EDITORIAL
Monsoon is a double edged sword. You could
go for days without rain and the weather gets hot and sticky and one starts
praying for rain. Sometimes, your prayers get answered and for days you have
pouring rain and then one prays that it stops. This is what happened between
the last week of August and first week of September 2018. It rained everyday
for over a week,.leading to flooding and water getting into at a couple of
homes in Yamuna. As we swing between droughts and floods, much of the blame can
be laid at the doors of the human race who have over time denuded forests and
caused global warming with wanton burning of fossil fuels. Increased average
temperatures around the globe have led to forest fires and raging storms among
other natural disasters. Rapid evaporation of water due to higher temperatures
leads to precipitation in greater volumes whereby rain and snow come down in
the form of downpours in the tropics and snowstorms in temperate regions. Brace
up for more frequent natural calamities.
Owing to this rainy spell, the Janmashtami
celebrations scheduled for 2nd September, 2018 had to be called off.
We did not want the performers coming in their fancy attire and make up,
getting all wet in the rain. Neither did we want the food stall holders to run
into a loss with all their food going abegging. The irony of it was that while
it rained all morning, by late afternoon and evening the badminton court, where
the programme was to be hosted was bathed in brilliant sun shine.It again
poured bedsheets and pillows next morning. This is Murphy’s Law for you. Not to
disappoint those who had practiced their craft, it was decided to instead have
the variety entertainement programme with all the sundry eats originally
planned for Janmashtami during Ganesh Chaturthi on 15th September,
2018. This was then deferred to 22nd September, 2018 owing to
children’s exams. This too wasn’t to be because the weather pundits predicted
another spell of thunderstorms starting on the 22nd and going on
till 26th September, 2018. It was therefore, further deferred to 30th
September, 2018.
Kings at home and paupers overseas, the
Indian cricket team got a taste of swing bowling in English conditions and went
down to the hosts 4-1. In the process many reputations got sullied. For the
number one team to go down so meekly was least expected. To rub salt into our
wounds, Ashwin, the number one spinner in the world was outdone by England’s
Moeen Ali who is known more as a batsman than a bowler. The difference was so stark that Moeen
captured nine wickets compared to a paltry three by our tweaker. The team has
however redeemed some of their lost composure by wiining the Asia Cup and in
the process defeating their arch rivals Pakistan twice.
Drains in shafts get clogged routinely as
some residents are disposing off their sanitary pads or diapers in the WC.
Unlike toilet paper, neither sanitary pads nor diapers dissolve in water,
thereby clogging the drain and causing great deal of inconvenience to ground
floor residents who have to not only tolerate the stench due to overflowing
drains but also have to call the society plumber and sweeper to extricate them
from the drain. This is an extremely cumbersome exercise which the sweeper and
plumber are reluctant to do despite paying them for the effort.
The park was beginning to look very
verdant with full grass cover and the newly formed islands of plant cover. The
cannas and frangipanis had begun to bloom. The joy did not last long. A dolt of
a driver in a car virtually took a joy ride in the park, ostensibly to reverse.
Since the lawn was wet after a heavy downpour he sloughed off layers of grass
from several spots and left track marks in the lawn. Repair work has been done
but it never will attain its original form. In order to prevent further
indiscretions a bamboo fence covering half the lawn entrance has been
positioned by our mali and his helper. A couple of musandas with white flowers
have been planted near the benches on the far side. These two musandas will
grow up to be shrubs attaining a height of about eight to ten feet and will
paint a pretty picture in full bloom.
Our spiritual retreat, the Sri
Balavenugaopalakrishna Temple is in dire straits financially. They also do not
seem to have the management bandwidth. This temple was built through donations
from the residents of Yamuna amongst others and Mr. K.C.S. Krishnan was
managing it. After Mr. Krishnan left there wasn’t anybody who could devote time
or had the organising capability that Mr. Krishnan possessed. Consequently, the
temple’s resources from daily collections could not support its upkeep and it
is struggling to stay afloat. It is in our interest that the temple does not
shut down. It would serve the community well if devotees visit it more often
and make contributions.
The F block lower ground floor space was put up for bidding
in an effort to monetise the space and also help in its upkeep. It is a well
known fact that any place left abandoned tends to deteriorate. There was one
successful bidder for the space when it was put up for bid in June, 2018. Since
he was the only bidder and there were no objections, in the normal course the
space would have been let out on leave and licence basis. However, the
successful bidder expressed a desire to build toilets within the premises to
make it more user friendly. Since the terms of the bid had undergone a change,
the Managing Committee felt it prudent to change the bid conditions and make it
open for anybody from the colony to bid in a transparent manner. However,
suddenly there were messages sent to all and sundry that the place should not
be given for commercial use, that there could be a structural danger for the
building etc. While it was made very clear in the bid documents that only those
commercial activities would be permitted which are allowed in residential
places as per the Delhi Masterplan 2021 and the successful bidder was planning
to do just that and also because there were no objections raised for the same
activity when the bid was opened in June, 2018, this whole controversy seemed
needless. It woiuld be pertinent to mention that such commercial activities are
conducted by several people from their homes and other let out spaces by the
Society. There could however, be some merit in what F Block residents
highlighted about structural issues, water problems and such like for which the
MC was trying to get an independent third party opinion. In the meanwhile, the
bidder who became bitter and frustrated with the inordinate delay and the
snowballing of the controversy withdrew the bid and decided to take a place
elsewhere as he was in a hurry to set up his operations.
If the general view is that the place should be used for the
welfare of the residents as Mrs. Mary Abraham pointed out, there should be
somebody from the colony to volunteer to set up and run the place. It will
require regular cleaning and dusting besides managing and organising for it to
be open for use whereby at least two people will have to take turns being at
the site and managing the inventory of things and promote activities which will
sustain interest. If somebody can volunteer and the members are in favour of
it, the MC could facilitate its creation.
We are entering that period of the calendar when there are a
plethora of cultural, religious and social activities. The colony starts
buzzing when women and children in their finest silk sarees, pavadas and
glittering accoutrements flit from house to house exchanging greetings. It is a
sight to behold and I wouldn’t swap anything for it. It is a pity that men are
not invited to such functions, not that men’s clothes by any stretch of
imagination can measure up, leave alone cause a forest fire. We eagerly look
forward to Navratri and Ramleela functions in October, 2018. Shreeja is making
her crew practice for the dance drama on
Ramleela. This will be followed up with dandia and eats to make it a full
evening’s entertainment capsule.
I have a habit of picking the litter of plastic sachets and
bottles lying between the blocks, perimeter roads and flower beds and
depositing them in the litter bins placed at various spots in the colony. I did
not know that there is a term associated with this activity and it is called
plogging. Plogging is now being promoted as a Swachata initiative by the
government. I am certainly enlightened and plogging has got added to my
lexicon. This term has originated in Sweden. Plogging becomes a need because
people who do not value civic sense litter. Just yesterday, one of the
residents sent me a picture showing torn sheets of paper that somebody had
flung from the window of an upper floor which landed next to her car. Are we so
insensitive that we cannot throw litter in the dustbin?
Use of plastic bags is a scourge and we are the culprits. We
do not carry a bag when going from home to shop and return with several plastic
bags. These eventually either end up in landfills or dot the landscape painting
an ugly picture. Either stray cows see food remnants in the plastic bags and
eat them causing them untold agony or the bags end up in drains, thereby
blocking the flow of water. This is one of the principal reasons why we have
floods in cities even when we have short bursts of rain. Soumya Srikant had
urged the vegetable vendor outside H Block gate to deliver vegetables in cloth
bags instead of using plastic bags and provided him with a few cloth bags.
After some days he reverted to plastic bags because the people to whom he
delivered in cloth bags didn’t return the same. In the interest of the
environment and our future generations, please say no to plastic bags and shop
only in cloth bags.
The thrice deferred variety entertainment programme was
finally held on 29th September, 2018. The four day extended weekend
with a bridge leave on 1st October meant that several Yamuna
residents left town for short holidays, yet it did not have a major effect on
the attendance. The variety entertainment capsule put up by Sadhana was well
received by the audience. For the grand finale, the message read “Let not the
fruits of your actions be your motivation to act, instead let your motivation
be the act itself”. Anoushka, Vanshika, Radhika, Sahana Iyer and Dakshina
presented various Odissi dances. Kathak and Bharatanatyam dances were performed
by other Sadhana students who are not residents of Yamuna. The dances were
exquisite, very entertaining and visually very appealing, something we have
come to expect from Sadhana students. This was followed by two rounds of tambola which engaged all
the others from the audience. Poornima and Shini made some typical Kerala
dishes and Aunty’s Rolls had their die hard customers.
SNIPPETS
Kartick Shankar of B-006, is making a
career shift to ITC and base shift to Kolkatta. Kartick’s wife Madhu and her
children who used to frequent the park will miss their buddies. We too will
miss them. We wish Kartick all the success in his new assignment. It is a sort
of homecoming for him as his parents live there.
*******************
We have heard of sporting laurels earned
by the children of Yamuna. We are now witness to the persons who become enablers for talented
children or adults earning sporting laurels. Chandrakanta Rajpurohit of H-206,
has put to practice what she preaches. She has captained the Indian Masters
Volleyball team at the Asia Pacific Masters Games, 2018 at Penang, Malaysia to
win the Gold medal. She has an athletic bearing and stands ramrod straight.
Kudos to her.
**********************
Animesh Bajpai and his wife Prerna Misra
have moved out of E-004 within 3 months of coming to Yamuna. Consequently,. Mr.
Praveen Kohli’s short sojourn at E-003 came to an end and he and his wife have
moved to E-004 flat. This move would not have necessitated calling the movers,
neither is there a change in the view.
************************
Another such move which would not have
needed the help of movers was Mr.& Mrs. Vinod Asthana’s shifting from G-203
to G-302. A bit more exercise for them climbing one more flight of stairs. Mrs.
Asthana who takes several rounds of the Society can now cut down on that.
************************
Mr. J. Gopalakrishnan, wife Jayashree, daughter Ananya and
son Pradyumn have moved out of G-304 after a fairly long stay in Yamuna. They
are going back to their roots in Chennai.
Letter to the Editor
Life is Yamuna has been a
very enriching experience. I started out my married life with Kartick here. It
was only after the birth of my first child Advika that I started getting out of
my home and socialising with people. The Yamuna lawns is the best asset a
colony can have with respect to playtime for children. This is very vital for a
child's overall development. Advika and now my second child Avyukta both
loved coming to the park and play in the swings and slides everyday. I
have made some nice friends and acquaintances whom I will probably remember for
many years to come . The various festivities and get togethers were such a nice
welcome change . People here are very warm and helpful. In my case when I was
hospitalized with dengue whilst pregnant the response I got from people to
donate platelets was overwhelming and we are very Indebted to each one of you
and to all those who offered help. All in all yamuna has set the bar high for
us. As we make our move into a new city now, Kolkata, we hope to find a place
as welcoming and friendly as Yamuna. We ,especially my kids will miss Yamuna a
lot and we are leaving the colony with good and fond memories.
Madhu Swaminathan
Ex-resident of B-006.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN AUGUST 2018
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DATE
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TIME
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EVENT
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VENUE
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19.10.18
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6.30 PM
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RAMLEELA DANCE
DRAMA BY SHREEJA &CO.
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BADMINTON COURT
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DANDIA, MUSIC,
DANCE AND FOOD EVENING
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21.9.18
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9.30 AM
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AGM
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COMMUNITY HALL
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27.10.18
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6.30 PM
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QUIZ COMPETITION
WITH SUMATHI
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BADMINTON COURT
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