Issue No. 163 I March 2015

EDITORIAL

On a recent visit to Jahanpanah Club, I noticed that food and drinks were very reasonably priced. The habituès of that club, which include quite a few from Yamuna, can therefore live it up without having to burn a hole in their pocket. Some years ago when the Club was launching a membership drive, the membership of this neighbourhood club was going for a song. I passed up the opportunity and therefore will  have to depend on somebody's munificence to have a repast within its four walls.

The Holi celebration was rather muted. It was a bit nippy after some unseasonal showers earlier in the week, the sky was overcast in the morning, it fell right in the middle of the annual exams and finally there was the World Cup encounter between India and West Indies. All these factors ensured that the attendance of revellers in the lawn was rather thin. Thankfully, the sun came out by 10 am. The one's who were present tried their darndest to make the Holi festival come alive. Deepak pulled in his SUV into the entrance of the  lawn to play some music. Prema, Purnima, Anu, Meera, Sujata, Srilakshmi, Hema, Deepak amongst others swayed to the music. A Chole-Kulcha vendor was at hand to dish out some welcome lunch. Pakodas from the canteen and gujias brought by some, satiated hunger pangs of the assembled throng. Mercifully, the absence of the nasty wet colours ensured that people did not have to scrub themselves for hours in the bath to look squeaky clean.

Every “news-hour” on primetime TV showcases a shouting, berating, finger-wagging anchor. Heaven knows what they are anchoring when they are fulminating in the mouth and ricocheting so much. They ask the question and do not let the invitee answer. They keep interjecting and delight in making  the invitee ill at ease. One of the anchors takes the cake in this respect and I am sure everybody can guess who I am talking about. So, one is hard put to get near the real news. Even the stodgy Doordarshan comes as a welcome relief in contrast.

Modi has the can do spirit as is evidenced by the courageous investment policy, pragmatic land laws and progressive policy on renewable energy. What needs to be seen is whether he has the political sagacity to steer clear of the bigoted blathering of RSS pracharaks who are keen on banning anything that smacks of a liberal mindset. My only grouse against Mr. Modi has been his gumption to wear a Rs.10 lac suit with his name on the pin stripes when meeting President Obama. His claim of humble beginnings and simple life style lost its cachet, in one's esteem, with this act.

While we incessantly argue over what is not right with our political system, we should not expect men in mufflers to walk into the Vidhan Sabha with their bags of benediction, to come to the rescue. Unless the Mufflerman learns that politics is more than pontificating from a pulpit and being a sartorial trendsetter of sorts, his hope of eradicating corruption will go up in a wisp of smoke. Forming the Government is the easier job but honouring the promises made to voters needs more than a bag of tricks. Already the free water gift is putting a strain to the exchequer and causing revenue-expenditure mismatch. To add to that a turf war within the party is queering the pitch from matters of more urgent import. If he cannot keep his flock together, how is he going run the state?

On 21st March, 2015 on the culmination of exams for most students, a relief party was held in the main lawn. We started with Tambola where some lucky ones turned out to be multiple winners. Other garden games barring Dumb Charades was shelved as there was not enough attendance. A choice of vegetarian and non-vegetarian eats whetted the taste buds. Children were in their element dancing to the refrain of their favourite Bollywood numbers.

Dr. Manmohan Singh wanted to make Mumbai another Shanghai and now Mr. Chandrababu Naidu wants  to make the new Andhra capital a glitzy Singapore model but without physical infrastructure and fertile economic and cultural underpinning it will be like having the icing without the cake.

Spring is here. There are a surfeit of flowers in the Delhi roundabouts and parks, ranging in colours of the rainbow. Some rich and luscious, others dewy and dreamy in their velvet like softness. With the days and nights warming up rather rapidly, it will mean a swift end to spring and so also our visual treat.

India's spirited campaign in the Cricket World Cup came to a tame end at the hands of their nemesis, Australia. Brilliant batting by Steve Smith and a spell of hostile bowling by Michael Johnson put paid to India's chances. Shikhar Dhawan blitzed to a rapid-fire 45 and gave India a semblance of hope, but he walloped a rousing cover drive straight down Maxwell's throat to depart disappointed. After that a snorter from Johnson to Kohli and a fast in-swinger to Rohit Sharma broke the back of India's campaign. Dhoni valiantly tried to do the superhuman trick but two direct run out hits of Jadeja and Dhoni snuffed out India's rearguard action.

While it was disappointing to exit in the semi-final, after the failure in the tri-series preceding the World Cup, it was a heartening performance to be one of the two teams undefeated until the semi-finals.

Residents would have fretted about poor reception and call drops of their Airtel mobile phones. This may now be history with the installation of a signal booster in Yamuna by Airtel through the good offices of Venkat of G-103.

The cooking competition slated for 28th March, 2015 had to be deferred to 11th April, 2015 due to Rama Navami falling on 28th March. Entries are solicited from residents for mocktails, starters, main course and dessert categories. Since arrangements have to be made for gas stoves, it would be helpful if all the entries are sent to me by 8th April, 2015. Those interested in supporting culinary art and wishing to contribute cash for the prizes should get in touch with me.

Many in Yamuna are eagerly awaiting the trip to Corbett. We are going to be staying in the Rangers Reserve, nestling in the woods. A sojourn in the lap of nature will hopefully rejuvenate us. A visit to Ramabhadran's organic farm is also on the cards. A trip out of town for Yamuna residents is coming after a gap of more than two years. The trip encompasses a safari ride in Corbett game sanctuary, plenty of feasting and entertainment. Those undertaking the trip should board the coach outside H Block gate at 5.00 am. The buses would leave on the dot at 5.30 am. Please set your alarm clocks. We will stop midway for breakfast around 8.30 am.

SNIPPETS

Prema Manoj and Saisha vacated their flat A-309 and left Yamuna after Holi to join Manoj in Dubai. Manoj had left a few months before to head the marketing operations of his company covering the Asian region. Prema being a gregarious person endeared herself to everybody in Yamuna. Saisha too had her gaggle of friends. With their departure the cultural activities in Yamuna will be a tad subdued.

**************

Most people take the well trodden path as a career option. Not Vidyut Mohan ( G-206). He broke the mould by pursuing an MS programme in Sustainable Energy Technology at the Delft University of Technology, Netherlands.  Sustainable energy is something close to his heart and he believes that by pursuing research in this area he could contribute towards making India self sufficient and energy secure. He is in  India for three months on  a project with Avani Bio Energy, based in Uttarakhand,  working  on producing bio-fuel using pine needles as biomass. This biomass could be used for thermal applications and generating electricity. He is confident that not too long in the future,  his work  will be put to commercial use . His inspiration seems to be drawn from Robert Frost's poem, "I took the road less travelled and that has made the difference".

*****************

Mr. S. Shankaranarayanan, Lakshmi and Sumyouktha who had moved out of D-202 more than a year ago to Bangalore are now moving back to Delhi. Where else will they choose to roost but Yamuna! They are moving into B-304. We welcome them back into our fold.

*****************

P. K. Prakasan, Shyni Prakasan, Abhirami and Shreeram would welcome their move from B-303 to B-204. A shift delightful for two reasons – one, the number of steps they have to ascend each time and two, it will be a welcome relief in the torrid summer months.

*****************

Ashish Suttar, Deepa and Dhruv have vacated H-106 and moved to Mumbai. While Ashish remained preoccupied with work,  Deepa and Dhruv had made lot of friends in Yamuna. We will miss them.

FACTS TO PONDER OVER

God's accuracy may be observed in the hatching of eggs . . . . For example: -the eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days; -those of the canary in 14 days; -those of the barnyard hen in 21 days; -The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days; -those of the mallard in 35 days; -The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days. (Notice, they are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week!) God's wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant. The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made. God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs. For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily. The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation! God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains. -Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind. -Each orange has an even number of segments. -Each ear of corn has an even number of rows. -Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains. -Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number. -The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather. -All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord specified thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundred fold all even numbers. God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day. Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed! The lives of each of you may be ordered by the Lord in a beautiful way for His glory, if you will only entrust Him with your life. If you try to regulate your own life, it will only be a mess and a failure. Only the One Who made the brain and the heart can successfully guide them to a profitable end.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS - APRIL 2015

DATE	EVENT	TIME	VENUE
3-5.4.2015	TRIP TO CORBETT (THOSE WHO HAVE ENLISTED)	5.30 AM	ASSEMBLE AT H BLOCK GATE
11.4.2015	GOURMET CHEF-COOKING COMPETITION FOR	7.00 PM	BADMINTON COURT
	MOCKTAILS, STARTERS, MAIN COURSE AND DESSERTS