EDITORIAL
In the Champion's Trophy, our team got humbled by a
rejuvenated and charged up Pakistani team. To the spectator, many decisions on
the field and in the selection seemed inexplicable. While many persons are
talking about match fixing, It seems unfathomable that the players would stoop
so low considering all of them are multi millionaires in dollar terms and would
not jeopardise their career and reputation to sleaze. Be that as it may, the
manner in which they lost, calls for a lot of introspection.
Will it be the end of the road for Mahender Singh Dhoni? Among
other things, Dhoni has also lost the captaincy of his IPL team Pune
Supergiants. It could also have been the last fling of his armoury at the
Champion's trophy. Probably, to some, he is past his 'sell by' date. To me he
is still lightning fast with his stumping and amongst the fastest runners
between the wickets even if his batting has lost much of its potency. How did
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the laid back boy from Jharkhand who became the
free-spirited dervish of International cricket slowly fade from the limelight?
While, at his peak he gave a new meaning to attacking batting and lightning
stumping, younger Trojans have taken over his mantle. His cool demeanour under
the most trying and testing situations left rival captains frustrated. Let's
raise a salute to him.
Most people are in mortal dread of a person who wears a white
smock, totes a fiendishly whiny electric drill and is known as a dentist. I am
no exception to the rule. On a recent visit I was weighing the option of two
procedures, one, a more permanent fix which involved the extensive use of the
drill in question and the other a less permanent one with a less intrusive
procedure. No marks for guessing which one I chose.
Travelling on company account hands you the privilege of
flying business class and staying in 5 star hotels. However, there is a downside
to it. While the airfare and hotel bills are taken care of by the company, the
tips you pay the staff is to your account. Everyone is so unctuous as though
you were the first rainfall after a drought. The check in clerk is so sugary
sweet that people like me who are not the Nawabi born keep looking over the
shoulder to see who is the person he is addressing. The bellboy leads you to
the lift as if you were some matinee idol. You end up giving him a decent tip
lest he give you the supercilious sneer. You check out after paying Rs. 20,000
per day for your room with taxes and sundry expenses and you think you got even
because you took away the complimentary mini shampoo, mini conditioner and
tooth brush! By the time you are done with all the handouts to the bell hop,
doorman, taxi driver and sundry other people, you realise you are down a few
hundred bucks which you cannot claim from the company. Now that I am in my
sunset years and need to save up for a future without a salary, I got down to
do a back of the envelop calculation on the tips I must have paid over the last
thirty years. I was astounded to realise
that it was a few lacs of rupees. To think that one paid gratification to the
guy who opened the door of your taxi which you could have very well done
yourself makes you feel cheated. Well I deserved it, I guess. My friends in
Yamuna who are much younger than I am and travel extensively should take a note
of this and exercise restraint lest they find after retirement that a big chunk
of what should have been their savings is in somebody else's pocket.
If you are going to DDA, you have to be weatherproofed for
disappointment. However, off late the agents have become wiser to the
requirements of documents and as such free-hold activities have become a breeze,
so long as you have all the required papers. It is suggested that all those who
get their flats converted to free-hold should give a photocopy of the set of
documents to the office so that the society can take cognizance of the same and
accordingly plan to pay the lease rental only for the remainder of members.
The incidence of rapes in UP have multiplied by gargantuan
proportion It is believed rape videos are selling at Rs. 20 apiece in most UP
towns which is probably the cause of this proliferation. Why a woman trying to protect her modesty in
the face of grave threat to her body and life by male predators can turn on
people, boggles the mind. Are these people normal? Many girls have left school
and are sacrificing their education as a consequence. How can the government
and social organisations be silent to this? Only prurient interest keeps this
business alive. I am disgusted and enraged. While Yogi Adityanath has talked
about zero tolerance on crime against women, this is a decades old malaise
where the law enforcement agencies have themselves been found to be culpable.
It is going to be a humungous task to clean the stables.
The main lawn was infested by weeds. A sturdy and wild grass
variety had taken over many parts of the lawn thereby muscling out the
selection variety of grass which is what lawns are made of. A contractor was
appointed to deweed the lawn and plant fresh grass. This has been done. It will
take a while for the grass to spread its cover over the bare areas and become
dense. We could be seeing a lush lawn by Dussehra. Consequently, for Sports Day
and Annual Day we will be treading on a green carpet.
The implementation of GST with effect from 1st July, 2017 is
a mega reformist measure taken by the Government. This will remove many of the
inefficiencies that plague the productivity of the Indian manufacturing sector.
In the initial months there is likely to be some chaos as many will be forced
to move from a non taxation regime to a taxation regime and compliance issues
will stymie the best efforts of many in the unorganised sector. However, over a
period of time the gains of GST will start trickling through and prices of most
things will come down.
The monsoon has arrived a tad early and beset us with the
same problems of stagnation and seepage. Please guard against vector borne
diseases like malaria, dengue, chickungunia etc by ensuring that there is no
stagnant water in the coolers and other places which act as a breeding ground
for mosquitoes. The Society has cleaned all the terrace drains so that no water
stagnates there and seeps into the flats in the top floor.
OBITUARY
Mr. Ajoy Choudhury, member of E-001 and the chief architect
of the Design Group which designed Yamuna Apartments breathed his last on 2nd
June, 2017 at the Escorts Heart Institute. We are indeed grateful to him for
having designed such a magnificent edifice which is a cynosure for all
architecture students. We convey our heartfelt condolence to all his family
members. May his soul rest in peace.
SNIPPETS
The first two snippets relate to events that happened in May
but could not be featured in the May Chronicle.
V.E. Gayathri has moved out of E-003. She is headed to the
The Hague in the Netherlands to add to her academic heft in the legal profession
by enrolling for a Masters Degree in Law. That she has chosen the Hague as her
place of choice to pursue her masters may be with the intention of eventually
joining the International Court of Justice which is housed there.
*****************
Mrs.Durga Narayanaswamy of F-003 decided to relieve the
misery of the chowkidars whose time in the Guard house is a living hell in searing
heat of the summer when temperatures can reach over 45⁰ C. She donated a desert cooler each for the A & H block Guard houses. The guards are obviously
grateful to her for this largesse.
*******************
Yohaan Abraham A-008 is not just another neighbourhood kid.
He is an ace badminton player. This attractive southpaw will not be seen
gracing our badminton court for a few years as he has chosen to do his
Bachelor's in Design from the Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore. We wish
him good luck.
********************
Another handy badminton player from B-202, Sumyouktha Shankar,
with cerebral heft in equal measure has cracked the Xth Class Board Exams. She
scored a perfect 10 GPA in all subjects except English. Way to go, girl.
Congratulations!
*********************
Another daughter of Yamuna has flown the nest. Aishwarya Nair
of H-002 got married to Prathyush in Guruvayoorappan Temple in Mayur Vihar in
blazing heat on 4th June, 2017. With a massive crowd milling around the mini
sanctum sanctorum, barely anybody could actually witness the wedding ceremony. Adorned
from head to waist in exquisite gold jewellery, she looked like a princess.Mercifully,the
actual function got over in a jiffy and everybody could move to the cool
comfort of the Hall. The snacks, beverages and the lunch spread was extensive
and delectable. Yamuna was very well represented. Everybody had a jolly good
time and for Yamuna residents it was another opportunity to intermingle. As a
precursor to the wedding there was mehndi and sangeet in a hall in GK2 for some
fun and gaiety. Aishwarya's friends danced delightfully to some choreographed
numbers. Asha, you have pulled off a humdinger of a wedding. Prathyush has
whisked Aishwarya off to a secret destination in Mauritius for their honeymoon.
**********************
Member of A-205, T.S. Ramji's son Raghav, got married to
Kavita, his erstwhile colleague at Ashok Leyland, in Bhopal on 8th June, 2017.
At a charming reception held in Kota House in Delhi on 12th June, 2017 several
Yamuna residents were present. Kavita will be joining Raghav in Germany where
he currently works. Meena and Ramji were gracious hosts.
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