Issue No. 161 I January 2015

EDITORIAL

The organic food business has grown to be one of the biggest scams to hit the Indian market. In the quest to eat healthy food, many an unsuspecting Indian has got converted to buying premium priced organic produce from savvy retailers wearing pedigree upbringing on their sleeves. Recent research has shown that many of the so called retailers of organic food in India, peddle food of uncertain provenance and vintage. A Mail Today report of December, 18th 2014 and January, 18th, 2015 has come to the same conclusion. The lesson here is, don't judge the book by the cover.

Lohri bonfire was again lit after dinner time as it was a week day. The fire was robust and burnt evenly for a very long time. The warm glow was very much sought after as the winter had been on an extended run. Residents trickled in but the usual singers were absent. Pleasantries and  Lohri offerings were exchanged. Everybody settled down to some gossip, back slapping and joking. Everybody had a jolly good time. 

The Modi government seems to be taking two steps forward and one step backward, thanks to the fringe elements in the party and their ideologue in RSS. A spate of ludicrous pronouncements by the Parivar's sadhus and sadhvis have taken the sheen off the charismatic and no-nonsense leadership style of Modi. Despite the advances made in space exploration and nuclear science, our mindset remains anchored in social prejudices and superstition. This antediluvian attitude is bound to create unrest and stall progress in this country. Modi's success will depend on his ability to shackle the Hindutva elements in his party.

I am nevertheless a Modi fan. He has with utmost expediency cleared the detritus plaguing Indian bureaucracy. With a slew of ordinances, he has bypassed stalled Parliament sessions caused by opposition obduracy and stonewalling. He has thus removed the cobwebs on decision making, thereby clearing several stalled infrastructure projects. I am impressed with his slogan, "I want to change the ABCD culture - avoid, bypass, confuse, delay -  to the ROAD to success -responsibility, ownership, accountability, discipline". A very apt description of the present malaise and the roadmap for the future.

Moustache, the hirsute masculine appendage, is de rigueur for all Malayali heroes. This has now rubbed off on the cherubic Raju Krishnan, who briefly sported what is known as a 'beefeater moustache'. Mr. P.K.K. Nair with his 'handlebar moustache', would now have to up his macho quotient to rival Raju's.

The Delhi Metro is a blessing for many as it takes one from point A to B faster than any other means of terrestrial transportation, it is cheap and it is air-conditioned (a huge relief in the steaming summer months). Yet, there are many commuters who do not use the Metro because of the lack of last mile connectivity, jostling crowds, inappropriate contact, pick pockets, body odour and halitosis. For those who can deal with these irritants, it is  manna from heaven. We have approached the immediate past MLA of our area to provide feeder connectivity to Alaknanda. If that happens, it will give us one more reason to travel by the Metro.

It has been noticed that several residents are doing extensive renovation work in their flats. While the Society has no problem with these activities, residents are advised to abide by the rules as enumerated in the Telephone Directory, copy of which has been signed by all residents. We wish to highlight the following areas where rules are being flouted by many. These are :-

a) Absence of intimation to the Office or to the neighbours about this activity and the number, names and duration of the personnel involved in the renovation activity.

b) Workers not departing in the evening as per the prescribed time.

c) Exteriors being altered. It may be mentioned that no exterior change is permitted viz. tiling of external areas, painting and embellishments outside one's flats.

d) All cabling (cable TV, telephone, split AC) should either be concealed or should  run through the shaft and not the exterior of the building.

In the process while many flats have started looking fancy and luxurious, the exteriors of the flats have become an eyesore because of these transgressions. Those who alter the exteriors are not cognizant of the fact that our apartment complex has been featured in several magazines for its unique design and characteristics. By tampering with the exteriors we are making the flats incongruent, thereby adversely affecting the character and design of the complex. Those who wish to take up renovation of their flats should notify the Society office in advance as to what they intend doing. This will avoid a needless situation of fait accompli, in case the work undertaken is not permissible.

The Society may be constrained to take action against all those who have violated the rules governing alterations.

It has also come to the Society's notice that the terrace is being used for alcohol consumption. While this activity in itself is not desired, some residents recently left behind half consumed bottles of liquor and mugs. Children could be tempted to try the left over brew with very tragic consequences. Residents are requested to desist from this practice.

Delhi elections are upon us once again. The announcement of Kiran Bedi as a potential Chief Minister candidate from BJP has thrown a spanner in the works of Arvind Kejriwal, who seemed to be coasting along on popularity charts for Chief Minister. Kiran Bedi, as we all know was the only man in the police force during her time in the force. We hope she displays the same degree of heft in her political bailiwick. It will be an intriguing contest. With enough dirt in every political party, all opposing sides in any contest will eventually find something that fits their narrative. We have compiled a list of concerns which we have handed over to all the candidates.

President Obama's visit has caused more anguish than one could imagine. In order to sanitise the route of the Republic Day parade, the rehearsals started a few days in advance and effectively blocked off all access points to Feroz Shah Kotla. This effectively spiked our plans to go there for a Heritage Walk on 18th January 2015. What a shame as it turned out to be a bright and sunny day and ideal for a heritage trip.

Yamuna's stature went up a notch when a senior functionary of the Aam Admi Party, Mr. Yogendra Yadav and MLA candidate from GK constituency Mr. Saurabh Bharadwaj chose to address all the residents of the GK constituency from the Yamuna Badminton Court on 18th January 2015. It also coincided with the re-opening of the canteen under a new management. They certainly profited from the occasion with many an outsider patronising their canteen.

Mr. Rakesh Gullaiya the BJP candidate did likewise the following week. What is galling however, is the total apathy displayed by Yamuna residents. Despite e-mail communications and personal phone calls, there were just a smattering of Yamuna residents present to put forth their demands and expectations. It is an irony that we expect the elected representatives to do our bidding but are loath to show a semblance of strength, to show that our voice counts.

It was Obama all the way at this year's Republic Day parade. There is a deep-seated inferiority complex in our psyche which seeks approval from foreign eyes to all the country has achieved.

SNIPPETS

Jayalakshmi a.k.a Sneha, daughter of Rajalakshmi and Sivaramakrishnan of E-205 got married to Jayaram Iyer in Hyderabad on Republic Day. Jayaram should not have a hard time remembering their anniversary. As we all know women are very conscious of important dates and do not take kindly if the spouse does not land up at the door with a bunch of roses. We wish them the very best.

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Rolling Stone magazine is the Bible for musicians as The Economist is to the economists. To be featured in the Rolling Stone, is a dream for many budding artists. The Yamuna Band, "Dementia" consisting of Ramanan, Raghu Prabhakar, Rangarajan, Saurabh Roy Choudhury and Reet Mukherjee have muscled in to its covers, thanks to their unstinted passion to create progressive music. Their song and album can be viewed on http://rollingstoneindia.com/listen-delhi-metallers-dementia-return-belong/. Whilst on the subject, Sadhana Music and Dance Academy has completed one year. Congratulations to Radhika, Ramanan and Pranav for their efforts to revive the music, dance and art culture in the colony.

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Mr. S. V. Raghavan, ex-member and ex-resident of G-005, passed away in Bhopal on 24th January, 2015. It is indeed sad that another of the original members is no more.

Letter to the Editor

I attended a dance programme organised by Ganesa Natyalaya at Kamani Auditorium on the balmy morning of 26 December 2014. The occasion had the added attraction of my friend, neighbour and danseuse extraordinaire Meera Varma née Nair performing among the senior students.

The contingent from Yamuna, occupying an entire row including an excited smattering of children, sat through the first few items gamely, but impatient to see our very own star, although I hasten to add that they were expertly executed.

And Meera proved that that she was indeed a star. Her piece was a javali, Chaliye kunjanmo by king poet Swati Thirunal, in which she played the irrepressible Krishna playing with and teasing the Gopis, performed by two very competent dancers. However, Meera stood out for her flawless rendition, her natural expressiveness and most of all her apparently boundless energy, which easily put to shame dancers half her age. All this despite a self-imposed break from dancing of several years!

Meera is proof that a true dancer is ageless, and I hope she continues to pursue what is clearly her calling, and enthral us with future performances.

I request you to print this tribute in the Chronicle as recognition of a resident’s excellence in an art form, and I urge others who may have hung up their anklets in deference to their ageing muscles to follow their passion once more.

Seema Chari(C-208)

MIRTH CORNER

Did I read that sign right?

In an office:
TOILET OUT OF ORDER...... PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW

In a Laundromat:
AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT

In a London department store:
BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS

In an office:
WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN

In an office:
AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD

Outside a secondhand shop:
WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?

Notice in health food shop window:
CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS

Spotted in a safari park:
ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR

Seen during a conference:
FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR

Notice in a farmer's field:
THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES.

On a repair shop door:
WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)

CALENDAR OF EVENTS - FEBRUARY 2015

DATE	EVENT	TIME	VENUE
7.2.2015	ANNUAL ON THE SPOT PAINTING COMPETITION	10.00 AM	BADMINTON COURT
14.2.2015	THYAGARAJA ARADHANA	3.30 PM	COMMUNITY HALL
21.2.2015	MOVIE SCREENING AND POT LUCK DINNER	6.30 PM	BADMINTON COURT