Our false ceilings..!

A nice smooth, colourful ceramic tile lay on the ground near my chair on the terrace on which I placed my cup of coffee. “Sir,” said my gardener who was working on some plants nearby, “Don’t put your cup there, it’s dirty!”
“It’s clean!” I said and watched as he strode towards me and lifted the tile, I nearly screamed; underneath was a hairy caterpillar, filth, dirt and in the middle a worm.                        
As I hastily removed my cup, and had the gardener clean the place before putting it back in the same place, minus the tile, I thought of a structural engineer who had visited our building a few days ago. “How are the columns and beams?” I asked him.
“I don’t know!” he’d said.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” I’d asked a little angrily and he’d taken me to the house downstairs. I looked up at marble floors and beautifully carved ceilings, “Looks fine to me.”
“What do you see on top?”
“A plaster of paris ceiling!”
“It’s a false ceiling!”
“Sure,” I said grinning at the owner who grinned back at me, “So what?”
“It’s hiding the beam on top! And as long as that lovely decorative false ceiling for which sir you must have spent the earth is there, I will not be able to judge the condition of your flat!”
“How’s the neighbouring flat?” I whispered.
“Bad!” said the structural engineer.
“So this could even be worse!” I said and suddenly saw fear in the eyes of my false ceiling neighbour.
“Yes,” said the architect, “But there’s no way to find out with this false ceiling in place. In fact I tell clients that in hiding beams and columns with a decorative finish they hide symptoms of disease which otherwise could be seen and rectified!”
The other day my road was blocked by school children sitting on the road with their parents doing a rasta roko. They’d been asked to shift from their school building to one which was quite a distance away as the management had found the building in a bad shape and decided to bring it down and construct a new one. “We don’t want to go so far, see how lovely this building looks!” The parents cried, and the government has agreed with them.
Years ago, over a decade to be precise I owned a business which had done civil work for this same school and I know that behind the decorative façade is a rotten structure. But like my neighbour who hides behind his false ceiling, and my cup of coffee placed on the tile, these gullible parents risk the lives of their children because they refuse to see the rot within.
And alas, in our country we hide behind such false ceilings: A moral brigade talks of our historic culture; same false ceiling isn’t it, which hides shame behind it. We protest about TV channels that tell all, because its better living beneath the tile, the lie!                        
When will we remove these false ceilings and clean the filth?
    [email protected]

Our false ceilings..!

A nice smooth, colourful ceramic tile lay on the ground near my chair on the terrace on which I placed my cup of coffee. Sir, said my gardener who was working on some plants nearby, Dont put your cup there, its dirty! Its clean! I said and watched as he strode towards me and lifted the tile, I nearly screamed; underneath was a hairy caterpillar, filth, dirt and in the middle a worm. As I hastily removed my cup, and had the gardener clean the place before putting it back in the same place, minus the tile, I thought of a structural engineer who had visited our building a few days ago. How are the columns and beams? I asked him. I dont know! hed said. What do you mean you dont know? Id asked a little angrily and hed taken me to the house downstairs. I looked up at marble floors and beautifully carved ceilings, Looks fine to me. What do you see on top? A plaster of paris ceiling! Its a false ceiling! Sure, I said grinning at the owner who grinned back at me, So what? Its hiding the beam on top! And as long as that lovely decorative false ceiling for which sir you must have spent the earth is there, I will not be able to judge the condition of your flat! Hows the neighbouring flat? I whispered. Bad! said the structural engineer. So this could even be worse! I said and suddenly saw fear in the eyes of my false ceiling neighbour. Yes, said the architect, But theres no way to find out with this false ceiling in place. In fact I tell clients that in hiding beams and columns with a decorative finish they hide symptoms of disease which otherwise could be seen and rectified! The other day my road was blocked by school children sitting on the road with their parents doing a rasta roko. Theyd been asked to shift from their school building to one which was quite a distance away as the management had found the building in a bad shape and decided to bring it down and construct a new one. We dont want to go so far, see how lovely this building looks! The parents cried, and the government has agreed with them. Years ago, over a decade to be precise I owned a business which had done civil work for this same school and I know that behind the decorative faade is a rotten structure. But like my neighbour who hides behind his false ceiling, and my cup of coffee placed on the tile, these gullible parents risk the lives of their children because they refuse to see the rot within. And alas, in our country we hide behind such false ceilings: A moral brigade talks of our historic culture; same false ceiling isnt it, which hides shame behind it. We protest about TV channels that tell all, because its better living beneath the tile, the lie! When will we remove these false ceilings and clean the filth? [email protected]