and saw him sleeping, I kept few apples and a pack of bread near to our flat consciously ensuring that he should not get offended. Morning, they were gone, I assumed he wasn’t offended. So we continued keeping some food outside without talking to him. Whether one knows a person, one likes or dislikes a person, irrespective of everything when one sees a person hungry and shelter less, you will come back to basics. One day when I was returning from office, it was around 6pm, I saw him sitting on his things just outside his flat as usual, but that day, he was playing his piano, I do not understand music, but the music he played was definitely from someone who has played piano for years. It was nice to see him getting used to stay outside and it was pleasantly surprising to see that side of that old man.
This went on for 15 days. Yes, 15 full days. He hardly ate, slept. In the cold UK weather he slept on the floor with his bed and duvet. I am sure it was cold even then. In those 15 days, we tried everything we could. I called police and explained them the situation. They said, “Thanks for the call and the concern shown, but sorry we do not deal with such cases, kindly talk to relevant guys, may be council guys”. I called my landlord. He helped the old man by talking to the apartment maintenance guys if they could do something to take the old man to council care home where he can be taken care of. We were surprised to realize that those kind of things happen even in the UK. After a few days, he was gone. His things still there, in front of our flat. The bed, duvet, bottles, and his piano, all there, still and silent, just like him. We got to know the council care guys have taken him with them and he was in hospital and being looked after. It was a relief for everybody who saw him in that bad situation. He was finally looked after.
After few days, I saw his flat open with some guys refurbishing it. I asked them if the landlord is around for I wanted to ask him if the flat will be ready for rent again as one of my friend wanted a flat to rent in that apartment. They said that the landlord will come in few minutes and they would inform him that I had inquired. One of them asked me if I know the Old man who had stayed in that flat. I told them that I had a fair idea of what happened with that guy, I told them whatever I thought I knew of that old man. He could not pay the rent for a year, he was thrown out, he had mental problem, he was on tablets, and he slept on the floor. The refurbishing guy asked me if I can come inside and have a look at things they were seeing. The flat was horribly dirty, it was impossible to believe that a human stayed there. Bathroom rotten, sink and flush not functioning, dirty as hell. A big piano, there were around 300 pairs of shoes, looked very expensive leather shoes, and good number of them even unused. Around 10-15 high quality leather jackets some of those were unused too. Around 50 suits, some of them unused. There were numerous salary slips with his name on them and his salary slip showed 10,000£ per month in the year 2005 and over 9000£ per month few years older than 2005. 10,000£ a month is at least five times more than what the above average engineer earns per month today. Huge number of photos from around the world, he was in most of them young, healthy and with a lady, young and beautiful. I asked the refurbishing guy about the lady in the photo, he said that the old man was divorced. I wondered how he would know. He said, he had taken the photo thinking the old man would want to keep at least the photo with him? The moment the old man saw the photo he stared shouting loud in the hospital, the refurbishing guy told me.
Does his separation with his wife had anything to do with his today’s condition? We never know, and we will never know, but
one thing is certain and rest is lies,
the flower once glittered forever dies.
The thing we have, the money we have, the people we have, the person we are, everything, every bloody thing will move on. Be kind. Love. Be Human. Today.
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