Editorial
September always brings pleasant memories. You say goodbye to the sweaty summer and embrace the balmy weather of autumn. As a kid the first English song I heard was the signature tune from the movie, “Come September”. September also heralds the beginning of the festival season. The plethora of festivals and the fun and gaiety associated with it warms the cockles of one’s heart. Now that we are in the thick of it, let’s savor it.
The Annual General Body Meeting of the Society held on the 13th turned out to be tepid affair. After the fire and brimstone of the EGM, it seemed like a walk in the park. While the EGM diatribe was not pleasant, the absence of a coherent debate in the AGM spelt indifference. Supine passivity will not lead to change for the better. Yamuna residents must step out of the mould of the cockerel that believes its crowing makes the sun rise and let their valuable suggestions heard in the AGM. The notable aspect of this year’s meeting was the resignation of Mr. C. S. Menon, who after an unprecedented four terms as the President since the formation of the Society, decided to call it a day. His son has bought him a flat in Mumbai so that they can spend more time together. He will divide his time between Delhi, Mumbai and Kerala. Some may disagree with his views and methods, but nobody can deny the indelible mark he left on the affairs of the Society. While he will continue to be in our midst, I would be failing in my duty if I don’t hail him as one of the founding fathers of Yamuna who endeared himself to everybody.
As a consequence of his resignation I was elected as the President for the next term. By anointing me as President, the Society regards me as its privileged interlocutor –one who is called upon to shoulder the responsibility of upholding the prestige and the goodwill of the apartments. I hope I am not found wanting in this task. There is a lot to be done; least of all is the façade which has black stains on the concrete beams, the terrace which is leaking at many places and the road which is beginning to wear off. The big nettle we are grasping with is how to do all the big ticket maintenance work on a shoestring budget. To top it all the Manager, Mrs. Bhagirathi Gopalakrishnan has put in her papers to move to greener pastures. Her absence will leave a temporary vacuum until a new person is appointed and learns the ropes. We request the residents cooperation until the person who takes over comes to speed.
I am aghast to find children these days make a meal of Maggie noodles, chips and sundry other fast food items and skip lunch or dinner. These are not staple food. They are at best dietary diversions and can never be mainstream food items. Empirical evidence has shown that binging on junk food which loads one with calories but no nutrition, can lead to obesity, hyperactivity and irrational behavior.
This year again we have to make do with a mini version of the Diwali Mela in the badminton court on 10th October. Popular sentiment abhors a vacuum and for two years running, the absence of a mela has been overrun with stories, fables and expectations for freshly arrived Yamunites who haven’t experienced the real thing. The full scale mela had to be forsaken on account of the advisory from the Police that all mela venues should have CCTV’s, X-ray screening equipment etc. to prevent terrorist attacks.
There is a maniacal driver hired by a resident. This one seemed to have learned his trade from a rogue Blueline bus driver. He alternated furiously between the brake and the accelerator, screeching and swerving in the perimeter road of our complex. I tried stopping him but he almost ran over my foot. I have no recollection of the face or the number on the number plate because of the shroud of darkness. Residents are advised to caution their drivers from speeding in the complex.
Quite out of the blue we were greeted to a Ramlila done by the tiny tots in the park on the 28th. Riya Ramabadhran had made a pygmy sized but well crafted Ravan with his ten heads and weapons of mass destruction. Riya and Aryan (E-201),Tanvi and Sahana ( G-204), Ananya (G-205), Vishakha (H-005), Siddhant (E-302), all had something to say on the epic, Ramayana. Anupam Gatta (G-002) was dressed up as Ram, Ashwin Satish (G-205) was dressed as Lakshman and Rishabh Anand (H-005 ) was Hanuman. Anjali Garg (H-305) was amused with Hanuman’s tail and had a go at it. Other warriors and ladies of the kingdom included Tejaswin and Avantika Shankar(G-106), Aparna(H-208), Saisha(H-206), Aditi and Poorvaja(F-003) Samiksha and Adwita(B107), Yohaan and Kiana (A-008), Gokul and Mani(B-302). When the battle commenced Ram and Lakshman fled the battlefield and it was left to the senior Ram enacted by Ramabadhran to take on Ravan. The villain was not easily vanquished. After the first encounter Ravan stood firm and Ram had to retreat with his bruised ego. Ram then marshalled all his resources and mounted a second assault before Ravan went up in flames.
|
The morning of 28th September brought the sad news that Srilata Prabhakar of H-201 was no more. “Sri’, as she was popularly known was a cultural icon. She was the mainstay of India Habitat Centre’s cultural milieu and anybody in the city of Delhi who was remotely connected with any art form, knew her intimately. Her regal demeanour will always be etched in the memory of everybody who knew her. Her loss is irreparable. For her sons Karun and Prashant, she was a font of emotional capital they would have to learn to do without. Both these guys took extremely good care of her when she was incapacitated. They will now have to pick themselves up and move on. The Yamuna family wish to convey their heartfelt condolence and assure them that they have a larger family at hand to call their own. |
SNIPPETS
Sugar and Dr. P. J. Manohar Rao of A-101 are synonymous. Not that he has a sweet tooth. That would have made it a double whammy! After a 32 year stint in the Ministry of Food & Agriculture at the Centre as Chief Director (Sugar), he worked as MD of National Federation of Co-op Sugar Factories Ltd for 8 years. He published many technical articles and books. In appreciation of his outstanding publications, he was awarded two Gold Medals and two Doctorate Degrees. In recognition of his professional excellence and outstanding contribution in the development of the Indian Sugar Industry he was conferred an award by His Excellency Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Former President of India, on the 26th of August, 09 at the 70th Annual Conference of the Sugar Technologists Association, held at Udaipur, Rajasthan.
We are indeed privileged to have such erudite people in Yamuna.
Mr. C. S. Subramanian(Raja), Jyoti and the children have relocated to the US from C-007.While Jyoti was part of the Managing Committee, her children were very active amongst the kids group. They have left their imprint on the lawn behind their flat which they developed very assiduously and tastefully. We wish them luck in their new life.
It is amazing how soon C-007 went to the new residents. The day Raja and his family moved out, Mr. P. H. Narayanan moved in with his wife and daughter from Rajinder Nagar. Mr. Narayanan works for the Swatch group and is Brand Manager for Omega watches. Mr. Narayanan is fond of sports and plays badminton in his spare time. His wife Latha is spiritually inclined and daughter Manasa is studying in class IX in Gyan Bharati School. She is fond of reading and Warli painting. Although I had heard of this style of painting, I didn’t know much else and hence retreated, not wanting to exhibit my ignorance. Until a landline is installed they can be reached on 9810496772. We heartily welcome this family to Yamuna.
Amit Soman and Rashi Gupta of A-302 did not trouble the scorers. They left this month for Chennai within a year of moving into Yamuna.
The Axis Bank head honcho felt that Julius Samson of A-201 was too valuable to waste his talent in a Branch Office in Delhi and asked him to relocate to the financial capital, Mumbai. Wife Madhavi will shuttle between Delhi and Mumbai until such time as daughter, Radhika completes her studies. We will miss this nocturnal, ever smiling individual.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR OCTOBER
| Date | Time | Venue | Event |
| 10.10.09 | 6.30 pm onwards | Badminton Court | Mini Diwali Mela |
| 17.10.09 | 6.30 pm | All Blocks | Diwali Illumination Competition |
| 24.10.09 | 7.00 pm | Badminton court | Movie screening & Potluck dinner |
YAMUNA’S TREES
Tree of the Month – Parijatham
Botanical name:Arbor tristis ; Harshringar/Parijatham ( Sanskrit ); Pavazhamalli (Tamil)
The Tamil name for this delicate bloom, Pavazhamalli literally translates as “coral hued jasmine“ The flowers start blossoming in profusion just a few days before Navratri in the month of Poratashi( in Tamil) or September /October.
The flowers fall from the tree at night and carpet the ground prettily, a boon for Yamuna-ites wanting to offer fresh flowers in their puja. Offering this flower to Goddesses Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Durga is considered auspicious. The Parijatham tree blossoms in the evenings and the night air is rife with the fragrance of these flowers. The tiny flowers have a five- to eight-lobed white corolla with an orange-red centre; they are produced in clusters of two to seven, with individual flowers opening at dusk and finishing at dawn.
The tree is sometimes called the "tree of sorrow", because the flowers lose their brightness during daytime; the scientific name arbor-tristis also means "sad tree". Known as 'Sheuli' in Bengali, Parijatham is the official flower of West Bengal. It also appears in several Hindu myths.
It is widely believed that the sacred orange ochre robes for monks in India are obtained by a dye made from these flowers. This flower has medicinal properties and is widely used in ayurveda. Do you know how many Parijatham trees Yamuna has ? (Seetha Venkataraman)
The Battle for Lanka !
View more pictures/slideshow of Yamuna's own Ramlila right here !
No comments:
Post a Comment