EDITORIAL
Water conservation is not only a need as
an ecological measure but also makes good economic sense. The difference
between getting a bill for zero charges for a month or Rs. 1 lakh a month is
only a few litres. In the financial year 2017-18, on two occasions we received
bills for zero amount whereas in 2018-19 we did not receive in any month, a bill
for zero amount. One of the causes is seepage in several flats. If we are in a
position to control seepage in all flats as also reduce the size of the
cisterns in the bathrooms, we have reasonable cause to believe that at least in
the winter months we can get zero amount bills. This can serve to contain the
maintenance charges, if not reduce it.
Dates for the General Elections has been drawn up by the
Election Commission, an election that is going to determine the direction the
country will take. First and foremost it is important that there is stability.
While BJP may have their fault lines, gleaning from evidence of the past it is
apparent that there is no other party at the moment which can last five years
other than the BJP. The Opposition parties are fragmented and too numerous to
be able to have the cohesiveness beyond their own petty interests. These parties
will always keep bargaining for the pie and will fall apart if their demands
are not met. Surely, nobody wishes to go into another profligate and wasteful General
Election.
Holi traditionally stood for spring and harvest by all
communities. But legend also has it that the evil Holika who while trying to
burn her devout nephew Prahlad is burnt to cinders herself. Holi is a day of
liberty when bounds of creed could be overstepped. In organisations where Holi
is celebrated, even bosses faces could be smeared with abandon, who indulgently
rewarded the impudence. In local communities boys look forward to this day as
they could legitimately make physical contact with a girl and perhaps the same
applies to girls as well. At this year’s Holi there was still a nip in the air
in the morning. I ventured into the park sufficiently late hoping that the
children would have run out of their arsenal. I couldn’t be more wrong. As soon
as I entered the park I was greeted by a volley of water balloons. After I was
peppered by the children with the stinging missiles, the adults took over like
vultures preying on carrion and smothered me with dry colours. I must have looked
like something the devil brought in. Had my mother seen me in that state she
would have disowned me. The park was full of both children and adults having a
jolly good time. While it is a messy business, the gay abandon with which
people play Holi, is a welcome release from the stresses and strains of daily
life. Intoxicants, both liquid and powder, did the rounds. I didn’t stay long
enough to see the effects of these stimulants.
Mr. Saurabh Bharadwaj, MLA, and a senior functionary of AAP
visited us on 9th March, 2019 alongwith a representative of BEL for doing
a survey on installation of wireless CCTV’s. We have projected a requirement of
25 CCTV’s. During his visit he wished to know what other assistance he could
provide. We have given requirements of 30 bollards, eight concrete benches and
children’s integrated play equipment. I followed up with him on 18th
March , 2019 to get what we needed to which he replied that the Model Code of
Conduct is in force and that the needful would be done only after the
elections.
Good civic sense is a must in shared living spaces like
apartments where activities of a neighbour can impact your welfare. Recently,
one resident returned home from Kerala after two months. She was distraught to
find that her flat had been completely swamped with sewage and faeces from a
toilet pot which had been backing up. As abhorrent as it may seem, the horror
magnifies when one realises that the resident has been a victim of this
experience twice in the space of three years. Perhaps, a maid from a flat above
had flushed a wash cloth into the commode which in turn clogged the sewage pipe
leaving no room for the excreta to get past. This eventually led to the pot
overflowing and spreading to the whole flat. Had the person been resident, this
mishap could have been averted by timely action but since the flat was locked
up, the consequences were very unpleasant. The resident was traumatised to such
an extent that she had to move to a hotel while she could get proffessional
cleaners from a hospital to sanitise the place and rid all the linen and
carpets of bacteria by sending them to the dry-cleaners. The common sewage pipe
is six inches in diameter and will never clog up so long as the pot is used for
the purpose it is meant and not for flushing down rags, diapers, and sanitary
pads. Let us hope this incident will drive home the point and all residents
make it a point to tell their maids what not to do.
We are probably the least environmentally conscious country
in the world. The waste generated by urban households is an environmental
nightmare. The least we can do to our generation and for our children is to
leave a more sustainable earth. Our mixed garbage ends up in landfills and
pollutes the earth and sub-soil water with toxic waste. The authorities have
finally woken up to this hugely troublesome problem. We were visited by the
Municipal Commissioner and he dealt us a stern warning that our irresponsible ways
will no longer be tolerated. He mentioned that SDMC will carry out surprise
checks of the garbage going out of the colony and even if one bag is seen to
contain mixed garbage the Society would be fined Rs. 2 lakhs. It is not an
amount to piffle at. If fined, this burden will have to be shared by all the
residents. It will be really cruel to those who are segregating their garbage
and following all the norms. We had a meeting with DDSIL who are, through safai
karamcharis, collecting and disposing garbage from individual households. We have
told them to check on all those flats who are not segregating the garbage and
notify the office. DDSIL have also been told to educate the safai karamcharis
to not mix the contents of two different bags. For the benefit of those who are
not clear about the segregation rules I wish to explain the same. Wet garbage
is vegetable and fruit peels and leftover cooked food. This is considered
bio-degradable, which over time will decay and become manure. Any other waste
like, plastic, paper, glass, metal, etc is considered dry waste. The wet waste
and dry waste have to be kept in separate bags and given to the safai
karamcharis. In order that we avoid mix-up of the wet waste and dry waste by
the safai karamcharis it has been decided to collect the dry waste only on
Sundays. Please ensure strict compliance lest we get fined.
Radha Kalyana Mahotsavam, the celestial marriage of Lord
Krishna and Radha was celebrated on March 25 & 26 in the Yamuna lawns. The
ashtapathis were sung by the bhagavathas. Residents took part in the
bhajans followed by lunch. The absence of Sri Sri Krishnapremi due to
ill health was a dampener.
Lightning, thunder, a slight drizzle and dark thunder clouds
threatened to disrupt the cooking competition. Thankfully it stayed away to the
delight of the participants and onlookers who salivated at the culinary treat. My
tongue was tingling with pleasure at the myriad tastes I could savour at the
cooking competition. For me, It was an ambrosial experience. Both the children
and adults came up with incredibly tasty dishes, some common and some exotic.
The judge who adjudicated the contestants and pronounced the winners was Manish
Malhotra who is currently a chef trainer with IP University. He has also worked
as a chef with Intercontinental Hotels and J.W. Marriott. He was also in the
panel of judges for shortlisting the contenders for Master Chef. He remarked
that he was literally bowled over by the sheer talent and enthusiasm of the
children and said that some of them could qualify for Master Chef. He also said
that it was extremely difficult to pick out the winners and stated that the ones
who did not make the cut did not deserve to lose. The list of the winners is
given in the table below. They were given cash prizes.
S.No
|
NAME
|
ADDRESS
|
ITEM
|
STARTERS - CHILDREN
|
|||
1
|
ANANYA/ANOUSHKA/SAHANA V IYER/ADWITA
|
G-101/A-103/E-101/B-107
|
CHEESE BALLS
|
2
|
TANVI/SAHANA SAVARKAR
|
C-208
|
CHICKEN TIKKA WITH MINT SAUCE
|
STARTERS - ADULTS
|
|||
1
|
ANURADHA NAIR
|
B-107
|
TANGRI KABAB
|
MAIN COURSE - CHILDREN
|
|||
1
|
ANANYA/ANOUSHKA/SAHANA V IYER/ADWITA
|
G-101/A-103/E-101/B-107
|
PASTA TRICOSTA
|
MAIN COURSE – ADULTS
|
|||
1
|
SHEKHAR NAIR
|
B-107
|
POMFRET PULAO
|
2
|
MAMTA SEHGAL
|
C-203
|
PURI MASALA
|
3
|
FALGUNI BHATT
|
A-308
|
FANSI DHOKLI
|
DESSERT – CHILDREN
|
|||
1
|
BHAVNA HARISH/VANSHIKA ARORA
|
E-305/A-106
|
OREO PUDDING
|
2
|
NIVETA REDDY/ AADHYA RAM/ SAIANSH GOPAL
|
A-309/H-002/C-202
|
COOKIE & CREAM
|
DESSERT – ADULTS
|
|||
1
|
MALA SUNDARESAN
|
D-002
|
BREAD BURFI
|
We wish you all a Happy
Vishu, Tamil New Year’s day, Ugadi and Baisakhi.
OBITUARY
It is with great sorrow
that we wish to inform you of the sad demise of Mr. Suresh Anantharaman Iyer on
the morning of 7th March, 2019 at his house in B-301. He was just 60
years old. The members and residents of the Society convey their heartfelt
condolences to the bereaved family.
SNIPPETS
Geetha and Eswar Sambasivam (D- 201) have been blessed
with a grandson on 19th February , 2019 in Denmark.The child has
been named Anirudh (son of their daughter Divya and Sunil Krishna) . To Geetha
and Eswar, being grandparents is one of
their greatest joys in life.
**************************
Mekhala of B-102 got married to Ramkumar Subramanian, an Associate
Director at PWC, in an elaborate
ceremony at the Yamuna lawns on 10th March, 2019. This was preceded
by two days of pre-wedding festivities. Parents, Mrs. Venkatalakshmi and Mr.
Rajagopal and brother Vikram were delighted to welcome all the guests, a
sizeable number of whom were from Yamuna. This is what makes the colony so
special, the feeling of one large family. It was a perfect day with salubrious
weather, great company, and excellent food. To top it all the breakfast plates
were made from eco-friendly sugarcane bagasse. Everybody seemed to have a jolly
good time.
***************************
Radhika Samson’s sitar recital at India
Habitat Centre on 12th March, 2019 was very well attended with a
fair sprinkling of people from Yamuna. I am not a connoisseur of sitar recitals
and cannot claim to be able to give a knowledgeable appraisal of her skill, but
the dexterity and fluidity with which her fingers moved on the fret board
showed that she has mastered the art form. Keep it up, Radhika.
**************************
A musically talented family has moved into
G-202. Mr. Siby Markose is COO of Yatharth Group Hospitals, Noida. When not
busy with his work he likes to sing and watch sports channels on TV. Sheela,
his wife likes to take care of the house. Their son, Kenz is a final year
student of B.Com. He likes to play the keyboard. Their daughter, Kezia is doing
BBA from Manav Rachna College. She too loves to sing. So one has a full orchestra
on board for the Annual Day. Siby can be reached on 9891386833.
Vipin Upadhyay has moved into G-203 from
Bhopal with his wife Dolly Talreja. Vipin is a taxation lawyer and Dolly is a
software engineer. Vipin likes playing cricket and biking on his Royal Enfield
Classic bike whereas Dolly loves playing badminton and travelling. Dolly used
to work with HP before she moved to Delhi. Vipin can be reached on 9999334099
and Dolly on 8884333160.
Abin Mathew and his brother Didin Mathew
have moved into E-302. Abin works as a lawyer in the contracts team of
Planetcast Media Services. In his spare time Abin likes to play football and
trek. Didin works as a Data Analyst with Liquid Hub. He loves playing and
watching cricket. Abin can be reached on 9911472623 and Didin on 9870146125.
Karun Prabhakar returns to his roots after
a gap of over 20 years after making his fortune in Mumbai working with Sidharth
Basu in Kaun Banega Crorepati and
other shows. He has moved into his flat in E-003. It has been tastefully
refitted and stands out distinctively in E Block. Karun is a good cook and
loves watch cricket and read. He is now married to Sonam Tsomo, a Tibetan from
Kalimpong and has a son named Arjun. Sonam is a PR consultant with specialisation
in Brand Positioning. Arjun will be joining nursery classes in MMI. He is
already a hit with children and adults in the park. Karun can be reached on
9820212521.
We welcome all the new comers to Yamuna.
CALENDAR
OF EVENTS FOR APRIL, 2019
|
|||
DATE
|
TIME
|
ITEM
|
VENUE
|
6.4.19
|
7.00 PM
|
MOVIE SCREENING AND POT LUCK DINNER
|
BADMINTON COURT
|
13.4.19
|
4 PM
|
THIAGARAJA ARADHANA
|
COMMUNITY HALL
|
