EDITORIAL
A Lancet report says the world population will decline by 2100 because of greater prosperity and higher literacy rates among other things. Societies the world over have become more egalitarian. I have reasonable cause to believe that it has not happened by design or social consciousness but more by the trickle-down effect of economic growth and lower fertility rates. About 40 years ago, the gulf between the Americans and us in terms of affordability was so wide that we could never imagine catching up. The situation now is such that we have all the things that Americans have. Car, fridge, TV, microwave, washing machine, mobile phone etc. There is absolutely no difference. To boot, we have maids, cooks, and drivers which even well-to-do Americans cannot dream of having. Even the social stratification that was so stark before is not so apparent now. For example, our domestic staff too have fridge, TV, washing machines, mobile phones etc. Manufactured goods have become more affordable. Even the clothes that they wear have the same lasting quality. This is not to say the gap between the haves and have-nots has narrowed. It only means that many people in the less-privileged strata of society are now better fed, better clothed, and have more material comforts than before.
There is general aversion that is developing in consuming anything Chinese including Chinese cuisine due to China’s misadventure in the Galwan Valley. There is nothing remotely Chinese in Chinese food that is served in India except the names of the restaurants and the décor. Chinese food served in India bears no resemblance to Chinese food in Shanghai or Beijing either in taste, texture, or the creatures found within! Even the so-called Chinese looking waiters and hostesses are from the North East. In the early days of the Chinese food invasion in the late sixties and early seventies, there were probably some things transported from the middle kingdom like the soya sauce, spices, music and the quirky aphorisms that emerged from the packets of fortune cookies. I do not find these identity markers in Chinese restaurants anymore. Now, all the ingredients used for making Chinese cuisine are made in India. Increasingly, the so-called Chinese cuisine is becoming more and more Indian with a higher spice quotient. As a matter of fact, there is nothing called Chinese cuisine even in China! You have Sichuan cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine, Hejiang cuisine, Anhui cuisine, Guangdong cuisine, Fujian cuisine, and Hainanese cuisine, all typical culinary styles of the various regions of China. It’s like saying “Indian cuisine”, where South Indian food and North Indian food are poles apart. Even the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which I am familiar with, have at least three types of cuisines each. Therefore, our desire to shun Chinese food to teach China a lesson is a bit misplaced.
China’s acts of belligerence around the world are getting more and more pronounced –- whether it is sending veiled threats to Taiwan by reconnaissance flights or getting fighter jets to overfly or threatening to take over the islands of the littoral states along the South China Sea of Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Philippines etc. or clamping down on pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong or staking claim to Himalayan territories of India, Nepal, and Bhutan. They are just behaving like a bully. For residents of Hong Kong, the ever-intrusive form of governance and the draconian laws that Beijing is seeking to impose is a red herring. After you have drunk the elixir of freedom both under the British as well as the self-rule guaranteed in the treaty signed by the UK and China, the thought of having to watch over your shoulder for everything you utter or do can be quite daunting and insufferable. No wonder the Hong Kongers have been protesting for the last nine months in the streets against their arm-flexing tactics.
With the withdrawal of the Chinese Army from the Galwan Valley and Finger 4, even the most trenchant critics quietly acknowledge the Government’s clever handling of the matter. The resolve to stand firm and take punitive action against Chinese apps and other economic involvements have given a body blow to the neighbour’s machinations. Narendra Modi’s adroit handling of the border kerfuffle by his timely visit to Leh to boost the morale of the forces, and issuing bold statements from there, gave the Chinese the clear message that India is not going to buckle under China’s economic and military might. The PM also read the tea leaves well when he noticed that in the wake of Covid-19, there is a greater global appreciation that China has gone too far. Signals from the US, Australia, Japan, and France reinforced the belief that the long-simmering discontent with China is coalescing into an incipient an anti-Beijing coalition. He also cleverly timed the signing of a defence deal with Russia for buying fighter aircraft and missiles. These signals were not lost on China and they decided to withdraw their forces from some areas, to avoid any escalation of the crisis where things were beginning to stack up against them. Unfortunately, China has cultivated influential friends in this country and they are not confined to those that wave a red flag! These appeasers which include some so-called intellectuals couch their indulgence of China in the logic of realpolitik, in return for handsome payoffs and junkets.
Covid-19 has brought in its wake a sense of apathy. The ghastly sight on TV screens of dead bodies being carted off in garbage trucks and lined up in a pile at cremation sites or buried in mass graves is an affront to the dignity of the departed souls as well as their families. For the children, bodies of their parents shrouded from head to toe in opaque plastic PPE’s without being able to bid so much as a last-minute goodbye, leaves them bereft of emotional release. For the spouse, not being able to catch even the penumbra of the visage of their life-partner before they are consigned to the flames or interred, does not lead to closure. For the dying, to be left in a totally uncaring environment in their last days, without their near and dear ones next to them, is too traumatic even to imagine. Even the fatigued doctors and nurses are unable to show empathy because of the sheer number of patients that are wheeled in. All this makes this pandemic uniquely heartless.
Last month, the brutal murder in the US of a black man, George Floyd, at the hands of the police triggered worldwide protests and led to the “Black Lives Matter” or BLM movement. Amongst the Indian diaspora, Yamuna’s own Tejaswin Shankar is in the forefront of protests against racial discrimination on behalf of Kansas University. Arising out of this enormous groundswell of support for race and colour equality, companies have become socially conscious or, probably fearing a backlash, have decided to drop any inappropriate affiliation to fair colour in their products. Thus, Unilever is going to drop their highly popular “Fair and Lovely” skincare creams, and L’Oréal is going to drop the words, “white, fair, light” from all their skin care products. Even the marriage portal Shaadi.com has decided to ban any words alluding to skin colour in their advertisements. What is gratifying, however, is that the government at last has woken up to this malaise and is proposing to impose a five-year jail term or Rs. 50 lakh fine for ads promoting fairness products. Many of our Bollywood stars profited immensely by shamelessly appearing in ads pandering to the insatiable desire to get fair at all costs. This obsession with fairness is driven by lifelong training in self-loathing, where one is made to believe that one’s self-esteem is directly proportional to the lightness of the skin. I had written about this socially evil practice of blatant discrimination on the basis of colour in the Chronicle about three years ago and, at that time, suggested that the government should impose a ban on all fairness promoting products. Now, due to a host of other reasons, it will see the light of day. It is blatant falsification of facts and ignorance of the user that cosmetic companies thrive on. How can the pigment melanin, which gives your skin its colour and lies under the skin, be removed by something that is applied on the surface of the skin? We Indians are basically brown, barring exceptions, getting a progressively darker hue as we move from the North to the South. This magnificent palette of shades, progressing from pink to very fair, ivory, tan( or wheatish), mulatto, burnt sienna, burnt umber, and chocolate, to ebony, is what makes Indian diversity so enchanting. The acceptable norm for matrimonial ads ceased with wheatish, a colour attribute typically Indian. Any shade darker than wheatish was considered swarthy and therefore not worthy of mentioning in marriage ads.
The Government’s subsidy to catalyse the shift to electric vehicles will actually ossify the car companies before they are in a position to transition from internal combustion engines to electric mobility. The loss of sale of fossil fuel-based vehicles to electric vehicles will actually erode the balance sheets of those companies who, as yet, do not have an electric vehicle in their portfolio. It is a double whammy coming on top of business downturn brought on by the cataclysmic effect of Covid-19. This is another example of what is good for nature is not necessarily good for business and the economy. Actually, we have to find a pragmatic balance between the seemingly inversely proportional nature of this problem.
The new body accessory is the mask, an accoutrement le plus essential. It has triggered a fashion revolution with haute couture brands like Gucci and Valentino, amongst others, pitching for eyeballs. Closer home, many cottage industries have cropped up and are making the most of this craze for standout designs. Amongst them are those featuring Madhubani paintings and some carrying the photo of the features of the face that the mask obscures, for easy identification of the person. With increasing risks of zoonotic diseases sparked off by the demand for the meat of exotic animals, the peril to humans, even after the Covid-19 pandemic retreats, will not end. Hence, the mask may become an essential part of our attire forever. Ramani’s wife Geetha (C-001) is also getting attractive masks made by needy women and marketing it. You may get in touch with her at 9899205174 for your needs.
The XIIth Class CBSE Board results are out and as is the norm, Yamuna students have done exceedingly well. I have the permission to reveal the marks of Tanvi Savarkar and Aryan Ramabadhran. Tanvi, a Humanities student with Maths and Computer Science secured 96.75% marks and Aryan, a Science student scored 92.25% marks in best-of-four subjects. Tanvi has secured admission in Roanoke College, Salem, Virginia, USA for a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Statistics. She would have to cool her heels in Delhi, taking admission in some course as a stopgap measure until colleges reopen in the US. President Trump has torpedoed any plans of overseas students going to the country until colleges resume classroom teaching. Aryan plans to do engineering and is appearing for entrance exams. In the Class X Boards, Kiana Abraham scored 94% marks and Sahana Savarkar secured 92.6% marks. Sahana has asked for two of her papers to be re-evaluated. The great thing about their performance is that they do equally well in sports, fine and performing arts!
The lockdown blues is making people yearn for the resumption of some kind of social interaction, albeit virtual. Deepak Varma pulled in present and ex-Yamuna residents for an evening soiree of retro music on Zoom on Saturday, 18th July 2020. Wow! Was it not nostalgic? I was invited to this hangout although my singing is limited to the confines of the bathroom, or when I wish to inflict punishment on my children! The singers from Yamuna were Bhavani, Seema, and Sreekumar Nair (Madhu) and ex-Yamuna residents included Deepak Varma, Abhilash Varma, and Deepa Anand. Deepak’s brother Vinod and friends Narsi and Vinay were the other crooners. Their melodious singing shows the incredible talent that Yamuna has produced.
What do you do when elected representatives blatantly violate building norms and illegally occupy government land? This elected representative was recently elevated as a Deputy Mayor of South Delhi Municipal Corporation. Unless we put a stop to this carcinogenic usurpation of power, we will make our already congested cities more unlivable. Judicial interventions are lengthy, expensive and very time- consuming. The honest truth is that once we exclude the rarefied field of petitions, the only modality of protest that is politically effective is the one that has the imprimatur of community mobilisation. Unfortunately, most of us in Yamuna do not wish to tangle with the powers-that-be and are indifferent to the goings-on around us. If we remain mute spectators, such shenanigans will continue. How do these elected representatives hope to gain the respect of the governed, to be re-elected, when probity in public life becomes a casualty?
Residents of E&F blocks are miffed that several inhabitants of these two blocks are parking their two-wheelers between the blocks, thereby hampering free movement and proving a great obstacle for the Society staff to clean the area. Their pleas to the concerned residents to park their two-wheelers in the H-Block basement have fallen on deaf ears. The former co-operative store in F Block is also being made available for parking of two-wheelers from 1st August 2020 to counter this menace of surface parking.
The new licence holder of the canteen, Rangarajan Venkataraman (Rangu), commenced operations from the canteen on 20th July, 2020 with a menu of snacks that is served all day on all days of the week. Because of Covid-19 threat, he is not hiring people for home-delivery just yet. Those who are loath to cook and need a quick snack can dart to the canteen for a rejuvenating repast.
After a five-month hiatus due to the threat of coronavirus, we are planning to resume some cultural activities where social distancing norms can be maintained. The Independence Day flag hoisting ceremony will herald the partial and baby-step initiative towards normalcy. A flattening of the Covid-19 curve in Delhi is the trigger to return to civilisation! Please come in large numbers wearing a mask that bears at least one colour of the national flag.
OBITUARY
Mr. K. A. Nair, former resident of H-208, passed away on 23rd July, 2020 in Kozhikode, Kerala. He was President of the Society for a massive four years in 1983-84, 1986-87, 1989-90 and 1992-93 before he moved to Kerala and settled down there. One has to have a high level of tolerance to be President four times! He was a long time Tata employee and was known as TELCO Nair. His son, Sudhir, used to play cricket with us. Yamuna residents convey their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
SNIPPETS
Janaki (C-005), wife of Rangarajan or Rangu, as he is popularly known, delivered a baby girl on 8th July, 2020. This bundle of joy has been named Krishnavi. Both mother and daughter are fine. Children are the ones who make the colony lively and we look forward to Krishnavi growing up and regaling us in the near future.
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Shobana (A-102), wife of Tarun Balakrishnan, delivered a baby girl at Fortis on 22nd July, 2020. This tot is bound to go places as she did not have the patience to wait another two weeks, when she was due, to open her eyes to the world. Both the baby and Shobana are doing fine. Looking forward to seeing this cutie-pie when Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.
| | CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR AUGUST, 2020 | |
DATE | TIME | | VENUE |
15.8.2020 | 9.00 AM | INDEPENDENCE DAY FLAG HOISTING, | BADMINTON COURT |
| | SINGING OF PATRIOTIC SONGS, DISTRIBUTION OF SWEETS | |
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