Issue No. 137 I January 2013

Editorial

It was a frigid welcome to the New Year with the temperature touching the season’s low of 4°C on the first of the month and continuing on a downward spiral thereon to touch a new low of 1.9°C. This capped the lowest stretch of extremely cold weather not witnessed in the last forty years. While most people stayed indoors, the odd one could be seen taking a walk dressed in balaclavas and overcoats. With only eyes peeping out of the cocooned figure, it was well nigh impossible to know who was doing the yards. A felon similarly attired could have had a field day.

The one thing new about every New Year is that many people take a vow to reform themselves by making a New Year resolution. However, empirical evidence suggests that New Year resolutions are followed more in the breach than in their observance. Some of the most common resolutions revolve around giving up smoking or drinking, reducing weight etc. This promise of a sacrifice to buy oneself a better future is a sane resolve. But had sanity been all pervasive, this dalliance with the vice that eventually led to this decision would not have come about. The problem with those resolving to kick the habit is that they do not have the requisite willpower to go through the trauma of withdrawal symptoms during the transit period. Those who manage to cross the Rubicon are few and far between.

Parts of our colony are progressively getting worn out or weather beaten and need constant care to make us proud of the place we live in. The western boundary wall which had become pock marked and looked in dire state of plastic surgery got the beauty treatment to restore it to its glory days. This would also serve to strengthen the boundary wall which is constantly assaulted by the activities in St. George School. Some of the beams on the facade of the flats that had been damaged as a consequence of residents’restoration work in their homes, were also set right.

The main pipeline serving E and F blocks burst one day denying the residents of these blocks any water. Since the plumbers are not experienced in repairing cast iron pipes, the services of DJB staff was taken. It took more than one day to set right the problem as some critical parts had to be sourced from Chawri Bazaar. We regret the inconvenience caused to the residents.

The Secretary and Joint Secretary met Mr. V. K. Malhotra, BJP MLA and leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Legislative Assembly and handed him a letter requesting for arranging the covering of the gutter outside our apartments and periodic cleaning of the same. We have also requested him to provide waste bins at specified places on the pavement so that packets, sachets of food and drinks consumed by passers-by and students of St. George School do not end up in the gutter. He has agreed to pursue these matters. We had also requested him to gift us four street lights to illuminate the dark areas in the periphery of the colony.

Lohri is supposed to signify the peaking of winter but by the night of 13th January, the cold wave had abated to relatively mellow levels. However, this time the bonfire was more robust and good enough to last till the morning. Lohri goodies did the rounds amidst the chant of “Sundri Mundriyeh”. The ebullient Deepak and Seema were unusually diffident to get the singing going. Both were seemingly hampered by a sore throat. It required quite a bit of cajoling and coaxing to get them to sing, but when they got going neither betrayed a layringitical handicap. Ramabadhran, Sujata and Sudha Eswaran joined in the singing. However, the musical soiree did not last long as nasty Monday beckoned everyone home.

India celebrated its 63 rd year as a Republic on 26^th January. A Republic refers to a country that is ruled by elected leaders and not a monarch. The crux of this argument is that the elected leaders would be cognizant of the needs and aspirations of its people more than a monarch would as they were also common citizens until they were elected to the high office. But events of the past years and more particularly in the preceding month belie this trust. The country has scant regard for 50% of its population who are women. Elected leaders and sundry self appointed religious leaders, by their sundry blathering, are queering the pitch for a pragmatic debate to ensure the safety of women. The dastardly act of the rapists in the case of Nirbhaya and countless other faceless women who undergo the indignity of being assaulted and abused on a daily basis, instead of being condemned in the strongest possible terms, is being defended by the aforementioned leaders of faith and polity as either an aberration or brought on by the callous behaviour of the girls in question. I am aghast at the drivel these leaders dish out. Do we deserve such self serving and egoistic leaders whose lofty ideals of self worth is nauseating, to say the least? The mass awakening of common people to set right the system caused by social media has set a crow amongst the pigeons in the cosy nest of these politicians who view them as a new threat to their turf of governance. But don’t get fooled by all those protestors. Some of the men who showed up at India Gate purportedly in defence of the victim were actually seen molesting women. This is nothing but an opportunistic and perverse act of self indulgence masquerading as social concern. How appalling! This gender bigotry has to end. Male chauvinism doesn’t end there. Bharti, our Secretary, had a hard time dealing with the DJB personnel who showed up after much reluctance to suck out the drain which was blocked for several days and spilling sewage onto the road outside Yamuna. After she failed to get them to do her bidding to get the source of the problem examined and plugged, she had to call Mr. P.K. K. Nair who let out some choice invectives before they got down to look into the problem.

A meeting was held with Mr. Kasana, Chairman of the South Zone, MCD, regarding the issues concerning Yamuna residents. I took up the matter of gas pipeline, placing covers on the gutter outside the colony, repair of pavements and Metro connectivity. Mr. Kasana has assured me that IGL will start work in all Alaknanda colonies in a month’s time. Regarding drain covers and pavement repair, he stated that although they have received financial sanction for these projects, they will take them up only after gas pipeline work is completed by IGL as their digging can damage the pavements if started before. As regards Metro connectivity – an issue which Mr. Bhotlu took up with me – Mr. Kasana mentioned that Delhi Metro have ordered 300 buses. Once these buses are received they will have shuttle services between Alaknanda and the Metro stations at Hauz Khas, Nehru Place and Alaknanda.

The Heritage walk to Hauz Khas monuments, a Tughlak era structure in a stunning visual back drop of woods and ‘Hauz’ (lake) with white swans swimming in abandon, was a treat to the eyes. The gorgeous weather and Dr. Ramji Narayanan’s erudite commentary on the monument, its history, architectural influence and Islamic customs dictating the orientation of structures was so lucidly explained that those who missed out are less enlightened. Terms like squinch arch, corbelling, dowels and keystones do not sound like Greek anymore. Thanks Ramji, for lending some meaning to our existence.

CONTRIBUTION

I am reproducing below a poem written by from Sashvath Arun Ram of G-306 studying in Class 2, TIS, displaying a maturity far beyond his years.

BEAUTIFUL NATURE

Who is this great Painter?

Who painted the sky-blue?

The ocean-white, the sun orange?

Who is the great sculptor?

Who sculpted the apples-round and red?

The grapes-black and small?

Banana’s curved and yellow?

How do we thank the creator?

Ask me! As I am the narrator,

Nature says you all preserve me

Or, you all don’t deserve me.

OBITUARY

The year did not begin on a good note for Mrs. Meenakshi Venkataraman of B-206, as she breathed her last on 2^nd January. I had just met her on the morning of 29^th December, 2012 when she was embarking on a trip to Bharatpur, Fatehpur Sikri and Agra with her family. She seemed to be in high spirits as she enquired from me the possibility of sighting birds in Bharatpur. On the evening of the second I was shocked to hear from her son, Krishnan, that she expired in the car on her way to the hotel from Fatehpur Sikri. Nobody had an inkling that she was in any kind of discomfort as she slumped on Mr. Venkatraman’s shoulder in mid speech. She was only 70, a tad too early to meet her destiny with the Maker. She however, must be a blessed soul that she went without any suffering. She was a very enthusiastic person and for several years won the musical chairs competition and had also choreographed dances and skits on the stage. Yamuna residents convey their heartfelt condolence to the family on their bereavement.

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Mr. R. Lakshminarayanan of H-006, who was ailing for a while due to a botched knee surgery which failed to get corrected after repeated attempts, lost his fight with the odds and left for heaven on 18^thJanuary, 2013. The trauma of losing her husband was too much for his wife Meenakshi who was inconsolable. Yamuna residents convey their heartfelt condolence to the bereaved family.

SNIPPETS

A-005, after extensive renovation, has been occupied by Mrs. Durga Narayanaswamy (Ramabadhran’s mother-in-law). We welcome her to the colony. Now Ram’s children do not have to brave the daunting task of crossing the main road to Nilgiri where their grandmother lived before moving to Yamuna.

Dr. Mukesh Kalita has moved into G-305. His arrival has been complemented with his marriage on 31 st January, 2013 to his betrothed, Dr. Vaishali Sharma. Dr. Kalita is an MD in Anaesthesiology and is working in Safdarjung Hospital and Vaishali who has done MBBS and Diploma in Anaesthesia is working in Batra Hospital. Dr. Kalita, who is Assamese, is fond of music and likes to play badminton and volleyball. He used to write in his college magazine, so don’t be surprised if you see him pen his thoughts in the Yamuna Chronicle. Vaishali, who is Himachali, is fond of cooking and Mukesh considers her to be a good orator. Both these skills will come handy in the Chef’s competition and in compering the Annual Day respectively.

Mr. S. Suryanarayana Prasad, Asst. General Manager, State Bank of Mysore has moved into G-302 after a four year stint in Mauritius. Both Mr. Prasad and his wife Subasri are Carnatic music buffs. His daughter Dhanya, who is 7 years old, is seeking admission to Class III. They speak Telugu but having lived all their life in Chennai, also speak Tamil fluently. We welcome them to Yamuna. They can be reached on 8130266233.

Vani Kurup’s desire to live at close quarters to her parents residence in B-205 fructified when she moved into H-305. This came through consequent upon N. L. Ganapathy moving his office from H-305 to H-206.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS - FEBRUARY 2013

DATE	TIME	EVENT	VENUE
2.2.13	10.30 AM	VISIT INDIA ART EXHIBITION	ASSEMBLE AT A BLOCK GATE
10.2.13	10.00 AM	PAINTING COMPETITION-ALL AGE GROUPS	BADMINTON COURT
17.2.13	11.00 AM	PICNIC TO LODHI GARDEN	FROM A BLOCK GATE

Issue No. 136 I December 2012

EDITORIAL

Another year has come and gone off in a hurry. We are all one year older but are we any wiser? The question begs an answer. There is turmoil all over the world. While there are economic woes in Europe and much of the Third World, there is civil strife in Syria and Egypt. Pakistan and Afghanistan are battling the Taliban. China is becoming belligerent and flexing its muscles against the littoral states and its southern neighbours. Several innocent children have been shot dead in a school in the US by a gunman. Closer home, the brutal assault on a girl in a Delhi bus shows that we are not a civilised society by a long shot. Although doomsday predictions by the ancient Mayans that the world would come to an end on 21^st December, 2012 did not come true, anarchy rules the world. Why can’t we all live in peace and harmony? After all we have only one life to live and before long we will all be dead and gone.

Demographics of Yamuna is changing fast. Change is a constant. Change is most discernible amongst children. Toddlers become tiny tots and enter school; some others become teenagers and face new challenges. We can see the transition to all these stages right here in Yamuna. People are moving out and there is an influx of new tenants. The good news is that the new tenants are integrating well and participating enthusiastically in the social and cultural affairs of the society as is evidenced by the participation in the Annual day.

The month started with a bang with the colony Annual Day on 1^st December. Despite the relatively thin attendance, the show was a great success. The children and adults performed brilliantly. Three cheers to the choreographers who crafted such a splendid show by turning untrained people into wizards on the stage. My thanks go out in great measure to Seetha, Bharti and Gita Rastogi , between them, took on the mantle and organised and anchored the show on the day. I owe a lot of gratitude to Mohan Krishnaswamy, Netra, Soumya amongst others for behind-the- scenes organisation. I would not be in a position to delve into the nuances of each performance as I could not attend the event on that day due to a personal tragedy at home. Be that as it may, I would fail in my duty if I did not acknowledge the several man-hours of effort and imagination put in by the following choreographers in making the Annual Day a memorable event. Lalitha Nagarajan who choreographed the invocation song set the tone for the musical, stage and dance extravaganza that featured that night. Radhika Samson trained Radhika of C-005 and Aaria of C-106 for the invocation song and very imaginatively blended Bharatanatyam and Odissi into a fusion form performed by Aparna Krishnan and Dakshina Raghavendra. Renu Garg did a magnificent job coaxing the tiny tots to do a fancy dress item. Classical dance is a challenging art form even for adults. Sahana who is about 5 years old or thereabouts did a Kathak piece even as she was battling a fever. Shruti Nagarajan has obviously got her mother’s genes as she excelled in a Hindustani music recital. Aditi Ganapathi with her Kuchipudi dance and Tejas and Avantika with their classical Hindustani music recital have notched a permanent place for themselves on the Yamuna stage. “All is well”, a Bollywood number choreographed by Alka Arora and Vidya Venkat and performed by the children was well received by the audience. The crowds’ enthusiastic response also mirrored the exuberance and cadence of “Go Go Govinda”, choreographed by Anu Nair and Netra. The performance by the children elicited an encore. The marquee event was the play directed by Seema Chari and performed by the adults in the colony. Seema wrote the script and directed the play. In the rehearsals, she was like a school matron lashing her whip. Her stern demeanour as a director paid off as everybody was raving about the play. Deepak Varma excelled in his role. The crooners, Aditi Rastogi and Seema Chari, who took the top honours sang a medley of songs in seven different languages. Minor glitches apart, the variety programme was a show stopper. Kudos to all the onstage and backstage performers.

Pride of place for giving away the awards and prizes at the Annual Day was given to Mr. K. V. N. Swamy in whose house in Karol Bagh the Society was established. The members at that time proposed to make plotted developments and it was at his insistence that apartments were built. We owe him a great deal. He could not give a speech as he intended to as he was choked with emotion. Two members, Mr. V.V.Bhotlu of F-203 and Mr. Hari Shankar Rastogi, were honoured on becoming octogenarians. Mr. Bhotlu thanked Mr. K. V. N. Swamy for inducting him as a member and spoke in glowing terms about the merits of living in Yamuna.

We had been having a bright and sunny winter until the 23^rdDecember, when a visit to Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary was planned. Everybody was ready with their picnic hampers ready to set off to Sultanpur to see some exotic migratory birds, bask in the sunlight and sample the smorgasbord of eats. Unfortunately, it was not to be. We woke up in the morning under a thick blanket of fog which did not lift until noon. We were loath to drive all that way to try and spot birds obscured by fog. The birds had the last laugh as they could savour the peace that reigned without the ogling and excited screaming. Anon, subject to better weather, we can head off to sight birds closer home, maybe to Okhla Jheel, as proposed by Sumathi.

Yuletide spirit was much in evidence at the Christmas Carnival held on 24^th December in the badminton court. The bonfire was a big magnet for residents to show up in large numbers to enjoy the evening of carols, nativity scene, music, dance and eats. Owing to 24^th December being a working day, many working people were held up in traffic and could not make it home at the scheduled starting time of 6.30 pm. Hence the start was deferred. Sahana Savarkar, the motor mouth, took charge of the mike and kept up the jabbering for nearly an hour interspersed with a particular carol which she and her friends Radhika and Samiksha must have sung at least twenty times until we were ready to go live. I can see the prodigious signs of a future compere in her. Aditi Rastogi’s trained singers, all dressed as fairies, sang the tuneful carols to the strains of the keyboard, masterly handled by Aditi. This was followed by the Nativity scene and Polka Dot dance. Seema Chari recounted the tale behind the Nativity scene for the uninitiated. The stage was decked with the Christmas tree laden with gifts and trinkets among other things. Baby Jesus was lying in the barn. It was a view to behold. Just as the kids were getting restless, in marched Santa showering gifts. The role was perfectly played by Sumyouktha of D-202. I am grateful to Anu Nair and Alka Arora amongst others for making the show a success.

After the variety show, the stage was set for the winter ramp walk. The children and ladies in particular were very well attired in haute couture. I could sense some professional assist in the way some of the small children walked, swayed their hips and sashayed their dresses. It seemed unfair to pick out the winners as they all looked gorgeous. As usual the boys, barring Samarth, stayed away from the contest. Dr. Abhilash Pillai of G-105, who will soon be moving to A-204 sponsored the prizes. The ones who made the cut in the judges’ view are:

CATEGORY	NAME-FIRST	ADDRESS	NAME-SECOND	ADDRESS
UNDER  12YEARS	KIANA ABRAHAM	A-008	ADWITA NAIR	B-107
OVER12             YEARS	PRAKRITI RASTOGI	G-003	DAKSHINA RAGHAVENDRA	A-001
LADIES	SUDHA EASWARAN	H-202	SEEMA CHARI	C-208
GENTLEMEN	DEEPAK VARMA	H-208	JAI ZUTSHI	C-006

Food, which is always the main attraction at such do’s, had enough adherents. I freaked out on the mushroom bruschetta (ambrosia of all foods). I didn’t know until then that Kunal’s considerable skills extended to things culinary, unless he was playing proxy to someone else’s creation. I have one grouse though, the mushrooms were very mingy in their inclusion in the serving that I got. To round off the evening, Madhu Nair provided some liquid nourishment to uplift the flagging spirits caused by the dying embers. As always, Bollywood is so steeped into our culture that no evening is complete without the young and old letting their hair down and jiving to the latest Hindi and Punjabi songs. Prashant’s expert handling of DJ’s corner was missed, as chaos ruled.

People leading a hedonistic life style trooped in from several watering holes they were partying in, to usher in the New Year at the Community Hall. At the stroke of midnight, mass hugs and loud cheers greeted the assembled throng with rings of Happy 2013. After the ceremonial cake cutting ritual, everybody melted into the night to reboot their party.

To all those who were not there on the fateful night and to all those netizens for whom the Chronicle is their only connect to Yamuna, we wish a healthy and rewarding 2013.

SNIPPETS

Yamuna is seeing a lot of traffic of movers.

Rashmi Dutta after a brief sojourn of one year has moved out of G-306. Consequently Arun, Subadha and Sashvath have moved there from G-302. This lateral transfer shouldn’t have needed packing and unpacking.

Ashish Narendra Sutar has moved into H-106 from Mumbai. Ashish is a veterinary doctor and loves animals. He works with World Society for the Protection of Animals. He loves watching cricket and used to play the game in his youth. Not that there is much to cheer for the Indian cricket fans. His wife Deepa, to use a cliché, is a homemaker. It is a full time job if you consider that she has to take care of a 5 year old, adrenaline charged son. Dhruv and Deepa will join Ashish in March 2013. Deepa loves cooking and may compete in the chef’s competition. They can be reached on 9958595345.

Akshay Satya and Aditi Kotwal have moved to A-205 from Hyderabad. Akshay is an Andhraite. Aditi is a Maharashtrian and a close relative of Madhavi Samson. Akshay works for International Finance Corporation. Akshay is fond of reading and likes to swim and play basketball. Aditi is a free lance writer and has written a novel which will be published next year. The novel is a contemporary take on Draupadi. Aditi is fond of reading, writing and travelling. They can be reached on 9711133142.

With the arrival of these two families the strength of Maharashtrians in the colony gets boosted.

MIRTH CORNER

Pre-take off announcement on a China Southern Airlines Flight.  This is a true account of what was heard on a recent flight from Shenzhen to Qingtao .  Chinese air stewardess says: 'Good afternoon, Ladies and the German. This is your cheap purser Wang Lui speaking. On behalf of China Sudden Airlines, I would like to waycome you on board our Bowling 737 fom Shenzhen to Qingtao. Members of my kew speak Chinese and other languages that you do not know.  It is a great pressure serving you to-die. Should you need any resistance during the fright, peace do pest the call button.  I and my gals are available to make you feel comfortable. Meanwhile, the airkwaft is going to fry. Peace sit upright and keep you belt tightly fastened until dinner is served at five dirty p.m... Hope you would enjoy your fright with us. Tankku !! CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR JANUARY 2013 DATE TIME EVENT VENUE 13.1.13 9.00 PM LOHRI BON FIRE BADMINTON COURT 20.1.13 10.30 AM HERITAGE WALK To HAUZ KHAS MONUMENTS. FROM A BLOCK GATE