Issue No. 131 I July, 2012

EDITORIAL

After we were toasted in the searing heat of June, the monsoon belatedly made its presence. The aroma of wet mud after the first rains on the scorched earth is very pleasing. The euphoria, however, was shortlived.. Through much of the month the clouds lingered only to deceive. Now we are staring at a drought.


We are not trying to be sanctimonious when we advise you about the responsibilities involved in keeping a pet. In spite of writing ad infinitum in these columns on the need to scoop the poop of your pet that litters the precincts of the colony, the advisory is followed more in the breach than in the observance. I get collared about this issue by miffed residents when I go for a walk as though I am the culprit. The population of canines having burgeoned of late, it is difficult to pinpoint the mutt that defecated on the road. While I am sure you love your pet, act responsibly and clean up after their constitutional so that others don’t despise you for owning a pet. Unfortunately, we become hypersensitive about our rights as residents but lackadaisical about our responsibilities.


Talking about responsibilities, residents were advised not to keep potted plants in the staircase or on the landing as its weight and the water that seeps through and enters the crevices are very bad for the structure. Our staircases are all cantilevered and not supported by any columns, therefore there is a dead load on it even without the pots being placed. Over the years the misuse has so severely corroded the structure that Mr. Narayanaswamy, who is a structural engineer, had warned of serious consequences if we continue to keep pots and water them. While pots were removed by all the residents from the stairs a couple of years ago, they have reappeared in some staircases. Kindly have them removed; else the Society will be constrained to have them removed.


The rain dance on 14^th July was greeted with glee by the children as it gave a welcome relief from the torrid heat. The inflatable pool remained flaccid as the closing valves were missing. Nevertheless, the kids made merry under the sprinkler and the garden hose. The adults who ventured to the lawn to get a douse included Seema, Kunal, Prema Manoj, Srikanth, Aditi Rao, Venkatesh and me. There were quite a few others who were loath to get wet and watched with amusement from the sidelines. These wary souls included Shekhar Nair, Anu Nair, Meera Varma, Gita Rastogi, Madhuri, Soumya amongst others. There was Bollywood music to entertain everybody. It was well past 8 pm and the children wanted the splash and douse to continue but in the interest of conserving water, the motor was turned off and the children were reluctantly dragged away to their homes by their parents. Pictures of the rain dance can be viewed in the Yamuna Photo Album.


Through the initiative of Mr. P. K. K. Nair, efforts are being made to regularise the allotment of flats. To this effect a Special General Body meeting was convened on 29^th July, 2012 to get approval for providing an indemnity bond to the Registrar from the President and Secretary indemnifying the Registrar from any claims if the list of allottees is challenged by anyone. We hope that we have the most eagerly awaited and vital document from the Registrar in the coming months . I am sure you are all cognisant of the fact that Power of Attorney through which sale and purchase of the flats in Yamuna had been taking place has been banned from 1^st October, 2011. Effectively, that makes us all squatters in a way with no rights at all of either selling our flats or taking loans against the flat. We must celebrate if the turn of events goes our way.


Another Bollywood legend bids adieu to this world. Rajesh Khanna’s death coming close on the heels of the passing away of the evergreen Dev Anand, has left us bereft of the candyfloss heroes of yesteryears. Their infectious charm left legions of female fans swooning. Their twisty dance, twinkling eyes and unique dialogue delivery has left an imprint that is hard erase from the minds of the generation who grew up during their heydays. There is a clamour to hold a musical night in their honour. When the weather gets kinder we will have a karaoke night to raise a salute to these matinee idols. Let us not forget the iconic Dara Singh who overhauled the much heralded King Kong in the ring. Not everybody’s typical hero, he nevertheless left a lasting legacy. We mourn his passing away also.


After mid-year cultural vacuum, we enter that phase of the year when better weather and a spate of religious holidays usher in our peak programme season. At the tail end of this newsletter you will find the calendar of events for the rest of the year. If that does not leave you salivating in anticipation nothing else will. Please plan your tour programmes and holidays in such a manner that you are present for all the exciting happenings in Yamuna.


Mr. Ramabadhran of E-202, has been a very generous contributor to Yamuna. Yet another example of his largesse has been the gift of a coffee making machine to the Yamuna store. Now you can get South Indian filter coffee while you shop in the store.

SNIPPETS

A packed hall was witness to Mallika Mahesh’s Arangetram at India International Centre on 7^th July, 2012. Mallika who has a Bharatnatyam dancer’s features, embodied the art with her grace, poise, expressions and balance in the Nrittas and Abhinayas. She enthralled the audience to such an extent that the Chief Guest, the famed Indian classical dancer, Dr. Yamini Krishnamurthi was moved to heap encomiums on her and her guru, Smt. Kanaka Srinivasan. The joy on Mallika’s grandmother, Mrs. Bhagirathi Eswaran’s face was immense. She was instrumental in Mallika taking up dance. I believe Mrs. Sukanya Sundaresan also had a role in grooming Mallika as a dancer. The vocal backing by Sudha Raghunathan was also excellent. All in all it was an enjoyable evening. Yamuna was very well represented. Mahesh was the perfect host.


Jazz dancing has taken Yamuna by storm. There are a number of Yamuna residents who are honing their skills at this form of dance. Seema Savarkar, Sahana Savarkar, Netra Sundaresan, Anjali Menon and Kavya Narayanan performed at the Talkatora Stadium to a full house on 7^th and 8^th July, 2012. They were all part of group ensembles, hence spotting them in them in the group was a challenge. Anyhow, the dances were superb and the atmosphere electric. We hope they showcase some of their moves at the Annual Day variety entertainment programme.


Kumar Chiplunkar and Meghna are so enamoured with Yamuna that, when the landlord of A-208 asked them to vacate, they did not mind moving into a smaller flat in E-003 rather than move out of Yamuna. Both Meghna and Kumar being designers, they have very tastefully done up their flat. Once inside their flat you could be fooled into believing that you have entered a very pretty and cosy Goan cottage. Such residents really embellish the colony and we hope they extend their skills to make Yamuna prettier.


Tanvi Savarkar of C-207, the pint sized dynamo of trivia, representing DPS team, humbled many of her fancied rivals by trumping 100 other teams in the largest inter school quiz competition. Her achievement comes as no surprise at all, as the Savarkar family is oozing with talent from every pore. Henceforth, accomplishments in quizzing must be measured by the Savarkar Index!

LARDER MANAGEMENT

Storing Food the Right Way!

How often have you stocked up on food-grains or veggies, only to find bugs romping in your rajmah or saag gone soggy in the refrigerator? Here are a few tips on how to store grains and other foodstuffs so they remain fresh and full of flavour:
Rice - Dry 50 gm of mint leaves, powder them and add to 10 kg of rice. Not only do the mint leaves keep insects at bay, they also impart a delicious flavour to the cooked rice.
Spices - Keep spices and herbs away from heat, moisture, and direct sunlight. These elements hasten their loss of flavour and aroma. Avoid storing above the stove, sink or near a window.
Flour - Add some neem leaves to your flour container to keep atta insect free.
Garlic - Garlic is best stored in a cool, dry place. After you bring garlic home from the market, immediately take the garlic bulbs and place them in an airtight container or plastic bag, then store them in a cabinet, ensuring a cool, dark environment. The first thought for many people is to store garlic bulbs in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator or in the freezer. The cold temperature spoils the taste as well as the texture of the garlic cloves.
Ginger Roots – A common mistake is to store fresh ginger root in the refrigerator. Refrigeration dries out the ginger root and diminishes its flavour. Therefore, once you have taken the portion you need for your cooking, wrap the remainder of the root in aluminium foil with the ends folded down to completely seal or enclose the root.
Lemons - Place unpeeled, whole lemons in a bowl. Stack the lemons no more than two to three fruit deep. Otherwise the weight from the lemons on top might bruise or crush the fruit on the bottom. Set the lemons on the middle shelf of the refrigerator.
Lentils - Lentils should be stored in an airtight container and can be kept for up to a year. Although they can be used past this date, the colour will start to fade, and the lentils will take longer to cook. In the past, lentils were considered a staple food in many areas because of their extremely long shelf life. Keep the container in a cool area away from sunlight. If you purchase pre-packaged lentils, keep them in this package until you're ready to use them. Once opened, transfer to a container.
Cilantro (Dhaniya Patta): Keep the stems of the cilantro bunch dipped in shallow glass of water in the refrigerator. This keeps the herb fresh and alive for many days. You could also add a plastic bag on top to cover the leaves from overexposure in the refrigerator. Open the cilantro bunch and lay out the stems on a paper towel or newspaper. Roll this like a scroll and store in the refrigerator. This prevents the leaves from getting soggy. Alternatively, Pick the leaves off the stems and store them in an airtight container/Tupperware to prolong their freshness.
Fresh curry leaves - Curry leaves can be dried and stored. Remove the stalks, wipe clean and roast them lightly until they are completely dry. Store in an airtight box for up to six months. Another way to store them is to powder the roasted leaves in a dry grinder.

(Sangeetha Srihari - E103)

Date and Time	Event	Venue
10.8.12  7.00 PM	JANMASHTAMI-RAS LEELA & DAHI HANDI	BADMINTON COURT
15.8.12       9.00 AM	FLAG HOISTING/SINGING OF PATRIOTIC SONGS/KITE FLYING	BADMINTON COURT
28.8.12   8.00 PM	ONAM FEAST AND POOKOLAM	COMMUNITY HALL
13.10.12  6.30 PM	SCREENING OF MOVIE & POT LUCK DINNER	BADMINTON COURT
20.10.12  6.30 PM	QUIZ COMPETITION WITH SUMATHI	BADMINTON COURT
23.10.12   6.30 PM	DANDIA AND FOOD STALLs	BADMINTON COURT
24.10.12  6.30 PM	RAM LEELA & BURNING OF RAVANS EFFIGY	MAIN LAWN
3.11.12   9.00 AM	SPORTS DAY	MAIN LAWN
10.11.12   5.30 PM	DIWALI MELA	BADMINTON COURT
13.11.12  6.30 PM	RANGOLI AND ILLUMINATION COMPETITION	BETWEEN THE BLOCKS
24.11.12  5.00 PM	ANNUAL DAY (DATE SUBJECT TO CHANGE)/FOOD STALLS	MAIN LAWN
23.12.12  10.00AM	HERITAGE WALK	FROM A BLOCK GATE
24.12.12  6.00 PM	CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL-STAGE SHOW/GAMES/FOOD STALLS	BADMINTON COURT
31.12.12-MIDNIGHT	MIDNIGHT CAKE CUTTING TO USHER IN 2013	COMMUNITY HALL

Issue No. 130 I June 2012

EDITORIAL

June has been a scorcher with temperatures always in the mid forties. Those who went on a vacation escaped the torrid heat. The rest of us plebeians had to brave the elements. Plants that were being watered everyday were also wilting. On top of that we had to put off the rain dance as many children who like to frolic in the giant portable tub and under the sprinklers were cooling their heels in Leh, the US West Coast and Singapore, amongst other places. I hope we have a bountiful monsoon until we grow weary of it.

In the last issue of the Chronicle I had mentioned that Mukesh Eswaran of E-101 with 80.6% in the XIIth class got the highest marks in the Science stream. Information has now filtered in that Prachi Shrivastava of B-003 has pipped him to the post by securing a very creditable 87% marks. But Mukesh has no reason to moan as he has got the mother of all prizes. He has secured admission in IIT. Madhuri Zutshi popularly known as Dolla, remains the undisputed queen of Humanities with a whopping 95 % marks. Kudos to the high achievers.

It is an onerous task to get the Yamuna staff – who barely get the prescribed minimum wages – to do their chores, as they are fully cognizant of the fact that with the crying shortage of labour they can pick up better paying jobs anywhere. It is a cruelly taxing schedule for office-going MC members to return from work to attend to the residents’ complaints and get work done from an increasingly recalcitrant staff. In the light of this, it is very vexing to hear from residents, words to the effect that the office-bearers get to exercise their outrageous powers of patronage to sort out their own problems while ignoring the rest. Little do they know that there is an unwritten rule, that MC members are to get the last priority in complaint redressals.

What is it about new age gadgets that make grown men and women behave like ditzy pre-teens at Disney? I cannot under most circumstances find a better use for a mobile phone than to make calls, send sms’s or e-mails. My daughters think otherwise. They conned me into buying a Samsung Galaxy when my Blackberry started malfunctioning. The moment I return home from work, they pick up my Galaxy which is loaded with applications, , and start playing some inane games on it. One particularly mindless game is called “Fruit Ninja” where you notch up points as you keep finger slicing various, multi-coloured fruit that keep popping up across the screen. They could spend the whole day playing this or other equally mindless games. Well, you could argue that they are only teenagers, but of late I have seen grown men and women fall to the faux charms of these games. If this is not nipped in the bud we will soon have an army of zombies with absolutely no social skills. Yamuna is already witness to this. One can see queues of people outside Apple stores across the world whenever a new model of iPhone or iPad is launched. I frankly can’t get to use all the applications on my 4-year-old HP laptop. I, therefore find the frenzied rush for new gizmos baffling. Is it only an urge to show off the new acquisition or is there more to this madness that I cannot fathom? Unfortunately, the cornucopia of options available is immense and so is the erosion of the bank balance of many a hapless parent.

In accordance with contractual obligations, the company which laid the interlock brick road has rectified the broken/chipped blocks by replacing them free of cost. They also undertook the work of installing the blocks displaced by us for rectifying the submersible pump. In addition, they have kept in our custody, 70 blocks for contingencies.

The drain outside Yamuna has got an annual cleaning. It was amazing to see the amount of muck accumulated in its cavernous precincts. We should count our blessings that the cleaning has happened just before the monsoon. Hopefully, the drain will not overflow this monsoon and bring sewage into the colony. We also undertook the cleaning of the water harvesting pits and all the internal drains. Thanks to our water harvesting pits, our ground water level which had fallen to 200 feet some years ago is now at a very healthy 80 feet.

We should consider ourselves fortunate that we are not plagued by power cuts and water shortage that is affecting other colonies. Even posh colonies like Vasant Vihar are facing severe water shortage and residents are having to buy water from tankers at scalpers’ rates. In the light of this, it is galling to witness the tolerance levels of Yamuna residents running thin (including my wife’s) if running water is denied to them even for a short while due to some glitch. Nonetheless, the availability of water should hardly be the reason to waste water on frequent washing of the staircase or the landing.

When the wooden office cupboard was made a meal of by the white ants, it was time to act as they were beginning to attack the files. Fortunately, Bhavani Krishnan of E-005 donated a nice large almirah to the Society which has come in handy. Good deeds don’t end there. After seeing the plight of the security staff getting baked in the security cabins without the comforting breeze of a fan, Vani Chandrasekhar of G-201has donated two brand new fans for the security cabins. She was also moved by the plight of the presswalahs and donated two fans to them as well. We are indeed grateful to these residents.

It is very heartening to note that the entire expenditure to do up and equip the Doctor’s clinic has come through donations. We have run into a marginal surplus which will be used for other improvements. For lack of space it would not be possible to acknowledge each of the donors in the Chronicle. Please peruse the Notice Board where the list of all the donors has been putup. We can’t thank the good Samaritans enough for this act of generosity. 

SNIPPETS

Mr. K. Jagadeesan and Mrs. Saroja Jagadeesan of D-101celebrated their Sadhabishekam in Bangalore on 7th June, 2012. We wish the couple a very long, healthy and fulfilling life. Mr. Jagadeesan will join an illustrious band of octogenarians who have been honoured at the Annual Day function of the colony.

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Srivatsa Krishna of D-004, Yamuna’s prodigal son, who straddles the world of administration, energy and music among others, has added another feather to his cap. He has debuted as play back singer in the Hindi movie, Shanghai.  It is unlikely to top the charts because it doesn’t fall in the usual Bollywood genre. Nonetheless, he becomes only the second person from Yamuna to hit the big time in the Hindi tinsel world after KK. I get a sneaking feeling that more people will get to know him eventually as a play back singer rather than as an IAS topper!

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It is going to be a big day for M. Mallika of H-304 on 7^th July, 2012. Her Bharatanatyam Arangetram is going to be held at India International Centre at 6.30 pm on that day. That will add another feather to her already overcrowded cap.

MIRTH CORNER

The professor of a Contract Law class asked one of his better students, "If you were to give someone an orange, how would you go about it?"    The student replied, "Here's an orange."  The professor was outraged. “No! No! Think like a lawyer!" The student then replied, "OK, I will tell him this: I hereby give and convey to you all and singular, my estate and interests, rights, claim, title and advantages of and in, said orange, together with all its rind, juice, pulp and seeds, and all rights and advantages with full power to bite, cut, freeze and otherwise eat the same, or give the same away with and without the pulp, juice, rind and seeds, anything herein before and hereinafter or in any deed, or deeds, instruments of whatever nature or kind whatsoever to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding.” A foreigner had a very spicy Indian dinner. Next morning he came out of the toilet and said: “Now I understand why Indians use water.  Tissue can catch fire!!!” Girl to her brother: What are you going to gift grandma on her birthday? Boy: A football. Gal: But Grandma doesn’t play football? Boy: On my birthday she gave me books. Little boy: Dad can we go to McDonald’s today. Dad: OK, but only when you spell McDonald’s correctly. Boy thought for a moment and said: Ok forget it dad let's go to KFC A psychology report ....When two couples come face to face??? WIVES look at each other’s sarees and HUSBANDS look at each other’s  wife!!.. And the best one ... A drunk guy falls from the first floor. People gathered around and asked him: What happened? He said ..." I don’t know, I also came down just now !!"

 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR JULY, 2012

DATE	TIME	EVENT	VENUE
14.7.12	6.30 PM	RAIN DANCE	MAIN LAWN
EVERY SUNDAY	6.30 AM	CLEANLINESS AND ECO DRIVE	AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS EACH WEEK