Issue No. 160 I December 2014

EDITORIAL

The deferment of the date of the Annual Day from 22nd November, 2014 to 6th December, 2014 was not welcomed by all. Some residents expressed that it would be too cold for senior citizens if the Annual Day was held in December. As it turned out, record breaking warm weather in December made it a tad warmer on the D Day compared to the originally scheduled date. The start time was advanced to ensure that the show got over by 8 pm. Uncoordinated stage management, the malfunctioning curtains and sound glitches ensured that the show went on well past 9 pm. Mr. K. V. N. Swamy, the senior most resident and the person in whose house in Karol Bagh the Society was formed in 1959, was invited to be the Chief Guest for the evening.

Talent oozes through the pores of Yamuna children. The number of prizes that were won by them both in events within the colony as well as on the national stage meant that we had a prolonged prize giving ceremony. Mrs. Rajalakshmi Kalyan was invited to the stage for awarding the prizes. We are very grateful for the generosity of Mrs. K. Sridevi,  Mrs. Rajalakshmi Kalyan and Mr.N. A. Seshadri for donating Rs. 6,000, Rs, 5,000 and Rs. 1,000 respectively towards the prizes. Mr. Manoj and Mr. Narayanan's complimentary gifts also came in handy. The President Mr. Ramabadhran then presented the launch of the Yamuna portal, highlighting its features which would allow members/residents to access information and voice their opinion through this portal.

The variety entertainment programme got off to a late start as the performers were not ready with their costumes.  Bhavani's services were sought to regale the audience with her mellifluous voice and bail us out of the dilemma and sure enough she had the audience spellbound with a Hindi number. An encore ensued and she was joined by Seema to sing the evergreen number, "Bole re pappi hara". The formal variety show began with a slew of classical performances which had all to be sequenced in the beginning. This had to be done as the same performers were required in subsequent items and it was felt that it is quicker to peel off the classical dance attire with all the adornments than to don it later. As a consequence the audience was lulled into watching a genre of stage performance that does not send one's pulse racing. Classical performances are best staged in an auditorium where silence reigns and illumination and acoustics are better. To subject the performers to an environment where cacophony rules and there are a million distractions, is harsh. The dancers made the best of the situation and gave a good account of themselves. I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Nandita Majumdar and Radhika Samson under whose tutelage the children performed the Bharatanatyam and Odissi dances respectively.

Under the auspices of Sadhana School of Music and Dance came the guitar performance of  students tutored by Ramanan. The felicity with which the children's fingers moved on the fret board indicated that they are learning the art well. You cannot keep the cultural maven Subhada away from any do. Her enthusiasm is infectious. She tutored her children to a musical choir that kept the audience spell bound. This was followed by a Kathak dance recital by Vedika Arora who is learning this art form from Sumona Sen at the Sadhana school. Thanks to the school we have a whole lot of items which peg us back to our cultural moorings. In order to break the mould, Ramanan and Raghu gave a guitar and keyboard inspired blues number which was well received by the audience. This set the stage for the Bollywood Musical Medley from the 60's to the contemporary. The children flocked the stage in bright costumes and with energy and grace, regaled the audience with some peppy dance numbers. The crowd's enthusiastic response mirrored the exuberance and cadence of the music itself. The boys were however robbed of a standing ovation as their moves were rudely cut short by a musical glitch. I must thank the choreographers Anu, Prema, Vidya Venkat and Alka for the vibrant and engaging display by the children.

This brought us to the Grand Finale, the play in Hindi, a stage adaptation of Kundan Shah's 1983 evergreen Hindi comedy movie, "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron." Seema Chari who adapted the script and directed the play was ably assisted by Sumathi Chandrashekaran  in scripting, sound and graphics. Sudha Easwaran as Assistant Director  tried her best with the unruly stage curtain and props to get the play going. There were brilliant individual performances but the numerous acts and tardy stage settings made the play a little disjointed until the Mahabharat scene, when the stage really came to life with a taut and scintillating performance by all the actors. Seema is a hard task master and has the patience and skill to squeeze out the best from her cast. Kudos to her.

I am tempted to list the outstanding performances of the evening but I have been chastened by past indiscretions of omitting to metnion one person or the other. I have been castigated by some for not having mentioned their child's name or their own in previous programmes. Catch me writing paeans on a performance that doesn't tug at my heart strings - hence I am leaving all.

The only thing that can propel you to wake up early on a Sunday winter morning and abandon the cosy comfort of the quilt, is the chance to spot Delhi's resident in the Asola Nature Park. Thirty-five residents stifled their yawns, cocooned themselves in jackets, caps and balaclavas, to set off for the nature walk on 21st December, 2014. The air was salad crisp and cool. Unfortunately, as the day wore on, instead of the sun coming out, the wind chill factor increased and we were left freezing. The silence of  pre-dawn was punctuated by the first flutings of bird song. Those armed with a video camera  could capture the myriad colours and sounds of the birds, ready to go off to get their first worm. The sightings were few and far between as the cold seemed to have had an effect on the birds as well. We still managed to spot  black drongo, rose ringed parakeets, kites, sparrows, finches, Eurasian dove, spotted owl, grey babbler etc. Then our guide went into long descriptions about the common crow. Who would like to crow about sighting a crow other than a corvid fan? Bottom line is that you can find a rich profusion of avian species in our very own lawn, if you choose to wake up before dawn. We were provided a lesson in building bird cages in order to attract more birds into our habitat. A slide presentation taught us about the birds, their habitats, their nesting technique, their breeding cycle, their plumage etc. What do you do after you have done your bit of bird watching and demos? Feast on the brunch which was part of the package. Much to our dismay instead of the sumptuous feast that we imagined, we got a couple of idlis and a cup of tea! Notwithstanding the chill factor and disappointing brunch, it was an enjoyable and enlightening trek. Kudos to Sumathi, for making it possible. She, Madhu Nair and a bunch of others got lost in the woods trying to follow a herd of Nilgais. We had to use GPRS to trace and rescue them from the depths of despair. Just kidding!

Yuletide spirits were well and truly all pervasive with shops decked with holly, Christmas trees and faux Santas. Yamuna children were also geared up for the occasion on Christmas Eve having assiduously prepared for the Nativity scene and carols under Seema Chari's watchful eye. She has a knack squeezing out performances from a diverse cast with very little preparation. I was also primed for some plum pudding and mulled wine. While I had a liberal dose of the former the latter proved elusive, The badminton court was bedecked with decorative lights and baubles on the Christmas tree in the warm glow of the bonfire. The winter ramp walk was not a walk in the park as many thought, as many a favourite was humbled by the eventual winners. Dr. Abhilash has made it a habit to sponsor the prizes and he did it this time as well. Due to space constraint I cannot list all the winners here. Please spot them on the notice board. As usual it needed that dose of Bollywood music to pump up the adrenaline and get the residents to dance.

The fag end of the year is the time to reflect on the year gone by and the events that shaped our fortunes. Everybody would have had their share of good and bad, after all God has to balance His accounts! This reflection ends at the stroke of midnight when the Community Hall comes alive to the refrain of "Happy New Year" with much hugging and burst of confetti. Chocolate cake is  the right repast to bridge the gap between wild revelry and still wilder revelry taking place in  various watering holes in Yamuna and elsewhere, where the movers and shakers congregate and hedonism rules.

The Yamuna canteen has been vacated by Anuradha Madhusudanan on the expiry of the Leave and Licence Agreement. The new occupant who successfully bid for the canteen is Bhavani Krishnan. The canteen will be run by a syndicate of women comprising Bhavani, Aruna Krishnan and Sudha Umapathy. Those who have been pining for hot vadais and idlis for their weekend breakfast can look forward to it from 18th January, 2015.

Mr. Saurabh Bharadwaj, the AAP sitting MLA of our area had promised us CCTV's and halogen lights from the MLA funds about four months back. He informed me that the amount has now been sanctioned from the Government and the Society is likely to be the beneficiary of the same shortly.

SNIPPETS

Aditi Rastogi wed Antariksh Das on 1st December, 2014 in the main lawn of Yamuna to the chanting of Vedic hymns. This made-for-each-other couple seemed in bliss and didn't let the lengthy ceremony bother them. The lawn was tastefully adorned with marigold garlands and the ceremonial dais was beautifully decked up with jasmine flowers and ferns. The atmosphere was very homely, understated and very elegant. Aditi's choice of music and decor at all venues was delightful. I have never enjoyed a wedding and sundry other functions more than this one. Gita and Nalin were great hosts. Good food whetted our appetite everywhere.

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Anand and Aditi Rao of F-003 have moved to greener pastures. Anand who is working for TNS has got a transfer to their Singapore office. Aditi was working with an NGO in Delhi and took part in the cultural activities of the colony. We will miss this affable couple. They have donated three room heaters to the Society for which we will be eternally grateful.

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Aparna Krishnan of F-103 has been selected for playing the National Football Championship in the under 19 category.

Abhirami Prakasan B-303 has been selected to represent  Delhi Schools in the National Tennis Championship in the under 17 category.

It's a proud moment for us that the colony children are going places.

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Sudha Iyer has moved into B-107 with her husband Mr. V.R. Iyer and daughter Aishwarya. Sudha is the sister of Rohini C-103 and works in Oriental Bank of Commerce from where her husband retired. Sudha likes to listen to music while her husband is fond of reading. Aishwarya is in LSR final year BA English (Hons). She is learning Bharatanatyam and jazz dancing. They can be reached on 26001606.

MIRTH CORNER

Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die... ?????.
This is so priceless, and so, so easy to see happening, customer service being what it is today.

A lady died this past January, and ICICI Bank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been Rs.0.00 when she died, but now somewhere around Rs.6000.00. A family member placed a call to ICICI Bank.

Here is the exchange :
Family Member: 'I am calling to tell you she died back in January.'
ICICI Bank: 'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply.'
Family Member: 'Maybe, you should turn it over to collections. '
ICICI Bank: 'Since it is two months past due, it already has been.'
Family Member: So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?'
ICICI Bank: 'Either report her account to frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!'
Family Member: 'Do you think God will be mad at her?'
ICICI Bank: 'Excuse me?'
Family Member: 'Did you just get what I was telling you - the part about her being dead?'
ICICI Bank: 'Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor.'
Supervisor gets on the phone:
Family Member: 'I'm calling to tell you, she died back in January with a Rs.0 balance.'
ICICI Bank: 'The account was never closed and late fees and charges still apply.'
Family Member: 'You mean you want to collect from her estate?'
ICICI Bank: (Stammer) 'Are you her lawyer?'
Family Member: 'No, I'm her great nephew.'
ICICI Bank: 'Could you fax us a certificate of death?'
Family Member: 'Sure.' After they got the fax :
ICICI Bank: 'Our system just isn't setup for death. I don't know what more I can do to help.'
Family Member: 'Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. She won't care.'
ICICI Bank: 'Well, the late fees and charges will still apply.'
Family Member: 'Would you like her new billing address?'
ICICI Bank: 'That might help...'
Family Member: Odessa Memorial Cemetery , Avinashi, Coimbatore
ICICI Bank: 'Sir, that's a cemetery!'
Family Member: 'And what do you do with dead people on your planet???' 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS - JANUARY 2015

DATE	EVENT	TIME	VENUE
13.1.2015	LOHRI BONFIRE	9.00 PM	BADMINTON COURT
18.1.2015	HERITAGE WALK WITH RAMJI NARAYANAN	10.00 AM	FROM A BLOCK GATE

Wish you all a happy and successful New Year