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S. Srinivas

03 October, 2019

Issue No. 217 I September 2019


                                                                                                 
EDITORIAL
Through the good offices of the very efficient and committed local MLA, Mr. Saurabh Bharadwaj,  we have got twenty CCTV wireless cameras, ten concrete park benches and an electronic boom barrier. In the light of the recent break-in and theft in two flats, the CCTV cameras have come as a boon and will bolster the security of the complex. While our request was for more CCTV cameras, the first consignment that AAP had ordered got deployed at various places leaving them short of meeting the requirements put forth by us. We have been promised more CCTV’s within a month. The existing steel park benches had got corroded and holes had appeared on the surface which could inadvertently rend our clothes. Now, you can sit on them and not worry about your derriere. Another improvement activity has been the change of the Yamuna Apartments board outside the complex designed by Kavya Narayanan.
The median mess on the Alaknanda main road has been festering for the last five years ever since National Green Tribunal (NGT) wanted to mindlessly make a median without any gaps on the entire road. Residents went up in arms and overnight, removed kerb stones wherever they thought fit and created a mess of their own. The schools did not want a median at all, which was another foolish and self-serving objective of theirs to allow the school buses to make U-turns wherever they felt like. All the Alaknanda colonies felt that the median was helping regulate traffic and controlled rash driving but they wanted sensible gaps to be provided so that traffic would not accumulate at Tara Apartments to take U-turns. Thanks to the intransigence of all the stakeholders, the matter was referred to the Supreme Court because the highest court is the only court that can accept petitions against the NGT. The Supreme Court heard the parties concerned and stayed the matter. It remained that way for four years until all the Alaknanda colonies and the schools came on a common platform and prepared an acceptable plan to resolve the issue. The Supreme Court took cognisance of the proposal and lifted the stay for an out-of-court settlement. By lifting the stay, the Supreme court abdicated its responsibility by kicking the can down the road. Rightfully, the Court should have called the warring parties and concluded on a just settlement to see an end to the imbroglio. Instead, all the Alaknanda colonies and schools have to battle it out with a stubborn NGT with whom they had a strong disagreement in the first place. By its own spotty standards of dealing with such matters, the NGT could still queer the pitch. I do not see a logical end to this soon.
The reduction of repo rates by the RBI is just a short term palliative. It is not going to solve the slowdown problem until liquidity is made available and the structural issues plaguing banking NPAs addressed. The RBI has reduced the repo rates four times in the last six months to no avail. The industry is reeling and almost on life support. The automobile industry is the worst hit with truck and car sales plummeting a massive 45% compared to a year before. While various theories have been put forward for this demand collapse, there is no one right reason. There are myriad issues not least of which is structural and the most difficult to fix. Ride-hailing, shared mobility, increased public transport urban networks—both rail and road—and change in emission standards from April 2020 to Euro VI from Euro IV etc. have brought in a great deal of uncertainty and dampened sentiments.
Reduction in the corporate income tax and MAT announced by the Finance Minister pushed the bourses to stratospheric heights and uplifted sentiments. However, the increased cash flow availability at the hands of the corporates as a consequence did little to push demand. There is still a glimmer of hope that the festive season will usher in good times.
It’s been over a month since the abrogation of Section 370 and things have not returned to normal yet, although, nothing untoward is happening. It is going to be a test of the country’s mettle, an Odyssean quest, a battle against entrenched powers in the Valley, their sympathisers in Lutyens Delhi and the Communists. In that respect, the Congress and the supposedly ideologically different Communists make strange bedfellows. This heroic battle had to be fought against separatists’ overreach, federalism and stagnation in the Kashmir saga. The “Khan Market coterie”, as PM Modi mentioned in one of his talks,  who cornered all prized posts and became power kegs in the Congress regime is going ballistic in the media criticising the Government’s actions. It is this dastardly embodiment of the post-imperialist nostalgia and chauvinism and their contrasting left-liberal views that are stymieing any progress in the valley, not to mention Pakistan’s shenanigans. Modi’s no-nonsense approach is not going down well with this gang and they use every opportune media interaction to castigate him. You need a tough person to withstand this onslaught. In Modi and his able deputy Amit Shah, they have found an adversary made of steel. We hope, for the well being of Kashmiris, that things return to normal soon.
The Onam lunch held on 8th September 2019 saw more than the usual takers. The irony, however, is that on the so-called last day for the purchase of coupons, only 27 coupons had been sold, forcing us to contemplate cancelling the lunch altogether. The circular mentioning the possible cancellation made many people rush to buy the coupons in enough numbers to keep cancellation at bay. The caterer was told to make arrangements for 80 people. Suddenly, on the last day and on the day of the lunch, another 45 coupons were sold. The caterer was put to a great deal of inconvenience to make last-minute arrangements. I earnestly request residents who wish to partake in the lunch, in future, not to sit on the fence. They should understand other people’s pain.
A fairly large and very attractive pookalam made by Sudha Easwaran, Anu Nair, Poornima Satish and Elina adorned the entrance to the Community Hall. The sun played hide and seek with the clouds, yet it was quite sultry outside while you waited for your turn to be seated inside. The beautiful Yamuna ladies in their pretty saris made one forget the heat and pose for selfies with them. The meal was great and everybody had a jolly good time.
Earlier this month, I had gone for a SIAM conference in Taj Palace Hotel and was pleasantly surprised to note that they had become very environment-conscious. To start with, the delegate badges were not encased in plastic. At the tea break, instead of plastic water bottles where people take a sip and leave the bottle to be consigned to a landfill, they had glass flasks from which you poured into a glass only that much water that you needed to drink. Tea was served in clay kulhads, stirrers for mixing sugar in coffee/tea were not made of plastic but wood, the magazines being distributed were not sheathed in plastic and many such initiatives, down to the last detail. I was very impressed with the initiative taken by the hotel. However, the very next day, at the same venue, was the ACMA conference and I was aghast to see that things were back to the old, dissipated ways—the same plastic badges, plastic water bottles, etc. Then I realised that SIAM, which as a body sits over the workings of one of the largest carbon emitters, is trying to do the small things whereby they can atone for the sins of the automobile industry. With the advent of electric mobility, they will take a big leap of faith and hopefully, bring down carbon emissions substantially.
Yamuna’ites were shaken from their reverie by the thefts that took place in two apartments on 18th September 2019. We are in the process of commissioning several new CCTV cameras. CCTV cameras can at best, serve the purpose of solving crime rather than preventing crime. Taking cognisance of this limitation, we invited an electronic surveillance agency which works in the area of preventing crime. The agency, Securico, made a presentation in the Community Hall on 22nd September 2019 listing several crime prevention and safety options. While the Society is limited by resources and management bandwidth to handle multiple security arrangements, residents who feel the need for additional security could avail of such personal security options. This agency and the police with whom we had interactions in the aftermath of the theft opined that in most cases, thefts are inside jobs. Hence, it is imperative that domestics are hired after due police verification and reference checks. We should also not keep cash and valuables in our homes as far as possible, lest it acts as a temptation. There are a few apartments that are a trifle more vulnerable than others because of the design. The apartments in these blocks need to take extra care. Also, a padlock is a dead giveaway to the thief of there being nobody inside. It is better to have an integrated lock in the front door.
Mr. Kohli and S. Srikanth spent several hours scanning through footage of a host of cameras to try and fit together the jigsaw puzzle. While there seem to be what appear to be leads, there is no conclusive evidence. The police have been handed over the tapes for their investigation. We hope, for the sake of those who lost their possessions, that they are able to nail the culprits soon.
We are entering the festive month of October, the most exciting month of the calendar. The weather too turns salubrious, to bring in the cheer. The sight of pretty girls and bejewelled ladies in their finest silks during Navratri is very pleasing.  The Diwali rangoli competition between the blocks on 27th October is a feast for the eyes. A bit of playful jousting and ribbing just adds to the thrill.
SNIPPETS
Ishaan Rastogi, scion of the Rastogi clan has made a continental shift. He has left for the UK to pursue an MBA programme at Oxford University. That makes him the fourth person from the colony to go for an overseas education this year and three of them have gone to the land of our erstwhile colonisers. We are making an emphatic statement here, that you colonised us for over 200 years and now it is our turn to colonise you. Ishaan does not wish to get into a corporate job after he completes his MBA. His desire is to work for social causes and he may join a UN organisation or an NGO, to give back something to society. We wish him the very best.
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Mr. Dhiraj Gulati has moved into C-203 from Kalkaji, along with his wife Gunjan and daughter, Aaratrika. Dhiraj works with Nokia as a Solutions Manager. His interests lie in travelling and reading. Gunjan works with Fab India and is in-charge of merchandising. Gunjan loves to listen to music and like all ladies I know, shopping! Aaratrika, who is five years old, goes to Tagore International School and learns Kathak from the reputed Kathak dance exponent, Uma Sharma, of the Jaipur gharana. I am sure Aaratrika will regale us with her dances at Yamuna cultural events. They can be reached on 9643109045 and 9654989538.
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Deepak Bhargav has moved into G-001 from GK-2 along with his wife, Upasana, and their twin children, Satakshi and Saksham. Their elder son, Utkarsh, lives in Gurgaon. Deepak is a Project Consultant for buildings and interiors. His interests include playing badminton and TT. He will find enough partners here to pursue his interests. Upasana is a career counsellor and life-skills trainer. Apart from that, she conducts hand-writing improvement and calligraphy classes during the holidays. She loves listening to music and cooking. Utkarsh is an Associate with the corporate law firm, Trilegal. He plays the guitar. Shatakshi has done M.A. in French and does translation work. She loves to dance. We will rope her in for Dandia. Her twin brother, Saksham, is a Data Analyst with Bain & Co. He is an accomplished Hindustani vocal singer. A musically talented family indeed. Deepak and Upasana can be reached on 6393448523 and 9354115794 respectively.
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V. Sundaram and Bhanu of A-007 have moved for good to Coimbatore. It might be the beginning of a jewellery start-up that Sundaram is contemplating. That makes another of the badminton regulars to bid goodbye. They will be missed.
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Mr. S. K. Topno and family, who moved from G Block to E-204 after Mr. Topno’s retirement a few months ago have now decided to settle down in Ranchi for good. They left this month.
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Kiana Abraham of A-008 has attained  a status in her Odissi dance that is reserved for the very talented. Her Rangmanch Pravesh was held at India International Centre on 29.9.19. I still remember seeing this bundle of joy on the day she was brought home after her delivery in Meerut all wrapped up with only her face visible. Its been a long road to glory as she strutted on stage with consummate ease to display her full range of Abinaya and Nritta. Under the tutelage of her very accomplished Guru, Radhika Samson who has moulded and honed her to perfection, Kiana displayed such artistic nuance that even a casual observer would have gone into a trance. The grace and fluidity of movement is the hallmark of all the dancers who have come off the stables of Sadhana. We have seen Kiana dance on the Yamuna stage so often, but she was at the pinnacle of her art on this Sunday evening. The subtle colours of her attire blended very well with the background and were very pleasing to the eye. God bless her and her family who stood steadfast through all the years of trials and tribulations. She deservedly earned all the accolades that came her way. Thomas got so overwhelmed that tears welled up in his eyes while giving his thank you speech.



CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR OCTOBER 2019

DATE
TIME
VENUE
8.10.19
5.30 PM
RAMLILA, DANDIA, VARIETY ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME
AND FOOD STALLS
BADMINTON COURT




19.10.19
6.30 PM
QUIZ COMPETITION WITH SUMATHI
BADMINTON COURT




20.10.19
10.00 AM
ANNUAL GENERAL BODY MEETING
COMMUNITY HALL
27.10.19
6.30 PM
DIWALI ILLUMINATION COMPETITION
BETWEEN THE BLOCKS

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