Issue No. 141 I May 2013

Editorial

A sprinkling of residents showed up at the felicitation ceremony organised by Dabur at the Community Hall on the 5^th of May to honour the Society with a trophy and a cash prize of Rs. 10,000 for securing the fourth prize for the best maintained Society. They also organised games for children and provided refreshments to everybody. Dabur along with Fortis Hospitals surveyed more than 300 societies in Delhi/NCR to come to the conclusion. I was asked to speak on the occasion and I mentioned that we are thankful to all the residents for achieving this feat. Our garbage segregation through Chintan and cleanliness and eco-drive (a participative exercise), came in for praise. I mentioned that we were a trifle disappointed not to be considered for the top honour. Amongst the various criteria adopted by them to come to the conclusion was the size of the Society. We obviously lost out here to Som Vihar Apartments which is much larger than Yamuna.

The ladies in the audience were a little miffed at being pushed to fourth place and let off steam at the judges. Seema Chari mentioned that most societies in Gurgaon charge between Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 per month for maintenance and have an army of maintenance staff to spruce up the place and as such it would be unfair to compare such societies with Yamuna, where residents are charged only Rs. 1,000 per month. Seetha Venkataraman mentioned that the same yardstick should not be applied when benchmarking complexes which are thirty-five years old with new high-end apartment complexes. Obviously, the pricier apartment complexes come with waste water recycling system and garbage chutes. Photos of our receiving the trophy, certificate and cheque got wide coverage in the Hindustan Times supplement on the 8^th of May, 2013. I would particularly like to thank the small children like Kiana, Tanvi, Sahana, Juilee, Samiksha, Adwita, Aditi, Poorvaja, Mani and Sachin amongst others and adults like Thomas, Mr. Krishnaswamy. Geeta, Padmanabhan, Kunal and Seetha who regularly took part in the cleanliness and eco-drives.

Summer vacation is an ideal time for parents with school or college going children to get away to cooler climes. Over the years travel to the overcrowded and unsanitary hill stations have become passé. Cheaper overseas travel to exotic destinations offer hassle free holidays to the upwardly mobile Indian. Yamuna is no exception. I know of more families travelling overseas on a holiday than those travelling to the local hill stations. Kunal Savarkar and family are off to Europe which takes them to England, France and Italy. Sujata Sundaresan is off to England, France and Switzerland, Hari Shankar and family are off to Vienna, Salzburg and the US. There may be many others heading out on overseas jaunts which I am not privy to. The others who are staying in India are keener on travelling to their home towns rather than the hills. For the rest of us, we have for company a torrid summer which keeps us indoors for much of the day.

The C-Block annexe was vacated prematurely by Meghana Dubashi. It has since been let out to Rekha Raghavendra of A-001 who was the highest bidder at Rs. 5,800 plus electricity charges. In the process, the Society will earn Rs. 9,600 more per annum compared to the income from the previous lessee.

The IPL tamasha is a time pass for the summer off-season when most forms of entertainment and outdoor activity take a back seat. That every evening’s pass time is a charade characterised by bookies and rogue players has shattered the cosy belief that the players put in a load of hard work and play these high intensity games in searing heat for the pride and privilege of holding the trophy aloft. That the can of worms has reached the doorstep of the Chennai Super Kings super boss and Goliath of BCCI proves that all is not well with the evening entertainment. Sure, you may continue watching the game for its lusty hitting and incredible catches but take the results with a pinch of salt. While all the entertainment happens on the field, the coffers of the bosses and the players are filled far afield in sundry speakeasies and cloistered chambers of bookies.

I hate watching the news on private news channels. They tend to pick one story and turn it into a melodrama with invitees from political parties taking pot shots at each other and washing others’ dirty linen in public, as though everything in their own party is above board. Can a country, the size of a continent of more than a billion people with a vast hinterland have only one story to be relayed for half an hour on the news channel every hour? How lopsided is that? The other day I was watching Manmohan Singh getting verbally bashed. The major accusation against him was his inability to keep his flock together and his backing of the wrong horse every time. There were other vestigial accusations of being a pawn in the game and failed Government delivery. Such things one naturally expects the media to cuss; but what leaves me seething is its self-aggrandised role as the principal opposition. Seems like the public likes spicy and vitriolic journalism. Our news may be dour and enervated without grime. But there is a whole body of good news and deeds happening in the country which is completely ignored by the media. In this respect, the unglamorous DD News is a pleasant exception.

Mr. P. K. K. Nair of H-308 has donated floor tiles, marble slabs and sundry glass panes to the Society. We are very grateful to him for this largesse.

The Board exam results have not thrown any nasty surprises. The children of the Society have all done very well and can now plan their future. The results are reproduced below so that residents may congratulate the children. We may in a few years see a Doctor, Architect, Chartered Accountant, Media professional and Lawyer in our midst graduating out of this lot!

S.NO	NAME	ADDRESS	%
	SCIENCE
1	MALLIKA MAHESH	H-304	88
2	PADMAVATHY RAMANARAYANAN	A-110	79
3	SRIHARI CHANDRAMOULI	C-204	75
	COMMERCE
1	ADITI UMAPATHI	D-104	95
2	MUKUND RAO	H-105	87
	HUMANITIES
1	DIVYA NARAYANAN	B-002	95

Though Xth class exams are no longer conducted by the Board it would be pertinent to mention that Nachiket Dravid of G-001 and Ram Srinivas, former resident of A-001 have secured a perfect 10 CGPA in the Xth class exam matching the feat of Srilakshmi, who maxed last year. Kudos, to these brainiacs.

After relentless follow-up by the Office Bearers and Mr. P. Krishnamurthy for nearly a year, DDA has formally written to us waiving the composition fee of Rs. 54.17 lacs imposed on the Society. Thus one of the many hurdles in the regularisation of the flats has been removed.

SNIPPETS

For most of us summer vacation would mean a trip to the hills in relative comfort, ensconced in the salubrious environment of a resort. This form of mundane vacation would not pass muster for G. Ramabadhran and his 14 year old daughter Riya of E-201. Pushing the boundaries of adventure and endurance is what gives them the adrenaline rush. They trekked to the rarer atmosphere of the Everest base camp. Hats off to these two intrepid explorers.

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Mr. K. K. Nair of E-002, veteran of many Managing and Control committees decided to leave Yamuna and settle down in Trichur, Kerala. He is fortunate that his son Anil too decided to quit his job and move with him to Trichur. We are indeed very grateful to Mr. Nair who with his valuable advice and knowledge of the history of the affairs of the Society could shepherd several committees through trials and tribulations. We will certainly miss his valuable inputs. We wish the family the very best in their new home.

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Anand Murthy who was born and brought up in Mumbai has moved into D-202. After a stint with Reckitt Benckiser and O&M he is now working for Gurgaon based Dentsu. This advertising executive is a linguist who can speak no less than seven languages including his native Telugu. His claim to fame does not end there. He plays tennis, listens to Carnatic music, loves cooking, is an art buff and is a good mimic. With these attributes we should see him on the Yamuna stage. Being an eligible bachelor, putative suitors could make a beeline to his door. May be the chemistry works and we can have a wedding on our hands! He can be reached on 9999909469.

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B-104 has new inhabitants. Mr. Vishnu Prasad Pai, a Chartered Accountant working with TCS in Gurgaon is a Konkani, which adds to the regional and cultural diversity of Yamuna. Vishnu likes to travel, is a good cook and loves to listen to music. His wife Dr. Swethaa Kamath was working as an anaesthetist with Apollo Indraprastha Hospital until she had to quit her job over a year ago to have a baby. She loves music, dance, reading books, painting and shares her husband’s passion for cooking. Their daughter Aadya is 15 months old. They can be reached on 09818359525 and 8826680460.

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Mr. C. Chandramouli has moved into E-004 from Chennai. He is a lawyer by qualification but chose to work in the corporate world after doing an Executive Management course from IIM, Bangalore. He is working with ICICI Securities Ltd as Zonal Head of North and East Zone. He loves pets, yoga and nature. He is an eligible bachelor and can be reached on 7838582288.

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Krishnan Srikant along with his wife Vidhya and son Jai of A-302 left for Dubai. Krishnan has got a new assignment with a telecom firm which catapults him to the top of the corporate ladder. We wish them the very best in the Gulf Sheikhdom.

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Mr. Vinod Nair has moved into E-002. He works as Project Manager with UEM, a Noida based company in the field of manufacture of water and sewage treatment plants. He likes working out and watching movies. His wife Sandhya Rajan who is a fashion designer is also a movie buff and loves reading. They can be reached on 9717490543 and 9910189991 respectively..

It is a record of sorts that six families have moved residences in one month. Sad as we may be seeing our friends leave the colony, we wish them the very best for the future. We also welcome all the new comers to the Yamuna family.

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Mr. Sreekumar Nair of A-203 has got an international accolade. He has got a “Certificate of Honour” for his significant contribution to the development of Ukraine-India economic relations and strengthening of bi-lateral entrepreneurial contacts on the occasion of the State visit of H.E. Mr. Viktor Yanukovych, the President of Ukraine to India. We are proud of you. Keep it up.

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Mallika Mahesh of H-304 straddles the world of academics and classical dance with equal ease. In a Bharatanatyam recital held at the India Habitat Centre on  30^th May, 2013, she dazzled the audience with her exquisite abhinaya. She was among a group of dancers performing under the tutelage of Guru Kanaka Srinivasan. A motley gathering from Yamuna was present to cheer her on. This budding artiste has a bright future.

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MIRTH CORNER

Three drunkards entered a taxi.
The taxi driver knew that they were drunk so he started the engine turned it off again. He told them: "We have reached ".
The first guy gave him money.
The second guy said "Thank you".
The third guy gave the driver a slap.
The driver was shocked, thinking the third drunk knew what he did. He asked him nevertheless, "What’s that for?"
The third guy replied: "You drove so fast you nearly killed us!"

Trek to Everest Base Camp

My trek to Everest Base Camp in a duration of 15 days was a memorable, motivating experience. I learnt so many interesting things that I will remember throughout my life. I met many people who summited Mt. Everest and have actually motivated me to take the plunge to the top one day. It was great hearing, reading about them and interacting with them.
                 The trip included areas that were strenuous to negotiate; we had to walk with a couple of kilos on our back, passing through picturesque landscapes, at the same time tackling high altitude sickness throughout. I won’t forget to mention that we slipped through slush hills to cover villages to reach the nearest helipad, and all this due to extremely bad weather conditions on the day of our return.
                 Nevertheless, I would like to say that it was a splendid experience for me, at this age, and that I was the youngest gave me a good sense of achievement. I wish to encourage young bravehearts to try EBC once for sure! It is pretty organized these days.

                  I would like to take this opportunity to thank my parents immensely who encouraged me to do this and made it a fantastic experience !!!!!!!!!!!!:)

(Riya Ramabadhran -   E-201)

Calendar of Events - June 2013

Date	Time	Event	Venue
29.6.13	6.30 pm	Rain Dance	Main Lawn