EDITORIAL
Rats and bandicoots are having a field day in Yamuna making burrows and digging up dirt. They are mocking the resident cats, who being fed by the residents, have lost their instinct and need to hunt them. Alas! It has fallen upon us to install rodent control pads to eradicate the menace.
Some of the drivers of residents do not go home after their duty is over and loiter in the colony, gambling or drinking. The agent provocateur is the cobbler who sits outside our complex and supplies these drivers with liquor or other stimulants. Residents are advised to ask their drivers to go home after their duty is over. Further, any resident who finds any of the drivers indulging in illegal activities inside the complex should ascertain their names and report to the Society Office so that the resident who has employed the driver could be suitably informed.
The drivers and other contract workers are often seen relaxing in the park, thereby making it awkward for ladies and children to go there. These people also litter the park with Pan Bahar and gutka sachets. The park is meant strictly for use by the residents. Residents who have employed drivers should advise their drivers not to wait in the park.
We have a system of deducting wages of negligent guards from the security agency’s bill. If any resident finds any of the security guards sleeping or not doing his job properly, he or she should report the incident to the Office with the name of the guard and date and time of occurrence.
Late last year a YouTube rage started around a vapid ditty called ‘Kolaveri di’ I am not entirely sure of the social context or the etymology of the word Kolaveri but it probably has its provenance in Tamil Nadu and concerns high passion to the point of committing murder. Be that as it may, the song has caught the imagination of all and sundry. Political parties fell over each other to offer rake full of money to the composer Dhanush, to make it their anthem for the polls by tweaking the lyrics. Several accomplished singers have begun singing their own versions of the song. So was it at the Holi festival in Yamuna when our acclaimed singing duo of Bhavani and Seema were joined by everybody else to belt out this number. It is amazing how a single song can change the fame and fortune of a person whose claim to fame until then was limited to being the son-in-law of Rajnikanth.
This year’s Holi celebration topped all in recent memory. The colony was well represented, although there were some notable absentees. Early morning chill meant that residents stepped out a tad late. Eager revellers were prowling in the lawn and between the blocks to plant their imprint of colours and douse the residents in coloured water. The feel of cold water against the skin sent shivers down one’s spine. But once the initial dunking was over it was pretty smooth sailing. Plenty of sweets, savouries and music ensured that everybody had a jolly good time. The crooners amongst us like Bhavani, Seema and Deepak were joined by others who could sing off key. Meera Varma showed some nifty moves while dancing, showing her pedigree as a dancer. They were joined by Anu, Prema, Sudha, Seema, Poornima, Jayashree, Vidya, Murali, Deepak, Kunal, Tanvi, Shahana, Shreeya, Shreeja, Aparna, Samiksha amongst others.
A more insipid budget I have not seen. There were no reform measures; it was just a cautious, dour and unexciting accounting exercise, totally devoid of vision and direction. With the State elections behind them and the general elections more than a year away, the Finance Minister who is an erudite person with a wealth of experience should have presented a bold non-populist budget with cut in wasteful subsidies and announced roll out plan for GST and DTC. This one step forward, two steps backward flip-flop brought about on account of coalition compulsions, is going to cost this government dear. There is not going to be any fillip to the economy. Don’t rejoice too much because of marginal cut in income tax. You will have to pay all that back and perhaps more because all manufactured goods and services are going to be dearer due to the increase in Excise Duty and service tax. In other words, what you gain on the swings you lose in the roundabouts. Dinesh Trivedi’s Railway Budget was more prudent, path breaking and forward looking, but the lady of Writer’s Building, Kolkata emasculated him for not toeing her line. Wither, economics oriented budgets, hail political shenanigans!
The pruning of trees in the colony has kicked up a storm. There are strong views on either side of the pruning debate. While pruning of trees is necessary, it would have been more prudent had it been carried out before the onset of winter rather than when the summer is beginning. The people in favour of pruning, argue for the need for more light and as a preventive measure to ensure branches do not snap in a storm and fall on unsuspecting human beings and cars. On the other side of the debate are those who say that not all species of trees are vulnerable to snapping in storms and that pruning should be aesthetically done and before the advent of winter. According to them, trees have a cooling influence in summer, attract birds which feed on insects and pests and cut out noise and dust from the main road, besides providing us the oxygen to breathe. It is advised that henceforth pruning of trees in the common areas should be undertaken only with the consent of the horticulture sub-committee headed by Mr. Thomas Abraham. Differences, if any can be sorted out by the sub-committee members.
Movie screening becomes quite an exercise, as no two people see eye to eye on the choice of movie to be screened. After much dithering, as no consensus was reached, it was decided to show the English movie, “Hugo” which had won several Academy Awards. The movie recreated very authentically the scenes of early 20th century Paris and brings out the struggles of its protagonist, a young boy who tries to come to terms with the loss of his father. He follows his father’s passion to crack the working of an automaton while being constantly challenged by his two bêtes noires, the station inspector and the toy shop owner. Childlike fantasy and adult yearning are beautifully interwoven in this period fable built around a Paris railway station, where Hugo ekes out a living by filching food from the food stalls and spending his time in the drainage ducts and roof spaces. I wonder whether this slow paced movie warmed the cockles of everybody’s heart but it served to offer a different palette than the usual Hindi movie kitsch. The pot luck dinner had three families tucking into all the goodies.
We are perhaps at the most exciting culinary crossroads with alien culture making itself visible in the form of exotic dishes coming out of Indian homes. In order for residents to display their culinary skills and pass on the art to other residents, a chef’s day was planned in the badminton court on 31st March. However, in order to accommodate the contestants who work on Saturdays, the event was moved to Sunday, 1st April. Culinary kings, queens and mavericks will be reported upon in the next issue.
In a continued effort to improve the aesthetics and functionality of our apartments, the block and flat numbering of blocks and flats which were not visible at night have been given a bright yellow paint, thus making identification easier for visitors. Besides, the main lawn on the opposite side of the entrance was being used as a dumping ground for leaves and branches. This had made the whole area unkempt and an eye sore. Residents had also reported having sighted snakes there. The area has since been cleared and landscaped with Phoenix palms.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Anita Suresan, Seema Jhamba and Mr. E. Parameswaran for spending three weeks doing stock taking of Yamuna Store inventory. Such voluntary work is highly appreciated.
OBITUARY
It is with great sorrow that we report the sad demise of the very affable Mr. Chandrakant Lele in Pune on 6th March. Mr. Lele was a member of the Society and used to live in A-209. Yamuna residents convey their heartfelt condolence to the bereaved family.
SNIPPETS
Mr. Venkatachalam, Vidya, Vinay and Vivek of F-003 have moved to Mumbai, necessitated by a job change for Venkatachalam. In the short duration that they were in Yamuna, they built strong friendships with a number of people. The children participated in all the sporting and cultural activities and were podium finishers more often than not. We wish them good luck.
VALUE JUDGEMENTS
Question 1:If you knew a woman who was pregnant, who had 8 kids already, three who were deaf, two who were blind, one mentally retarded, and she had syphilis, would you recommend that she have an abortion?
Read the next question before looking at the response for this one.
Question 2:
It is time to elect a new world leader, and only your vote counts.
Here are the facts about the three candidates.
Candidate A:
Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologers. He's had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 whiskeys a day.
Candidate B:
He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.
Candidate C:
He is a decorated war hero. He's a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer and never committed adultery.
Which of these candidates would be our choice?
Decide first... No peeking and then look further down for the response.
Answers:
Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Candidate B is Winston Churchill.
Candidate C is Adolf Hitler.
And, by the way, on your answer to the abortion question:
If you said YES, you just killed Beethoven. Pretty interesting isn't it? Think before judging someone.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR APRIL, 2012
| DATE | TIME | EVENT | VENUE |
| 1.4.12 | 6.30 PM | MASTER CHEF – SHOW YOUR CULINARY SKILLS IN PREPARING EXOTIC DISHES. WINNERS WILL GET FABULOUS PRIZES. | BADMINTON COURT |
| 7.4.12 | 6.30 PM | SCREENING OF MOVIE | BADMINTON COURT |
