EDITORIAL
February is that month of the year which leaves you undecided if winter is over or not and whether you can mothball your winter clothes for the next season. One blazing day in February, when the mercury touched 30° C, everyone thought spring was here and put away the woollens. Not really, said a frosty day that followed, highlighting Nature’s capricious ways. For those prone to spring allergy, March is usually the cruellest month. But in mid-February, many in Yamuna were already snarling at offending pollen, dust and smoke. To solve the vexatious visitations of cold and sniffle during the change of season, grandmother’s remedies are still the best bet.
The heritage walk to Purana Qila on 7th February was an eye-opener to the motley crowd that gathered for the walk. How many of you know that Purana Qila was an island in the Yamuna River about 400 years ago, with the river flowing on either side of the Fort during the monsoon swell? This and many other esoteric facts cannot be culled from history books. It needs a breadth of scholarship and intellectual heft to explain the philosophy of the design, the various influences and the architectural merit of the structures. Dr. Ramji Narayanan, the raconteur, did just that. Mr. Kunal Savarkar of G-204 gave his architectural input as well. Those who did not join the walk cannot even fathom what they missed. Most people still believe that visiting these monuments is like going on a guided tour with the local tour guide. They could not be more wrong. Just one visit on a heritage walk will make them change their opinion. We will have one lined up next year.
Lodi Gardens are in full bloom. So, there is something more titillating to the senses than snogging couples on Valentine’s Day. Walking amongst the historical monuments and through the lovely gardens is truly relaxing.
A record number of 42 painters assembled in the Badminton Court on the morning of 14th February. A slight nip in the air on a brilliantly sunny morning perked things up a bit and painters of all age groups from tiny tots to adults showed off their mettle. Mr. Ramesh Bharadwaj, Head of the Department of Drawing in J. D. Tytler School sat in judgement. He picked the following winners. While the winners are being congratulated for their brilliant display, others need not feel disappointed as I believe he had a hard time leaving out the others since the quality of work all around was very good.
RANK UPTO 3 YEARS 4-5 YEARS 6-7 YEARS 8-10 YEARS 11-14 YEARS ADULTS 1 ANJALI H-205 AARIA C-106 ASHWIN G 205/SHREEJA C-003 SHREEYA C-003 KAVYA B-002 SEEMA G-204 2 AASTHA A-103 KIANA A-008 AVANTIKA G-106 ANANYA G-001 MUKUL H-001 ALOK JHA A -103 3 ANANYA G-205 POORVAJA C-207
Prizes for all categories except adults were sponsored by Mrs. Seetha Venkataraman of G-102. The prizes for adults were sponsored by Mr. Narayanan of C-007. The prizes were distributed at the Holi Milan on 28th February.
The Alaknanda Academy of Music had their annual performance on the small stage in the Badminton Court on 20th February. It was signalled off with a Hindustani music recital by Sumathi Chandrashekaran. Malavika Vettath was all grace in the Odissi dance recital. Other children from Yamuna participated in the group dance and song sequences, honing their skills for greater accolades on the big stage in the future.
The Nature Walk to the Aravali Biodiversity Park revealed what a paradise of flora and fauna it could be in ten years time. Bang in the heart of the city bordering Vasant Vihar, a vast expanse of wilderness has been claimed from the marauding clutches of the mining mafia. The conservationists are restoring the original forest cover to its pristine glory and introducing the appropriate fauna. The restoration effort is still in its infancy but even at this stage the results are promising with water bodies miraculously emerging. The stranglehold of the vilayati keekar – a tree which doesn’t let other forms of plant life to survive because of the high acid content of its leaves – has caused considerable degradation to the soil. This species is being removed to make way for the original species native to the Aravalis. It was a highly enlightening trip for the residents. The children enjoyed their stint at the Butterfly Park.
The Budget presented by Pranabda was lacklustre. What he gave with one hand, he took away with the other. While he may have left more in your hands with income tax reliefs, be ready to pay more for everything. Like most people I have still some month left at the end of my money!
Holi Milan started of with two rounds of Tambola interspersed with great crooning from Seema, Kumar, Deepa and the kids. The pot-luck dinner enabled those assembled to sample a variety of cuisines. There were some culinary masterpieces. For fear of being labelled prejudiced I will not name them. The melange of music painstakingly aggregated by Balaji and Prashant Jr. got truncated to accommodate other happenings. Nevertheless, the assembled crowd got a sample of what is in store when the ladies let their hair down. As the ladies have hogged the limelight in the past, I will only allude to the dance of Deepak who made all the right moves in sync with the music. He and Manoj have the panache to hit it off.
A free spirited attitude is prompting some people to use the terrace for private functions and parties. There are designated spaces like the badminton court, club house, community hall and the main lawn which could be hired for this purpose. The terrace has water tanks, pipes, clothes lines, dish antennae and cables and is not suitable for holding any function. Besides, it is very inconvenient for the residents staying on the uppermost floors.
The Yamuna Store has lowered the prices of essential items of daily use such as atta, dal, etc. to levels lower than the local market rates. With proximity and clean environment this should be a winning strategy.
OBITUARY
Dr. Sulochana Krishnan, Member of H-002 breathed her last on 15th February in Bangalore. Our heartfelt condolence goes out to her son Ravi (Tutu).
SNIPPETS
The lure of the lucre has made Hari of A-204 to relocate to Indonesia along with his family. A fancy job, a house and a car are part of the deal. Holidays in Bali should now be par for the course for them.
Birthday parties in Yamuna have taken on a sheen like never before because of the presence of a large number of children below 10 years of age.
On 2nd February, Shourya of E-205 clocked one. The party held at the Community Hall had all the elements fit for a princely celebration, with party games, evening snacks and dinner. Shourya had the pleased look of a child who knew that he was the most important person of the day. May his reign at the top continue!
Not to be done on the party stakes was Devyani Kumar of B-202. She had the Community Hall festooned with balloons for her birthday party on 4th February. With a sea of kids present, cacophony ruled! The children were seen running in the badminton court with balloons and the mothers in tow trying to feed them. They seemed to have a whale of a time.
Medha Nair of A-003 has been selected as the Cultural Secretary of Mother’s International School. This trait of hers has remained under wraps and I was not cognisant of this dormant talent within Yamuna. We hope we can tap her skills to organise cultural events in the colony.
Wedding functions that go on for a week or more are normally associated with royalty. Mukund Raina(G-002) and Madhvi’s wedding falls in that genre. When it involves people in high places there are no half measures on the style quotient.
Mukund’s Janeyu lunch in the Badminton court on 8th February threatened to go awry with the heavens opening up but mercifully it was only a passing shower. The beautifully laid out tables and the Allahabadi fare would have pleased anybody.
They were declared man and wife on 9th February. The reception held for the newly weds at the Gymkhana Club on 11th February was an elegant affair. The lesser mortals like us were seen rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty. The sashaying ladies were at their incredible best which had my ogle meter reading 100. The bride and groom mingled with the crowd and looked very fetching. The food was absolutely divine. An explosion of flavours greeted our senses.
Two of the original members of Yamuna have bid goodbye to Yamuna with a heavy heart. Mr. K. Narayanan and his wife Urmila of C-208 have sold their flat. It was their home for 30 years. The extreme weather of Delhi is taking a toll on them, so they have booked a flat in Bangalore and will be moving there in April.
Likewise Mrs. Meenakshi Narain of E-206 is finding it hard to live alone in Yamuna. She has sold the flat and has moved to Boston to with her daughter Nalina.
Both the flats have been sold to residents of Yamuna.
While Kunal Savarkar and Seema Chari of G-204 have bought C-208, N. L. Ganapathy of C-207 has bought E-206.
We are indeed sorry to see Mr. & Mrs. Narayanan and Mrs. Meenakshi Narain leave Yamuna. We hope they enjoy their new abode as much as they did Yamuna. They can always be in touch with Yamuna through the Chronicle.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I refer to the news item regarding the wedding of Kalpana and Rohan wherein it was mentioned that it was the second colony romance after KK and Jyoti. The author of this news item is perhaps not aware that the first colony romance was that of my sister Ragini of C-206 with Sridhar of E-301(from 1980 to 1983) culminating in their wedding on 16 November, 1983.
J. Krishnan ( D-101)
CALENDAR OF EVENTS – MARCH 2010
13.3.10 6.30 pm. Screening of movie at Badminton Court followed by pot luck dinner.
20.3.10 7.00 pm. Original story telling competition for all age groups at the Badminton Court. Screening of movie and pot-luck dinner.
