Editorial
For the first time in living
memory monsoon extended well into October. While monsoon is always welcome in
Delhi as it settles the dust blanket and makes the leaves and the air fresh,
lack of adequate drainage leaves the city crippled. Flooded streets,
overflowing drains, traffic snarls throw normal life into disarray. On top of
this, the humungous increase in traffic as a consequence of Durga Puja in
neighbouring CR Park makes travelling even a kilometre on the road seem like an
expedition to the moon. Missed flights and appointments are the norm. A would
be out-of-town visitor to our house after being stuck in traffic between
Savithri and Alaknanda for more than an hour, thought prudence is better part
of sanity, turned around and headed back to the Hotel. In former times Durga
Puja was a purely Bengali affair, however now everybody in town wishes to soak
in the Puja atmosphere. CR Park being the hub of Bengali diaspora, everybody
gravitates to the pandals in this mini Bengal, thus adding to our woes. To be
witness to such chaos in the National Capital among other things makes us rue
living in this country. It is a well known fact that Delhi's infrastructure is
much better than in other Indian cities. Woe betide the fate of those living in
Bangalore, Mumbai and Calcutta.
As is customary, the dandia
dance has become a staple of the Yamuna cultural scene during the Navaratri
period. This time it was on 12th October,13. Heavy rains the previous day had
made the atmosphere very sultry. However, this didn't prevent the girls and the
women from displaying their nifty dance moves. Having been brought up on a diet
of Bollywood, they have internalised the dance moves. In order to get more
people to dance Dr. Abhilash Pillai, the inveterate sponsor, offered to give
prizes to the best adult male/ female and girl dancer. Boys were not in contention
as they believe dancing is not their calling. It was so difficult to pick a
winner from the women and girl dancers as Meera Varma, Anu Nair, Sudha Eswaran,
Rekha Raghav, Seema, Sujata, Aditi Rastogi, Medha, Nandita Netra, Manisha,
Aparna, Kiana, Vedika, Shreeja, Sahana amongst others were just outstanding.
The mantle of best dancer was claimed by Netra as her energy and the multiple
dance styles she displayed were simply superb. Manisha of A-001 claimed the
girls title. The tiny tot Aadhya of B-104 who is barely two years old danced
with such natural rhythm that she could not be ignored and a special prize was
awarded to her. The best dancer amongst men was undoubtedly Abhilash, however
since he himself was the sponsor a tie was called between the other two strong
contenders, namely Deepak Varma and Sreekumar Madhu, thus the prize will be
shared by the duo.
There was plenty on offer
from the food stalls and surely enough they did brisk business as whatever was
on offer whetted one's appetite. Puri masala, masala dosa, egg rolls, vegetable
rolls, pav bhaji, bhel puri and cup cakes and sundry cold drinks meant that it
catered to everybody's taste buds. A strange brew was doing the rounds that
skirted the bounds of legality and kept the partakers in high spirits.
Rain in the evening on
Dussera threatened to derail Ram Lila proceedings. At one time it seemed like
the tail end of the cyclonic storm Phailin, was making its way here. Fortunately
for us there was a timely let up in the rain and Ram Lila got underway about
forty-five minutes behind schedule. The wait was well worth it as Riya's parody
on Ram Lila had an amusing twist to it. The war of attrition being fought not
on the battlefield but on the cricket pitch. Purists may find the idea
blasphemous but anybody with a sense of humour would marvel at Riya's creative
genius to blend ancient with the modern. Riya continues to amaze us with her
multifaceted talent. The musical
interludes were so imaginatively selected that it fitted the scenes perfectly. The
cast consisting of Shreeya, Aryan, Shreeja, Aparna Varma, Samarth, Tanvi,
Sahana Savarkar, Samiksha, Aditi, Mani, Vedika, Radhika, Shashvath, Anushka and
Dhanya acquitted themselves well. The
grand finale which called for the consigning of the demon King Ravana's effigy to
flames was eagerly anticipated. Since,
last year the giant effigy of Ravana had singed some of the trees, it was
decided to truncate the size and compensate the size of Ravana by giving him
company of his brothers Kumbakaran and Meghnath. The effigies were packed with explosives
and when Ram's shot was fired they went down like cannon fodder. The spectacle
was exhilarating. Mr. Ramabadhran has once again shown largesse by donating the
effigies.
"Where is the gas in
the IGL pipeline? A shattered dream for Mandakini residents", screamed the headlines in the October 13 issue of community newsletter,
"Samvada". The article goes on to say that mounds of earth and
rubble, shoddy and incomplete work marks the status of work despite repeated
reminders to IGL. The chimera of piped gas has been shown to us for several
years at first by GAIL and now IGL. Work in Yamuna was to start last year and
after several deferments we got a written communication from the councillor
that work would start in October, 13. This deadline has also passed. Just as
well. Knowing the dilemma faced by colonies in Alaknanda where digging work had
commenced and left in a state resembling a war zone, we are fortunate that work
has not commenced. We need to debate whether we should at all go for piped gas
considering that we may have to spend several lacs to create the infrastructure
to route the piped gas and end up doing the road which would set us back with another
humungous cost. Four feet deep trenches all over the colony would mean we may
have to repave the other areas as well. It is a cause for concern, not to
mention the trauma of parking our cars outside while the work is going on. With
IGL's commitment to time being as fickle as the weather, dealing with an
unliveable habitat for over a year is a scary prospect. As on date IGL has not
got permission from the authorities to lay the trunk pipeline across the road
from Tughlakabad to Alaknanda and from Nilgiri to Yamuna to feed the gas.
Besides, linkage of gas prices to the Japan index would mean that we would be
dealing with international volatility on currencies and prices for our gas. Is
piped gas going to be the blessing we are led to believe? Lot of doubts
persist.
Onion prices have reached
stratospheric heights. I recall my father saying that when he started his
career, his monthly salary was a princely Rs. 100, an amount that would barely
get you a kilo of onions today. The irony is onion brings tears to those who
can afford it as well as those who cannot. Pun intended.
The Diwali illumination
competition rules had to be tweaked to allow for a more accommodating system
where no Block seems short changed. Since the blocks work so hard in putting up
a great show and sincerely believe that they have done enough to bag the price,
they feel let down when the winning block turns out to be another. With grief
writ large on their faces some blocks were talking of boycotting the
competition this year. Since the primary objective of the illumination
competition is to foster greater community interaction, it was essential to
keep this fine tradition alive. As a consequence of the same, block
representatives met to chalk out a more benign reward system whereby there
could be separate winners for each of the four criteria shortlisted. Unless by
a strange and improbable quirk of fate, a set of blocks bags all the four
criteria prizes, we should see a more equitable sharing of laurels.
The revised criteria is
being put up on the notice board, based on which the judges would be evaluating
the blocks. May the best blocks win. Should your block not win any prize, be
magnanimous and congratulate the winners, after all the fun is in the
participation and making new friends and acquaintances.
Since Diwali mela was not
planned this year, disappointment was palpable amongst the children in
particular. I was collared on a regular basis by children when I used to go for
walks, pleading for holding the mela. Moved by their plight a compromise was
arrived at for holding a food mela combined with tambola and jam session. Mrs.
Abraham and Sudha Sundaram helped out with the tambola. Attendance was thin,
although those present made the most of it by participating in tambola, dance
and partaking in the eats. However, it turned out to be a poor substitute for
Diwali Mela. Deepak got his mojo going
and was seen flexing his muscles and showed real machismo in his dance. The
women were not to be outdone. Meera Varma, Anu, Sudha Eswaran, Sujata, Rekha
amongst others were at their seductive best and showed a lot of oomph as they suggestively
swayed their hips. A throwback of Bollywood kitsch. Deepak and Meera then
invited everyone to their newly done abode for a night cap. As you entered the
cavernous precincts, one realised that the humble Yamuna home had been
transformed into a luxury penthouse with cove lights and trellis work in the
drawing room, mood lights in the bedroom, library and lounge, a modular kitchen
that would make a Master chef proud. Bathrooms with Spanish tiles and high-end
chrome faucets. Deepak and Meera have set the yardstick against which other
flats will now get bench marked.
The Meter rooms left open
have become a refuge for cats. Recently, a cat was seen nursing a brood of six
kittens in one of the meter rooms. Residents are advised to keep the meter
rooms shut at all times to ward off a feline invasion.
Diwali is round the corner.
Already one is witnessing high levels of pollution caused by increased traffic
and bursting of crackers. Cooler weather tends to keep the pollutants at lower
levels leading to increased smog. Let us not compound the problem by bursting
crackers. Health risks of asthma, lung disease and cancer are principally
caused by high levels of pollution.
November is going to be a
busy month for Sports and Cultural activity with Diwali illumination
competition, badminton & TT tournaments, Quiz competition and the marquee
event, Annual Day dotting the calendar. Participents are requested to give
their names for all the listed activities to
Raju Krishnan for the tournaments, Sumathi Chandrashekaran for quiz and
Gita Rastogi or me for Annual Day variety entertainment programme.
SNIPPETS
Tanvi Savarkar is a chess
prodigy in the making. She recently clinched the first prize in the North Zone
under 14 Chess Championship, to add to her considerable trove of trophies. A
chess prodigy has to be master of spatial and numerical acuity. A person who
reaches the pinnacle is considered a genius. Tanvi. you have the colony's
blessings and wishes to conquer the world. Go for it.
********************
Kashish Nathani has sworn
her allegiance to the ancient sport of archery. She and her teammates lifted
the under 14 National crown in Archery. Don't mess with this girl-it won't be a
Cupid's arrow, it could be something more sinister! Great show-Kashish.
JOKE
OF THE MONTH
An old purohit in small-town
India had a teenage son. It was getting high time the boy gave some thought to
choosing a profession. Like many young men his age, the boy didn't really know
what he wanted to do, and he didn't seem too concerned about it.
One day, while the boy was away at school, the purohit decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy's room and placed on his study table four objects:
1. A copy of the Ramayana,
2. A silver coin,
3. A bottle of whisky,
4. A copy of Playboy magazine .
"I will hide behind the door," the old purohit said to himself, "And when he comes home from school, I will see which object he picks up. If it's the Ramayana, he's going to be a purohit like me, and what a blessing that would be. If he picks up the coin, he's going to be a businessman, and that would be okay too. But if he picks up the bottle, he's going to be a no-good drunken bum, and Lord Shiva, what a shame that would be. And worst of all, if he picks up that magazine, he's going to be a skirt-chasing womanizer."
The old man waited anxiously and soon heard his son's footsteps as he entered the house whistling and headed for his room. The boy tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room, he spotted the objects on the table. He walked over to inspect them, looking at each for several minutes. Finally, he picked up the Ramayana and placed it under his arm. He picked up the silver coin and dropped it into his pocket. He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink while admiring the month's centrefold.
"Lord Shiva, have mercy!" the old purohit cried out. "He's going to be Asaram Bapu!"
One day, while the boy was away at school, the purohit decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy's room and placed on his study table four objects:
1. A copy of the Ramayana,
2. A silver coin,
3. A bottle of whisky,
4. A copy of Playboy magazine .
"I will hide behind the door," the old purohit said to himself, "And when he comes home from school, I will see which object he picks up. If it's the Ramayana, he's going to be a purohit like me, and what a blessing that would be. If he picks up the coin, he's going to be a businessman, and that would be okay too. But if he picks up the bottle, he's going to be a no-good drunken bum, and Lord Shiva, what a shame that would be. And worst of all, if he picks up that magazine, he's going to be a skirt-chasing womanizer."
The old man waited anxiously and soon heard his son's footsteps as he entered the house whistling and headed for his room. The boy tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room, he spotted the objects on the table. He walked over to inspect them, looking at each for several minutes. Finally, he picked up the Ramayana and placed it under his arm. He picked up the silver coin and dropped it into his pocket. He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink while admiring the month's centrefold.
"Lord Shiva, have mercy!" the old purohit cried out. "He's going to be Asaram Bapu!"
CALENDAR
OF EVENTS FOR NOVEMBER 2013
DATE
|
EVENT
|
TIME
|
VENUE
|
3.11.2013
|
DIWALI ILLUMINATION
COMPETITION
|
6.30 PM
|
BETWEEN THE BLOCKS
|
10.11.2013
|
SPORTS DAY
|
9.30 AM
|
MAIN LAWN
|
23.11.2013
|
QUIZ COMPETITION WITH
SUMATHI
|
6.30 PM
|
BADMINTON COURT
|
30.11.2013
|
ANNUAL DAY PROGRAMME
|
4.30 PM
|
MAIN LAWN
|
