<p>Around 9.30 pm, Kaun Banega Crorepati’s signature tune blares loud and clear from the new apartment next door. This set of apartments came in place of an independent house, which is adjacent to our plot. The new resident decides to share Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic voice in its full eardrum-shattering glory with his unsuspecting neighbours, regularly.</p>.<p>We had enjoyed 20-odd years of just bird chirps, occasional vendors’ vocal announcements, and other such sundry sounds. But now, our home seems to be in a fully fledged war zone. The neighbour’s living room is akin to a concert hall with surround sound. Sometimes, it has musical scores, which I agree are foot tapping, but for some of us early risers, the same feet need rest at the end of the day. </p><p>We can’t really blame him since we suspect he is trying to match another house owner in the same complex, who, in the parking garage, is in a full-fledged conversation with his wife about their activities during the day, as if it was an audition for a street play! They have no idea that a garage is an acoustic marvel and the decibel levels could summon a lost civilisation. </p><p>Their voices, unfortunately, bounce off the walls like at an opera house. The conversations repeat about four times as they echo through our walls and into our sleep-deprived souls.</p>.<p>The countermeasures included polite requests urging them to lower their voices. I guess it is difficult to remember or bother about such appeals on a daily basis. We discussed using a universal remote for reducing the TV volume, but it might just backfire, and it may become a total IMAX experience!</p>.<p class="bodytext">I don’t want to sound like a whiner, but the thunderous wheels of the plastic walker toy of the child of another inhabitant rattle like a mini-tank. If they do call me for the child’s birthday party, I am considering gifting them a hovercraft, which can be only used indoors, so they know how it feels!</p>.<p class="bodytext">I wonder whether AI can help turn down the volume of gadgets and people’s voices?</p>.<p class="bodytext">I decided, finally, to hold my peace, as I had just finished reading a novel which had the Syrian Revolution as a backdrop, and the sounds the locals heard were bombs, aircraft dropping missiles, and gunshots!</p>.<p class="bodytext">For now, we have solved the problem by turning the fan or air conditioner on, which blurs the noise level considerably. In winter, we will continue to use them after first investing in thicker comforters.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Maybe the next thing I would probably be ghostwriting is the memoir of the Guptas – I already have enough personal history for that! Though I worry about Mrs Gupta’s cholesterol levels, which seem too high from what I heard them discussing!</p>
<p>Around 9.30 pm, Kaun Banega Crorepati’s signature tune blares loud and clear from the new apartment next door. This set of apartments came in place of an independent house, which is adjacent to our plot. The new resident decides to share Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic voice in its full eardrum-shattering glory with his unsuspecting neighbours, regularly.</p>.<p>We had enjoyed 20-odd years of just bird chirps, occasional vendors’ vocal announcements, and other such sundry sounds. But now, our home seems to be in a fully fledged war zone. The neighbour’s living room is akin to a concert hall with surround sound. Sometimes, it has musical scores, which I agree are foot tapping, but for some of us early risers, the same feet need rest at the end of the day. </p><p>We can’t really blame him since we suspect he is trying to match another house owner in the same complex, who, in the parking garage, is in a full-fledged conversation with his wife about their activities during the day, as if it was an audition for a street play! They have no idea that a garage is an acoustic marvel and the decibel levels could summon a lost civilisation. </p><p>Their voices, unfortunately, bounce off the walls like at an opera house. The conversations repeat about four times as they echo through our walls and into our sleep-deprived souls.</p>.<p>The countermeasures included polite requests urging them to lower their voices. I guess it is difficult to remember or bother about such appeals on a daily basis. We discussed using a universal remote for reducing the TV volume, but it might just backfire, and it may become a total IMAX experience!</p>.<p class="bodytext">I don’t want to sound like a whiner, but the thunderous wheels of the plastic walker toy of the child of another inhabitant rattle like a mini-tank. If they do call me for the child’s birthday party, I am considering gifting them a hovercraft, which can be only used indoors, so they know how it feels!</p>.<p class="bodytext">I wonder whether AI can help turn down the volume of gadgets and people’s voices?</p>.<p class="bodytext">I decided, finally, to hold my peace, as I had just finished reading a novel which had the Syrian Revolution as a backdrop, and the sounds the locals heard were bombs, aircraft dropping missiles, and gunshots!</p>.<p class="bodytext">For now, we have solved the problem by turning the fan or air conditioner on, which blurs the noise level considerably. In winter, we will continue to use them after first investing in thicker comforters.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Maybe the next thing I would probably be ghostwriting is the memoir of the Guptas – I already have enough personal history for that! Though I worry about Mrs Gupta’s cholesterol levels, which seem too high from what I heard them discussing!</p>
