EDITORIAL
I am
tired and vexed about politicians who mouth baleful drivel about social
mobility on caste basis. The so called backward classes are so inured to
receiving hand outs that they do not put in the effort to either get an
education or work. We, the slaving educated class have to work extra hard to
save up for the rainy day because after one has finished paying income tax,
service tax, sales tax and sundry other taxes you are left with next to zilch.
I am all for providing means to the economically backward for free education,
midday meals, subsidised shelter etc but to link caste to it is a travesty of
justice. Imagine a backward class
millionaire politician or an IAS officer getting all these handouts just
because he belongs to a particular caste. This is discrimination in reverse. A
poor Brahmin who cannot afford a meal is consigned to hell but a Jat or Yadav
billionaire is given handouts from taxpayers money! How ironic and flawed. I am
aghast. The problem is politicians seldom pay taxes even if they go about
driving a Mercedes Benz or a BMW. Next time a politician shows up for votes ask
him to show his tax returns before you trust him with your vote, which is a
licence to spend tax payers money.
Freehold
activity has begun in earnest but it does not seem smooth sailing. Some people
applied for the conversion in April 2016 and two and half months later they are
still looking askance at DDA. Things are doubly difficult for those who are not
original members as well as those who have inherited their property. Just being
admitted as members of the Society is not a gateway. A nominee is only the
Trustee/Custodian of the property. It is only the Will that will determine the rightful
heir. If the owner of the property dies intestate (dies without leaving a Will)
it gets very complicated. This is why, I have, through these columns been urging
everybody to write a Will, otherwise you could leave your progeny with a very messy
problem. It gets even more complicated if your children get married and they too
have children. Then the legal claimants to the property can be too many that it
may become impossible to handle. They will have to produce a registered Will
and relinquishment deed from each of the heirs stating that they will have no
claims to the property. A daunting task indeed especially in these days where
most people value money over everything else.
Muhammad
Ali, born as Cassius Marcellus Clay, a boxing legend and my favourite sporting
hero died this month in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. I followed each of his
heavyweight bouts in the papers which actually inspired me to take up boxing. Much
later I got to watch recordings of his bouts on TV. Madrasi School or MEA was once
known as a premier educational institution but the boxing ring was the least
likely place that would bring it fame. I was the only boxer who represented the
school and went on to win the School Championship in lightweight category,
beating a boy from St. Columba's School in the final. It made me proud as it
was the only activity I ever excelled in. I was a thin and wiry guy but carried
a mean right hook. I raise a salute to the most famous pugilist of all time. He
was an artist at work, an oxymoron as boxing and artistry cannot be said in the
same breath. He brought grace to a sport that was considered most brutal He was very articulate, a
humanitarian and a conscientious objector to the war against Vietcong in
Vietnam and avoided conscription and went to jail. He beat Sonny Liston, Floyd
Patterson, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Michael Spinks, all great boxers of
his time. "Thrilla in Manila", "Rumble in the Jungle", "Float
like a butterfly, sting like a bee" are famous one liners attributed to
him. His wit and charisma was unparalleled. Boxing was never the same after he
retired although It briefly sparked when Mike Tyson took to the ring. He was
voted the "Sports Personality of the Century" and he polled more
votes than all the other contenders combined. For the current generation, he
was the Tiger Woods of boxing.
The
much awaited piped natural gas connection has begun to happen. Several
residents have got the connection whereas some are still waiting. PNG takes
away the tedium of booking for gas and waiting for its delivery. You do not
have to wrestle with cylinders when one cylinder gets empty and have to lug and
connect the second cylinder to continue your cooking. Gas on tap is ideal for
nuclear families where both husband and wife go to work and there is nobody at
home to receive the cylinders. The only downside is that PNG has much lower
calorific value than LPG, which is why IGL installs a device to enhance the
flame, otherwise it could take longer to cook. PNG however, being lighter than
air is safer than LPG which, being heavier, tends to stay in the room if you
accidently leave the gas on without the flame. The laying of the pipes was a
challenge though, as many residents have built rain shelters/grills on the
exteriors of their flats, which made it difficult to take the risers. One riser
for C Block is yet to be done because of this.
Residents
have complained a number of times about feline menace because they tear up milk
packets hung on the door knob by vendors and also tear up the garbage bags to
forage on leftover food, thereby messing up the surroundings. This month, things went a bit too far. A cat bit one of
the residents because of which she had to go through a course of painful
anti-rabies injections. We could avoid much of this trouble if residents don't
feed the cats. Cats have such strong survival instincts that if they do not get
food in the colony, they will migrate elsewhere.
Indians
are genetically programmed to believe that the whole country outside their home
is one big garbage dump. Yamuna epitomises a departure from the stereotype, yet
there are some people who bring shame to an otherwise well disciplined and
cultured gentry. The type of litter does not suggest that it may have come from
visiting staff and domestics. One can only therefore surmise that some
residents are messing up our outdoors. We do
not wish to name and shame them but the CCTVs capture the guilt of the
offender. So, let us work to keep our environment clean and feel proud about
it. Please throw all plastic waste like sachets, chips packets, polythene bags,
coke bottles etc in the bins placed in the office and store. Separate bins are
also provided in the office for electrical/electronic waste and paper/
cardboard waste, respectively. Only kitchen/sanitary waste should be given to
the jamdarni for disposal near the C Block gate. Barring wet waste, the Society
is disposing off all other waste to a recycling agency.
Rains
are around the corner and we must guard against all mosquito borne vectors. The female mosquito plunges its lance like
shaft from the proboscis and extracts your blood and in the process deposits
its disease carrying saliva in your blood stream. Only females of the species
bite. Therefore, it is not their normal food source. Malaria or its various
avatars like dengue, chikengunia etc. cause more deaths worldwide than anything
else. The breeding ground for mosquitoes is stagnant water. With the arrival of
the monsoon please retire your water coolers and other sources of stagnant
water. As they say, prevention is better than cure.
Mr.
N. L. Ganapathi has resigned from the Managing Committee owing to a busy
schedule. We are saddened to see him leave the MC. His contribution to legal
matters, particularly the representations to the Registrar of Co-operative
Societies for regularisation of allotment amongst other things, has been
immense. We hope he will join the MC again sometime in the future. His wise
head and calm demeanour will be sorely missed.
Sumathi
Chandrashekaran wrote an article in the Times of India on 17th June, 2016 about
the drug problem in Punjab. It was a succinct and sagacious analysis of the
problem. Coming close on the heels of Udta
Punjab, a well made but depressing film on the state of affairs of the narcotics
scene in Punjab, it shows the perils of the times we live in.
The
tyranny of popular will is that it generally goes against the grain of common
sense. Populism looks at short term gains at the cost of sustainable long term
gains. It The decision of the British voter to leave the EU led to the freefall
of the global stock market. The pound did a belly landing. It has set a domino
effect with some in Ireland, Holland, Sweden and Slovakia calling for a
referendum to leave the EU.
Ramanan
of C-005 had his day in the sun when he appeared on MTV on 26th June, 2016
playing an array of instruments. He is a self taught and versatile musician who
can play several genres of music. If he gets the financial backing that one
needs these days, he is destined for greatness.
SNIPPETS
Ankit
Jain and his wife Ruchi Nahar have vacated and moved out from E-002 after a
brief sojourn in Yamuna. Ankit who works for Feedback Ventures has got a
transfer to Mumbai and Ruchi has got a new job with Deloitte. We wish them good
luck.
*****************
As a
consequence, Mr. Santosh Aravindakshan has moved into E-002 with his wife
Poornima and sons Aditya and Varun. Santosh works as logistics head of India
for Singapore based Sunrise Sports India Pvt Ltd. Santosh is fond of watching
sports channels, particularly cricket and badminton and is also fond of
reading. Poornima, apart from managing the house is an avid reader and music
lover. Aditya who is 8 years old and Varun who is 6 years old both go to St.
George's School. Santosh can be reached on 9873562648. We welcome them to the
Yamuna family.
******************
Anup
Nair and his wife Nisha Jayaram of E-302 have decided to move to Hyderabad. It
is an unfortunate development as his decision to move was necessitated due to
health reasons. The pollution in Delhi did not agree with him and his lung
function was impaired, so the doctor advised him to migrate. I hope others do
not fall prey to the ill effects of air pollution.
******************
Vedika
Arora of A-106 who is a student of Birla Vidya Niketan School has scored a
perfect 10 CGPA in the Xth Class Board exams. She is not a one dimensional
person. Many of you must have seen her as a Kathak exponent on the Yamuna
stage. Congratulations Vedika. I am sure you will inspire other children in
Yamuna.
******************
As
they say, 'better late than never'. Karun Prabhakar of H-201(elder brother of
Prashant) got married to Sonam Bhutia in Mumbai on 10th June, 2016. Congratulations!
Karun. Does it open the doors for Prashant?
Let's wait and see.
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