Issue No. 139 I March 2013

Editorial

The Finance Minister, Mr. Chidambaram’s budget did not even stir up a storm in a tea cup. It was one of the most insipid budgets I have come across. There was no shock or awe unless you are a smoker or earn more than Rs. 1 crore taxable income in a year. Barring the containing of fiscal deficit there were no big-bang reforms. Maybe, on the eve of election year he was hemmed in by the constraints of macroeconomic situation and vote bank compulsion. Be that as it may, the initial hoopla turned out to be a damp squib. Perhaps he may introduce the much needed bills off the budget radar so that they meet with less opposition.

The cleanliness and eco-drive on 3rd March got only a lukewarm response. Only Sahana Savarkar, Kiana Abraham and Mr. S. Krishnaswamy participated in the exercise. Anyway, we got a lot done in sprucing up the colony. I would like to thank the participants for this voluntary work to keep the colony clean.

The burgeoning population of bandicoots which were cocking a snook at the resident cats finally got their nemesis when a pest control expert recommended by Nalin Rastogi got the ideal cocktail to lay them low. After every other trick tried before had failed, it was worth giving this a try and it worked! The bandicoots which had made big burrows all over the colony were spotted belly up in many places. Our cleaning personnel were asked to get rid of them.

Just as our patience for getting the gas pipeline seemed to be wearing thin there is light at the end of the tunnel. After considerable follow-up I have got assurance from IGL that they will start the work in Yamuna in the first week of April 2013. Let us keep our fingers crossed and hope that this time it does not turn out be to be another false promise.

There is danger lurking as we exit from the A Block gate in our cars. When the traffic is light, cars come at full speed from Don Bosco side and it is not possible to sight them with cars parked near the gate obscuring the view of the driver. Residents have reported near misses on several occasions. It would be of great help if Yamuna residents who park their cars outside leave a couple of vacant slots near the exits so that exiting drivers can spot cars coming down the road.

After humiliating defeats on overseas tours of England and Australia and more recently against England at home, the tide has turned and the wind is behind the sails of the willows of the Indian batsmen and the cherries of the Indian spin trio. The series victory against the mighty Aussies in Tests is no mean feat. This game has all the ingredients to lift the spirits of the Indian populace. May the happy hunting continue and hope they do not succumb to complacency.

The Community Hall, while meeting most of the requirements of a party place, has one drawback. The water in the kitchen comes only when the direct water is on. This is all set to change. Thanks to the munificence of Deepa Rastogi of G-003, a day tank has been installed in the kitchen which will store water when the direct water is on and meet the requirements of the kitchen right through the day. We would like to thank Deepa for this gesture.

The C-Block gate which is exposed to the elements, was posing problems to the computer controlled automatic gate opening system. A tiled shelter conceived by Mr. P. K. K. Nair has now been built which would protect the devices from rain and severe heat during summer. It will also serve as a rain shelter for people caught unawares in the rain.

Two of the colony’s commercial spaces fell vacant after the respective occupants chose not to renew the lease agreement. The same have gone to the highest bidders. While Anita Suresan of H-008 has taken Shop No. 6 to run her office, Meghana Dubashi of E-003 has taken the C Block annexe for her studio.

Holi came a tad late this year. However, the afternoon heat did not dampen the spirits of Yamuna residents who wait for this day to smear gulal and dunk their friends in coloured water. Prema and Manoj flew down from Mumbai with their daughter so as not to miss the revelry at Yamuna. A sizable crowd assembled on the lawn to play holi. Pakoras, vadas, karvadams, gujias and sundry concoctions did the rounds to keep the crowd in the right spirits. The garden hose was put to liberal use to drench those who sought an easy way out. Anu, Meera Varma, Prema, Seema, Sudha, Savita, Meera Venkat, Kirti, Kunal, Deepak, Madhu, Murali, Dr. Abhilash, Bhavani, Ramabadhran amongst others were seen swaying to the holi beat belted out on the music system. The children did a group dance on the stage. When the colour ran out everybody settled for a musical soiree on the lawn. Deepak, Bhavani, Seema, Bharti, Raju and others regaled the audience with their quirky twist to the old and new Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil songs. Photos taken by Srikant and Soumya can be viewed on the Yamuna blog.

A robust collection this year from non-budgeted sources like sponsorships for Diwali Mela, telephone directory advertisements, shifting charges, other income and prudent financial management ensured that several works for which we may have had to dip into the sinking fund could be carried out without the need to do so. These were waterproofing of terrace areas where top floor flats had reported seepage, waterproofing of select areas of C-Block basement roof, installation of rain shelter over C-Block gate, provisioning of ducting to remove the noxious fumes emanating from the public toilet and discharging the same on the terrace with the aid of an exhaust fan. This has been a long standing demand of residents who were subjected to the stench from the public toilets.

The Managing Committee also decided not to levy the increased maintenance charges approved in the budget starting from the first quarter. It was felt that unless there is another round of increase of water and electricity charges, we should be able to manage without the increase in maintenance charges. Let’s hope and pray that DJB and BSES can tighten their belts and not pass any increase to the consumer.

The Chef’s Competition on 30^th March was a humdinger. An overwhelming response from participants, particularly in the dessert category, was astounding. Equally heartening was participation of children in the competition. That children as young as Shreeya, Shreeja, Aparna, Samiksha, Kiana, Tanvi and Sahana could come up with mouth watering fare is a testimony to the talent that resides in the colony. I tasted almost all the dishes and I must confess that the judge must have had a harrowing time picking the winners. The creations were all very unique and exemplary. The winners have been given their pride of place in the table below. After many years of biting the dust in various competitions, I finally got the sweet smell of success, albeit as second prize winner in the “mocktails” category.

PRIZES	NAMES	ADDRESS	CREATIONS
	MOCKTAILS
1	SOUMYA SRIKANT	C-003	GOLDEN SUNSET
2	MOHAN NARAYANAN	B-002	MOJITO
	STARTERS
1	BHAVANI KRISHNAN	E-005	BHALLE BALLE
	MAIN COURSE
1	ANURADHA NAIR	B-107	MUTTON ROGAN JOSH
2	DAKSHINA, MANISSHA and KAVYA	A-001/B-002	CALZONE
3	ARUNA RAJU	F-103	ORANGE JUICE GLAZED SESAME
			STIR FRIED VEGETABLES
	DESSERT
1	VIDYA VENKAT	A-004	FLAVOURED SRIKHAND
2	MALA SUNDARESAN	D-002	PAL KOZHAKATTAI
3	NIHARIKA ABRAHAM	A-008	PANCAKES WITH FRUIT TOPPINGS
4	SUDHA UMAPATHY	D-104	WAFFLE WITH APPLE SPREAD

Shaju Zacharia was the judge. His accomplishments among other things include stints as Chef in Taj Mansingh, Taj Palace, Rambagh Palace, Taj Bengal, Cairo Meridien, Egypt, Gstaad Palace Hotel, Switzerland and Ciga Palace Hotel, Milan. He was awarded “Chef of the year” in 2006 by IFCA and “Culinary Greatness Award by IFCA in 2012. Through the auspices of Nalin Rastogi we were fortunate to have as our judge, a Chef with such high credentials. We are indeed very grateful to Dr. Abhilash Pillai of A-204 and G. Ramabadhran of E-201 who both contributed Rs. 4,000 each towards the prize money. Please view the photos taken by Srikant on the blog.

SNIPPETS

Arjun Krishnan of H-005, a lawyer by profession and amongst the most eligible bachelors in Yamuna is not unencumbered anymore. In an elegant wedding ceremony on 4^th March held in a leafy and spacious bungalow in Lutyens Delhi. Arjun and his wife Supriya Dravid looked a couple at ease with themselves. The food was great and the setting perfect. We wish the couple the very best.

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In a tribute to the life and spirit of Pandit Ravi Shankar, Radhika Samson of A-201 participated in a scintillating sitar recital in Nehru Park on Sunday, 10^th March, 2013 which would have done even the master proud. With dignitaries like Mrs. Manmohan Singh, Ravi Shankar’s wife and daughters Norah and Anoushka in the audience, there could be no better accolade for this budding talent. The next day her photograph appeared in the front page of Express Newsline.

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Mr. K. M. Madhusudhanan and family have moved into F-001. The entire family believes in following a path off the beaten track. Mr. Madhusudhanan is an artist and film maker who has produced a National Award winning arthouse movie in Tamil and Malayalam called Bioscope. His other interests include listening to Carnatic, Hindustani, Sufi, and jazz music. His equally talented wife, Anuradha runs an NGO called Tattva, marketing organic processed food like tortilla chips, hummus, salsa sauce and assorted dips and spreads. She used to play the veena and pursues the same interests as her husband. Their daughter, Neelambari, is a Class X student of Mirambika School, an off-beat education venture, which centres around application of mind and innovativeness where students pursue their activities of interest. She is learning Bharatanatyam and is interested in art, drama, music, and cooking. We welcome this family to Yamuna and consider Sarvodaya Enclave’s loss as Yamuna’s gain. They can be reached on 8860240950, 9899970438 and 9818331839 respectively.

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Spirituality is a platform that brings young and old together especially if it is delivered in song and dance form. The matrimonial union of Radha and Krishna, though not mentioned in the epics but a part of folklore in some quarters, was celebrated with gusto. How women would take the concept of polygamy in today’s world is a moot point. The sight of women in kanjeevarams and girls in silk pavadais was a feast to the eyes. It was also very nostalgic to spot several of the women attired in nine yard saris. The feast was not limited to the eyes alone. Residents who attended the function in the lawn were treated to breakfast, lunch and dinner served on traditional plantain leaves. The singers and chroniclers brought from Tamil Nadu regaled the audience with their marathon singing sessions. The decibel level on the first day of the three day function was so high that there were complaints from some residents and neighbouring apartment complexes as children were appearing for their annual exams. Soon the volume was toned down and order was restored.
Balaji and family were very gracious hosts, ably supported by Meenakshi Thangathurai, Mala Sundaresan, Kalyani Chandramouli, and Lalitha Nagarajan amongst others. The social bonding such events bring about is so gratifying that there is a clamour to introduce it as a feature of the annual cultural calendar. A detailed account of the three day event, vividly captured by Mr. Bhotlu of F-203, is attached to the Chronicle.

MIRTH CORNER

Husband takes the wife to a disco. There's a guy on the dance floor living it large - break dancing, moon walking, back flips, the works.   

The wife turns to her husband and says: "See that guy?  25 years ago he proposed to me and I turned him down."  
Husband says:  
"Looks like he's still celebrating! "

CALENDAR OF EVENTS – APRIL 2013

DATE	TIME	EVENT	VENUE
6.4.13	6.30 PM	SCREENING OF MOVIE AND POT LUCK DINNER	MAIN LAWN
7.4.13	8.00 AM	CLEANLINESS AND ECO DRIVE	ASSEMBLE AT THE BADMINTON COURT

Radha Kalyanam

Dear Editor,

Through your esteemed columns, I venture to convey my appreciation to the good-hearted couple, Smt. Sheela and Sri R Venkataraman (popularly known as Balajis), and their family members for the successful conduct of Sri Radha Krishna Kalyanam on 15 - 17^th March in the Park of Yamuna Apartments.

As indicated in the Invitation Card, this Kalyanam was conducted as per Dakshina Bharata Bhajan Sampradayam by Sri Yagnarama Bhagavatar and his team with the blessings of Sri Krishna Premi (populary known as “Anna”). This three-day event started with the singing of Guru Dhyanam, Ashtapadis of Sri Jayadeva, and compositions of other divine composers followed by the Kalyana Paddhati involving all those present in the Pandal.  In the morning of the Kalayanam day, Unchavrithi was performed as per the Paddhati and several devotees participated enthusiastically by offering rice, dal and dakshina and received the blessings of the Unchavrithi bhagavthar. The Kalyanam proceedings also include Divyanamam, Kolattam followed by Oonjal (jhula) seva. The grand culmination of the Kalyanam was Lagna Ashtakam (in Sanskrit) which has eight stanzas describing the presence of various Devatas (Ganesh, Shiva, Parvati, Subrahmanya, Nandi, Bhairava, Veerabhadra, Saraswati, Lakshmi, et al); Devas (Indra, Yama, et al); Gandharvas, Siddha purushas, Bhaktas (Prahlada, Parashara, Shuka, Mahabali, Narada, Anjaneya, et al),  Rishis (Vishwamitra, Vasishta, Kashyapa, Bharadwaja, Gautama, Jamadagni, et al); Pativrata Stris like Savitri, Tulasi, Arundhati, etc. and River goddesses like Ganga, Narmada, Kristna, Godavari, Cauvery, etc. witnessing the divine marriage of Radha and Krishna (union of Jeevatma with Paramatma) followed by Mangala Harati.

As I understand, Radha Kalyanam signifies Radha’s pure love (pyar) with Krishna/Shyam/Gopal. This event celebrates the sacredness of true love, bhakti and devotion to Paramatma who is full of Prema Bhava. Radha is the symbol of the soul craving for Paramatma (Supreme Soul). Radha was the one who surrendered everything to Krishna. Radha further  tells her Gopika companions how she can express her feelings. (Sakhi Saheli Kaise Sunavu Mai Apney Dil Ka Haal).It is therefore an occasion for every one of us to take a lesson to awaken our souls to reach the Supreme Soul through complete surrender (Sharanagati).

It is indeed a unique event in several ways. To mention a few: Starting with one’s  arrival at the Pandal, a traditional swagatham awaits  you – Radhika and Vidya in their Pattu Pavadai, flowers decorating their hair, offering Sugandha Chandanam, Sindhur, Flowers, and Sugar candies. Then you pray to the Lord Ganapathi who blesses us with grand success and conclusion of the event with no obstacles. After entering the Pandal and getting seated, one automatically and instinctly gets involved in the bhajana already going on – thus making everyone’s participation in chanting and singing of devotional songs. No wonder, on the second evening, with the arrival of Sri Krishna Premi (“Anna”), the whole atmosphere got charged with devotional fervour and with  devotees flocking together to have his darshan and receive blessings personally.  Then we had his Anugraha Bhashana – message for the occasion – Radha’s pure love (Pyar) with Krishna. Complete surrender to Paramatma merging our soul with the Supreme Soul through love. How fortunate these two young girls – Radhika Vidya and Ramana sitting with Annaji, garlanding him and serving him – a sight similar to the days of Brindavan in Dwapar Yug, how the cowherds moved, played, ate together with the Lord Krishna.  Then the Deities were taken in a procession around the complex in the midst of bhajana and fire crackers.

Another very important feature of such functions is Annadanam, which occupies a very high place. Naturally,  responding to the occasion, our most hospitable hosts, Balajis, arranged breakfast, lunch, snacks & tea/coffee in the evening and dinner at night on all three days.  I truly wonder how Balaji and his eldest daughter Ramya and two sons, Ramana and Ranga took every care, showing all courtesies in serving and re-serving and ensuring that no devotee is left unfed.  It is indeed a commendable and noteworthy act to be emulated.  I sincerely pray to Kasi Annapurna to continue to bless them with such great Dharmic deeds in the years to come. I have no hesitation in saying that these two brothers like Rama and Lakshmana have kept the the ideals of their parents and Guru. It was also a delight to watch how Balajis couple along with Nagarajans, Chandramoulis, Thangathurais, Sunderesans, etc. , honoured the Bhagavatars with new clothes and Dakshina, appropriately as the occasion demands.               

Finally,  on completion of the Kalyanam, while leaving, one found an ever cheerful and ever helpful Pattu Mami along with our ever famous SOS person Srikant, Soumya, Shreeya and Shreeja ready to hand over you a bag containing Kalyana Bhakshanam.  What a Happy and cherishable ending indeed!

After fully enjoying all these activities, one really wonders how this single family has conducted this memorable event with astounding success.  It may not be out of place, if a mention is made about the guidance, directions and co-operation extended by Pattu Mami and Kalyani Mami along with numerous residents, particularly  ladies, dressed in all their finery, for the successful conduct of this event.  

This morning when I called Balaji to commend and compliment him, he humbly attributed the whole success to the grace of his Guru Sri Krishna Premi (“Anna”). He further added that Guru’s grace is the perennial source of strength for his peace, prosperity and progress.

Truly and naturally, our Society should be proud of such a noble couple of divine nature and let us all pray for their long life in Vinayam (humililty) & Vidheyeta (dedication) coupled with love, peace and prosperity.

Finally, it is no exaggeration if I regard this Radha Krishna Kalyanam celebration an eventful, enlightening and memorable one in the annals of Yamuna Apartments which will be cherished and remembered for many, many years to come.

                                  OM  SHANTI       OM SHANTI          OM SHANTI

VV Bhotlu

F-203