Issue No. 145 I September 2013

EDITORIAL

It was a sweltering evening, quite unusual for the middle of September when the Onam sadya preparations got underway on 14th September. To embellish the entrance to the Community Hall, Seema Chari, Meera Varma, Vidya Nair, Anuradha Nair, Tanvi, Sahana Savarkar, Anoushka, Anirudh Suresan, Samiksha, Adwita, Kiana and Aaria made a very eye catching traditional pookolam flanked by two urlis with floating candles.

The residents and their guests turned up in traditional attire to partake in the feast from 7.30 pm. The bevy of Yamuna beauties in off-white traditional Onam saris comprising Seema Chari, Vidya Nair, Meera Varma, Anuradha Nair, Meghna, Asha, Sudha Easwaran, Sujata, Jayashree, Deepa Nair, Rekha, Dakshina, Manisha, Dhvani, Dr. Shwethaa, Shyni Prakasan, Abhirami, Poornima amongst others upped the heat quotient, making an already sweltering evening blistering hot.

The men not be overshadowed, cranked up their mundu to half mast to bare their legs. However, Kunal, Madhu, Srikumar and Deepak came up short in the battle of the sexes. The shutterbugs led by Sudha had a field day snapping up pictures of the vain men, to boost their dented ego. Now the stage will shift to the Sports Day "tug of war", when the men will hope to overturn the gender advantage of women with their pretty looks.

The Onam sadya was finger licking good even though it may have veered a tad from authentic Onam fare. Be that as it may, it made for a very enjoyable evening with residents congregating outside the Community Hall and indulging in idle chatter.

The candidate representing Aam Aadmi Party for the Delhi assembly elections visited the Society on 14thSeptember,2013 to talk about the Aam Aadmi Party manifesto. The nominee, Mr. Bhardwaj, is a young man and is professionally qualified. He came across as a refreshing change from the dyed in the wool traditional politicians.  There was a certain earnestness in what he said which was in stark contrast to the loud proclamations of the veteran politicians of the mainstream political parties. It would be a travesty of justice if the new brand of politicians are not given a chance to prove their worth. Since the party is coming on a platform of clean governance, it would be suicidal for their own future to veer away from their professed path. If they were to really de-corrupt the system as per their proclamations, it would genuinely make a big and positive impact on the Indian polity.

The decision to do away with the Diwali Mela this year has not gone down well with the residents. I get beseeched by children and some adults when I go on walks, to conduct the Mela. The irony is that when the Mela is planned, there is a lukewarm response from the residents to participate and make the Mela a success. Most of the residents are of the belief that Mela preparation is only a one day activity and show up in the evening decked up to enjoy themselves. Little do they know that it requires nearly a month's preparation for the show to be a success. Income from stalls, after considering the input costs and sharing of income with the stall holders, leaves barely enough to pay the tentwalla. In order to make a surplus, a lot of effort has to go into arranging sponsors. If residents can put their might in this exercise instead of depending on only one person to do it, holding of the Mela becomes feasible. Then again, we need residents to agree to man the stalls. In recent years children have expressed their wish to enjoy themselves and not stand in stalls. If that is the attitude, who will man the stalls and how could we hold a mela?

Junk food rules our heart. Have we not savoured the home grown veggie burger, the delicious  patty dripping in reused oil nestling inside a bun of indeterminate origin? It brought back  memories of my college canteen days as I snacked at my daughter's college, when I went for her admission. The Mc.Donalds of the day with their meaty avatar, sundry pizza joints and Haldirams and Bikanerwalas are all working overtime to pander to our taste buds and make us fat, unhealthy and ugly. Even our humble dosa is not above reproach. What might appear as a simple pancake made out of rice and lentil batter fried in a skillet with masala laden mashed potatoes as a filling, is packed with carbohydrate with high glycemic index and triglycerides. A walk along the perimeter of the colony, which I do religiously, throws up a treasure trove of discarded chips, chocolates and sundry savoury packets, the contents of which are guaranteed to give our youth all the lifestyle ailments during their advancing years. Gluttonously distended bellies of many Indians are the cumulative consequence of dietary wantonness. We need to balance our life style, whereby the craving for junk food does not jeopardise our long term well being.

Yamuna has its share of wild life with exotic birds like the great hornbill, blue jays, parakeets rubbing shoulders with common crows, mynahs, pigeons, feral cats, monkeys and mangy curs who occasionally stray into the colony (tell tale evidence is unfortunately left on the road). We also have some equally wild specimens of the human kind. Our teenagers also show their wild streak until they sober down in their post teen years. Yamuna has the ambience of a countryside retreat in the midst of a chaotic metropolis. This is one of the facets that make it  a joy to call Yamuna one's home.

Mr. Thangathurai of B-302 has pledged to donate Rs. 20,000 towards development of the tiny tot park adjoining the Society office into a garden for medicinal and ornamental plants. The calm and salubrious environment of a verdant and therapeutic garden could serve as a retreat for residents wishing to have a quiet area to meditate. As a consequence, the facilities for swings, slides, see-saws, jungle gym and sundry other play equipment for tiny tots would be moved to the main lawn to the right of the entrance. They will be dovetailed to the proposed machaan designed by Meghana Dubashi and Kumar Chiplunkar. Thomas Abraham has been assigned the task of coming up with a plan. Mr. Thangathurai's philanthropic acts do not seem to end. We wish to thank him for this largesse.

The AGM conducted on 22nd September, which started on a stormy note, soon settled down and all the resolutions were passed unanimously. I would like to thank the Managing Committee members, particularly the office bearers for the excellent work done during the year. Many seemingly insurmountable issues got sorted out. Outside the committee, Mr. P. Krishnamurthy, Mr. A. E. P. Suresan, Mr. Umapathi and Mr. Thomas Abraham amongst others gave their valuable time and support for the affairs of the Society. Any efforts of the Managing Committee will not give the desired results without the co-operation of the residents. When one looks at the problems confronted by the neighbouring societies, I must confess that our residents have been magnificent. This is what makes Yamuna a special place to live in.

We are approaching the active part of our festival season. A plethora of activities have been planned over the next three months. The Janmashtami programme was a resounding success. Residents have gotten used to a high standard of performance from our residents. Practice for the Ramlila and Annual Day would start earnestly in a few days. Residents who are new to the colony and have interest in dance, music, theatre or any other art form should participate and bring in their own brand of entertainment to enrich the cultural milieu of the colony.

SNIPPETS

When it comes to comes to mind games Mr. K. Krishnamoorthy of C-103 has no peers in India. At 60 years, he became the oldest player in India to win a FIDE rated Chess tournament beating the previous record by 13 years. He secured an incredible 8.5 points out of a possible 10 in the First All India FIDE rated tournament held in Wayanad, Kerala.

Kudos to Mr. Krishnamoorthy for this awesome achievement. I hope he imparts his knowledge of chess moves to the children in Yamuna.

HEALTH CAPSULE

THE TRUTH ABOUT WHITE BREAD, MAY APPLY TO WHITE RICE AS WELL

Many people around the world enjoy eating white bread. Here are some facts that may shock and surprise you. It's not only that white bread isn't good for your health, it can actually be a real danger ! The Swiss government has been aware of the dangers of eating white bread for decades and in order to get its populace to stop eating it, Switzerland has placed a tax on the purchase of white bread.

Why is the color of white bread so white when the flour taken from wheat is not? 

It’s because the flour used to make white bread is chemically bleached, just like you bleach your clothes. When you are eating white bread, you are also eating residual chemical bleach . Flour mills use different chemical bleaches, all of which are pretty bad.

Here are a few of them: Oxide of nitrogen, chlorine, chloride, nitrosyl and benzoyl peroxide mixed with various chemical salts. One bleaching agent, combines with whatever proteins that are still left in the flour and produces alloxan. Alloxon is a poison and has been used to induce diabetes in laboratory animals. This bleaching agent destroys the vital wheat germ leaving only poor quality proteins and fattening starch. But that is not the whole story as to the loss of nutrients.

Here are some statistics about the huge loss of nutrients when white bread is made:

·     About 50% of all calcium is lost

·     70% of phosphorus

·     80% of iron

·     98% of magnesium

·     75% of manganese

·     50% of potassium and

·     65% of of copper.

·     80% of thiamin, 60% of riboflavin, 75% of niacin, 50% of pantothenic acid.

·     About 50% of Pyridoxine

Whole wheat, rye and grain breads made with whole wheat flour are a better way.

-Contributed by Mahesh Eswaran A-304

MIRTH CORNER

Santa and Banta were playing chess...
 (joke doesn't end here).
 
 Santa: Chal yaar bas karte hain, sir pak raha hai.
 
 Banta: Haan yaar, waise bhi tera sirf haathi bacha hai aur mera sirf ghoda.
 
 The joke doesn't end here either...
 
 Phir wahan Viswanathan Anand aata hai.
 
 Vishy: Chalo Santa-Banta, chess khelte hain.
 
 Santa-Banta: Nahi, aap to hume aasani se hara doge.
 
 Vishy: Chalo yaar. Tum dono aur me akela.
 
 Santa-Banta: Phir bhi hum haar jayenge.
 
 Vishy: Okay, mai left hand se khelunga.
 
 Santa-Banta: Haan. Phir thik hai.
 
 The joke still doesn't end...
 
 Dono obviously haar jate hai aur Vishy chala jata hai.
 
 Santa: Badi sharmanaak baat hai, yaar. Left hand se bhi hara diya usne.
 
 Banta: Abe bewkoof bana gaya woh hume.
 
 Santa: Kaise?
 
 Banta: Saala lefty hi hoga!!!!!!!!!!! 

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR OCTOBER 2013

DATE	EVENT	TIME	VENUE
12.10.2013	DANDIA, MUSIC AND FOOD STALLS	7.00 PM	BADMINTON COURT
	PLEASE COME IN TRADITIONAL ATTIRE & BRING
	DANDIA STICKS
13.10.2013	RAMLILA AND BURNING THE EFFIGY OF RAVANA	5.00 PM	MAIN LAWN
19.10.2013	SCREENING OF MOVIE & POT LUCK DINNER	6.30 PM	BADMINTON COURT