EDITORIAL
In the beginning of May a dust storm and squall hit Delhi and
the neighbouring states and wreaked havoc in Rajasthan and UP causing several
deaths. A couple of days later another storm was brewing over Rajasthan due to
a western disturbance. Chastened by the earlier incident, the Haryana and Delhi
governments decided to shut schools and power lines in many areas. On the
appointed date several people sent out WhatsApp messages enquiring about the
progress of the storm. I got the feeling they were secretly hoping for the
storm to arrive. Alas! It was not to be. The storm skirted the Capital and made
landfall in the neighbouring states. Vagaries of nature can never be predicted.
We are now at the end of May. By late afternoon it is
unremittingly hot. You could bake bread by just keeping the dough out in the
sun. It is advisable to be well hydrated lest you fall prey to heat stroke.
Nimbu paani, coconut water or just our humble aqua pura est un must.
Prime Minister Modi went to China to mend fences, which had
got a bit strained with the Doklam standoff. We cannot afford to have a hostile
neighbour who is five times more powerful than India in GDP terms. China’s
dominance is not only economic but militarily also they are quite formidable.
To be able to get Xi’s eyeballs for such a long tete-et-tete needs a tall
leader with a lot of cojones and Modi who has the largest Facebook and Twitter
following in the world is a tall leader and can certainly hold his own in
mismatched company. No other Indian leader had such a global influence as our
current Prime Minister. In international relations, Modi is certainly punching much
above his weight.
India may never become an industrial hub and replace China as
a factory to the world at large. It however, has all the makings of an
information technology superpower. We are a cultural entrepot with so many
ethnicities and centuries old heritage. By seamlessly blending these with new
age dash and verve, it is possible to propel it to superpower status. We are an
ethnic melting pot having the potential to take wings with the loosening of
moral codes and a more liberal mindset. Xi did indicate his interest in India’s
soft power when he articulated that he had seen several Indian movies.
Children look forward to the summer vacation after a year
long slog at academics. Their freedom is palpable as you can see the whole lot
either in the badminton court or in the main lawn. Heat doesn’t bother them as
you can see them playing even in mid afternoon when temperatures are routinely
in the mid forties. I prefer to remain ensconced in an AC room and every now
and then sip a cool beverage.Summer is also a time for families to plan their
vacation. My daughter too has bullied me into planning a vacation, but it will
come in June. It is predicted that North India will face severe water shortage.
We do hope Yamuna does not get parched.
The proverbial old man with calloused feet, fighting for
justice in lower courts for twenty years has repeatedly fallen for the
assurance and voted for whoever promised relief. But these are politicians who
have a veneer of thick skin and are ready to fawn and grovel at the next
election rally with fresh promises. Don't ever vote for any politician for what
they promise and instead look at their track record. With political parties
fighting the Karnataka elections promising the moon, there is a bit of ennui
and few believe that promises will be kept. When it comes elections, political
parties select candidates where winnability is the only criteria. Exigencies
dictate, ethics and morality are cast by the wayside. No other profession has
more criminals in their ranks than the legislative assemblies. No party can
claim the moral high ground on this as the representation of criminals in most
of the parties is similar.
Karnataka assembly elections results led to an exercise in
maths rather than governance. BJP, the largest single party tried futilely to
cobble up the numbers amidst allegations of horse trading. The Opposition
barricaded their elected leaders in a resort in a defensive maneouvre. This is
resort politics for you. This is a new term added to the English lexicon – a
purely Indian invention! Something to be proud of, as we do not have many
inventions to talk about. However, I resent the use of the term, “horse
trading”. Why lay the blame on the humble equine, when it is the men who are
being traded. Why can’t we call it MLA trading?
Lay the blame where
one should, the morally and ethically bankrupt Indian politicians.
Anyway, I
was bracing up for some drama on 19th
May in the legislative
assembly but it turned out to be a damp squib. Yeddy gave up without a fight.
There was more excitement that day at Windsor, on the occasion of the royal
wedding. The elegance of the ceremony was in stark contrast to the Indian
wedding scenario which is replete with band, baja, baraat.
I was shocked to read in the papers the other day that as
many as five rapes a day have taken place in Delhi so far this year. This is a
frightening statistic. Where are the morals? Are parents not teaching values to
their children? Our religion teaches us all good moral values and we have all
grown up hearing tales from our grandmothers highlighting this trait. Why then
are people in the country behaving like animals? Girls and women are treated
like objects. Don’t these people have mothers and sisters? I just cannot fathom
this moral vacuum. India should introduce a law for permanent incarceration for
crimes like homicide, aggravated felony or moral turpitude like rape, in case
any offence of this nature is committed three times. Chemical castration should
be the only punishment for rapists.
Working in an NGO is a noble profession and many of them are
doing great service to humanity. Of course, there are many NGOs who are there
only to make a quick buck, profiting from misery. Madhavi Samson’s NGO is doing
commendable work teaching girl children in slums. Life in jhuggi clusters is
malodorous with unwashed bodies and matted hair that has not seen water since
the last rain. To go through these byzantine lanes on a daily basis teaching
kids from broken homes cannot be easy. Yet Madhavi goes about the task gamely.
In Delhi nobody ever arrives for an appointment on time and
it is euphemistically alluded to as being fashionably late. Not a care in the
world for the poor sod who has dropped everything else for the dinner appointment
and is twiddling his thumbs for a good part of an hour. Although I have lived
in Delhi all my life, an errant ancestral gene that could be traced down to a
long gone era, prevents my adaptation to Delhi times. Hence, I always arrive on
time. It is a Pavlovian response brought by that infernal gene. Now you know
who the sod is I was referring to, cooling his heels! So there I was watching the telly where some anchor was
carpet bombing the guest. I then turned to chatting with the vassals while the
host was still dressing up at 9.00 pm for an 8 pm dinner party he invited me
to. To top it all, I was the only sucker to show up on time.
The need for a grocery store within the premises has been
felt ever since the Co-operative Store shut operations. Upon the dry cleaner’s demise
and the shop falling vacant, it was put up for bidding for a grocery store.
Niharika Abraham and Raju Krishnan submitted bids. Since Niharika had offered a
higher bid amount the MC would have awarded the bid to her but on the day of
the MC meeting she withdrew her bid. She had intended to open a store to sell
all the groceries without plastic wrapping and also keep a whole lot of organic
stuff. Since, practically almost all the grocery items are packed in plastic,
it would have amounted to a lot of logistic and cost premium that she had to
factor. Ultimately she decided it was not feasible. Hence the MC gave the store
on Leave and Licence Agreement to Raju Krishnan. The store is set to open on 16th
June, 2018.
The merger of Flipkart and Walmart is going to create a
behemoth. Some apprehend that it would spell the death knell of the corner
store, but many mom and pop shops are thriving in the western world where giant
retailers have big foot prints. All the big stores realise that they cannot be
everywhere. They, therefore, have a hypermarket model through which they make
bulk supplies to retailers at discounted prices. It is a win-win situation as
the big consolidators get the volumes they need and the small retailer benefits
from the low sourcing costs. It is a symbiotic relationship that will stand the
test of time.
Of late, several complaints have been received stating that
Vikram the plumber does not answer the phone. In view of that, the Society has
enlisted Mr. Dayaram as a plumber in case Vikram does not attend to calls. He
can be reached on 9810517156. He is also adept at repairing electrical faults.
Since he also attends to complaints in adjoining colonies, it would be
advisable to check with him to find out how much time he would take to attend
to the problem. Please also ascertain from him the charges before entrusting
the job.
Delhi Metro Magenta Line was thrown open to the public on 29th
May, 2018. This line at GK-2, opposite Savitri Cinema, closest to Yamuna Apts
thus far, connects among other places Palam, IGI Airport, Shankar Vihar,
Munirka, R.K. Puram, IIT Delhi, Hauz Khas-yellow Line, Panchsheel Park, Chirag
Delhi to the West and Nehru Enclave, Kalkaji Mandir-Violet Line, Mathura Road,
Okhla NSIC, Sukhdev Vihar, Jamia Milia Islamia, Okhla, Jasola, Kalindi Kunj,
Yamuna river, Delhi-UP border, Okhla Bird sanctuary, Botanical garden-Blue Line
to the East. Travelling anywhere should be a breeze now. You cannot miss the
station painted in a garish bright crimson, a symbol of the Muthoot Group who
have taken the advertising rights. I personally would have preferred a more
subtle makeover.
A delegation of police personnel visited Yamuna and met the
MC members and sought their concerns. We told them that internal security was
not a concern but the moment one steps out of the colony, one is confronted by
pick pockets, chain snatchers and the like. Cases of cars or their parts being
stolen is rampant. There is also a gang operating which punctures the tyres in
the red light and when the driver alights from the car to check, one of the
gang members opens the door on the other side and runs off with whatever is
kept on the seat. This person is met by a fellow crook on a motorcycle and they
make their getaway. To this the police person had the temerity to tell us to
install cameras outside the complex to face the road and footpath. This is absolutely outrageous, the custodians
of the law coolly washing their hands off by saying that we should exercise
vigil outside the colony! What are they for? Have you heard anything more
ridiculous than this?
The XII class Board results are out and both the students
from Yamuna have done exceedingly well. One of the student didn’t want his name
featured in the Chronicle so I shall refrain from mentioning the name and marks
here. The other student is Vedika Arora of A-106 who secured 94.4% in the
Science stream. Congratulations to both the students and may you get the stream
of your choice for graduation.
The Xth Class board exams have also brought good results for
the Yamuna students. Tanvi Savarkar of C-208 has scored a mindboggling 96.2%
and Aryan Ramabadhran of E-201 has scored an equally impressive 93%. Both wish
to pursue Science.
Mr. Saurabh Bhardwaj, MLA for South Delhi visited the Society
on 27th May, 2018 and spent more than one hour hearing our concerns.
He was pragmatic and articulated what could be done and what could not be done.
We handed over to him a list of concerns plaguing Alaknanda and GK2. We have
also requested him for supply of bollards between the blocks and concrete
benches to replace the rusted steel benches in the park. He has agreed to
address most of the issues. We shall await results of our interactions.
Mr.Sandeep Unnithan of B-203 has donated a cycle stand to
keep the cycles between A&B blocks in an orderly fashion. We are indeed
grateful to him for the same.
The May issue of the neighbourhood magazine, Samvada has
written about the sorry state of affairs with parking, leading to frequent
fights in the colonies in Alaknanda except Ganga and Yamuna. Kudos, to the
parking sub-committee.
SNIPPETS
Ms. Sharada Veerubhotla, daughter of Mr.V.V. Bhotlu of F 203
is turning heads in the Big Apple with her pioneering work. This New York based
citizen has not let her visual impairment come in the way of helping others
gain independence. She teaches at the Lavelle School of the Blind in Bronx. She
was voted the New Yorker of the Week on 30th April, 2018 for making
a change in the lives of the disdvantaged. We are very proud of her.
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Geethaa of D-002 has delivered a bonny girl on 3rd
May, 2018. What is it about the Yamuna air that most post natal results turn
out be that of girls? The ratio of girl births to boy births is a massively
skewed 8ː2. Such a ratio goes against the national average of more male births
to female. It’s good that Yamuna girls are righting the wrong. Bless the girl
child.
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It is only accomplished artistes who are called to perform on
the big stage, so when Mallika was called to perform by Kanaka Srinivasan, a
Padma Shri awardee, at the India Habitat Centre on 9th May, 2018 it
was an endorsement of her Bharatanatyam skills.
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Animesh Bajpai has moved with his wife Prerna Misra to E-004.
They are a newly married couple who are both software engineers. They have
moved from Bangalore where they were previously working. Animesh works for
Expedia as a software engineer and Prerna works as a software engineer with The Times of India. Animesh is fond of
playing cricket and badminton. He didn’t have a clue what his wife’s interests
were, understandable since he was freshly married and would have other things
in mind.
