Editorial
The CUP that eluded us for the last 28 years was finally ours. Thus Kapil Dev’s lonely vigil at the top finally ended. Dhoni joined the illustrious list of World Cup winning captains. He was also declared the ‘Man of the Match’ for coming up with a stellar innings in a pressure situation. Yuvraj, who excelled with the bat and the ball throughout the series, was declared the ‘Man of the series’. Sachin, arguably the greatest batsman of the modern era finally secured the only piece of silver that was missing from his trophy shelf. He tried his mighty best to get India past the Rubicon in the three previous editions, but in vain. This time although he came up with the highest aggregate score for an Indian in the tournament, he failed at the final hurdle, but the boys did it for him.
In order to celebrate the victory of the Boys in Blue an impromptu Tambola and summer collection ramp-walk was held in the park on April 3rd. The ramp-walk idea, believe it or not came from 5 year old Sahana. To the beat of songs from the movie, “Fashion”, the children and adults sashayed on the stage. It was amazing how the tiny tots showed all the affectations of professional models by pirouetting, blowing kisses, etc. The winners amongst the kids were Samiksha with Aarya, Saisha and Aarush tying for the second prize. The men were not considered for prizes as there were not enough contestants. Those eager to see the ladies in hot pants or miniskirts, in tune with the the theme of ‘summer collection’, were a tad disappointed. Can you imagine ladies attired in ghagra-choli for a summer collection? Yikes! Seema, who was suitably attired, took the top prize with Anuradha and Sujata sharing the honours for the second. There were two rounds of tambola. There is obviously something called luck. There were some who won more than one prize and there were others who didn’t win any.
Is there a method more confounding than bureaucratese? While most countries are plagued by the incomprehensible ways of its administrators, encompassing politicians and bureaucrats, in India it has taken an art form. Anna Hazare, by undertaking a fast to cleanse the system through a proposed Lok Pal Bill brought about the first signs of popular uprising against corrupt, abstruse and obdurate governments. People who have been afraid to speak out against blatant abuse of power were inspired to articulation and action. Until Anna Hazare took up the cause, our daily discourse was weighed down by the accumulated detritus of generations of recondite bureaucratese and buck passing (pun intended).
We humans have always had a rather inflated notion of our own superiority and intelligence, which is why we do not baulk at hurling blatantly biased epithets at those we consider inferior. This is why at different points and circumstances, the same person becomes the abuser and the victim. We feel slighted when we are the victims, but do not mend our ways and resist the impulse to berate others. If we could only treat everybody with respect, no matter what their pecking order in the social strata is, or what their failings are, the world would be a much better place to live in.
Residents who were parking their motorcycles in the basement were finding their vehicles guzzling fuel like a 12 cylinder Maserati, without the vicarious pleasure of driving one. To solve the mystery of the vanishing petrol, Vikram of B-102 turned sleuth and decided to lie in wait in the dark, cavernous precincts of the basement. After a vigil of three hours, he spotted the looming presence of a security guard making his way to a motorcycle armed with a two litre empty Pepsi bottle. Crouching next to the motorcycle, he tugged at the fuel pipe to fill the bottle and out leapt Vikram from the shadows to nab the culprit in the act. Obviously, felons do not act alone and the entire security set up is suspect. A call to the local police station and the guard was incarcerated. Kudos, to Vikram, for acting beyond the call of duty. Vigil needs to be eternal and all the residents need to play their part. One cannot trust the persons employed to guard us, not to fall prey to the lure of easy money.
Snippets
It is a case of return of the native. Dravid, who used to live in C-008 before he moved to Bangalore on a transfer, returned to Delhi last year and for want of any vacant flat in Yamuna took temporary abode in Kaveri. He jumped at the idea of G-001 getting vacant and promptly moved there.
Mr. M. R. Srinivasan of B-006, who we thought had moved temporarily to their new home in Dwarka sprung a surprise when they let out their flat. Mr. Srinivasan who was a backbone of the Yamuna Store will be sorely missed. We hope Balaji will find time to shore up the DJ crew at the Diwali Mela, Dandiya and Christmas Carnival.
Mr. Amitava Sanyal, Associate Editor at Hindustan Times, has moved into B-006 with his wife Katherine. Mr. Sanyal writes a column on Indian classical music and is very fond of both Hindustani and Carnatic music. When the travel bug bites him he doesn’t let go the opportunity to travel. Katherine, who grew up in Cambridge, England and later moved to London before settling in Delhi, runs an Arts Education Consultancy. It seldom happens that one’s professional pursuit matches one’s interest. Amitava and Katherine are lucky in this respect and they also have the same desire to travel. Katherine also loves cooking. We would hopefully get to sample her culinary skills at the colony pot luck dinner. They have moved in from CR Park and like the change. Call 45631234 to reach them.
Anand’s daughter Namagiri lived in C-001 when she was in school. Now she is back with her husband Prabhu Ram and eight month old daughter Adhya. You can take yourself out of Yamuna but you cannot take Yamuna out of you. Prabhu has his own Technology Consulting firm and has moved from Hyderabad. He likes painting, photography, gardening and travelling. Namagiri shares Prabhu’s love for travelling. They can be reached on 9811111338.
Mr. S. Shankaranarayanan has moved into D-202 from Bangalore with his wife Lakshmi and daughter Samyouktha. Mr. Shankaranarayanan works for an NGO called Population Services International who are working in the area of health along with the Government of India. He is fond of reading and travelling while his wife who looks after the household is a very good classical and pop singer. There is healthy competition here for Seema and Bhavani. Their daughter is in Class V in Tagore International School. Like all kids of her age, she is very fond of playing. They can be reached on 9711869717.
C. Venkatesh, who works with JCT has moved into A-004 from Phagwara with his wife Vidya and daughter Sahana. Venkatesh has a fondness for Western novels and movies (a favourite of most youngsters a generation ago). He loves travelling and trekking. Vidya shares his love for travelling and trekking and loves reading as well but not necessary western novels. Baking a cake comes naturally to her. She has done CA and would shortly be joining a local CA firm. Their daughter goes to the MMI playschool in GK II. They can be reached on 43046714.
We wish all new residents a pleasant and fruitful stay in Yamuna.
Health Capsule
Someone’s experience with burns:
Once I was cooking some corn and stuck my fork in the boiling water to see if the corn was ready. I missed and my hand went into the boiling water....
A friend of mine, who was a Vietnam vet, came into the house, just as I was screaming, and asked me if I had some plain old flour...I pulled out a bag and he stuck my hand in it. He said to keep my hand in the flour for 10 minutes.... which I did. He said that in Vietnam, this guy was on fire and in their panic, they threw a bag of flour all over him to put the fire out...well, it not only put the fire out, but he never even had a blister!!!!
So, to cut a long story short, I put my hand in the bag of flour for 10 minutes, pulled it out and had not even a red mark or a blister and absolutely NO PAIN.
Now, I keep a bag of flour in the fridge* and every time I burn myself. I use the flour and never ONCE have I ever had a red spot, a burn or a blister!* Cold flour feels even better than room temperature flour.
Miracle, if you ask me..... Keep a bag of white flour in your fridge....you will be happy you did. I even burnt my tongue and put the flour on it for about 10 minutes and the pain was gone and no burn. Try it! BUT, DON'T run your burn area under cold water first, just put it right into the flour for 10 minutes and experience a miracle!
Mirth Corner
How to Start a Fight
One year, I decided to buy my mother-in-law a cemetery plot as a Christmas gift...
The next year, I didn't buy her a gift.
When she asked me why, I replied, "Well, you still haven't used the gift I bought you last year!"
And that's how the fight started.....
My wife and I were sitting at a table at her high school reunion, and she kept staring at a drunken man swigging his drink as he sat alone at a nearby table.
I asked her, "Do you know him?"
"Yes", she sighed,
"He's my old boyfriend.... I understand he took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear he hasn't been sober since."
"My God!" I said, "Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?"
And then the fight started...
When our lawn mower broke and wouldn't run, my wife kept hinting to me that I should get it fixed. But, somehow I always had something else to take care of first, the shed, the boat, making beer.. Always something more important to me. Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point.
When I arrived home one day, I found her seated in the tall grass, busily snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing scissors. I watched silently for a short time and then went into the house.. I was gone only a minute, and when I came out again I handed her a toothbrush. I said, "When you finish cutting the grass, you might as well sweep the driveway."
The doctors say I will walk again, but I will always have a limp.
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