EDITORIAL
The first Budget of the second term of the
Modi government seemed like a treatise on economic reforms and fiscal prudence.
There were barely any specifics that a common person could grasp and take
delight from. Indira Gandhi was the first lady to present the Budget in 1971.
She held the Finance portfolio in addition to being the Prime Minister. Nirmala Sitharaman who became the first woman
Finance Minister to present the Union Budget played Agatha Christie to the
hilt. The Budget speech was like a mystery novel for most. In that sense the
Budget was more a vision document and not the handout that we are all
accustomed to. She eschewed the clamour for a stimulus. It is a kind of budget
I have never seen before. For the non-economists amongst us, unless you earn
upwards of Rs. 2 crores per annum, there is no need to fret over it.
No country owes so much to the occurence
of the monsoon for precipitation as India does. Due to global warming, the
ocean over the East Pacific, off the coast of Peru and Chile in South America,
becomes warmer. This phenomenon called El-Nino adversely affects the rainfall
over the Indian subcontinent. This is globalisation in its true form. Reverse
of this phenomenon is called La Nina and brings bountiful rains. How the
alphabet ‘a’ or ‘o’ can determine the fortune of millions of farmers and the
economic well being of India seems hard to comprehend.
Another negative downer of global warming
is the severity with which it rains when it does. Therefore, both sides of the
coin have their negative fallouts as Mumbai and Pune witnessed recently, when an entire month’s rainfall
fell in the space of just two days. Roads and houses got flooded and several
people lost their lives. As the adage goes, “when it rains, it pours”. However,
as I witnessed recently, this is not always true. The other day, it started
drizzling when I was taking a walk. A senior citizen walking ahead of me
summoned someone on the phone to fetch an umbrella. Before, a member of the
household could rush over with the brolly, it stopped raining. The rain had
merely dampened the surface.
After enduring a particularly enervating
summer recess when social and cultural events take a breather, we are entering
that phase of the year which most of us eagerly look forward to. The period
between August and December has the most number of holidays and peaks in
religious festivals, cultural events and weddings. The temperate climatic conditions
in the last quarter of the year allows for more outdoor activities when people temporarily
give up on their digital addiction to social media, like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat
and TV serials, and come out to mingle. Accordingly, we at Yamuna have planned
a calendar of events to whet your appetite for the ‘real’ from the ‘surreal’
existence we lead most of the year. I suggest you plan your outstation visits
in such a manner that you are able to attend all the Yamuna activities. Please
see below and block your dates to have the time of your life.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS AUGUST-DECEMBER 2019
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DATE
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TIME
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EVENT
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VENUE
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15.8.19
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9.00 AM
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INDEPENDENCE DAY FLAG HOISTING,
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BADMINTON COURT
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SINGING OF PATRIOTIC SONGS, DISTRIBUTION OF SWEETS
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24.8.19
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6.30 PM
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JANMASHTAMI VARIETY ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME,
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BADMINTON COURT
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BREAKING OF DAHI HANDI AND FOOD STALLS
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8.9.19
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12.30-2.00
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POOKALAM & ONAM FEAST(LUNCH)
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COMMUNITY HALL
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PM
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7.10.19
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6.30 PM
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RAMLILA & DANDIYA,
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BADMINTON COURT
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VARIETY ENTERTAINMENT
& FOOD STALLS
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19.10.19
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6.30 PM
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QUIZ COMPETITION WITH SUMATHI
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BADMINTON COURT
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27.10.19
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6.30 PM
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DIWALI ILLUMINATION COMPETITION
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BETWEEN THE BLOCKS
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3.11.19
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11 AM-6 PM
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VARNAM AND KEERTANAM
COMPETITION
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COMMUNITY HALL
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FOR ALL AGE GROUPS FOLLOWED BY SCREENING OF RARE CONCERT BY A
TOP ARTISTE & DIKSHITAR ARADHANA
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3-9.11.19
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6.30 PM
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BADMINTON & TT TOURNAMENTS
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BADMINTON COURT
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17.11.18
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9.30 AM
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SPORTS DAY
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MAIN LAWN
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7.12,19
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4.30 PM
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ANNUAL DAY-REFRESHMENTS, PRIZE DISTRIBUTION,
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MAIN LAWN
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VARIETY ENTERTAINMENT AND DINNER
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15,12,19
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10.30 AM
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HERITAGE WALK/NATURE WALK
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FROM A BLOCK GATE
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24.12.18
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6.00 PM
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CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL/CAROL SINGING/WINTER RAMP WALK
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BADMINTON COURT
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MUSIC/DANCE/FOOD STALLS
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31.12.18
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MIDNIGHT
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CAKE CUTTING AND USHERING IN THE NEW YEAR
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COMMUNITY HALL
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More than any other time in the past,
including the years that we actually won the World Cup in cricket, all of India
were hopeful that Virat and the boys would bring home the Cup this time. The
belief was further bolstered when India topped the Group in the league stage
and were pitted against a relatively milder opposition, New Zealand in the
semi-final. The game went according to plan as the Kiwis were bundled out for a
paltry 239 runs. It was supposed to be a walk in the park for the famed India
batting line-up. What happened however, on the morning of the 10th
July, 2019 was nothing short of a nightmare. In the space of a few overs, the
backbone of the Indian batting line-up were back in the pavilion unable to
counter the Kiwi swing bowling, in conditions aided by overnight rain. It was
meant to be a swansong for M.S. Dhoni, who wanted to retire in a blaze of glory,
and he tried till the end, until a direct throw to the wicket by Martin Guptil
put paid his plans. The entire nation went into mourning as cricket is a
religion for most in India. They will now have to cool their heels for another
four years and wait for new heroes to emerge.
It would not be fair to end the chapter
here without a mention of Dhoni, the charismatic wicket-keeper batsman who
enviably holds one of the highest averages in one-day cricket. The phlegmatic
and totally unflappable gloveman of Indian cricket never gets fazed in the
gravest of situations. Although, he takes his time to settle down these days,
his calming influence at the crease helps the batsman at the other end not to
panic. This quality of his, I have not found in any other cricketer in the
world. He is also lightning quick behind the stumps and runs like a hare
between the wickets. He was recently timed as the fastest runner between the
wickets in the Indian team. Despite his level of fitness, I have my doubts if
he will play another World Cup for India. With Dhoni as a skipper for India we
won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the 2010 and 2016 Asia Cups, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. Raise a salute to our hero who has served Indian cricket well
over the years.
This month there were two sporting
extravaganzas and both the results did not go down well with the public. I am
talking of Cricket World Cup and Wimbledon Tennis Championship. In the pinnacle
event in cricket, the World Cup which comes once in four years, the finals
between England and New Zealand ended in a tie and the Superover taken to end
the deadlock also ended in a tie. However, England were declared the winners
because they had scored more boundaries although New Zealand lost fewer
wickets. In former times, in such a scenario, the side which lost lesser number
of wickets used to be declared the winner. Even as per the new rules, had there
not been an umpiring glitch, the match would have gone in New Zealand’s favour.
It certainly looks like the Kiwis were gypped of the World Cup for which they
will be mourning over a long time.
In the Wimbledon Men’s Singles Finals
between eight time winner Roger Federer and four time winner, Novak Djokovic, the
37-year-old Federer who played sublime tennis and won more number of games and
points, lost in a marathon match which ended in five sets in favour of the the 32-year-old,
very mechanical returning machine, Djokovic. The crowd favourite Federer and
all of us watching the match were gutted. It was certainly an unpopular result.
With age catching up, Federer will definitely rue his missed opportunity.
The rains arrived in Delhi very late, yet,
when it rained it caused a deluge. Because of the preponderant use of plastic bags
which end up in the drains and clog them, even a mild shower leads to flooding
in many areas. We can do our bit to help the environment by shunning plastic
bags. When you go out shopping, please make it a point to carry a cloth bag. If
you are loath to carrying a bag, please keep a foldable bag which is available online
in your pocket or handbag. Every small measure will help.
Bappi, the cable operator handyman who has
been serving Yamuna residents for many years, unfortunately passed away a
couple of months ago. What caused his untimely demise is not very clear. He was
always available on call and served the residents well. He will be missed.
Three time Delhi Chief Mnister Mrs. Sheila
Dikshit breathed her last on 20th July, 2019. She is widely
perceived as a builder of modern Delhi. She was instrumental in the building of
flyovers, elegant signboards, privatisation of power distribution from DESU to
BSES. Under DESU power supply problems were a regular affair. She introduced
CNG for all commercial vehicles like buses, three-wheelers, taxis etc. to
combat pollution. She was well respected even by the Opposition and managed to get many bi-partisan bills passed
during her tenure. Delhi needs a CM like her who gets things done without
ruffling feathers. She will be remembered fondly for a long time.
The Hansaveena recital by Ramanan and
Odissi recital by Radhika Samson on 7th July, the Hindustani music
recital by Shubham Modi on 13th July, the Carnatic Fusion rendition by
the Iyer Project on 21st July and a recital by a Chilian duo
featuring a flautist and a guitarist on 28th July were all rendered beautifully
in Sadhana. Unfortunately, many in Yamuna did not take advantage of viewing
these free concerts.
OBITUARY
Mr. W. D. Kotwal of A-201 passed away on 13th
July, 2019 at 7.30 am in his house. Mr. Kotwal was an original member of the
colony and led a very active life until age took a toll of his health. He was a
great sportsperson who loved swimming, playing badminton, bridge, tennis and
billiards among other things. Even in his late fifties he was a great touch
player in badminton in the mould of Prakash Padukone and used to beat us with
his deft placements. He was a lover of Hindustani Classical Music
and also has many beautiful paintings to his credit. He liked his evening tipple and a game of bridge till almost his
final days. Fortunately, all his children and grandchildren were by his side
when he breathed his last. We will miss him.
Yamuna residents convey their heartfelt condolence to the
bereaved family.
SNIPPETS
Mr. B. Hema Sundar has moved into C-008
with his wife Sandhya from Hyderabad. Mr. Sundar works for Desein, a company
offering consultancy services for thermal and gas based power plants. In his
spare time he likes to watch movies and sports on TV. Sandhya does the
honourable job of looking after the house. She is fond of kitty parties and bit
incongruously, spiritual communions. Their elder son Abhinav is working in the
US as a Business Analyst with American Insurance Company and their younger son
Akshay has just graduated in Computer Science from George Mason University in
Fairfax, USA. They can be reached on 9652323123 and 9701849995. We welcome them
to Yamuna.
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Poorvaja Ganapathi of G-206
now has her own YouTube channel. She has sung the song “Lovely” by Billie
Eilish and Khalid. Congratulations to
the aspiring singer.
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CALENDAR
OF EVENTS FOR AUGUST 2019
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DATE
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TIME
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ITEM
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VENUE
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4.8.19
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7.00
PM
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WESTERN
ACOUSTIC SET-SAXOPHONE PLAYER SHEEL SAGAR
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SADHANA
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11.8.19
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7.00
PM
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ODISSI
DANCE BY DAKSHINA RAGHAVENDRA
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SADHANA
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15.8.19
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9.00
AM
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INDEPENDENCE DAY FLAG HOISTING,
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BADMINTON COURT
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SINGING OF PATRIOTIC SONGS, DISTRIBUTION OF SWEETS
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18.8.19
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7.00
PM
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INDO
WESTERN SET- DAFTAR ZILD (FOLK, FUSION, SEMI-CLASSICAL
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SADHANA
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24.8.19
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6.30 PM
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JANMASHTAMI VARIETY ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME,
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BADMINTON COURT
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BREAKING OF DAHI HANDI AND FOOD STALLS
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SADHANA
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25.8.19
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7.00
PM
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BANSURI
RECITAL-SHUBRADEEP PAUL
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SADHANA
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