Issue No. 201 I May 2018

EDITORIAL

In the beginning of May a dust storm and squall hit Delhi and the neighbouring states and wreaked havoc in Rajasthan and UP causing several deaths. A couple of days later another storm was brewing over Rajasthan due to a western disturbance. Chastened by the earlier incident, the Haryana and Delhi governments decided to shut schools and power lines in many areas. On the appointed date several people sent out WhatsApp messages enquiring about the progress of the storm. I got the feeling they were secretly hoping for the storm to arrive. Alas! It was not to be. The storm skirted the Capital and made landfall in the neighbouring states. Vagaries of nature can never be predicted.

We are now at the end of May. By late afternoon it is unremittingly hot. You could bake bread by just keeping the dough out in the sun. It is advisable to be well hydrated lest you fall prey to heat stroke. Nimbu paani, coconut water or just our humble aqua pura est un must.

Prime Minister Modi went to China to mend fences, which had got a bit strained with the Doklam standoff. We cannot afford to have a hostile neighbour who is five times more powerful than India in GDP terms. China’s dominance is not only economic but militarily also they are quite formidable. To be able to get Xi’s eyeballs for such a long tete-et-tete needs a tall leader with a lot of cojones and Modi who has the largest Facebook and Twitter following in the world is a tall leader and can certainly hold his own in mismatched company. No other Indian leader had such a global influence as our current Prime Minister. In international relations, Modi is certainly punching much above his weight.

India may never become an industrial hub and replace China as a factory to the world at large. It however, has all the makings of an information technology superpower. We are a cultural entrepot with so many ethnicities and centuries old heritage. By seamlessly blending these with new age dash and verve, it is possible to propel it to superpower status. We are an ethnic melting pot having the potential to take wings with the loosening of moral codes and a more liberal mindset. Xi did indicate his interest in India’s soft power when he articulated that he had seen several Indian movies.

Children look forward to the summer vacation after a year long slog at academics. Their freedom is palpable as you can see the whole lot either in the badminton court or in the main lawn. Heat doesn’t bother them as you can see them playing even in mid afternoon when temperatures are routinely in the mid forties. I prefer to remain ensconced in an AC room and every now and then sip a cool beverage.Summer is also a time for families to plan their vacation. My daughter too has bullied me into planning a vacation, but it will come in June. It is predicted that North India will face severe water shortage. We do hope Yamuna does not get parched.

The proverbial old man with calloused feet, fighting for justice in lower courts for twenty years has repeatedly fallen for the assurance and voted for whoever promised relief. But these are politicians who have a veneer of thick skin and are ready to fawn and grovel at the next election rally with fresh promises. Don't ever vote for any politician for what they promise and instead look at their track record. With political parties fighting the Karnataka elections promising the moon, there is a bit of ennui and few believe that promises will be kept. When it comes elections, political parties select candidates where winnability is the only criteria. Exigencies dictate, ethics and morality are cast by the wayside. No other profession has more criminals in their ranks than the legislative assemblies. No party can claim the moral high ground on this as the representation of criminals in most of the parties is similar.

Karnataka assembly elections results led to an exercise in maths rather than governance. BJP, the largest single party tried futilely to cobble up the numbers amidst allegations of horse trading. The Opposition barricaded their elected leaders in a resort in a defensive maneouvre. This is resort politics for you. This is a new term added to the English lexicon – a purely Indian invention! Something to be proud of, as we do not have many inventions to talk about. However, I resent the use of the term, “horse trading”. Why lay the blame on the humble equine, when it is the men who are being traded. Why can’t we call it MLA trading?

Lay the blame where one should, the morally and ethically bankrupt Indian politicians. 

Anyway, I was bracing up for some drama on 19^th   May in the legislative assembly but it turned out to be a damp squib. Yeddy gave up without a fight. There was more excitement that day at Windsor, on the occasion of the royal wedding. The elegance of the ceremony was in stark contrast to the Indian wedding scenario which is replete with band, baja, baraat.

I was shocked to read in the papers the other day that as many as five rapes a day have taken place in Delhi so far this year. This is a frightening statistic. Where are the morals? Are parents not teaching values to their children? Our religion teaches us all good moral values and we have all grown up hearing tales from our grandmothers highlighting this trait. Why then are people in the country behaving like animals? Girls and women are treated like objects. Don’t these people have mothers and sisters? I just cannot fathom this moral vacuum. India should introduce a law for permanent incarceration for crimes like homicide, aggravated felony or moral turpitude like rape, in case any offence of this nature is committed three times. Chemical castration should be the only punishment for rapists.

Working in an NGO is a noble profession and many of them are doing great service to humanity. Of course, there are many NGOs who are there only to make a quick buck, profiting from misery. Madhavi Samson’s NGO is doing commendable work teaching girl children in slums. Life in jhuggi clusters is malodorous with unwashed bodies and matted hair that has not seen water since the last rain. To go through these byzantine lanes on a daily basis teaching kids from broken homes cannot be easy. Yet Madhavi goes about the task gamely.

In Delhi nobody ever arrives for an appointment on time and it is euphemistically alluded to as being fashionably late. Not a care in the world for the poor sod who has dropped everything else for the dinner appointment and is twiddling his thumbs for a good part of an hour. Although I have lived in Delhi all my life, an errant ancestral gene that could be traced down to a long gone era, prevents my adaptation to Delhi times. Hence, I always arrive on time. It is a Pavlovian response brought by that infernal gene. Now you know who the sod is I was referring to, cooling his heels! So there I was  watching the telly where some anchor was carpet bombing the guest. I then turned to chatting with the vassals while the host was still dressing up at 9.00 pm for an 8 pm dinner party he invited me to. To top it all, I was the only sucker to show up on time.

The need for a grocery store within the premises has been felt ever since the Co-operative Store shut operations. Upon the dry cleaner’s demise and the shop falling vacant, it was put up for bidding for a grocery store. Niharika Abraham and Raju Krishnan submitted bids. Since Niharika had offered a higher bid amount the MC would have awarded the bid to her but on the day of the MC meeting she withdrew her bid. She had intended to open a store to sell all the groceries without plastic wrapping and also keep a whole lot of organic stuff. Since, practically almost all the grocery items are packed in plastic, it would have amounted to a lot of logistic and cost premium that she had to factor. Ultimately she decided it was not feasible. Hence the MC gave the store on Leave and Licence Agreement to Raju Krishnan. The store is set to open on 16th June, 2018.

The merger of Flipkart and Walmart is going to create a behemoth. Some apprehend that it would spell the death knell of the corner store, but many mom and pop shops are thriving in the western world where giant retailers have big foot prints. All the big stores realise that they cannot be everywhere. They, therefore, have a hypermarket model through which they make bulk supplies to retailers at discounted prices. It is a win-win situation as the big consolidators get the volumes they need and the small retailer benefits from the low sourcing costs. It is a symbiotic relationship that will stand the test of time.

Of late, several complaints have been received stating that Vikram the plumber does not answer the phone. In view of that, the Society has enlisted Mr. Dayaram as a plumber in case Vikram does not attend to calls. He can be reached on 9810517156. He is also adept at repairing electrical faults. Since he also attends to complaints in adjoining colonies, it would be advisable to check with him to find out how much time he would take to attend to the problem. Please also ascertain from him the charges before entrusting the job.

Delhi Metro Magenta Line was thrown open to the public on 29^th May, 2018. This line at GK-2, opposite Savitri Cinema, closest to Yamuna Apts thus far, connects among other places Palam, IGI Airport, Shankar Vihar, Munirka, R.K. Puram, IIT Delhi, Hauz Khas-yellow Line, Panchsheel Park, Chirag Delhi to the West and Nehru Enclave, Kalkaji Mandir-Violet Line, Mathura Road, Okhla NSIC, Sukhdev Vihar, Jamia Milia Islamia, Okhla, Jasola, Kalindi Kunj, Yamuna river, Delhi-UP border, Okhla Bird sanctuary, Botanical garden-Blue Line to the East. Travelling anywhere should be a breeze now. You cannot miss the station painted in a garish bright crimson, a symbol of the Muthoot Group who have taken the advertising rights. I personally would have preferred a more subtle makeover.

A delegation of police personnel visited Yamuna and met the MC members and sought their concerns. We told them that internal security was not a concern but the moment one steps out of the colony, one is confronted by pick pockets, chain snatchers and the like. Cases of cars or their parts being stolen is rampant. There is also a gang operating which punctures the tyres in the red light and when the driver alights from the car to check, one of the gang members opens the door on the other side and runs off with whatever is kept on the seat. This person is met by a fellow crook on a motorcycle and they make their getaway. To this the police person had the temerity to tell us to install cameras outside the complex to face the road and footpath.  This is absolutely outrageous, the custodians of the law coolly washing their hands off by saying that we should exercise vigil outside the colony! What are they for? Have you heard anything more ridiculous than this?

The XII class Board results are out and both the students from Yamuna have done exceedingly well. One of the student didn’t want his name featured in the Chronicle so I shall refrain from mentioning the name and marks here. The other student is Vedika Arora of A-106 who secured 94.4% in the Science stream. Congratulations to both the students and may you get the stream of your choice for graduation.

The Xth Class board exams have also brought good results for the Yamuna students. Tanvi Savarkar of C-208 has scored a mindboggling 96.2% and Aryan Ramabadhran of E-201 has scored an equally impressive 93%. Both wish to pursue Science.

Mr. Saurabh Bhardwaj, MLA for South Delhi visited the Society on 27^th May, 2018 and spent more than one hour hearing our concerns. He was pragmatic and articulated what could be done and what could not be done. We handed over to him a list of concerns plaguing Alaknanda and GK2. We have also requested him for supply of bollards between the blocks and concrete benches to replace the rusted steel benches in the park. He has agreed to address most of the issues. We shall await results of our interactions.

Mr.Sandeep Unnithan of B-203 has donated a cycle stand to keep the cycles between A&B blocks in an orderly fashion. We are indeed grateful to him for the same.

The May issue of the neighbourhood magazine, Samvada has written about the sorry state of affairs with parking, leading to frequent fights in the colonies in Alaknanda except Ganga and Yamuna. Kudos, to the parking sub-committee.

SNIPPETS

Ms. Sharada Veerubhotla, daughter of Mr.V.V. Bhotlu of F 203 is turning heads in the Big Apple with her pioneering work. This New York based citizen has not let her visual impairment come in the way of helping others gain independence. She teaches at the Lavelle School of the Blind in Bronx. She was voted the New Yorker of the Week on 30^th April, 2018 for making a change in the lives of the disdvantaged. We are very proud of her.

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Geethaa of D-002 has delivered a bonny girl on 3^rd May, 2018. What is it about the Yamuna air that most post natal results turn out be that of girls? The ratio of girl births to boy births is a massively skewed 8ː2. Such a ratio goes against the national average of more male births to female. It’s good that Yamuna girls are righting the wrong. Bless the girl child.

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It is only accomplished artistes who are called to perform on the big stage, so when Mallika was called to perform by Kanaka Srinivasan, a Padma Shri awardee, at the India Habitat Centre on 9^th May, 2018 it was an endorsement of her Bharatanatyam skills.

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Animesh Bajpai has moved with his wife Prerna Misra to E-004. They are a newly married couple who are both software engineers. They have moved from Bangalore where they were previously working. Animesh works for Expedia as a software engineer and Prerna works as a software engineer with The Times of India. Animesh is fond of playing cricket and badminton. He didn’t have a clue what his wife’s interests were, understandable since he was freshly married and would have other things in mind.

Issue No. 200 I April 2018

EDITORIAL

This is the 200th issue of the Yamuna Chronicle. The previous 199 issues carry the memorable events that shaped the journey of Yamuna through the times. Many of them are happy memories but along the way we lost some near and dear members and residents to age and other unfortunate events. We cherish their memories. When you go through the old issues some of the names that feature there don’t ring a bell, a testimony to the times we live in, transitory and fleeting acquaintances.

April usually marks the advent of summer but a spell of unseasonal rain midway through the month meant that we could enjoy really pleasant weather right upto the third week of the month. Summer also spells doom for the colurful winter flowering plants. However, fortunately all the Jacaranda trees planted in the border of the badminton court are in full bloom and bathed in lilac. In a few years when the trees mature a liitle more and when the season arrives, leaves will not be visible. You would only behold a sea of purple infloresence. It would be a magnificent sight and serve as a backdrop for taking pictures.

As we all know temperature and humidity are set to rise in the coming weeks when even an illusion of coolness is a priceless gift indeed. People living in the top floor must be experiencing a sauna effect.

Many people from all strata of society lead their lives on the outer edge of sanity. They are either bigoted or sexist or morality upholders or just vagabonds, eager to join any mob at a price to wreak havoc. They play to the basest and most primal impulses of paranoia, conflict and violence and use them in an effort to create schism in society to justify its most regressive attitudes. Take the case of the screening of Padmaavat, cow transportation violence, or targeting women with brutality for visiting pubs. These things have no place in civilised society, yet the vast majority remain silent when mobs inflict such mayhem. Complicity of legislators in the rapes of young girls in Kathua and Unnao was a new low. Can we really call India a civilised society, I wonder. If there was a need for judicial outreach, this is where it should begin. The judiciary should not take shelter on the plea that no witnesses came forward when such people are either caught on camera or seen openly threatening or even admitting to news channels that they were behind the incidents. Why are the legislatures and judiciary  giving such an anaemic response? This is what disgusts many of us.

Normally, we take a recess during the hot summer months from April to July from hosting any cultural event but we were pleasantly surprised to get a classical performance treat from Sadhana School of Music and Arts in the amphitheatre adjoining the badminton court on the 7^th of the month.

I saw a cartoon in the Times of India of 19^th April, 2018 where humans are shown to have evolved  from monkeys and apes. So far so good, but following the human was an ass, implying that humans have become asses, in a derogatory sense. I strongly resent this drawing of parallels, not because humans are behaving in a manner that is totally irresponsible and unpardonable but in our attempts to draw similarities between animals and the failures of human beings, we are not being fair to the animals in question. “He is an ass” and “lame duck politicians” do not do justice to the animals. The injured parties are the asses and the ducks. For decades, the extremely industrious and hard working ass with a pannier full of load on its back and the long suffering water fowl have had aspersions cast on them for no fault of theirs. Who are humans to lay the blame on the doors of these humble creatures when all that our species is doing is to collectively ensure that life gets extinguished on this planet with our avarice and self seeking ways. Instead of pointing fingures at others and being judgemental, we should look within.

A new pup has made its home in Yamuna. Pups are cute, is a universal truism. I am quite fond of canines so long as they are not the biting kind and do not mess up the road with their poop. Sorry, it should read that the masters/dog walkers do not do the duty of scooping the poop. The dog does not know. It is just doing its constitutional.

Public sector in the service sector remains an anachronism in the age of free enterprise. At last the powers that be have realised that Air India should be sold. But who will buy a behemoth which has debts coming out of its ears, a recalcitrant, unwieldy, inefficient, and lethargic work force? Another public sector enterprise, ITDC, also needs to be put on the block. Holding prime property, it is another example of service sector business in the wrong hands.

The pavement outside Yamuna and leading up to the market has at last been fixed but not until many twisted ankles and broken bones bore testimony to civic negligence. When many officials lower in the pecking order did not respond favourably – although all of them promised to get into the act – one had to finally call Mr. Saurabh Bharadwaj, the sitting MLA, for the job to be done. Although promises galore were made before AAP came to power, once elected, they bore the same stripes as that of Congress or BJP – lackadaisical, corrupt and inefficient. Saurabh Bharadwaj seems to be an exception.

The fourth estate needs to clean its stables by removing the nattering anchors of negativity from all the TV channels. They funnel and glorify only the negative news with nary a thought to portray the good things that are happening in the country. This negativity has a pernicious effect on the psyche of individuals and leads to bouts of depression as though doomsday is nigh.

I was collared the other day by Sudha Sundaram who remarked that I had made a politically incorrect statement by sending a message to residents alluding to the safai karamcharis as “jamadars”, an apparently derogatory slur. While I referred the term with the intent of easy comprehension, I realised my faux pas. We have the most reprehensible habit of imposing caste markers on people. Other casual invocations of identity also extract huge moral costs. I stand chastised. Thanks Sudha, for pointing it out.

I want to take the liberty of proffering some unsolicited counsel and tips to the residents regarding garbage segregation rules made mandatory in NCR. While several messages have been sent explaining the principles of segregation, it is also important to enlighten the maids and children about the do’s and don’ts. At the cost of repetition, only kitchen waste consisting of fruit and vegetable peels, and leftover food should be put in the wet waste bag; all other dry waste like plastic sachets, bottles, both plastic and glass, waste paper, metal cans, etc. are to be put in the dry waste bag and handed over to the waste pickers.The reason we are stressing this point is because the Delhi Government is putting the necessary wherwithal in place to conduct random checks of tippers coming out of gated communities, to monitor whether proper segregation has happened. If it is observed that proper segregation has not happened there will be huge penalties that will be imposed on the Society. In the initial stages, the authorities may be lenient but repeated offenders will be severely dealt with. While the Society have put the onus on DDSIL, we as residents need to be cautious, as it will be too much to expect DDSIL to sift through foul smelling contents of each garbage bag.

A hastily planned potluck dinner was organised on Friday, 20^th April, 2018 in the badminton court. A dust storm earlier in the evening had ensured pleasant weather by the time we assembled. As usual at the appointed hour, only two residents were present but by 9 p.m., a sizable number showed up for the shared meal. A group of residents who had planned an antakshari with 50,000 smackers as prize money, did not fool most. Everybody knew there was a catch to it. The singing was incredible. I have not seen a better bunch of singers anywhere. All the women with their dulcet voices and melodious singing, transported us to another world. It was absolutely ethereal. The event was well contested and the winning team won 50,000 in worthless Uzbek currency! But nobody complained as it was a wonderful evening. Aseem Kumar, Bhavani Krishnan and Sumathi Chandrasekharan had put up an interesting song quiz and Aseem as the compere did a splendid job. The food was divine and everybody dived in with gusto. An ice cream cart was arranged for residents with a sweet tooth to satiate their cravings. However, everyone including diabetics partook,  throwing caution to the wind.

It is observed that some residents have handed over their C Block gate access card to their maids. It was mentioned in the very beginning, when the automatic access gate was installed, that the access cards should be used only by the residents and that the same should not be handed over to anyone else. This is a big security risk. Whosoever has handed over their access card to their staff may please retrieve it from them. Henceforth, if any staff is found using the access card, it shall either be confiscated or the access electronically blocked.

With the exams over, school children have moved to the next class. In former times one moved to the next class only after the summer vacation. However, these days they promote them to the next class so that they can burden them with homework and wreck their mood for the holidays. However, Yamuna kids being very bright, manage this admirably and can be seen spending a lot of time playing in the badminton court. Midday summer heat doesn’t bother them.

OBITUARY

Mrs. Kanakam Menon, wife of former YCGHS President, Mr. C.S. Menon (H-302), passed away in Mumbai on 4^th April, 2018. She was staying with her son, KK. Yamuna residents convey their heartfelt condolence to the bereaved family.

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Mr. P.N.V. Kurup of B-205 passed away in Sama Hospital on the morning of 27^th April, 2018. He was ailing for a while. Paneenazhikath Narayana Vasudeva Kurup was an Indian Ayurvedic physician, and the founder director of the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRIMH).  During his illustrious career, he served as Vice Chancellor of the Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar and was advisor to the Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy (ISM&H) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. He published several articles and a book, “A Handbook on Indian Medicinal Plants”, on the traditional Indian medicine system.  The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour the Padma Shri, in 2005, for his contributions to Indian medicine. Our heartfelt condolences go to the family. We will all miss him. May his soul rest in peace.

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April has turned out to be a month of tragedies. Mr. A.T.K. Raman of E-104 came to his neighbour Mr. P.D. Gopalakrishnan at 8.45 am on 29^th April, 2018 complaining of breathlessness and wished to be taken to the hospital. Mr. Goplakrishnan’s son Srihari rushed him to Batra Hospital where they tried reviving him but failed. He died of a massive heart attack. Only yesterday he had come to the Society office to enquire about something. He was alone in the house as his son and daughter-in-law had left for Mumbai yesterday. They had to rush back to cremate his body. He was Proffessor in Amity Buisness school. After his retirement he has been a visiting faculty to many institutions. We convey our heartfelt condolence to his family.

SNIPPETS

Mr. Narendra Nath and his wife Pratibha have moved into F-004 with their daughter Ruchi and grandaughter Kamakshi. Mr. Nath was a Professor of Physics at Kurukshetra University. At 85 years,  he is still revered and is a Technology Angel in Electronics and Physics as a Member of the National Panel, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. He is very erudite and has six patents to his credit. .He would like to share his I P R experience with younger people in Yamuna who have the urge for innovation and creativity. His wife, Pratibha retired as a school teacher. His daughter, Ruchi was also a school teacher but is now keen on a desk job preferably with an NGO. She likes singing Bhajans. His grand-daughter, Kamakshi is pursuing a Bachelors degree in Social Sciences and Humanities from Ambedkar University. She is also fond of singing and loves to play badminton. Mr. Nath can be reached on 9813510661 and Ruchi can be reached on 9991602559.

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Renuka Ramkumar, daughter of Radha and Ramkumar (Kumar) of B-003 got married to Mukund Ganesh on 22^nd April, 2018. It was an exhausting and elaborate set of rituals that spanned four days in Yamuna and at Airport Residency. However, this exhaustion did not show on the couple’s faces as they looked bright and fresh right through. Yamuna residents were present in large numbers in one or more of the functions. At the reception held on the evening of 22^nd April, 2018, Renuka was dressed in a shimmering Rajasthani lehenga-choli and looked every bit a royal bride. Radha and Kumar were great hosts. Renuka will be winging her way to Romania where her husband will be posted. We wish the couple the very best.

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Vinod Balakrishnan of F-204 has bought F-001 and will be moving there with his wife, Priya. It will afford privacy and more elbow room to the young couple and at the same time Vinod will be within shouting distance of his parents. I wonder who will need whom more. I am sure when a baby comes along,the  parents will become saviours with their baby sitting duties. Vinod’s presence in the vicinity will be a big moral support to Shobha, her mother and Mr. Balakrishnan in their advancing years.