Issue No. 105 I May 2010

Editorial

The Meteorological Department has predicted a normal monsoon this year. I was feeling quite cheerful until my eyes fell upon another news item which said that in the 130 years, the Met Department has been forecasting the monsoon, they have never ever predicted a drought! So, for the religiously inclined it is time for yagnas to invoke the rain God and for the atheist or the agnostic, it is betting time.

We in Yamuna, are so replete with the hand-me-down vanity of tradition, the authority of history, the sonorous finality of convention, that we find it so difficult to break out of the mould. The conventions may be strangling, suffocating and muggy yet they have stood the test of time. But a time comes when technology dictates that we look at options that remove the tedium of managing the Society’s affairs. The Society is very people dependent for the efficient functioning of its administrative apparatus. But, the emerging evidence of the last few years has shown that MC Members, let alone residents are so caught up in their professional pursuits and other affairs that place a demand on their time that they are unable to devote the time the Society needs to manage its affairs.

An effort has been made to standardise the procedures and formats so that the Office Manager can effectively take decisions, so long as the requirements conform to the rules. However, there still remains a body of work that needs the intervention of the MC members. In order to bridge this gap between time availability and efficient functioning, a dire need has been felt to have an online software program that can be operated by each resident and Committee Member from the confines of their homes or offices. Each resident can be given a password and access rights depending on whether he/she is an MC member or a member/resident. Mr. G. Ramabhadran of E-201 has culled one such software which ostensibly answers all our requirements for managing the affairs of a housing society. This is a comprehensive software program and covers everything from accounts and complaints management to online polling on various issues. The server will be housed with the vendor; hence there is no capital expenditure. However, the vendor will charge an amount of Rs. 20 per flat per month for using the software. This is an issue for the Managing Committee and General Body to decide but we would request all of you to mull over it and let us have your views.

The rain dance was moved to Sunday, 16^{th May} from Saturday, 15^{th May} in deference to the departed soul of Mr. G. Venkataraman. Nothing quite worked to plan on that day. For a start many in the colony were not aware of the postponement and the others who knew could not alter their plans. Besides, there was the T-20 World Cup final between Australia and England. To add to the comedy of errors, the pump to blow air into the splash pool had a missing nozzle. The perforated Pepsi bottle fastened to the ladder to simulate rain came crashing down. The children had to make do with the sprinkler and the hose. Pun notwithstanding, It was quite a damp affair. The lawn was not watered for four days prior to the rain dance so that the rain dance could serve the purpose of watering the lawn, thus effectively conserving water. Please view the snaps in the Yamuna Photo Album.

Talking of the World Cup T-20 cricket, the favourites tag didn’t sit well on Dhoni and his men. They were literally bounced out of the World Cup. After the IPL tamasha the boys weren’t quite prepared for the chin music. The carnival atmosphere of IPL and late night parties had not prepared them for some serious cricket. IPL may have rung the cash registers but the late night parties were sordid and Lalit Modi, its unctuous author

We had something to cheer, though. Viswanathan Anand lifted the world crown for the fourth time. Also, our hockey team returned with the Azlan Shah Cup, in the process humbling the world champions, Australia.

After the repair of the beams and spouts on the facade of A-Block, a coat of weatherproof paint has been applied on them. What a transformation it has made. The A-Block looks like a new construction compared to the rest of the blocks. Since this makeover is a very slow process it may take up to a year and a half for all the blocks to be similarly transformed. However, the undersides of the staircases which are in very bad shape have been taken up for repair on priority, lest there be an accident. I have reasonable cause to believe that this transformation would enhance the value of the flats we live in.

This year the smallest number of children appeared for the Board Exams. They tipped the scales as under:

S.NO	NAME	ADDRESS	MARKS	STREAM
	CLASS X
1	SHASHANK SRINIVASAN	A-207	9.2 GPA
2	MADHURI ZUTSHI	C-006	8 GPA
	CLASS XII
1	V.RANGARAJAN	C-005	80%	COMMERCE
2	M.VIGNESH	E-005	76%	SCIENCE

We wish all these youngsters the very best in their future endeavours.

The water cooler installed in one of the shops facing the badminton court has not been functioning for some time. The good Samaritan that Mr. Suresan of H-008 is, he has paid Rs.4,000 needed to repair the cooler and quench the thirsty.

OBITUARY

Destiny can fell even the mighty oak. After battling with cancer for the better part of two years Mr. G. Venkataraman of G-102 left this world to meet his maker in the wee hours of 13thMay^{, 2010}. He was a titan amongst authorities on Power. He retired as a Director of Projects with NTPC and also worked as Country Director with Rolls Royce. He was on the Board of several companies and was called upon to arbitrate on several issues due his expertise in the sector. Yamuna residents extend their heartfelt condolence to Mrs. Seetha Venkataraman.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear friends,

Just to let you know that your love and support during this difficult time is so greatly appreciated. It is difficult indeed to put my thoughts into words, but my family and I thank you for your kind and helpful words, deeds and gestures, at a time when these things mean so much. We thank God for friends such as all of you from Yamuna.

As my husband Venkataraman often used to say before he died,

Death is at once

The end of the body's old journey

And the beginning of the soul's new journey"

Thank you all,

Seetha Venkataraman

SNIPPETS

On a Saturday afternoon, as I sat down to read the Indian Express I saw a photo on the front page showing a picture of the first batch of students from the Express Institute of Media Studies, at the Convocation with the Chief Guest, Mrs. Sheila Dikshit. Amongst the gaggle of girls and boys, one face stood out for its poise and elegance. It was none other than our very own Shalini Narayan of H-207! She was awarded the Dean’s Prize for All Round Performance. Shalini starts off as intern at the Indian Express for two months. I can see in her, a successor for the Editor’s baton of the Yamuna Chronicle, amongst greater laurels.

Quite a few families have moved out of Yamuna in May albeit reluctantly.

Alok Jha and his family of A-103 were really warming up to the atmosphere and culture of Yamuna when summons came from his company to move to Jamshedpur.

Mohan Gatta and family of G-002 have moved to Bangalore on a transfer.

Satish Padmanabhan and family of G-205 have moved to Bombay on a transfer.

Anushula Saha has moved out of E-203.

In a move that will not provide them any relief from the heat, Anand Sundaresan and family of H-308 has moved to G-301.

Issue No. 104 l April 2010

EDITORIAL

The month of April starts on ‘Fools’ Day’, but at the end of the month you are none the wiser. With the blazing heat vapourising what is left of our brains everybody could be excused for their incoherent thoughts. With searing temperatures breaking hundred year record, we should brace ourselves up for worse times in the coming months. The Chief Ministers’ statement a month ago, that Delhi has adequate power to take care of the summer demand, already begins to ring hollow, with many areas in the Capital having power outage. One resource which we in Yamuna take for granted is water. It will probably be the scarcest commodity going forward. We should all exercise restraint while consuming water. Please replace the seals in dripping taps, plug seepages and leakages, reduce the water reservoir size in the commodes, and use fixed quantity of water for baths instead of endlessly running the shower.

With barely ten days left for schools to close for the summer recess, there is a need to plan for activities for children to keep them occupied, lest they get into their parents' hair. I would request older children in the colony to get together and plan the younger children’s activities. This will not only keep them occupied but will also give them good exposure to creative pursuits and hone their organising skills. These could include social work like teaching the children of maids in the colony, craft skills, dramatics, making posters for water conservation, “Don’t Litter” posters etc.

All the trees in the colony got infested with white flies this month. We had summoned the services of a pest control agency to eradicate them. However, the flies disappeared as mysteriously as they appeared even before the Pest Control Agency could get their act together.

The debonair MP from Kerala and Minister of State for External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor at last met his nemesis in Lalit Modi. He has been shown the door after Lalit Modi revealed some unsavoury dealings relating to the Kochi franchisee. The very articulate and erudite Tharoor’s fate, had been hanging from a slender thread ever since he had been tweeting on Twitter on matters which make other politicians squirm in their seats. For the gaffe a week Tharoor, it has always been a case of when, rather than if the hatchet will fall. Now that the deed is done, the Press will have to look for other juicy news. Now, the heat is on Lalit Modi. Will he come off unscathed?

Talking of other newsy bits, Sania and Shoaib had their time in the sun. The ménage a trois involving Shoaib, Ayesha and Sania had all the makings of a Bollywood thriller with Ayesha claiming that she was already married to Shoaib and would not let the marriage between Sania and Shoaib happen until he divorced her. It all got sorted out in the nick of time, although, it cost the couple a whopping Rs.15 crores to get Ayesha’s acquiescence. What baffles me, however, is what our sporting queen saw in the country bumpkin from Sialkot, Pakistan. Shoaib has no education to speak of, nor does he have the sophistication of the Hyderabadi lass. Clearly, love is blind! The question is, will it stand the test of time? Is Sania destined to spend the rest of her life under a burkha and saying, ji huzoor ?

Recently, a mishap in Yamuna nearly cost a life when a glass pane got dislodged from the steel frame on a balcony and landed on the hand of Mr. Kunal Savarkar’s father leaving a deep gash that needed 18 stitches. Fortunately, it missed his neck. Residents are advised to replace their steel frame glazing in their balconies with aluminium glazing. In the case of steel glazing, the glass pane is secured with putty. Due to the temperature variance between summer and winter, the putty develops cracks and eventually gives way. This does not happen in the case of aluminium glazing, where the glass pane is in an extruded groove, obviating the need to secure it with putty. After the mishap, I surveyed the colony and noticed that in many places where steel glazing has been done, several glass panes were missing. It is only good fortune that nobody was standing below when these glass panes got dislodged.

The Society Office has received complaints that some people who are undertaking the renovation of their flats are breaking the floors in order to affix marble flooring. Since the hammering and chipping of the floors can cause structural damage resulting in cracks, it is advised that anybody who wishes to have an alternate flooring should opt for vitrified tiles or parquet flooring, both of which can be affixed to the existing flooring without having to damage it. Besides, the constant hammering of the floor is a source of great annoyance to the immediate neighbours.

Many residents have stated that their plumbing, electric or civil complaints are not attended to without constantly chasing the concerned staff, who are supposed to attend to such jobs. In order to effectively redress such complaints we would request residents to enter the complaints in the complaint registration cards placed in the Society office. This way the Society can monitor whether the complaints are attended to on time or not and take appropriate action in case of apathy from the staff.

Residents are being hereby informed that giving advance payment to any Society staff members for work in their flats is entirely at their risk. The Office has received several complaints from residents that some staff members have taken advance and not attending to their work despite repeated reminders. Please note that the Society will not entertain such complaints and residents are requested to exercise adequate caution when they advance money.

New Look Blog!

As you would no doubt have noticed, we have altered the look of the Yamuna blog. The tagline is The monthly newsletter of Yamuna Apartments. Does anyone have more interesting suggestions? It would be nice to have a line or phrase in Sanskrit that expresses the sense of community we share in Yamuna. Other than Vasudaiva Kutumbhakam, which is a tad commonplace, do send in your ideas.

Obituary

Mrs. Rajammal, mother of Mr. N. V. Seshan (H-103) passed away in Patparganj on 28^th April, 2010. She was also the grandmother of Mr. N. S. Venkatachalam (G-103) and Savita Kumar (E-301). Yamuna’s residents convey their hearteelt condolences to the bereaved families.

SNIPPETS

Dr. Anjali and Dr. Rajeev Masodkar of E-102 have reasons to cheer up. Their darling daughter, Kanaklakshmi is engaged to be married to Nilesh in Nagpur on 23^rd May, 2010. What a pity Yamuna lawns will not be the sacred ground for holy matrimony. Everybody in Yamuna wishes the couple an exciting and fulfilling married life.

Mrs. Revathi Krishnan, on tenancy at H-205 has become a Member after purchasing the flat. We welcome her and hope she can contribute more to the activities of the Society.

Mr. S. S. Ishwaran of A-002 has vacated his flat and is moving to Chennai to join his wife and daughter. We wish Mr. Ishwaran and family happy memories.

As a consequence, Mr. Madhu Nair of A-003 has taken the flat on rent, thereby reducing the number of residents in A-Block, which is already woefully short of hands for the Diwali illumination competition.

Mr. V. Jagadeesan, brother of V. Muralikrishnan of E-005 has moved into A-204 from Mumbai. However, his wife and children are still in Mumbai and have not joined him in his new abode. That is another case of depletion of population of A Block.

Mr. N. Venkatachalam who was in a transit flat in A-006 has found a permanent parking bay, having taken F-003 on rent. His family has joined him from Mumbai. He is a full time consultant with Stoneman Royale Ltd (importers of tiles and marbles). A lover of old Hindi songs and vintage Carnatic music, he has passed on his passion to both his sons who are learning this music form. His wife Janaki after having done a stint as senior software engineer now stays at home and keeps the males in the house in good cheer. Their sons Vijay of Class V and Vivek of Class I have integrated well into the Society. We welcome them to the Yamuna fold.

YAMUNA’S TREES

Tree of the Month – Neem Tree (Azadirachta indica)

Common names: Neem (Hindi, Bengali), Nimm (Punjabi), Arya Veppu (Malayalam), Azad Dirakht - literally, free or noble tree (Persian), Nimba (Sanskrit and Marathi), Margosa, Neeb (Arabic), Vepu, Vempu, Vepa (Telugu), Bevu (Kannada), Vembu (Tamil), and Indian Lilac (English)

Neem belongs to the mahogany family and is native to SE Asia. In Swahili (East Africa) it is also known as Muarubaini, or tree of the 40, as it is said to treat 40 different diseases ! It is a fast-growing evergreen tree that can reach a height of 15-20 metres . The branches are wide spread and adult trees have a beautiful oval canopy , but in severe drought or severe cold/ frost it sheds most of its leaves. I saw this sad sight during the cold months of January 2007 when all the neem trees in Race Course Road (Off Aurobindo Marg, alongside Safdarjung Tomb) were bare and “burnt”.

The Amman festivals in Andhra and Tamil Nadu extensively use neem flowers and leaves. During Gudhi Padwa, Maharashtrian families make chutney from neem flowers and leaves. There’s a good social reason for the festival being celebrated in summer because measles, chicken pox, prickly heat disorders spread faster in hot weather. In order to avoid these diseases, people started using neem leaves and neem bark. Neem leaves are gently rubbed over the body to ensure a quick recovery effective cure for chicken pox. Hindus believe that the goddess of the chickenpox, Sithala lives in the neem tree. This traditional treatment is still used in many rural areas of India, north and east parts of Sri Lanka. New born babies are laid upon a bed of Neem leaves to keep their skins germfree. Neem leaves are strung on door steps to keep evil spirits away. Ayurvedic medicine has utilized neem for over 4000 years.

• Neem oil extracted from its seeds is used in medicines, pest control and cosmetics.
• Neem tea is usually taken to reduce headache and fever.
• Its flowers are used to cure intestinal problems.
• Neem bark acts as an analgesic and can cure high fever (as in malaria).
• Its twigs make an effective toothbrush!
• Neem cake is widely used in India as fertilizer for crops like sugarcane and vegetables.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS – MAY 2010

RAIN DANCE

15 May Venue. Main Lawn

Time: 6.30 pm