1980. It was the time when Salt Lake was beginning to shed its God-forsaken tag. With more and more people setting up new homes in this satellite township, Salt Lake suddenly became a prominent location.
What is most fascinating about our very own Salt Lake is the pastoral environ and a serene atmosphere. This is something which many were and still are desperately looking for.
No wonder, Salt Lake has become a byword for quality living. Per the catchline of a popular advert from the 80s and 90s, the township can be summed up in the words “neighbour’s envy, owner’s pride”.
Those who had built or were preparing to build homes here were from all parts of the city and beyond. They were educated, ambitious and aspirational – traits and things which went a long way in uniting the then new residents. With new neighbours and new friends, a new life began at a place which is not very far from the madding crowd.
Soon the new residents felt the need for a Residents’ Association – a platform where they could mix, mingle, interact, exchange, and fall back on each other.
Of course, there were initial doses of dilemma and dither. But, soon the 96 families, who were living in the Block then, overcame them.
Salt Lake City BA Block Residents Association was finally born on 2 February 1980 and a historic journey began.
From a newborn, Salt Lake City BA Block Residents Association has come a long way. For us all, it’s been an extraordinary and eventful journey. There’s an unmistakable aura of freshness.
Our Block is blessed with some extraordinary people – great in vision, leadership, erudition and intellect. It is these people who have given the Block association a direction, set pace and provided strength.
The result has been rewarding, to say the least.
Over the past 35 years or so, Salt Lake City BA Block Residents Association has become a vibrant platform for exchanging big ideas and creating new things.
A symbol of bonhomie, and the vanguard and voice of our residents, the Association also epitomizes a pledge to trust each other and help each other.
Our willingness to absorb and assimilate views, cultures and aspirations has become deeper. For us what matters most is character and culture, nothing else.
Of relevance in this respect is our Block Library, which is perhaps the oldest of its kind in this satellite township and something of which we are profoundly proud.
And, of course, we couldn’t have come this far, but for support and cooperation from all.
The year 2000 was very important. It was the year when the Association had its own home. The building of ‘Utsarga’, as our very own Community Building is fondly called, is not without doses of uncertainties. A protracted struggle went on in the court room, in the secretariat, in the offices of the then Chairman of the Bidhannagar Municipality.
Happily, we faced and tackled those crises with common intent and emerged victorious and our hard work was rewarded.
Our long-cherished dream of having our own Community Building was realized. The bonus is the Children’s Park.
Collectively, we have proved that the strength of our unity, intelligence, intent, resilience, competence can never be underestimated.
Our success and sustenance is also the result of the generosity and selfless work of many residents, some of whom are no more with us. It will be a gross injustice if we fail to remember them and their contributions.
In order to move forward however, new ideas will have to be acknowledged and effectuated. Our future is in the realm of the New – New Breed, New Ideas & New Technologies.
The time is ripe for us all to embrace them, to nurture them and to inspire them.
