Issue No.221 I January 2020

EDITORIAL

I generally like winter for the balming influence of the midday sun and the cosy feeling and sound sleep one gets under the quilt at night. One also doesn’t get tired roaming during the day. Picnics and golf games are enjoyable. Not so this winter. This has been the most miserable winter I have endured and so too say others with whom I have interacted. The bone-chilling cold and cloudy, smoggy and rainy days and anaemic sun at other times have made both the days and nights a frigid nightmare. It is attributed to global warming. Strange are the ways of nature. You wonder why global warming should cause colder winters. The answer is not that simple. The circulation of the trade winds has got skewed with the unusual weather conditions caused by global warming. As a result, Moscow which normally is 20°C colder than Delhi was actually warmer than Delhi. Heaven help us if we continue with our indulgent ways.

The city is in the throes of elections. The periodic polling exercise is expected to convey to us, among other things, that democracy is alive and kicking. Whether the elections materially alter the lives of the citizens is not of concern to the politicians. It is a way to trick us into voting again with promises of Shangrila, by fooling everyone to believe that if we didn’t vote for them, the other option would be too dire to even fathom.

AAP came as a breath of fresh air over five years ago on the heels of the Anna Hazare movement, with a promise to bring probity in public life. After much puffery at the start of their innings, AAP took pot-shots from all and sundry owing to their own misdeeds.  Politicians everywhere bear the same stripes and AAP had proven that they were no different from others. The Chief Minister was luxuriating in an exaggerated pantomime, praising himself from billboards and newspaper ads while a mountain of promises remained unimplemented. Consequently, they drew a blank in the Lok Sabha elections. This seemed to have chastised them and they have since done some course correction to blunt the faultlines. Hence, for the State elections, they seem the favourites. Even opponents will grudgingly agree that on education and health fronts, this government has made the grade and that’s a start. Besides, they have also kept water and power rates in check, introduced CCTV’s all over the city to improve safety and security. They still need to do a lot more as Delhi is languishing at 200^th spot in the Swacch Bharat initiative. Cities like Indore have transformed dramatically. 

Five years ago, Arvind Kejriwal announced that he would make Delhi like London and Mamata Banerjee said the same thing for Kolkata. A walk along the broken pavement to Alaknanda market, past jagged kerbstones, dodging errant trailing cables, and derelict and rusted power or telephone distribution boards and sundry obstacles will reveal how Londonesque we are.  Why this obsession with London? All we need is a clean orderly, civilised and unpolluted city with well-paved roads and pavements, where rule of law is respected. Is it too much to ask? This is the situation despite the fact that the local AAP MLA, Mr Saurabh Bharadwaj, is easily approachable and delivers on most of his promises. As politicians go, he is definitely not made of the same feather. But, he is also stymied by the system. Even a people-friendly politician like him, who is a paragon of transparency is not able to deliver on all that he says. Therein lies the dilemma.

Owing to complaints from residents that there is no parking discipline with cars straying from their allotted spaces, painting of parking slots was done to enable residents to park their cars within its confines. Giving credence to a request by a member in the AGM, the speed-breakers were also painted to alert drivers of an approaching mound. Unfortunately, due to the bitter cold, the paint took time to dry, consequently, movement of human and vehicular traffic over wet paint left it smudged or obliterated in several places.

An orange tree in front of E-004 is bearing several fruits. The vista of big oranges laden on the branches is a delightful sight. I cannot hazard a guess as to how many years it has taken for the tree to bear fruit but it is worth planting more orange trees so that in due course we get a lot more fruits. I happened to taste one of the oranges. It was very sour. I have been given to understand that as the tree matures, the fruit in the following seasons will get progressively sweeter.

On Sunday, 5^th January 2020, Citizen’s Alliance visited Yamuna on behalf of the Delhi Government and gave a presentation on the benefits of harnessing the power of the sun in generating free electricity, notwithstanding the high capital cost. Mr Saurabh Bharadwaj spoke briefly to the audience. We were fortunate that the architect of our apartments, Mr Ranjit Sabiki was also present. He allayed the fears of residents on the structural stability of the building. He mentioned that there will be no harm that will be caused by the installation of the roof-top solar panels. He also mentioned that we could also check with Mr T. S. Narayanaswamy, the structural engineer who did the structural design of the building. Be that as it may, ultimately the members have to take a call. Mr Sabiki has written a book titled Cityscapes, published by Harper Collins, where Yamuna Apartments figures prominently with two photographs. This book is available in the office for people to read.  

In order to bolster the security of the complex, the Gatekeeper app of Apna Complex has been activated at the gates, whereby any visitor coming into the complex and wishing to go to a particular flat is screened at the gate by the guard messaging residents or calling them to ascertain whether the visitor should be let in. At the same time, the guard also takes a photo of the visitor. While no security system can be fool-proof, this is an additional measure other than the CCTV cameras to monitor the movement of visitors. When one uses any new system of verification, glitches will come to the surface and one keeps ironing them out as one goes along.

India celebrated the seventy-first year of turning a Republic in 1950 when we finally rid ourselves from the yoke of the British Empire. From that day we ceased to be a dominion territory of Britain and stopped owing allegiance to the Queen. Has becoming the Republic with the longest Constitution in the world rid us of all the ills? It’s been a mixed bag. Many countries who were behind us economically have stolen a march over us, as our questioning and challenging of every action while making us democratically vibrant, has acted as brakes to development. China which was way behind us when we turned a republic, is the second biggest power in the world both economically and militarily. With their expansionist ambitions, they could threaten the very existence of India. During the Indo-China war in 1962, we ceded Aksai Chin. The ceding of Gilgit-Baltistan to China by Pakistan from POK due to a Nehruvian blunder gave China a land border with Pakistan. Pakistan’s precarious financial position is propelling them to China who now has a stranglehold on them. It won’t be long before China will become the de facto ruler of Pakistan. Because of their economic and military heft, they are virtually dictating terms to Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and to some extent, Bangladesh. If Bangladesh capitulates, they would have effectively encircled us. We need to stay united to counter this threat and not take exuberant pride in a democracy which questions everything. Liberal attitudes are an import from the West who themselves don’t practice them when it comes to geopolitical compulsions. We need to be pragmatic and not get romanticised by the notion of liberalism because in the hard-scrabble world of geopolitics nobody messes with powerful entities like the US and China even when they deny civil liberties to immigrants and their own people in Tibet and Xinjiang respectively.  After all, money and military might speak.

Indians by nature are secular and the Constitution guarantees it. No government can do anything that is against the Constitution. There are legal remedies. Then why protest? Protests should be the last resort, not the first. If there is umbrage, people should approach the courts. Why park yourself on the streets and block traffic? Miscreants and vagabonds join the protestors to pickpockets or burn buses and damage property. Many of them don’t even know what CAA and NRC means. These protests affect commerce and the livelihood of thousands of people whose establishments are shut because of these bandhs and protests.  An already crawling traffic comes to a standstill. A commute of half an hour takes one hour. I had to go to Noida one day. It normally takes me half an hour through Kalindi Kunj. It took me two hours. It was very frustrating. That was one way. I had to return also. I was cursing under my breath. Imagine the plight of people who have to do this every day. This is anarchy. Are streets going to solve the concerns? Have debates, approach courts and meet the powers that be and put your point of view across. Without exhausting all other democratic means, if we have to resort to rebellion, a democracy cannot function. A majority vote has brought the government to power. Everything the government does may not suit everybody. That is why the ballot is there. I am fine with opposition parties or civil society protesting but when political parties make universities a hub of political unrest, it does not augur well for places of learning. Universities are places to gain knowledge and conduct research, invent new products, file patents and do other things which are academic in nature. If any person wishes to enter politics from a college they should do so after finishing their education or if they are in a hurry, should leave college and join a political party. Why make a place of learning a hotbed of politics, demonstrations, raise slogans and invite the ire of students of an opposing point of view resulting in clashes and bringing in the police to act in the way they know best, which in most cases is not the right way?

I read through the Act just to ascertain if I was missing anything. All that CAA does is to reduce the period of waiting for religiously persecuted minorities from the neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to apply for citizenship from 11 years to 5 years. For all others, 11 years waiting continues to apply. It does not affect any Indian citizen. Why should reducing the period of waiting of those who are already living in India, from 11 years to 5 years cause such a hue and cry?

It is just a political act gone horribly awry, creating chaos and denting the image of the country overseas and consequently investments. All political parties are to be blamed. BJP is to be blamed for not explaining the intent and transparency in CAA and the form of verification for NPR that is mandatory for proving that one is a citizen, and assure the public that there is no scope to exclude genuine citizens on the basis of caste, creed or religion. Opposition is to blame for whipping up controversy without effectively challenging it in Parliament or Courts. On January, 3^rd, 2009 Mr Chidambaram of the Congress party in a TV interview to veteran journalist Shekhar Gupta mentioned that the UPA government had an ambitious project to create a National Population Register which would serve to curtail the illegal immigration of people that changes the demographics of the region. When the same thing comes as NRC from NDA all hell breaks loose. This is because BJP has been painted as a non-secular party by all the opposing parties with the intention of capturing minority votes. The gullible public is just fodder for these parties. They are just vote banks and nothing else, otherwise, how can one explain this ethical dichotomy and the level of poverty amongst Muslims in 60 years of Congress rule? Any kind of discrimination is bad, whether it is caste, religion or gender. These are issues we should collectively address.

India sealed the T 20 series In New Zealand with a mind-blowing performance by snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. To prove that it was no flash in the pan, they repeated the feat in the Super Over in the very next match. This team has a never say die approach, a trait which is a rarity.

SNIPPETS

Mr G. Ravindra, who moved into C-001 only in April 2019, got fatigued by the long commute to work every day and decided to move to Faridabad to their own flat. Their daughter Bhairavi, who took to Yamuna like a fish to water, became a leader of the pack of kids within the first week of her being in Yamuna. She will miss Yamuna for sure. This family in such a short time contributed much to the cultural activities of Yamuna Bhairavi’s mother Amba performing in the last Annual Day and Bhairavi also playing Santa Claus at the Christmas Carnival.

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Mr Harish Nair has purchased G-302 from G. Umapathi in the name of his mother, Sarasa Nair. Unfortunately, he cannot move in because his parents are not fit enough to climb the stairs. He, therefore, intends to rent it out. The present tenant, Mr Vinod Asthana, will continue to stay till then. Harish is a faculty member of Mass Communication Research Centre of JNU. He is also a writer and director and has made seven films in Hindi, Marathi, Konkani and Malayalam. His wife, Tanushree is HR Head in Sage Publications. His son is in the XIth class In K. R. Mangalam School. They are presently staying in S-108, GK 2. He can be reached on 9818665271.

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Aanchal Sinha of A-007 did a Kathak recital in Sadhana School of Music and Dance on 26^th January 2020. She is such a consummate artist that dance comes naturally to her. The fluidity of her movement and her smiling countenance stands testimony to her oeuvre.

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Rekha Raghavendra’s sister, Janaki Sabesh, had a storytelling session at Sadhana School of Music and Dance on 31^st January, from the book she has written for children. She had the children in splits with her intonations, play-acting and dancing to a very participative audience consisting of children and adults. Janaki is also a very talented actress, having acted in several films and on TV. Kudos to her.

		CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR FEBRUARY 2020
DATE	TIME		VENUE
2.2.2020	4.00 PM	THIAGARAJA ARADHANA	COMMUNITY HALL
9.2.2020	10.00 AM	PAINTING COMPETITION IN THE LAWN FOLLOWED BY POT LUCK LUNCH	MAIN LAWN

Issue No. 220 I December 2019

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EDITORIAL

I do not know whether it is the Supreme Court strictures or the dawning of wisdom, the air has gotten marginally cleaner this month and we are able to breathe. We have got so inured to terrible air quality that when AQI shifts from hazardous to unhealthy, we begin celebrating! This is a clear example of negative adaptation. The slightly better air quality did not make it welcoming to move outdoors as Delhi witnessed the second worst December in over 100 years, with bone chilling temperatures. This tundraesque feeling either kept most people indoors or the few who ventured out, ostensibly to do some urgent errand, were bundled up in layers with their face hidden behind balaclavas. It certainly did not make for much social interaction. Even during midday, if the sun had the audacity to peep through the smog, it was so anaemic that it scarcely had a thawing effect.

The Annual Day on 7^th December, 2019 came in the midst of children’s exams and consequently, many children did not participate in the variety entertainment programme. The evening’s activities started with refreshments. The show commenced with singing of the invocation song by Subhada’s students Tanvi, Samiksha, Avantika, Shashvath and Mani. For the prize distribution ceremony, the sponsors were invited to distribute the prizes to the winners of various events during the year. 

It was refreshing to see Mrs. Rajalakshmi Kalyan, who became an octogenarian, come to receive the shawl despite health concerns. After the prize distribution ceremony, the variety entertainment programme got under way without much ado with a Musical Play choreographed by Aanchal Sinha and featuring Niveta, Aryan, Varun, Adhya, Saiansh, Akshara, Kiaan, Advik, Vihaan, Nysa, Adu and Arjun. The beauty of any performance by small children is that when they say their lines correctly, they look cute and when they seem lost and do something else, they look cuter. This is what happened when Snow White was supposed to be dead after eating the poisoned apple, but Akshara, who played the part, joined the ranks of the walking dead when she forgot that she was to lie prone and started hobnobbing with others in the cast. The commentary by Isha Gera was impeccable. 

While the stage was being set, Mr. Dua and Mr. Siby Markose lent their voice to old Hindi numbers. Siby, particularly, with his resounding and well modulated voice, regaled the audience. 

This was followed by a series of Sadhana School of Music dance items featuring Kathak  Indian instrumental, western instrumental and drums. Normally, Sadhana’s performances are slick and well-oiled but this time, it consisted of beginners and barring some in Indian instrumentals, the performers were all outsiders and dragged on well beyond the allotted time. This was not taken to kindly by some of the residents who felt the long show by the outsiders kept their own children’s items stalled.

Eventually, things got back on the rails and the ghungroo dance number choreographed by Bhairavi and featuring Niveta, Adhya, Saiansh, Varun, Aryan and herself had people applauding loudly. Dope by BTS - another dance number by Sahana Iyer and Anoushka - had people tapping their feet. Bhairavi’s mother Amba then took the stage and sang Zara Zara with such finesse that she could well become a playback singer. 

Another peppy dance number by Adwita, Vanshika and Bhavna was well received. It was then the turn of Aanchal Sinha to unleash her incredible talent in a classical- fusion dance number, to everybody’s delight. She was then upended on stage by Kaushal and Keshav Bharadwaj, originally from Amritsar and now residing in C Block. Dressed as sardars they lit up the stage with  so much verve and vim in a Bhangra fusion dance that they had the audience asking for more. 

By now, the audience had warmed up enough for the grand finale. Seema Chari had taken a recess this year as she had to contend with her daughters’ Xth class and XIIth class Board exams! Over the years, Seema has put up several outstanding plays that it seemed like a tall order to fill her shoes. Having been catapulted into the limelight with the sudden turn of events, Aanchal and her crew came up with such a splendid performance that people would have paid serious money to watch them. 

The spoof on Jasmine Aladdin Le Jayenge  was wickedly funny, mixing the situational and mystic land of genies and magic lamps of the Arab world in the Middle Ages with a contemporary milieu and modern technological intrusions. Chaste Urdu dialogues interspersed with Tamil and English interjections added to the mirth. The impoverished Aladdin (played by Pushkar Mani) is drawn into a snare with the lure of the lucre by the cunning Jafar (Prashant Gopal) and from then on, the roller coaster begins. Vaishali played Rukhsar, Aladdin’s nagging mother, in the typical bossy way, and Raj and Mukesh as the genies popped up to aid Aladdin everytime he rubbed the magic lamp. The Sultan (Prabhu Ram) in all his regalia, majestically walking up the aisle to a rousing reception by his minions, was hilarious. He behaved like a potentate and asked his mistress to dance, which Aanchal did dutifully with her customary grace. The alluring Jasmine, daughter of the Sultan and the love interest of Aladdin, was played by Sonam. 

The cast, carefully chosen for the respective roles, fitted the characters so perfectly that you could easily get transported to the Middle East of yore. The costumes and the make-up mirrored the setting.  Backstage credits go to Priyanka for make up, Namagiri for the graphics and Isha for sound. Aanchal was the director, script writer and dancer. Her vision was an uproarious montage that unleashed the full force of the play's farcical energy. Impromptu contributions to the script were made by others as well, as the rehearsals evolved. The play rounded off a wonderful night’s entertainment after a lackadaisical start. 

Prashant Sr. assisted in sequencing the items in a timely manner despite the early glitch. The Managing Committee is deeply indebted to the following sponsors for supporting the conduct of the Annual Day with their generous contributions.

	SPONSORS FOR ANNUAL DAY 2019
S.NO	NAME	FLAT NO.	AMOUNT/GIFTS
1	K. SRIDEVI	G 303	RS. 10000
2	GIRIJA MOHAN	H 101	RS. 10000
3	M. ANAND	H 101	RS. 10000
4	SAVITA KUMAR IN MEMORY OF LATE N.V. SESHAN	G 105	RS. 5000
5	N.A. SESHADRI	D 103	RS.2000
6	DONOR WISHES TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS		RS. 2000

While much of the attention by the mali is lavished on the main lawn, the lawn behind C Block was a picture of neglect. Not any more. Anand Sundaresan, at his own expense has converted this unkempt part of lawn into a beautifully landscaped one with flowerbeds redolent with winter flowering plants like petunias, flox, dianthus, jasmin etc. The flower beds are also lined with elegant solar lamps.

The Christmas carnival on 24^th December, 2019, was a grand affair. Despite it being a working day and many aborting their planned visit due to traffic snarls on most roads, the audience was reasonably good. The stage was dressed with a colourful canopy of fairy lights radiating to the stage ring, the screened wall was adorned with flutes, pine cones and sundry Christmas baubles. The Christmas tree shimmered in the corner. The programme got underway with the singing of the Christmas carols and the depiction of the Nativity play. The children were all very prettily dressed and sang in unison, ably marshalled by the ever enthusiastic Seema Chari. Then Bhairavi, dressed as Santa Claus, came laden with gifts to distribute. She was immediately mobbed by the children for their share of the loot.

Upon completion of the Christmas doodahs, the stage background had to be reset in a jiffy to reflect the mood for some retro and contemporary music. Posters of singers from a bygone era jostled for space with the current favourites. The Prashant duo then got cracking with the music in their customary devil-may-care style and the senior Prashant letting it spill about the glory days of the Diwali Mela-themed musical journey.

The carnival had enough traction for all. The small children had ferris wheel, trampoline, toys, balloons and candy floss stalls to keep them out of their parents’ hair. The older children had a busy time managing or playing in games stalls which either tested one’s skills or luck on the dice. For the adults, there were stalls selling clothes, handicrafts, healthy cow’s milk and games of skill, tambola etc. An assortment of food stalls to suit all palates from wood fired pizzas, bhatura channa, waffles, brownies, egg roll, chow mein, South Indian eats, gol guppa, chaat, tikki, hot jalebis, cup cakes and muffins, amongst others, was where everybody gravitated to as a Pavlovian response to an evening repast. The wood fired pizza stall was a big hit. I had to wait for over twenty minutes to get a bite.

We were graced by the presence of the popular and affable AAP MLA, Mr. Saurabh Bharadwaj, who came with his wife, daughter and brother’s children. He spent a good deal of time mingling with everybody and partook in the eats. This month he had provided us with six attractive Victorian style steel outdoor benches which we have placed in several places to ease tired legs.

While all this was going on, the Prashant duo were regaling the audience to some foot tapping music and as the night wore on, the dance floor got filled up with a swaying mass of dancers doing some serious pelvic and pectoral thrusts. The duo then cranked up the volume and let go some of the Punjabi bump-and-grind music with suggestive lyrics. The swaying mass got wilder and the music got louder and the duo was revelling in unbridled euphoria until I played the spoilsport and put an abrupt end to the merry mayhem by turning off the power. I was the most unpopular man at that point but I had the sixth sense that something was about to go awry. Soon enough, a police patrol was at our doorstep to issue a challan for playing loud music beyond 10 pm on a complaint from a neighbouring colony. Fortunately, by the time they arrived, we had shut off the music. We are grateful to all the people who came to the carnival and made it a fun evening but I have to single out Mrs. Abraham who donated cakes for selling in the carnival. This helped defray part of the expenses.

While the evening was of great entertainment value, its sustenance as a year-end event in the calendar does not augur well for the future. Unlike in the past when children and adults alike participated enthusastically in the preparations, this year, more than ever before, there was a notable lack of involvement until the show began. If things don’t change, this may be the last carnival or mela. Nobody is showing any inclination to take over the baton. We now live in a world of instant gratification and nobody wants to work for it. Nothing happens without effort and if all the effort has to be put in by one or two people, such events will be shortlived.

At the midnight cake-cutting ceremony, there was not a whiff of sobriety among the assembled throng as they had all toodled in from various parties after succumbing to spirited entreaties. In essence, everyone was in high spirits. Pardon the pun! Braving the cold a record number of people turned up at the cake cutting ceremony. Consequently, there was hardly any standing room but it made the atmosphere very electric. Shini Harish deserves kudos for the lovely cake she had baked. It was finger-licking good. At the mdnight hour, a roar went out and everybody was wishing each other a happy 2020 and the general air of bonhomie was evident with all the hugging and backslapping. I think most people were relieved that 2019 was over. By most standards, it was one of the worst years in many ways. The New Year has started on a bright note with the sun showing its true colours and shining in full glory.

To everybody in Yamuna and also to those ex-Yamuna’ites who log in to view the Chronicle, I wish and hope that the next year and decade ahead is a lot better than the one we leave behind and may all your wishes and desires come true. Above all, may you stay healthy and happy.

SNIPPETS

Netra Sundaresan’s days as a carefree soul came to an end when she tied the knot with Yog Mudgil on 2^nd December, 2019 in Gurgaon. The wedding  was preceded by a mehndi ceremony that had all the makings of a Grand Indian Wedding. Sujata, who was the master of ceremonies and organiser par excellence, had made very good arrangements for food, guests’ accommodation, décor and the entertainment that was to follow. The choreographed dance capsule featuring a medley of dances from family members on both sides, friends and relatives was a top draw. Sujatha’s aunt was outstanding and provided comic relief in her dance. Aseem Sharma compered the show with his characteristic elan in chaste Hindi, with some choice Urdu couplets thrown in between for good measure. The wedding ceremony the next day, which was a more solemn and traditional South Indian affair, saw a fair representation from Yamuna. Anand was a bit more restrainedthan usual and dutifully played the role of the bride’s father. The lunch was feasted upon by all and everybody had a jolly good time.

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Anand Mahadevan and  Veena have become grandparents for the fourth time. Their daughter Advaitha delivered a baby girl on 9^th December, 2019. The cradle ceremony was held in their GK 2 house on 19^th December, 2019. The baby looks very cute. Advik now has a younger sister to take care of. Anand and Veena will be called upon to babysit as Sriram is generally away sailing. We wish all of them peaceful nights between the nappy-changing.

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Mr. Sandeep Unnithan has donated a swivelling office chair for the Society’s use. It was a welcome Christmas gift.

		CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR JANUARY 2020
DATE	TIME		VENUE
5.1.20	10.30 AM	PRESENTATION ON INSTALLATION OF ROOF-TOP SOLAR PANEL.	COMMUNITY HALL
		REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED