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 7th 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 24th 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 2nd
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.
***************************
Anand Mahadevan and Veena have become grandparents for the fourth
time. Their daughter Advaitha delivered a baby girl on 9th December,
2019. The cradle ceremony was held in their GK 2 house on 19th
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.
***************************
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
|
|||
