Essay on an Unpleasant Neighbour

When Lord Rama deputed Lakshamana to listen to some words of sane advice from a dying Ravana in the field of battle, Ravana gave it as his word of wisdom that one should never spoil one's relations with one's brother, physician, and neighbor. King Ravana's advice holds good even today. A sincere and friendly neighbor is one of the greatest blessings of social life, and life becomes a living hell with a cunning and unfriendly neighbor.

Blessed is he who has the fortune of having a friendly neighbor, for a friend in need is a friend indeed. He is very helpful and partakes of all the joys-and sorrows of his neighbor. He has due regard for the likes and dislikes of his neighbors, and never tries to offend them. He has the spirit of co-operation and accommodation and proves himself a 'never-failing friend' in woe and weal.

There can be no greater misfortune that can befall a person than an unpleasant neighbor. He is far from being friendly. He has no regard to the feelings of his neighbors and refuses to share their joys and sorrows. He is highly selfish and pursues his pleasures ruthlessly, regardless to the convenience or inconvenience of those about him. He will switch his radio on and put it at the highest pitch to listen to some obscene song, thus causing nuisance to the helpless neighbors who have to take a public examination next morning, He will stand on top of his roof and peep into the houses of his next-door neighbors, thus violating their privacy. Not only this, he will spread rumors about his neighbor and try all that he can to pull them down. He is envious and grudges the gains and pleasures of his neighbors. He derives a malicious pleasure out of their losses and sufferings. Surely, an unpleasant neighbor is the last person, a person will like to wish for.

I should not speak ill of my neighbor, however, unfriendly he may be. But for the sake of this essay I have to transgress the bounds of gentlemanly etiquette and to put on record my opinion about Mr. Ram Kumar whom no one would like to call a neighbor I feel ashamed to own that he is my neighbor.

Mr. Ram Kumar is an incarnation of all evils and vices that a man can imbibe. He is a jail-bird and is on the police records as a habitual offender. His presence in our neighborhood is known by the mess he creates or the drunken brawls he indulges in. We avoid unpleasantness. So, when he is around, we keep our doors barred and cut him out as far as possible. He is the most unscru­pulous and unprincipled man I have come across. He is highly selfish and utterly lacks the ingredients of social living co-operation and accommodation. He has no care for the feelings of his neighbors; it is for others to care for him and themselves. Sometimes, when he is in his elements, the whole neighbor-hood is plunged into a sea of endless suffering, writhing and seething in agony.

In a word, Mr. Ram Kumar, our unfriendly, even hostile, neighbor is the last person we would wish to have as our neighbor. The whole locality will heave a sigh of relief when he chose to shift from our neighborhood and doom the lives of people some­where else. 1 conclude my essay with the following Urdu couplet, which echoes in my mind when I think of Mr. Ram Kumar.