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S. Srinivas

11 December, 2008

Growing up in Yamuna - An Early Settler's Tale


Sipping tea the other day with the folks, watching the new weekend cricketing entertainment provided by the Georges next door, my grandmother was recounting the families that had moved into YA in its earliest days of existence. It struck us that we were possibly the oldest extant residents here. The two families who had moved in before my grandparents have since sold their houses and left – the Krishnans directly across us, whom I used to address as Caesar's parents (Caesar being their dog); and the Bhagwats below, who used to be visited by the political bigwigs (I remember Aruna Asaf Ali deigning to pay a call once). My grandparents, we realized, were the third set of occupants in the 'colony'. How appropriate that word sounded, when I thought of the Mayflower-like truck in which my grandparents had probably brought their possessions – a sofa set and a dining table, in use even today – home to roost.

They moved in sometime between January and March 1980, after which the rest of the residents gradually started trickling in. By the time I was born, about a year later, there were half a dozen cars, and almost the entire colony was occupied. Flipping through the family album recently, a photo arrested my attention: of myself as a two-year old peering through the gap between the concrete parapet and the skirting below in the verandah of my grandmother's house, looking out onto an empty expanse, car-less, tar-less, people-less… That was what Alaknanda looked like 'in the early days'.

It was very uncommon to be living in anything with the title 'Apartments'. A request made to the autorickshaw driver to be taken to 'Yamuna Apartments' would be met with the response, 'Yamuna paar'?! The numbers of the houses had still not been painted on the walls, and several people were unfamiliar with where their own houses were located. My aunt tells me that our neighbours oftentimes mistakenly walked into our flat, thinking it was their own!
The only road that reached YA was through the DDA flats behind, near the park, with a mountain of mud in between. It would be an adventure to reach the DTC bus stop in the mornings everyday. My mother, for example, got her foot stamped upon by a cow that was annoyed at being disturbed – of course, this is something than one may encounter even today.



Where Nilgiri Apartments and Narmada Apartments stand today, was a wild jungle, which has now been tamed into what we know as the Jahanpanah Forest. The closest grocery store was a mile away. A family joke goes thus: my mother visited the shop to buy cheese, and was much disgruntled when she received the reply, "kaisi cheez, kaunsi cheez", returning home with the stout refusal to ever shop there again, claiming this was a locality of uneducated people who didn't even know what cheese meant! My grandmother recounts of how they, like so many others, would often visit their old localities in another part of Delhi to make their monthly purchases. Soon, the residents realized that self-sufficiency was more intelligent than wasting time and resources to go elsewhere, and allowed an old familiar vegetable seller from Karol Bagh (where several of the founding members lived), Girilal, to come and set up shop here, next to where the dry-cleaners stand today.

And of course, there is Yamuna's association with the Oriya plumber ☺ Bharat babu, who is our resident Sanatan's distant relative, was much more than the ordinary plumber – he was the caretaker for the colony, regulating the water supply, doling out the daily milk even, from the tiny room by the side of the badminton court where the canteen operates today.
The handful of north Indians who had braved outsiders' warnings and settled in YA, were welcomed, and were, in jest, given honorary Iyer or Nair or other such suffixes to make them feel at home… Some, like the Sikh Singhs who lived in B-block, were perhaps insulated from the troubles that ensued during the 1984 riots.


Which brings me to the Co-operative Store – it may have lost out business to the grocery stores in the Alaknanda market today, but it was a lifesaver during the riots, where the colony found itself self-sufficient in basic food resources.


Power cuts were the norm rather than the exception, but the best part of it was that it gave the children a much larger space to play hide-and-seek in: the whole colony would be plunged in darkness for hours on end!

Festivals were occasions for all the people to mingle with each other. Navaratri would be spent flitting from house to house, collecting coconuts and pan leaves and kumkum, after duly admiring the newest Kanjeevaram sarees, and the latest addition to the neighbours' golu collections. Onam would mean a big 'sadya' in the Community Hall, and the fierce pookolam (floral rangoli) competitions under the clubhouse. And the New Year would be counted down with an Antakshari game and chocolate cake. The highlight every year, though, would be the annual Diwali mela, a wonderful tradition that Mohan Narayanan brought with him from his youth in Kidwai Nagar, which has been kept up almost uninterrupted since.

The colony did not have too much green space when it started out, and it was the wise decision of CS Menon uncle, in one of his terms as President, to plant the Gulmohars and the Neems that we see today. I am sure he is glad that the younger lot are keeping up his environmental fervour, and continuing to keep the surroundings green.

'Bandar' visits were also more frequent then – I recall our immediate neighbour's home being paid a visit by a giant monkey, who regally walked into their kitchen, and raided their refrigerator once – the neighbour, who was in the bedroom, had presumed it was her maid who had entered the home. The simian presence is seen even to this day, nowadays even accompanying regular morning walkers in their daily strolls.

This tale by no means does justice to the nearly three decades that I have spent in this complex. Many interesting anecdotes remain buried in the knapsack, kept for another edition!

It was a young Yamuna that I grew up in, where the uncles were sprightlier, and the aunties were more energetic. Today, the daily kolam still shows up on some doorsteps, but is a rarer sight than before; and Subbulakshmi's resounding 'suprabhatam' is less frequently heard in the mornings. But what is heartbreaking is when the new chowkidar asks, "Madam, aap kahaan ja rahe ho?", making me feel like an intruder in my own home.




Sumathi Chandrashekaran

(With lots of memories and inputs from fellow settlers Geetha (H-107) and Sudha(A-310))

01 December, 2008

Issue No 87 November 2008

Editorial


We had seen the good side of globalisation with BPO’s becoming a major employer of educated youth. Now we are getting to witness the dark side of the same phenomenon; believe me, it hurts. Companies have begun laying off people, as a consequence of recession in the West. For many of those who have evaded the chopping block, severe salary cuts have been imposed. The ultimate mantra of free market evangelists is beginning to lose lustre. On the bright side, we are better off than folks across the Atlantic.

In a country where Blacks constitute a minority, America created history by voting in a black President. Is it even possible to imagine this scenario in India? The dynastic stranglehold in politics is crippling competence and fresh ideas. A politician’s son in India believes with some justification that being the father’s son is reason enough to inflict himself upon us. Politics bristles with genetic material in Nehru topis. If it is not the son, it is the daughter or wife or nephew. While Barack Obama had an African father and yet was voted to the highest office in the US, the politicians in India do not even tolerate people from other parts of India! We should guard against the danger of this anti–India demagogy and ethnic paranoia that politicians like Raj Thackeray display. This could lead to the Balkanisation of India. India needs the blessings of God, to stay united and free of terrorists. Let us pray for the souls of those who lost their lives to the terrorists in Mumbai.


Yamuna’s residents descended in hordes on the lawn to display their athletic prowess on a bright and sunny morning on 2nd November. It started off with “picking the toffees” for children under 5 years. Obviously, the children had their backers, who egged them on so vociferously that you could be excused for mistaking it for a pit bull fight. While many children managed to collect the toffees only in single digits or barely reaching double digits, obviously distracted by the odd behaviour of the adults surrounding them, Kiana Abraham of A-008, kept her wits about her and grabbed a massive 57 toffees.

The men, who have been absent for a couple of years, decided to show their athletic prowess after much cajoling. Thomas of A-008 and Raja of C-007 were the respective winners in different categories. I must admire the women, though. They were the largest single group of participants. I have been noticing over several years that the Mani clan from B-201 are always amongst the winners. This time they were represented by only Radha Mani and daughter Srilakshmi. Mr. Mani, the indomitable legal eagle with an indestructible commitment to the legal profession has nary the time for such frivolous activity.

The road race was very popular. The winner in the girls section had no peer. Madhuri of C-006 scorched the tarmac, while the rest were left chasing her smoke trails. Other notable winners of the Sports Day were Ananya (G-205), Aryan (E-202), Shreya (C-003), Gowri ( C-007), Tejas ( G-106), Ananya ( G-304), Hari (C-204), Poornima(B-002), Ritu (G-001), Poornima (G-205), Vinayak (C-007), and Janani (G-202).

The quiz competition held on 8th November saw 15 participants vying their scholarly heft, against each other. The teams were split into groups of three, with each team consisting of one adult and two children. The quizmaster, Sumathi Chandrashekaran (H –107), did a magnificent job in preparing the format of the contest and composing the questions. She could give some celebrity quizzers like Siddharth Basu or Ronnie Screwala a complex. Fortunately, we had a lively audience for an event of this nature. The participants gave very outlandish names to their teams like, VAK, RED FIRES, NITRO, WARTHOGS and ARROW. NITRO with team members Savita (E-301), Bhaskar (A- 301) and Ram (A-001) led from start to finish and were the runaway winners with 140 points. VAK with team members Venkat and Archit (G-103) and Kasish (A-301) tried gamely but did not have the ammunition to overhaul NITRO and finished second with 120 points. Some members of the audience answered a few questions, which the teams could not answer and were rewarded with chocolates, brought by Sumathi. Ram was simply outstanding and was mainly instrumental in NITRO winning with such a large margin.

This year’s AGM, held in front of the office on 9th November was a landmark. For the first time, the Members attended the meeting as de-jure owners, owing to the Lt. Governor having regularised the allotment of Flats. The outgoing President, Mr. Raghavan, lavished praise on Mr. T. N. V. Nair for his invaluable help in fructifying this, in what had hitherto seemed an endless pursuit since 1980. This year also saw for the first time, new Members who had bought the flats on resale. It was the dawn of a new era, as the newly elected Managing Committee was largely comprised of first time office bearers. Mr. C. S. Menon was elected President for an unprecedented sixth time in the history of the Society. The other executive committee members are:

Mohan Narayanan (B-002)

Vice-President

Bharti Ramakrishnan (A-007)
Secretary

Harishankar(G-106)
Joint Secretary

R. Padmanabhan ( B-304)
Treasurer

Members:
Gita Rastogi (C-004)

Jyothi Subramanian (C-007)
Mahesh Eswaran (A-303)

Mohan Krishnaswamy (G-206)
Parvathy Eswaran (H-202)
Seetha Venkataraman (G-102)

S. Srinivas (A-108)
Sudha Umapathy (D-104)
Thomas Abraham (A-008)
V. Ramanarayanan (A-009)

Many flat owners voiced their opinion on raising the maintenance charge to improve the facilities in the complex and bring about much needed repairs to arrest seepage. The ball is now in the new committee’s court and expectations are high.


The Annual Day this year did not lack the hype that an event of this nature should have; after all, KK, Bollywood’s evergreen crooner and our much loved neighbour from yesteryears was going to regale the audience in the “Return of the Native Concert”. Everything went to plan. The Chief Guest, Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra, MP and Chief Minister aspirant from Delhi,arrived on schedule, the sound system was great and the setting was awesome The invocation song by Srilakshmi( B-201) and Kritika of H-006, kick-started the proceedings. Mr. C. V. Narayanan gave away prizes to the winners of Sports and Badminton competitions, painting, quiz and illumination competitions, academic achievers. Yamuna’s octogenarians were also honoured.

In the variety entertainment programme, the two acts by the residents were no amateur stuff. Ananya(G-001) and Vedika (A-106) swayed and jived expertly to a popular Bollywood number. For the classical music aficionados, the duet by Radhika on the sitar and Pranav on the tabla was like a breath of fresh air.

Then came the moment everybody was waiting for with bated breath - to see the star of the evening belt out his hits. Geetha Rastogi had a surprise for the audience when she did a slideshow on KK’s growing years in Yamuna, with a collage of photographs from his childhood, painstakingly put together by Srikanth of C-003 and Geetha’s sister Latha. The touch of nostalgia no doubt was an emotional high for KK, and he gave his all to the assembled gathering. KK has a phenomenal stage presence and the ability to draw the audience to sing and sway with him. He sang most of his Bollywood hits. He did go back in time to sing his all time favourite, “Hello” by Lionel Ritchie, with his school time buddy on the guitar. He also showed us what the next generation could do when he asked his son Nakul to sing. No stage fright for this fella as he confidently rocked through a Linkin’ Park number. Back after the break, KK got the crowd on their feet and the kids on the stage to dance and sing with him, much like a Pied Piper. It was a riot! In the past, by the time the clock struck 8.00pm, the audience used to melt away and make a beeline for the dinner. Not on this day; residents were either glued to their seats or rooted to the ground, under a hypnotic spell. Even people not customarily seen on the dance floor in Yamuna, like Sridevi of G-303, were seen swinging to the music.

KK had arrived, signed a million autographs, posed with another million for photographs, partook in the dinner along with 325 others, listened to the audition of a couple of rock ballads played by Rangu and Ramanan, had a solo photo shoot done by our own Kuttan and left. To say that he conquered Yamuna would be an understatement. It was the return of the native and the retreat of the Emperor! There won’t be another Annual Day that can match this one in a long time. My personal thanks goes out to Mr. Ramabadhran of E-202, who not only raised more than 50% of the total ad revenue but also helped out in many other ways. My thanks also go out to Srikant(C-003), Harishankar (G-106) and Anand (H-005) and others for helping out.

Yamuna has finally bridged the tech gap by installing e-mail at the Office. The address is: yamuna.apts@gmail.com



SNIPPETS

What a way to open your account! Deepak and Meera’s son Samarth, of H-208, turned his first birthday party a free-for-all, for children and adults alike, with a magic show, tattooing, treasure pot, food and drinks on 2nd November. Everybody had a rollicking time.

Prashant (C-202) got his golden fleece when he tied the ‘mangal sutra’ around Isha’s neck on 30th Niovember in the lawn, on a bright and nippy morning. Everybody partook in the sumptuous breakfast and lunch while the bride, groom and the parents sat through the chanting of mantras and braved the smoke that was getting into their eyes from the holy fire. Marriages in Yamuna are big and enjoyable social affairs with all familiar faces in beautiful sarees .

Manoj Subramanaian, Country Manager for Tissot Watch Company has moved into C-205, from Mumbai alongwith his wife Prema. Both Manoj and Prema are gregarious and love to party. Their daughter, Saishaa is 4 years old and goes to Eurokids School. We welcome them to Yamuna.


CALENDAR OF EVENTS- DECEMBER 2008
6.12.2008
6.00 pm. Screening of the much acclaimed movie A WEDNESDAY starring Naseeruddin Shah in the Badminton Court followed by Potluck Dinner.

14.12.2008
9.30 am. Cleanliness and Eco-drive. Please assemble in the Badminton
Court.


24.12.2008
6.30 pm Christmas Carnival with Variety entertainment, games, music & food stalls at the Badminton Court.

28.12. 2008
9.30 am Heritage walk to Vijay Mandal & Begumpuri Masjid (Tughlaq era monuments)near Sarvapriya Vihar. Commentary by Ramji Narayan of D-204. Please assemble with your cars at H Block Gate at 9.30 am. Children not accompanied by their parents, will not be taken. Please give your names to Mohan Narayanan at B-002.

31.12 .2008
Midnight Cake cutting and ushering in the New Year.


To my fellow Yamuna-ites…
This year’s AGM presented a welcome change in that attendance was considerably better, thanks to the induction of new Members under Section 91 of the Co-operative Societies Act. Still, the fact that only 73 members out of 195 could make themselves available is not a healthy trend.
It is very easy to sit at home and complain. The same is happening during elections also. The thinking is, if I do not vote, if I don’t participate in the AGM, what difference will it make? If every individual thinks likewise, change for good shall never happen.


Our Annual Day function was a great success. The Caterer, while settling the accounts complained that some members were seen piling up their plates at the buffet and taking food home Worse still, some did not even have the basic decency of returning the plates! By God’s grace, all our residents are doing well for themselves –why leave a bad impression?
Every Member and resident should endeavour to keep Yamuna clean and participate in the community’s activities to the extent possible.The best excuse is to say I am busy, I have no time; but one can always find time for everything if there is a will.

The Managing Committee members and office-bearers do not work for any reward. The posts they hold are immaterial, as many hold more important and lucrative posts in their respective careers. They have volunteered for the office only so that the place where all of us live, our children play, our parents walk could be made better. The words of John F. Kennedy’, in his inaugural address of January 20th, 1961, come strongly to mind:

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Ask yourselves what you can do and contribute for a better Yamuna.
Hari Shankar (G-106)


QUIZZIN' WITH SUMATHI!





SCENES FROM ANNUAL DAY - 15TH NOVEMBER 2008

Click on the pix for a closer look! Photographs of Annual Day can be ordered from the YCGHS Office @Rs.25/- each. A DVD of KK's performance will also be available at Rs.200/-.