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A software engineer’s viral social media post criticising life in large gated communities has triggered a wider online debate over resident welfare associations (RWAs), housing society rules and generational differences in urban living.Shravan Venkataraman, in a thread posted on X, advised young couples and bachelors against purchasing apartments in high-rise societies, arguing that many such complexes are dominated by overly controlling RWAs led by elderly residents who he said are becoming increasingly unreasonable and overbearing. “Any slight inconvenience to their worldview being caused by anyone or any family in the society, they start imposing their views on how one should live in a home they are renting/owning in that society – who can come for a visit, who can’t, who can complain, who can’t, etc. And these old people who are also in charge of power – in RWA or society associations go on a power trip whenever anyone challenges them for an actual issue,” he wrote.According to Venkataraman, younger residents are often better off living in smaller G+3 or G+4 buildings with fewer than 25 apartments, where rules are less intrusive and community interactions are more relaxed.Sharing a personal experience from his housing society in Hyderabad, Venkataraman said a theft took place at his home and when he requested CCTV footage through the residents’ WhatsApp group, he was informed that the cameras were not functioning. Concerned about security, he advised residents to install personal security cameras.According to him, instead of addressing the security lapse, senior RWA members summoned him to the clubhouse and reprimanded him for raising the issue publicly.“Next day the president and vice president of RWA called me to the clubhouse. I went there thinking they were going to resolve my issue and they found who stole the items. Instead they call me and start shouting at me as to how i can post such complaints on the residents group and how i can post that there’s no security here and that one should look out for themselves – that I was ruining morale in the society,” he wrote.He further alleged that one committee member sarcastically dismissed the complaint, after which he left the residents’ WhatsApp group.“I mean what do these old men even think in their head? That they can order everyone around with arbitrary rules according to their convenience and everyone should follow it, and especially tenants?” he added.His post resonated with several netizens, who shared similar experiences of excessive monitoring and micromanagement in gated societies. Several users complained about restrictions on visitors, scrutiny of bachelors, moral policing and security guards profiling guests. One user said older residents in their society even objected to children playing outdoors, while some others dismissed Venkataraman’s post as merely a rant against apartment rules.One user wrote, “Absolutely right. It’s not just about rules or old people, high rise clusters have high monthly maintenance, heading towards severe water shortage & severe traffic congestions & pollution. Why govt encourage high rise clusters when we can develop horizontally.”
