Issue No. 154 I June 2014

EDITORIAL

Modi is here to stay and make a difference. What matters to him is drive and enterprise-attributes that bypass the great majority of plodders in the government. He is loath to pander to the average. Hitherto, development in India was given over to 'give no quarter' politicians who cleave to a socialistic model that continues to trump economics. Ofcourse, the euphoria generated by BJP's landslide victory may be a little misplaced as it puts expectations far in excess of what is pragmatically possible in the short term. Given India's federal polity with still many states in opposition hands, he has to weave a delicate and complicated manoeuvre to get the opposition to sing along. Among other things, one thing he is capable of doing is to cut red tape which Balkanises the economy. Hubris apart, the guy has what it takes to move mountains. I am optimistic.

This summer has been weird. While May had more than its fair share of rain whenever the temperatures threatened to breach the records, June seems to test our resolve through 'agni pariksha'. The mercury broke a 62 year record when the temperature touched a fire breathing 47.8⁰ C. Stepping out into the open seemed like venturing into hell. A number of heat stroke cases have been reported. We just hope rain would bring some relief. Amazingly, the heat has also taken a toll of the mosquitoes, which of course is very welcome, albeit briefly. Rain while bringing the mercury down will give a new lease of life to the pesky pests. The temperature has come down over the month from an intolerable 47⁰ C to an uncomfortable 41⁰ C. What a relief !!!

Summer vacations are long enough to bring ennui into children's lives. Consequently. parents are pressured into taking them for a vacation to cooler climes. Succumbing to these pressures can be hard on the pocket as most vacations can cost an arm and a leg. Peer pressure at school and elsewhere means children do not want to settle for less than an exotic place with high price tag in India or abroad. While parents slave at home and at work, children want it all and more, although even parents secretly yearn for a break. While my daughter wanted to go to a beach place for the vacation, since no beach place in India has conducive weather in summer we had to settle for a beach holiday in Bali. The writ runs somewhat similarly in other families in Yamuna with atleast three families I know having gone to the Andamans, three families to Europe, two families to the US and one to Mauritius. Amongst the Indian destinations, count Ranthambore, Goa, the hills of North India and Bangalore where some families have been to. There may be many other residents who may have gone on exotic holidays which I may not be privy to. Gone are the days when we as children were always taken only to our parents home town in Kerala, every summer holiday. The downside  of escaping from the heat for a few days is that when you get back the effects of the heat are far more severe.

The IPL circus is over. I get the impression that with unorthodox stroke play and lusty hitting no total looks safe until the last ball is bowled. While it is certainly entertainment, I miss the subtlety and nuances of Test cricket where technique and temperament play a very important role. There are very few players who can play both forms of the game with equal felicity. The twenty over game however has certainly improved the standards of fielding and running between the wickets.

The rain dance on 15th June got a tepid response with just a handful of children showing up in the park. Part of the reason is that many children were out on holidays. However, the participation from adults and the older children has diminished over the years as there seem to be quite content leading a sedate and monotonous existence. The need to let your hair down and frolic in the cooling shower of water and mingling with friends apparently does not have the elixir that sitting in front of the TV and watching a soap or chatting with friends on Facebook seem to have.  To each his own, is all I can say. Seema and Kunal did make a brief appearance but lack of company sent them homeward bound.

The dust bins dotting the colony are welcome receptacles for the endless garbage that emanates due to surge in the sales and consumption of junk food in laminated pouches. Yet about 10% of them find their way into the flower beds, roads, the space between the blocks and the lawn. Despite several advisories asking residents not to litter, there are still some people who do not care for the environment they live in and make an eyesore of the place. Kunal Savarkar and his staff have volunteered to clean up the nooks and crannies in the colony which are not the regular beat of the cleaning staff of the colony. Those who wish to join in the effort are requested to get in touch with Kunal.

Sadhana's monthly entertainment in the form of performance by students is a great idea. It not only allows the parents to assess the progress their wards make under the tutelage of their gurus, it also provides free entertainment during that part of the year when the cultural and social events hit a nadir. It was heartening to see the students give a good account of themselves inspite of the stifling weather. We are proud to see Radhika, Ramanan and Pranav putting their heart and soul into this venture.

We understand that the work on the gas pipeline which was supposed to wind its way through Ganga and reach Yamuna has been suspended due to the onset of monsoon. We have been given to understand that the work will resume in October. The seemingly endless wait has led to some people questioning the merits of having the gas pipeline as apparently the PNG supply prices have shot through the roof on which is there is no subsidy whereas the LPG that we get has a liberal dose of subsidy. This is definitely valid for small families where the consumption of gas is limited to the subsidised cylinder. The other downside being the terrain of Yamuna being very undulating and stepped the feasibility of taking the pipeline to all the flats may lead to extensive digging through paved areas and rocky underlay. The apprehension is that we could be saddled with extensive repair costs running into lacs and also permanent scarring. The upside of course is that when you have the gas pipeline you do not have to bother with registering for a refill and waiting for the cylinder.

OBITUARY

Close on the heels of the demise of Mrs. Nagan, Mr. N. S. Nagan passed away on 4th June, 2014 in Gurgaon. Mr. Nagan was a member of Yamuna  and used to live in D-101. Maybe the grief over losing his life partner proved too much to him and he ended up joining her in heaven. Yamuna residents convey their condolence to the bereaved family.

SNIPPETS

M. Anand's (C-001), daughter Advaitha, a Dentist got engaged to Shriram Iyer, a Marine Engineer on 8th June, 2014. Wedding is slated for November, 2014. We wish the couple fun times during their courtship until they get married.

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Mr. Arvind Singh has moved into F-004 with his family. Arvind Singh works as a Marketing Manager for Lace World, an organisation that sells garments, fabrics and lace. When not working he relaxes to the strains of music. His wife, Chandrakantha is a volleyball coach in Mothers International School. She is also a music buff. Their only daughter, Vanshika is seven years old and is studying in the third class in Amrita Vidyalaya. Amrita is also learning Odissi dance at Sadhana. Arvind Singh and family belong to Rajasthan. Their coming to Yamuna will add to the cultural diversity of Yamuna. They can be reached on 9810889523.

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In a welcome return to Yamuna that is being cheered by all hedonists Manoj, Prema and Saisha have moved to A-309 from Mumbai. Having lived in C Block and H Block before, their latest pit stop in A Block will leave them with only three more blocks to occupy. Their return will liven up the social and cultural activity in Yamuna.

INTERESTING ORIGIN OF PHRASES

There is  an old Hotel/Pub in Marble Arch, London , which  used to have a gallows adjacent to it. Prisoners  were taken to the gallows, (after a fair trial  of course) to be  hung.
 The horse  drawn dray, carting the prisoner, was  accompanied by an armed guard, who would stop  the dray outside the pub and ask the prisoner if  he would like ''ONE LAST  DRINK''.
 If he said  YES, it was referred to as "ONE FOR THE  ROAD"
 If he  declined, that prisoner was "ON THE WAGON". So  there you go.
 
 They used  to use urine to tan animal skins, so families  used to all pee in a pot & then once a day  it was taken & sold to the tannery. If you  had to do this to survive you were, "Piss Poor",  but worse than that, were the really poor folk,  who couldn't even afford to buy a pot, they  "Didn't have a pot to  Urinate   in" & were the  lowest of the low.

The next  time you are washing your hands and complain,  because the water temperature isn't just how you  like it, think about how things used to  be. Here are  some facts about the  1500's in England.                      
Most  people got married in June, because they took  their yearly bath in May and they still smelled  pretty good by  June.
However,  since they were starting to smell, brides  carried a bouquet of flowers, to hide the body  odour. Hence the custom today, of carrying a  bouquet when getting  married.

Baths  consisted of a big tub filled with hot water.  The man of the house had the privilege of the  nice clean water, then all the other sons and  men, then the women and finally the children.  Last of all the babies. By then the water was so  dirty you could actually lose someone in it.  Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with  the Bath water!"

Houses had  thatched roofs, thick straw piled high, with no  wood underneath. It was the only place for  animals to get warm, so all the cats and other  small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof.  When it rained it became slippery and sometimes  the animals would slip and fall off the roof.  Hence the saying "It's raining cats and  dogs."

There was  nothing to stop things from falling into the  house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom,  where bugs and other droppings could mess up  your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts  and a sheet hung over the top, afforded some  protection. That's how canopy beds came into  existence.

 The floor  was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other  than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt Poor." The  wealthy had slate floors, that would get  slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread  thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their  footing. As the winter wore on, they added more  thresh, until, when you opened the door, it  would all start slipping outside. A piece of  wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a  thresh hold.  
 Sometimes  they could obtain pork, which made them feel  quite special. When visitors came over, they  would hang up their bacon, to show off. It was a  sign of wealth that a man could, "Bring home the  Bacon." They would cut off a little, to share  with guests and would all sit around talking and  ''Chew the fat''.
Bread was  divided, according to status. Workers got the  burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the  middle, and guests got the top, or ''The Upper  Crust''.
  
England  is old and small and the local folks started  running out of places to bury people. So, they  would dig up coffins and would take the bones to  a bone-house and reuse the grave. When reopening  these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to  have scratch marks on the inside and they  realized they had been burying people alive. So  they would tie a string on the wrist of the  corpse, thread it through the coffin and up  through the ground and tie it to a  bell.
Someone  would have to sit out in the graveyard all  night, (the graveyard shift) to listen for the  bell; thus, someone could be, ''Saved by the  Bell '' or was considered a ''Dead  Ringer''

   And that's  the truth.
  Now,  whoever said history was boring ! !  !


  

JULY CALENDAR OF EVENTS

DATE	EVENT	TIME	VENUE
	CLEANLINESS AND ECODRIVE PLEASE CHECK WITH KUNAL SAVARKAR ON 9810911244 FOR DATE, TIME AND MEETING POINT.		ALL OVER YAMUNA