We became richer by a million when we visited India after one year. I am sure you are eager to know how I swung it. So here’s a blow by blow account.

In March 2005 we were to go to New Zealand for a holiday. But for various reasons, we could not go and I also could not cancel the leave I had applied for. So we decided to go to India instead. The day after we arrived there, we went to take a gander at our plot of land in Palavakkam (about 2 ½ km from Thiruvanmiyur). This place is on the west side (farther side from the coast) and because of its sweet water, was appreciating nicely in value. Now a 6-lane super I-way (direct from the airport to the Infocity) is also coming up in the vicinity. And the value is racing further.

So on this day, when we went there we were pleasantly surprised to see the plot well-cleaned, a nice fence all around, a hand-pump installed and about 30 banana saplings planted. We blessed the good soul who had improved our land thus and went to the neighboring house to ask for details. We were then told that the owner of that house, unbeknownst to us, had ‘bought’ it from us!

This was no ordinary case of encroachment, in which case we could have beaten him up and thrown him out with the help of some police officials we know and repossessed our land, banana and all. This was crime on another level and (he had forged all the documents and the registrar doubtlessly must have been involved) much more complex to resolve, as we have to prove his guilt, clear the entries in the ownership register etc. In about 10 days, I discovered how ingeniously our legal system, our police department and our revenue department all have been organized, to their maximum benefit and to our maximum enjoyment (if getting screwed is indeed enjoyment!)

I had two options: (1) Resign my job in Malaysia, go after that cheat and try to retrieve it in the next zillion years (knowing our lawyers, that would be fast!) (2) Give power of attorney to some bigger thug who would be capable of taking care of everything, but would only pay me the equivalent of two peanut shells. Considering that I was already having sleepless nights despite sleeping pills, had completely lost my appetite and had a relapse of my gastric ulcers, we decided to take the second option and put out the word. (This brought us into close encounters with the underworld of Madras and if the Chennai police are serious about eradicating thuggery in Madras, I can give info to them, but at a price!- Oh, yes just kidding!) The best offer I had was 10 lakhs for land that is worth about 35 today. I jumped at it for fear that he would change his mind and quickly signed off our rights!

So now I am a man at peace with the world. If we had not gone to Madras at all I would have lost everything. Isn’t it great that, because of the lousy behaviour of the NZ visa guys in Singapore, I am now a rich man!