Ahead of Holi, the festival of colours, I visited a banker friend for lunch over the weekend. He lives in a modern housing society in Mumbai. A majority of its residents are finance professionals - commercial and investment bankers, treasury managers, senior executives of insurance firms and mutual funds.
Quite a few of them were invited to the lunch hosted at his sprawling apartment, flaunting a lovely balcony overlooking the sea.
I hadn't even tasted the delicious-looking achari paneer tikka and sweet potato pineapple dahi puri chaat (it was a vegetarian meal) when an ear piercing alarm sounded.
Oh God! Just a few weeks ago, a massive fire had broken out in a building near Grant Road Station, a bustling neighbourhood in south Mumbai. Half a dozen fire engines had rushed to the spot. Before that, in the last week of January, a massive blaze had erupted in a seven-story timber market in the same area, causing death and destruction. It had taken the fire brigade 18 hours to douse it.
I was about to rush out when the community of bankers asked me to relax. It was a routine fire drill conducted by the society at regular intervals around the year.
The housing society plans this drill meticulously, with multiple steps: The residents are alerted; the evacuation procedures are laid down; and there are designated safe assembly points. Such alarms are used to conduct a trial evacuation over lazy weekends every once in a while. The emergency exits are checked to ensure they're not obstructed.
To prevent these drills from becoming too "routine" an affair, they also switch the evacuation scenario. At times, someone stands at a particular exit with a sign reading "Exit Blocked" to simulate a potential situation and force the residents to react.
This story is from the March 26, 2024 edition of Business Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 26, 2024 edition of Business Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
'Taiwan keen to help India become leader in chip space'
Taiwan is keen to collaborate with India and help it become a leader in the semiconductor space, Jason Ho, chairman of the Taiwan Chamber of Commerce in India, said, asserting that the Taiwanese companies have the supply chain for things that the Indian market needs.
Adani, Tata eye bigger pie in Mumbai power distribution
Battle for high-value customers heats up amid increased EV penetration
No cancer-causing agents in our products: MDH on quality claims
MDH Spices has denied allegations that its products have traces of cancer-causing agent ethylene oxide (ETO), calling them \"untrue\" and \"lacking any substantiating evidence.
RIGHT TO A FUTURE
The apex court has made an 'observation' on the right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change. Can this pave the way to a cleaner future?
How to make insolvency law solvent
The IBC has served the purpose by creating the fear of god among rogue promoters. It's time to plug the loopholes in the law and make the defaulters understand that the IBC isn't just all bark and no bite
Al inside: Tech eases work for IT firms
It simplifies and automates routine tasks and helps employees to focus on the big picture
Shipping to shopping, AI is making food safe
Concerns about food safety rise periodically as more information about the impact of chemicals is revealed.
To fund AI boom, tech plans plumbing upgrade
Microsoft, Meta and Google's parent Alphabet are going to spend billions on infrastructure
Basic fire policy doesn't cover self-ignition
Sanjay Foods, which had its office in Jalgaon, manufactured oil and oil cakes using cotton seeds purchased from ginning and pressing units.
Seniors must strike a balance between premium and co-pay
Too low a premium could mean high co-pay, which would pinch at the time of claim settlement