Issue No. 175 I March 2016

EDITORIAL

The SGM called to increase maintenance and parking charges in order to factor the drop in sundry incomes and increase in costs, was received without much qualms. There were however, concerns expressed on seepage and violation of exteriors by some members. Hopefully, these concerns will be addressed shortly. The President highlighted the contributions of the team behind the  regularisation of the flats, an issue which has tormented us for thirty-five years. A new issue of penalty at enhanced rates for not complying with the allotment procedure has cropped up at DDA. This matter has been taken up at the highest level and we expect the resolution on the same soon.

A two day spiritual soiree on 12th and 13th March, 2016, "Radha Kalyana Mahotsavam" was conducted in the main lawn with much fanfare and feasting. Spells of rain did not deter the enthusiasm of the devout. Ladies dressed in nine yards saris and men in veshtis could be seen singing and dancing on Sunday morning. It was an endearing sight. There were some residents who shut down their kitchen for two days and feasted on breakfast, lunch and dinner. Balaji and Sheela left no stone unturned in making the guests welcome and comfortable. Rangu's hand was seen in the delectable meals.

The 11th, 12th and 13th of March were also the dates when the Art of Living Foundation conducted a cultural fiesta on the flood plains of the Yamuna river. This three day extravaganza saw artists from 155 countries perform their art. Visitors and VIP's from all over the world thronged the site. It was veritable feast for the eyes. The size of the stage spanning seven acres where thousands of artists performed simultaneously was a Guinness World Record. The event on the flood plains of Yamuna brewed a controversy with environmentalists and media baring their fangs at the event. Dancers dressed in saris, veshtis, kanduras, keffiyaks, cassocks etc from around the world regaled the audience for free. It was a boon to the general public who for the most part cannot pay for such entertainment. AOL had successfully marketed its cross-cultural potpourri from around the world.

Holi saw a lot of enthusiasm with adults and young alike. It took a while for people to show up in the park but when they did it was all fun. Children took full toll of the adults by taking pot shots at them with balloons and buckets of coloured water. Lilting Hindi songs rent the air as the Yamuna band of singers viz. Seema, Bhavani, Gomathi, Sujata, Sudha, Subadha, Aruna, Raju, and Vinod Asthana amongst others opened out their lungs. Deepak's baritone was prominent by its absence as both Deepak's family and Satish's family were off on an exotic holiday. Colours of the rainbow, not necessarily in any order or pattern were smeared on the faces and clothes of those present. Chhole khulche and other small eats whetted everybody's appetite and there was liquid nourishments to boost the spirits. A game of cricket rounded up the revelry. That was the good part, the bad part is that you don't get newspapers the next day.

We have all been brought up reading newspapers first thing in the morning. So much so that on the odd National Holiday when you don't get an issue I feel something is missing. It's like having withdrawal symptoms. This is unfortunately all going to change. The onslaught of the Internet and reading habits of the young these days is driving newspapers into bankruptcy. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the West. Many newspapers there have folded up. The latest casualty is The Independent. Its retreat to the Internet will occasion another bout of soul searching about the heady aroma of a freshly printed page. For instance, my children don't read the newspaper and to the best of my knowledge, neither do their friends. I can foresee that many newspapers in India too will go under, if readership numbers drop. Maybe, in ten to fifteen years we may have to get used to a life without a newspaper. That will indeed be tragic.

Sadhana organised their Annual Day on 20th March, 2016 with a grand performance of their students and other invitees in the Badminton Court. The two hour long entertainment capsule which included vocals, instruments and dances, tugged at the heart strings with soul stirring performances. Are we not blessed that we do not have to pay for an evening of entertainment from the convenience of our complex? Hats off to Radhika, Ramanan and Pranav for regularly bringing these soirees. It is also very rewarding to the students and parents to see the fructification of their dreams of artistic accomplishments.

The cooking competition at Yamuna on 26th March, 2016 had far fewer entries than yesteryears. However, there was a lot of enthusiasm amongst the participants. Fortunately, there was no dearth of on-lookers and tasters. While some of the dishes were commonplace the others were off the beaten track. While sadly some missed out on the prizes, all the dishes were worthy of a culinary fest.

	YAMUNA CHEF – COOKING COMPETITION
	Name	Address	Dish
	Main Course-Children
1	Shashvath Arun	G-306	Paratha with peas and tomato masala
	Dessert
1	Sahana Iyer & Adwita Nair	E-101 & B-107	Summer Delight
2	Anjali Garg & Anoushka Nair	G-106 & A-203	Vanilla Beauty & Chocolate Balls
	Starters-Adults
1	Geetha Sundaresan	D-002	Paneer Kabab
2	Anuradha Nair	B-107	Honey Chilli Chicken
	Main Course
1	Anuradha Nair	B-107	White sauce pasta, Tempura fish, Sauteed mushroom & capsicum
2	Kavya Narayanan	B-002	Tortilla chicken bar-be-cue
	Dessert
1	Mala Sundaresan	D-202	Beetroot Boli
2	Bhavani Krishnan	E-005	Oats & Fig Candy

The impact that the TV serial MasterChef has had on everybody was very evident. Not only were the dishes finger licking good, they were also presented artistically. It was amazing to see Shashvath, who barely reached the stove top, cooking an entire meal. Both sets of children who did the desserts did a magnificent job but what probably tilted the judge's decision in favour of Sahana and Adwita was their incredibly eye catching presentation. Anu Nair has a passion for cooking and it showed. Her creation, which set many a stomach churning in anticipation, has a career as a restaurant chef waiting for her. Mala never disappoints as she always comes out with something unique. Same applies to Bhavani who has this penchant for health foods and low calorie sweets which are a diabetic's delight. Archit Iyer of G-103, who is doing Hotel Management consented to be the judge. He did a very good job and we are very thankful to him for taking up this assignment. Renu Garg of G-106 donated Rs. 2.500 towards the prizes. We are indeed very grateful to Renu for this largesse. All in all it made for a wonderful evening of gastronomic delight and bonhomie.

The Board exams are behind for most of the students, for the others, it will be over soon. Now begins the nervous wait for the results to come out and getting admission to the course and college of one's choice. Follow your passion and aptitude and don't get dictated by peer  pressure.

When the exams get over children need inexpensive places to go to. Far from the beaten track of malls, Dilli Haat is an option. When it opened about twenty years ago there was an earthy charm about the place. While it still remains a melting pot, overcrowded alleyways, peddlers of toys, sweetmeats and savouries have taken away that rustic appeal. Thankfully it has managed to keep the philistines at bay. It still caters to the artists and artisans who can pursue their muse free from middle men and traders. It has  become a big tourist hub which offers a relatively inexpensive shopping, eating and entertainment experience.

Delhi may be a rude and congested city, but this cacophonous metropolis can still offer moments of beauty and enduring memories that remind even the most jaded Delhiite of why they love their capital. The European style buildings of Central Delhi and the Mughal and Rajput style buildings of Chandni Chowk may be in bad shape and often obscured by hanging wires, a coat of grime and garish signboards but they still exude a faded charm and the observant will see sandstone columns, intricate trellis work, plaster rosettes, wrought iron grills and railings attesting to a time when the architects of the city were colonial or natives with no trans-border pretensions. Much of the beauty of Chandni Chowk may not be visible to the untrained eye, but If you scrape away the grime, there are marvels aplenty. Despite the poor physical infrastructure like potholed roads, non-existent pavements and a lacklustre urban aesthetic in some parts of the city, Delhi has an endearing quality.

IGL has completed the subterranean work but have left the colony in shambles. They have also not followed the plans while laying the pipes. Nowhere is it more evident than in E&F Blocks. Apparently, too many contradictory instructions were given and the contractors' own shoddy work and non-appreciation of aesthetics has contributed to this mess. A via media needs to be found.

In the meanwhile, it is necessary to advise the children not to fiddle or play with the gas pipes which have a distinct yellow colour. The children have to be cautioned about the hazards associated with it.

SNIPPETS

Renu Garg, her mother and daughter Anjali have vacated G-106. Renu, who works for WHO, has got a transfer to Thailand and will be away for at least two years.  Renu was one of the founders of Readers Rendezvous, the children's library in Yamuna and put her heart, soul and much else into it. The library is a hub to which all the children have taken a shine to every Sunday evening. Anjali, who has a gaggle of friends, was loath to leave but her mother's compulsions stood in her way. We are eagerly waiting for their return to Yamuna asap. Renu has donated an adult bicycle, an oil heater and a heater-blower to the Society. Apart from this she has pledged Rs. 10,000 to the Society to be used as it deems fit. We would like to thank her very much for this extremely generous gesture. We will miss them.

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In a transcontinental move, N. S. Venkatachalam of G-103, has relocated to his German head-quarters. This kick upstairs to the cooler and more sanitised environs of Europe will be a big transition, not least of which involves his change of title from Mr. to Herr. Krauts can be difficult to make friends with but once you endear yourselves to them they can be great fun. Meera quit her teaching job and will be joining him next month. Archit will stay back for a few years until he completes his studies. We will miss you guys. Do take your vacations in October to be here during the festive season. Auf wiedersehen!

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Anukriti Yadav and her cousin Mrinali Yadav have moved into B-104 from Gurgaon. Anukriti was living in G-305 about three years ago. Anukriti works for ICICI Bank and does not have any interest outside her work but Mrinali who has just completed a Masters in Computer Science and is appearing for an exam to become a Lecturer likes to work for NGOs, to teach children for free. She is also very fond of walking. We welcome both of them to Yamuna. They can be reached on 9654915208 and 9873831220 respectively.

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Dr. Rohit Udaya Prasad has moved into C-205. He is an ENT surgeon working with Dr. Hans (Padmashree awardee), pioneer of cochlear implants. He works at the Dr. Hans Centre for Cochlear Implants. Although it is his profession, he is doing a noble job by implanting bionic cochlea in children born deaf which enables them to hear sounds and thus facilitating their speech.. Dr. Rohit, an Iyengar from Mysore, has a twin brother who is also a doctor and lives in Bangalore. An eligible bachelor, Dr. Rohit is a concert violinist and plays Carnatic music. He has already been enlisted to play in this year's Annual Day. He can be reached on 9717220193.

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Samir Juneja who is working for Cipla Pharmaceuticals has moved with his family to G-001 from Narmada Apartments. He loves spending  time with his family and driving. His wife Brieta is a book lover. Their daughter Aiden is studying in Class V and their son Aaron is in Kindergarten. Both of them go to Mother's International School. They can be reached on 9810303363.

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Shyam Satish has moved with his family into C-108 from Pune. Shyam works with Good Year Tyres and is responsible for International Business. He is fond of reading books on management, loves sports and travelling. His wife Meenakshi was a producer of programmes for CNN IBN and Bloomberg. After the arrival of her children she has become a freelance content writer, She is very fond of cooking and writes blogs on food. They have two sons. Raghav is five years old and Madhav is 9 months old. They can be reached on 9987014878 and 7709001121.

We welcome all the newcomers to the Yamuna family.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR APRIL 2016

DATE	EVENT	TIME	VENUE
2.4.16	MOVIE SCREENING & POT LUCK DINNER	6.30 PM	BADMINTON COURT