Building a Rapport

Let's imagine you just moved into a new locality among people you don't know. Is it a good idea to be the friendly neighbour and go over with some sweets, ring the door bell and say hi?

Rita Chakraborty, a Kolkata based homemaker believes that it is a great idea to break the ice by visiting your neighbours when you move in to a new place.

"When my husband and I moved into our new flat, I was apprehensive about how our neighbours are going to be. But we figured it was a good idea to make the first move. So we went over to the flat opposite to ours, rung the bell and introduced ourselves," she says.

Needless to say, the families had a wonderful rapport, and she continues, "We made ourselves a bunch of great friends. I am so glad we went and introduced ourselves on Day 1."

Also Read: 10 Tips to Lure Your Guests

On the other side of the coin, Robin Chacko, who moved to Mumbai from Pune, was really scared when he moved into his flat.

"We were four bachelors moving into a flat with conservative families living all around us. I have heard that neighbours can be quite a pain to bachelors."

But, surprisingly enough, their Bengali neighbours visited them and reassured them that they could count on them if needed.

"I was really pleasantly surprised," he says, "I was expecting some fireworks when we moved in, but my neighbours were simply superb. They came and told us that if we needed anything, from food to a night's stay, we could ask them."

In fact, on one occasion, one of the boys got accidentally locked out of the flat while the others were at work, and their neighbours were kind enough to drive him to a locksmith and make another key.