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S. Srinivas

22 June, 2018

Issue No. 201 I May 2018



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.

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