Issue No. 124 I December 2011

EDITORIAL

The much awaited automation of C-Block gate is complete. With this we will be able to dispense with two security guards. Due to bi-annual increase of minimum wages by the Delhi government, manpower costs have shot up considerably. There will not be any respite in the future as well. By doing the automation of the C-Block gate which allows access to only residents, we should be able to contain the impact of the manpower cost increase within manageable limits. The investment, therefore, will pay back in four months. Please follow the instructions on operation sent out in the circular. We are indeed grateful to Mr. Ramabadhran of E-201 and Ms. Sudha Umapathy of D-104 for donating a computer to help monitor the persons accessing the gate. The dwell time of 12 seconds between the opening and shutting of the gate was found to be too much allowing several persons to go through. This has now been cut down to 4 seconds.


The PM is not shy of projecting the government’s vision but the Opposition scuppers every aspect of reforms. FDI in retail would have benefited the consumers and farmers at the cost of scalping middlemen, but the government is not able to carry the executive decision through and consequently, we are forced to contend with double digit inflation. Providing largesse to the poor by opening the spigots of deficit financing is fraught with danger especially since it is a well known fact that only a small fraction of the money reaches the intended beneficiary. India has already lost heavily and irretrievably because of its slothful, selfish and bumbling governments since Independence. It is for the government which has comfort in numbers in Parliament to show that it means business, although this comfort in numbers comes from the allies who are behaving worse than the adversaries.


The cleanliness and eco drive on 4th December drew just a handful of volunteers. Anish, Juilee, Kiana, Samiksha, Adwita, Kavya and Mr. S. Krishnaswamy were the few who felt that environment plays a big role in our well being. The rubbish heap of plastic containers, sachets, bottles and sundry other objects of waste from the flower beds and nooks and crannies were picked and transported to the rubbish dump. 


A serious and tragic movie got trivialised when crowds rushed through the turnstile to view “Dirty Picture”, a Silk Smitha biopic with the lead role essayed by actress Vidya Balan. Promos showing Vidya’s décolletage made the cads rush to view more prurient exposes.  While titillation may have been the mantra on which Silk Smitha ascended the tinsel towns’ dizzy heights, there was a more human and touching side to the drama which she amongst others havehad to endure in this vicious world of exploitation. If it was a duplicitous attempt to draw the crowds and achieve critical acclaim at the same time, Ekta Kapoor the producer has achieved the double whammy.


On Sunday mornings in winter, lethargy may dictate that you stay cocooned in bed wrapped in a duvet with hot cup of tea and watching some inane TV programme; or as an alternative you explore the great outdoors with a sunny disposition. The few who did the latter on 8th December and ventured for the heritage walk to Surajkund were truly rewarded with an awesome experience. I have been to Surajkund several times but I did not know that a dam built in the 8th century existed there. This is where Dr. Ramji Narayanan’s encyclopaedic knowledge comes handy.

 Gathered under a benign sun, the motley crowd enjoyed the scenic splendour unfolding near the dam where we could also spot the endangered Nilgai pursuing its mate in its natural surroundings. It was an experience both spectacular and enlightening. You could do the former every Sunday but the experience of being close to nature and history with a master historian like Ramji is something of a rarity. To me it is not a Hobsons choice. Those who didn’t make it, lost out on a splendid opportunity. 

Yuletide spirit was alive and kicking at the Christmas carnival on 25th December. Anirudh of H-008 as Santa, eager to please the kids, made his grand entrance only to be mobbed by the army of children. When things got too hot he started tossing the goodies but the children wouldn’t let go. He decided fleeing was the better part of valour and showed a clean pair of heels! The kiddie choir, tutored by Seema Chari, sang the carols on cue and with lots of gusto to the accompanying strains of piano expertly played by Aditi. The inviting presence of a bonfire on this bitterly cold day was the magnet which drew the crowds like a moth to a flame. It however, took a while for the wood to catch fire and crackle.


The “Yamuna All Girls Band” crooners, sang three songs including one of their own composition. The band consisting of Nandita on vocals, Aditi on lead guitar and Divya on rhythm guitar gave a good account of themselves. The much awaited rock and blues show had to be called off as Ramanan the frontman, mistook his finger for a nail while doing some repairs and landed the hammer squarely on his playing finger and let out a yelp that could be heard ten houses away. I have not heard a busted finger guitarist before and it was not going to happen this day as well. Mr. Harishankar who had offered to give gifts to all the performers whose items were adjudged first or second at the Annual Day wanted the participants to receive them in the glare of the flood lights. Mrs. Rajalakshmi (Harishankar’s mother) gave away the prizes. By then, the catwalk participants who had come all decked up were getting a little impatient. Therefore, without much ado, we let it roll. Fancy headgear and boots, among accoutrements, made it difficult to pick the winners. In the end the ones who showed much pizzazz were adjudged the winners. Among the junior girls and boys, Sameeksha took the top prize while the cute Samarth, displaying the swagger of his dad, took the second prize. Amongst the senior girls, Prakriti, who knows the moves thanks to her jazz dance background came ahead of Medha Nair who was very snazzily dressed in Parisian couture. Amongst the ladies, the crowd favourite, Seema, dressed in a black ensemble took the top prize as in 2010. Prema Manoj, who has shed some pounds, looked svelte in her winter attire, came a close second. The judge got carried away with Kunal Savarkar”s rakish good looks and handed him the first prize and the ever entertaining P. K. K. Nair did his dance moves and crooned his way to the second prize. Barring one prize, all the prizes were donated by Mr. Narayanan of C-007, Mr. Manoj Subramanian of H-206 Gita Rastogi of C-004 and Poornima Narayanan of B-002.


There were enough food options for people to satisfy their hunger pangs. Apart from the commercial stall holders, Gita Rastogi and Poornima Narayanan sold home baked cake and cookies. They contributed Rs. 300 and Rs. 200 respectively to defray the expenses.
While many drifted home by 9.30 pm, some stayed on to warm themselves in the dying embers of the bonfire.


(More pictures of the heritage walk and Christmas bash in the Yamuna Photo Album.)


Philanthropists get a joy out of giving. Mohan Krishnaswamy gifted a bicycle, Deepak Varma, a couple of swing seats and Mala Sundaresan, two telephone instruments to the Society this month. We would like to express our gratitude for this largesse.


The Yamuna cricket team earned laurels for the Society by lifting the “IZZAT CUP” in a tournament against other teams in the city. Congratulations, to all the participants.


We bade farewell to 2011 and welcomed the New Year with the cutting of the cake in the Community Hall with confetti and bear hugs. We wish all the residents a very rewarding 2012.

SNIPPETS

Doing bit parts in Yamuna’s Annual Day is one thing, but earning laurels on the big stage is quite another. Four Yamuna girls performed in a dance ballet on the life of Lord Krishna at Kamani Auditorium on 4th December, on the occasion of the birth centenary celebrations of Guru Vazhuvoor Shri B. Ramaiah Pillai. Shreeja Srikant, Shreeya Srikant, Aparna Krishnan and M. Mallika, all students of Bharatanatyam at Nrithyaranjani, showed their mettle in the dance drama that unfolded to stunning backdrops and inspired lighting and music. It is only a stepping stone to greater goals. My wife and I enjoyed the visual treat. Unfortunately, there were not many from Yamuna to watch the show.


Mr. & Mrs. Sivaramakrishnan of E-304 have packed their bags and moved to their home town, Thrissur in Kerala.  Mr. Sivaramakrishnan had played a key role at the time of formation of the Society and its nascent years. They have now rented out their flat. Their absence from the Yamuna scene will be sorely missed.


In a move that wouldn’t give much of a workout to the movers Suresh and family made a horizontal move from E-302 to E-304.


It is always refreshing to have new faces in the colony. Mr. Anand V Rao has moved into C-205 from London. Anand who is originally from Bangalore got married to Aditi only last month and they are still finding their feet amongst other things. Anand is an Insights Director at IMRB and can be reached on 9990672647. His other passions are reading, writing, cooking and photography. Aditi who has done her Masters in Social Work and is currently pursuing a course in Child Rights Law was working with an NGO called Parivar in Bangalore. She is looking for a similar opportunity in Delhi. She shares similar free time hobbies with Anand like cooking and reading. She also likes to travel. She can be reached on 9741691127. We welcome this couple to the Yamuna family.


Anup Nair and Nisha Jayaram have decided to make E-302 their home. They have moved from GK 1. They were motivated to move here after coming to know of the active social scene in the colony. Anup works with the Australian National University and can be reached on 9873672071. He is an avid sportsperson with interests in all sporting activities. Nisha who is originally from Bangalore works with CII in the environment and energy space. She is an all rounder with interests in reading, cooking, music and badminton amongst others. She can be reached on 981061549. This young couple will add to the youthful exuberance of Yamuna. 


Junior Prashant and Isha of C-202 have been blessed with a bonny boy who arrived into this world on 8th December, 2011. I reckon we can address him as sub-junior. Both mother and child are doing fine. Mr & Mrs. Gopal are delighted to be grandparents.


Ravishankar of A-306 got married in Chennai on 30th December to Meenakshi, fondly called Krithika. Unfortunately, since no functions are scheduled for Delhi we will miss out on all the fun. We wish the couple the very best that life can offer and welcome Krithika to the Yamuna family.

MIRTH CORNER

OMG, I’m rich – silver in the hair, gold in the teeth, crystals in the kidneys, 
sugar in the blood, iron in the arteries and an inexhaustible supply of natural gas.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR JANUARY 2012

DATE	TIME	EVENT	VENUE
13.1.12	9.00 PM	LOHRI CELEBRATIONS WITH BONFIRE	MEET AT BADMINTON COURT
25/26.1.12		OVERNIGHT PICNIC ON CONTRIBUTION BASIS	TO BE DECIDED

Issue No. 123 I November 2011

EDITORIAL

Winter has barely begun, but at dawn, when you look out of the window there is a thick blanket of smog through which one can see shrouded figures walking down the road. The hazy picture resembles a painting. It’s not until midday that the sun is able to break through the smog and shine in all its glory. Barring the smog and rain, I love winter. Skinny people look healthier thanks to the layers of clothes shielding them from the cold. The outdoors is more inviting with the warmth of the benign sun. The colourful feast of petunias, phlox, geraniums, pansies and candytuft, when in full bloom with butterflies darting between them, will make for a pretty picture. All one craves for is a hot cup of tea and peanuts.

Matters relating to the Society is a full time job. We should not be smugly delusional that things happen on auto pilot. They need to be pursued vigorously. This is where the Jt. Secretary, Mr. P. K. K. Nair has taken on the mantle seriously. He is doing an excellent job in ensuring good housekeeping and maintenance. His no-nonsense approach is yielding results and the staff is on their toes. Please lend him full support.

‘Quiz with Sumathi’, is always full of surprises and is meant for the enlightened. Unlike the traditional quiz competitions, the quiz that Sumathi painstakingly puts together tests your general knowledge as you would possess at any given point of time. Last minute preparations from a quiz book is hardly the stuff that will equip you to handle Sumathi’s quiz. The esoteric and obscure facts culled from diverse sources and compiled in an interesting melange is what makes this event so interesting. This year, five teams had entered the fray; however, since Sumathi had prepared six sets of questions a sixth team had to be hastily put together from reluctant members of the audience. Did they surprise? They walked away with the second prize! The winner was a foregone conclusion. The team, “Delhi Belly”, comprising Kunal, Seema, Tanvi (all C-208) and Aryan (E-201) were favourites to win. Kunal being a quizzer himself and Seema, a prodigious talent, were expected to be runaway winners and did not disappoint. The “Trail Blazers”, consisting of Poornima (B-002), Venkat (A-004), Alka, Vedika (both A-106) and Riya (E-201) with 80 points (30 points shy of the winners) managed to pip the fast approaching team “Brain Waves” by 5 points. The team “Brain Waves” consisted of Sudhir Dravid, Nachiket, Shantanu (all G-001) and Jay Kay (A-302). The “Mughals” consisting of Anita, Anirudh (both H-008), Siddhant (E-302), Tejas (A-103), Vidya (A-004) and Sahana (C-208) were no push over and notched 65 points. The other teams did reasonably well and so did the audience.

Sumathi put her aunt Geetha, cousin Shalini and father Chandu through the grind over the past month and a half to come up with the goods. Kavya was the score keeper. The sweetener came from Sudha Sundaram (A-310), who brought a stock of chocolates to give to the members of the audience who answered correctly. After seeing Sumathi’s quiz over the last few years, I am of the firm belief that she has another very promising career choice of quizzing awaiting her. Watch these columns for the next move.

Piped gas in Yamuna will soon become a reality. IGL have received the consent to lay the gas pipeline in Alaknanda. Waiting for the gas delivery man after raising your indent has been an exercise in patience. Finally, the days of fulminating and letting out a lot of steam at the thought of running out of gas may soon be over. There would also be relief from under-filled cylinders that leave you wondering how the gas has run out so soon. However, I recently heard that piped gas prices have been hiked steeply and people who have piped gas are reeling under the impact.

The badminton tournament drew participants only in the junior categories, a far cry from the days of yore when the senior boys or men’s singles matches used to be the most anticipated matches of the tournament. The badminton courts used to be packed with a wildly cheering audience. At this year’s tournament the spectators at best were limited to the parents or siblings of the participants. As usual Yohaan Abraham of A-008 and Aparna Krishnan of F-103 excelled in the boys and girls singles and doubles matches. Please look up the individual results on the notice board.

The TT tournament was similarly represented. I wonder what is with the senior boys and girls and the men and women that they are so loath to participate.

The Sports Day on 13^th November was again much less represented than previous years. There were no men’s individual events and neither were the senior girls or boys participating. The level of involvement of women was also far less than we are accustomed to. If this is the shape of things to come then we are coming to an era of sedentary layabouts. The tug of war between the studs and the damsels was very interesting, though. In a best of three contest, the women had the men on the knees – well almost, but they failed to land the killer punch and the men recovered to take the lead. The effort seemed to take a toll on them as they were hauled like a sack of coal by the women in the second round. The women were delirious and started celebrating but there had to be third round to break the tie. In the decider, the women ran out of steam. They caved in meekly and lay prone in front of the men.

The mother of all activities, the Society Annual Day was held on 26^th November without much fanfare of having an outsider as a Chief Guest. As a consequence, the event started on time except for the minor glitch of a power breakdown. The refreshment served by SKR caterers was quite tasty. After a beautifully sung invocation song by Tejaswin and Avantika, the programme started in right earnest with the prize distribution ceremony. The honour of giving away the prizes was given to Mr.A.K. Warrier of H-203. We are very grateful to him for having consented to do so. We were fortunate that a number of good Samaritans came forward to support the society by providing scholarship money and prizes for the winners. We owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Warrier (ex Member), Mr. N.A. Seshadri, Ms. Shyamala Sarathi, Ms. Seetha Venkataraman, Mr. Narayanan (C-007), Mr. Manoj Subramanian and Poornima Narayanan for this largesse. Mrs. Shashi Azad, President of Godavari Apartments accepted our request to give away the painting and quiz prizes.

The variety entertainment programme kicked off with the fancy dress by the cute little Yamunaites readied and coaxed onto the stage by Renu Garg. This was followed by a Kuchipudi dance by Aditi Ganapathy. The finesse, grace and abhinaya displayed by Aditi would have done proud a more seasoned dancer and deservedly she was chosen by the judge as the best solo performer of the evening. The next item, very ably choreographed by Rajni and Vidya, was the very endearing dance staged by 3-6 year olds. The Bhumro dance done by them to a peppy beat was high in the cuteness stakes. They were awarded the second prize by the judge. Shruti’s Hindustani classical duet with her brother Sachin, accompanied by Tejas on the tabla showed the extent of talent available in the colony. The group dance, Chak Dum Dum Chamak Chalo was one of three items choreographed by Anuradha and Netra highlighting the hard work they put in over the course of the last month to make this show possible. They deserve our compliments. The Yamuna all girls band was up next with a song, Signs. By the time they moved to their next song, the band size swelled from six girls to about twenty. They seemed to have a jolly good time. I could not have imagined that the Yamuna ladies would have the grace and rhythm to perform a Rajasthani dance with such panache. Choreographed by Soumya, they really upped the ante for the performances to follow. A solo song by Sandhya Jaishankar of B-202 was greeted with calls for an encore. Way to go, girl! Jazz, a song and dance medley choreographed by Prakriti and Roli had the misfortune of a audio disaster. The song got stuck half way and the dancers froze on the stage. They didn’t lose their spirit, though and they got another track and completed the dance. Prakriti was fabulous. A dance medley by the Yamuna girls band showed that they are not one dimensional and can also dance besides sing. Anuradha Nair and Netra were not done for the evening. The next two items staged by them with small children, namely the dance numbers Aaja Nachle, Chinnama Chinnama and with another set of children, Tai Tai Phish, really struck a chord with the audience who were on their feet cheering the performers. Rightfully, both the items were declared as the best group performances of the day by the judge. While, all the items had a great deal of quality and effort, there were some individual standout performances from within the groups. Kiana, Samiksha and Aparna Varma were outstanding amongst the girls. They seem to be gifted with the dancing gene and are natural dancers. Shantanu, in Tai Tai Phish was a pocket dynamo, dancing, swirling pirouetting and flaying fists with such energy and expression that he really electrified the atmosphere. The grand finale as always was the Yamuna rock band who entertained the crowd with their own compositions.

There were a variety of dishes available in the food stalls organised by Sujata Sundaresan. Much as I would have liked to gorge on the fried delicacies, I could feel my triglycerides shoot up 100 points just scanning the laid out fare. I am very grateful to Seetha Venkataraman who spent a lot of time and effort organising the prizes and sundry other jobs. Gita Rastogi as usual took care of putting together the entertainment items. Finally, I owe it to all the choreographers and performers, who, due to paucity of space cannot be named individually, for making the Annual Day function so enjoyable. They will now be called once again to showcase their talent at the Christmas carnival.

The calendar of events features a heritage walk to Surajkund on 18^th December, 2011. The venue could undergo a change. Please keep your eyes peeled to the white board under the club house, for changes if any.

SNIPPETS

Flats in Yamuna don’t stay unoccupied for long. G-202 gets a migrant from Chennai. Mr. Ganesh is VP Corporate Affairs of both Coromandel International and E.I.D. Parry (India) Ltd. He is no mean cricketer having represented his school, college and club. His physical activity now is however, limited to long walks and yoga. His wife Rajeshwari is a Yoga instructor and is a Carnatic music buff. Their elder daughter, Ayishvaryaa has done MS in Environment Science. She is married and lives in San Jose, California. I wonder how many people manage to spell her name correctly. Their second daughter, Archana is pursuing MS in Bio Process from Clemson University, South Carolina. Ganesh’s mother Mangalambal lives with them. She lives and breathes Thirupugazh. Ganesh can be reached on 8130500888 and Rajeshwari on 8826346995.

Marriages in Yamuna are great occasions to socialise and Shanti and Venkataraman’s daughter Nitya’s wedding was no exception. She and the groom, Arvind wed on the morning of 30^th November in a simple but elegant ceremony with the traditional nadaswaram breaking into a fast tempo when the tali was tied. The evening reception at the lawn was a very pleasant and relaxed affair with a sea of Yamuna faces to interact with. The archway leading to the lawn and the podium where the beautiful Nitya and dapper Arvind were standing was bedecked with flowers. The ladies, who are normally heavily clad at this time of the year when the air is frigid, came in all their sartorial elegance with Kanjeevaram sarees draped over stringy blouses. The attractive baubles and pendants completed the picture. The ogling eyes (mine included) justified the need to go half monty. The food was great and the atmosphere, very friendly. A group of dancers were busy enjoying themselves to the beat of Bollywood music. Shanti and Mr. Venkataraman were great hosts.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS - DECEMBER 2011

DATE	TIME	EVENT	VENUE
4.12.11	10.30 AM	COLONY CLEANLINESS AND ECO DRIVE	MEET AT BADMINTON COURT
18.12.11	10.00 AM	HERITAGE WALK FOLLOWED BY PICNIC-SURAJKUND	FROM H BLOCK GATE
25.12.10	6.00 PM	CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL-FOOD & GAMES STALLS/MUSIC/DANCE/CATWALK-WINTER COLLECTION AMIDST BONFIRE.	BADMINTON COURT
31.12.10	12.00	MIDNIGHT CAKE CUTTING TO USHER IN THE NEW YEAR.	COMMUNITY HALL