Waltair Times 1

Waltair Times 2

Waltair Times 3

Dear members,

Greetings to you all !

At the outset, I would like to express my heartfelt

thanks to all of you for reposing faith in me and electing

me as the President of the prestigious Waltair Club.

This year has been a very unusual year for all of us

and this pandemic has altered everyone's life a great deal.

Nevertheless, we should move on with a hope for better

times. The best way to deal with the situation is to stay positive and productive

and be connected to each other in whatever safe ways we can. With this thought

in my mind and with the confidence I have in my committee members, I made a

plan for this year for the overall development of the Club. I will strive to take

the Club forward a notch higher.

I would like to share the plans I have made for this year. Our first initiative

would be to enhance the overall ambience of the Club. We are planning to

undertake overall landscaping and lighting work of the Club and play (piped)

music to give a pleasant experience to the members who visit the Club. To

encourage sports lovers, we will install better lighting facilities in basket ball

court and cricket pitch. For children, we are planning to develop a mini tennis

court and also make the playpen more attractive with new equipment. We will

be appointing coaches for all sports. We are also planning to build toilets near

tennis court and renovate dressing room. We have plans to extend food court

and develop a small golf putting range near club mart.

To encourage fitness enthusiasts, we are planning to install new

equipment in the gym and provide better ventilation. Beautifying lawns,

renovating lawn bar and laying new floor at swimming pool deck is also on the

cards. Facelift would be given to Dining hall, 1883 restaurant and Pepsi deck. In

addition, we are planning to renovate and extend Chambers restaurant (Shells)

and partially renovate Auditorium. We are going to utilise the space on top of

the Spa by converting it into a sports bar.

We would be to introducing ERP accounts package soon and things like

replacing kitchen freezers, providing new uniforms to staff would also be taken up.

I seek support from you in making us execute our plans successfully. I convey

my best wishes to all the committee members for a productive term. On this note,

I wish you all a very happy festival season. Stay safe and adapt to new normal.

Best Regards,

P.Phaneendra Babu

From thePresident’s Desk

PRESIDENTMR.P.PHANEENDRA BABU P-887997488488

VICE-PRESIDENTMR.M.A.MURALE M-1159848146580

HON.SECRETARYMR.V.SEETHARAMAIAH S-2259849691188

HON.TREASURERMR.D.SRINIVAS S-4309849114535

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

SPORTSMR.JASTI SRIKANTH S-8199848015757

GENERAL SERVICESMR.VIJAYA MOHAN TALASILAV-2549440190111

ENTERTAINMENTMR.V.K.VISWESWARA RAO V-1019908849999

CATERINGMR.T.RAJESH KUMAR R-3839848755599

BARMR.G.SIVAJI S-5269866113311

LIBRARY, CHAMBER & ERPMR.JOGENDRA SURYADEVARAJ-0649177971799

SENIOR CITIGEN COMMITTEEMR.D.RAJAGOPALA REDDY R-0659440327050

LADIES COMMITTEEMISS.CH.BHAVYA B-1389866128900

MANAGING COMMITTEE 2020-21

Waltair Times 4

Vice President’sMessage

Dear Members,

Greetings of the festival season to you all!

I wish to place on record my sincere thanks to all of you for electing

me as Vice President of Waltair Club. I am honoured and pleased to be

chosen to serve on the Managing Committee of this grand Club.

The pandemic has brought about a lull in the activities of the club,

but things are gradually looking up now and the new team is eager to

get started on various programs to improve the ambience and facilities

of the club. For my part, as Chairman of the 'Editorial Board', it will be

my endeavour to update the Waltair Club Directory, as there are

numerous new members, and also to bring out the long-awaited Coffee

Table Book, which was flagged off in 2017-2018 by the then President

and his team.

The festive spirit is in the air and I wish you all good health, happy

celebrations and a return to pleasant times at the Club.

Warm Regards,

M.A.Murale

Hon. Secretary’sMessage

Dear Members,

Firstly I thank you for the overwhelming confidence reposed in me which amplified my

sense of commitment.

Under enthusiastic President we are a team experience and energy, with common bond

to deliver the best.

To maintain the highest standards of our club’s legacy and practices I will do my best to

better the prevailing transparency and accountability in the administration of our club. Please

be assured that this Managing Committee will be very proactive towards members’ proposals

and grievances if any, and we welcome the same.

In spite of the ongoing unprecedented difficult times, our team will do everything

possible to ensure very safe & refreshing times to our members and families.

Wishing you all a very HAPPY TIMES ahead, I remain.

V. Seetharamaih

EDITORIAL BOARD

Chairman

Mr. M.A.Murale

+91 9848146580

Editor

Dr. Hema Yadavalli

+91 9949485555

Members

Dr. Padma Murale +91 9866533985

Mr. S.V.Chalam +91 8527053456

Mrs. Shanti Chitra +91 7382621218

Mrs. Abignya Grandhi +91 9490961060

Miss. Yogita Yerra +91 7382191316

Waltair Times 5

Treasurer’sMessage

Dear Members,

Greetings of the festival season to you all!

I am very happy to be chosen as the Treasurer of the club unanimously and thank all

the club members. I assure you all that I will lay emphasis on providing clean and transparent

functioning of the club.

The previous Managing Committee has recognized the need to move away from the

Decom system that is currently being used and replace it with a more robust and

comprehensive Club Management System to ensure transparency, efficiency and flexibility

of operation in all aspects of club functions. As a part of this effort, a new Club Management

Software has been identified and brought in from ICRA Pvt Ltd. This software has several

modules for managing and integrating the functions of the club such Finance, Accounting,

Procurement, Inventory, etc. Modules include those for Member data and Member charges,

transactions at Restaurant and Bar, Inventory management, POS/Location, Waiter data,

booking and services provided at Chambers and Function Halls, Stores, Health and

Recreation, Employee data to name some. It also provides Data and Reports for GST and

ITR and other necessary periodic filings.

Earlier this year, members of ICRA have spent about a month in-house, installing the

software and uploading the available club data from the current system. Ledger accounts

mapping and data migration have been started in earnest but had to be cut short as the

club operations were shut down to Covid-19. Now that the club is back in operation, we plan

to pick up where it was left off and complete the data migration, staff training and launching

of the new ERP software. Once this is done, it will be run simultaneously with the current

software for a period of time to gain comfort and debug and/or alter wherever necessary,

after which we will wean off the current software and replace it with the new system.

Towards achieving these goals, I have requested members to be a part of the team

of sub-committee to help and guide with their time and expertise. I am grateful that they

have accepted to lend their resources as and when necessary in making these projects

successful and thereby, leading the club on its strong path.

I will work to the best of my abilities in fulfilling my responsibilities as the Treasurer.

Warm Regards,

D. Srinivas

Waltair Times 6

Dear members,

This year is different!

At the outset, I express my sincere thanks to the Managing Committee 2020-2021 for

having faith in me and offering me to be the Editor of Waltair Times. I readily accepted the

offer as it had always been a great learning experience to me in my previous terms as the Editor.

Covid pandemic has changed the perspective of all of us. It has taught us a great deal-that we should count what we

have and not worry about what we don't. For me, staying at home meant more time for bonding with family members,

trying out new recipes, reading a pile of books which were in my bucket list for a long time and growing plants (I attempted

to learn some online skills also). I am sure most of us have learnt to relook at life from a different perspective while counting

our blessings. In that spirit, this issue is dedicated to the pleasures of utilizing Covid time effectively and we covered the

experiences of some of our members in a special feature.

This October issue will also feature an article on the significance of Dasara and articles on travel, latest gadgets,

brain teasers, book reviews along with a humorous writeup. I hope all of you appreciate our efforts.I express my heartfelt

thanks to the vibrant editorial team for accepting to support me in this endeavour.

Advertisements are welcome from the members and their near and dear through which they can to reach out to

3000 plus members of the club.

Let's continue to be careful, responsible and thoughtful in this pandemic time!

Happy reading !

Dr.Hema Yadavalli.

From the Editor’s Desk

Contents

CO

NT

EN

TS

16 1924

2326

28

PandemicParleys

Jest like that !

ShelfIndulgence

CerebrationsTravelgram

GadgetSearch

Coronaexperiences

Humour

Bookreviews

PuzzlesTravel guide

Latestgadgets

13 Festive Fervour !Special Feature

Waltair Times 7

Committee Members’Messages

SUB COMMITTEE MEMBERSSPORTS

Ladies and Children Ms.Shaheda Mehdi H-12

Yoga Mr.G.S.Raju S-339

Ms.Harshita Anumolu A-72

Bridge room Mr.Rajiv Dhawan R-70

Snooker & Billiards Mr.E.Subba Rao S-938

Mr.M.Kalyan Chakravarty K-262

TT Mr.Manish Agarwal M-133

Squash Mr.Sandeep Bharadia S-427

Carroms Mr.IT Ravi S-1150

Chess Mr.P.Kumar K-113

Gym Mr.B.Anil Kumar A-60

(men & women) Mr.L.Surendrababu S-908

Mr.K.V.Avinash A-190

Shuttle Mr.S.Suryanarayana Raju S-447

Mr.P.Viraj V-355

Tennis courts Mr.G.Veeramohan V-88

Walking track Mr.P.Pramod Kumar P-126

Swimming Mr.Chandrakant Nangelia C073

Mr.Aditya Srikanth A-287

Volleyball Mr.C.V.Mallikarjun Varma M-211

Mr.Sreedhar Talasila S-990

Mr.Venkata Gannamaneni N-206

Basketball Mr.V.Janaki Ramaraju J101

Mr.Pavan Kumar Potluri P-265

Football Mr.C.Surya Teja S-1165

Mr.Balayashish Chamakura B-166

Cricket Mr.H.Vikranth V-266

Mr.T.Vikram V-402

Mr.Harish Deepak Indnani H-153

Mr.M.Kranthi Kiran S-566

Car Rally Mr.G.Ashwin A-135

Golf Mr.Amarkanth Babu A-325

Mr.D.Krishna Prasad K-117

Sports Bar Mr.P.Krishna Kanth K-176

Mr.R.V.Ch.Prasad C-54

Skating Mr.Uppalapati Rana R-498

I am humbled and honoured by your Confidence and Support towards me..I would like

to thank President,Executive Committee Members and all the Waltair Club family for your

unending Love and Encouragement.

We as a Sports Committee promise to create zeal amongst Club members towards

sports and games. Will organise training, coaching and education in sports and games for

everybody so that they can learn to keep themselves physically fit. Will enhance the interest

of participants in the field of sports and games. To achieve the goals we plan to organize

various competitions in the following sports and games : football, cricket, basketball, volleyball,

table tennis, chess, carroms, badminton etc. To promote every individuals’ health, physical

well-being as well as the acquisition of physical skill among the club members by practising

Yoga and Meditation.

The committee aspires to inculcate qualities such as sportsmanship, team spirit and bonding. It is designed to serve

the interests of Waltair Club Family in competitive sports and other recreational activities i.e. both indoor and outdoor.

The committee shall promote Sports and Games activities by motivating Club Members promoting team spirit by

making healthy competition. Will arrange for better coaching facilities both indoor and outdoor. Proper maintenance of

sports and games accessories. Will provide necessary infrastructure for the sports and games. Being a Sports Person that

requires Determination,Dedication and Discipline to reach Destination,I understand the prominence of Team Work.

Thank you once again for giving me an opportunity to serve our Prestigious WaltairClub.

Yours Sincerely

Srikanth Jasti

SPORTS

Waltair Times 8

GENERAL SERVICES

Dear Members,

Greetings to you and your family for the festive season!

I extend to you all my sincere thanks for electing me as Committee member in the recent

elections of Waltair Club. I thank the President and his team for appointing me as the

Chairman - General Services.

I wish to place on record that I will ensure

that the Club is maintained to the utmost

standards. I will place Suggestions books

at the Main Reception, Chambers &

Gymnasium, so that all members who wish

to give suggestions and complaints are welcome to do so.

I would like to make a Golf Putting Green in the Club in this tenure.

For my part as Chairman of General Services, I will do my very best.

Once again wishing everyone a Happy Dussehra and Diwali!

Regards,

T.Vijaymohan

SUB COMMITTEE MEMBERSGENERAL SERVICES

Mr.NSR Bapuji B-102

Mr.CH Rajasekhar R - 247

Mr.V JeevanVikas J - 111

Mr.Paladugu Srinivas Rao S - 1200

Mr.Mulagada Sudhir S - 597

Mr.AddepalliTarun Kumar T - 66

Mr.V Vidya Sagar V - 187

Mr.V Kiran Kumar K - 79

Mr.Kosuri S. S. Murthy M - 231

CATERING

Dear members

Greetings to you all!

I express my sincere thanks to all of you for electing me as a committee member. In this

Covid time, my priority would be to serve hygienic food, strictly following the MHA rules. I

am happy to announce that we have restarted the most popular Executive Lunch. Buffet

breakfast and live tandoori food in the evening will also be resumed shortly. Members can

enjoy Saturday Tiffins in lawns. I am planning to introduce special menus for festivals.

Members can book banquet halls with a considerable notice and we are all set to serve food

at banquet halls also.

Waltair Club is the home away from home for the members and we are here to assure you

safe surroundings serving tasty food.

Best regards,

Rajesh SUB COMMITTEE MEMBERSCATERING

Mr.O.Srinivasulu S-759

Mr.T.Seshasaila S-393

Waltair Times 9

Namaste!

Warm Greetings to all Members!

I hope and pray that you and your family are safe in this pandemic.

I humbly thank each one of you who came out to cast their vote and gave your

extraordinary support to me during this pandemic situation despite the difficulties it has

imposed on all mankind. I am deeply honoured to be elected as a Committee Member for this

year 2020-2021. As you are aware of my commitment to serve the Club during my first tenure

as Chairman of General Services Committee for the year 2015- 2016, I shall continue to abide

by the confidence you have in me even in the current challenging scenario of Covid-19.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to the President for appointing me as the Chairman of Entertainment Committee.

I would like to congratulate the Managing Committee and my fellow Committee Members elected for this year. I wish

nothing but the best to Ladies Sub Committee Chairperson and their Members. And I take this opportunity to thank the

previous Management and Election Scrutiny Committee for their great efforts on smooth and safe organization of this

year's elections amidst the pandemic.

Owing to this pandemic we all know this year has been a huge struggle for everyone and everywhere. So, keeping in

mind the safety of all our members, I and our Entertainment Committee team members shall adhere to MHA safety

guidelines during all the events which are going to be held in our Club.

It is time we gear up, step out of our houses and start resuming our normal lives. I know we all miss our Movies,

Food, Thambola, Special events and several other Social gatherings at Waltair club, well known as second home to us all.

So, fasten your belts as we bring back all the Festivity, Colors, Joy, Music and Dance starting from this Dusshera Mahotsav.

And we promise to continue delivering the best events throughout the year. I request all the Members to bring back the

glory to our mighty Waltair Club by attending all the events and make them a huge success.

All suggestions and ideas from our esteemed Members which help in enhanced performance of our Entertainment

team are welcome.

V.K.Visweswara Rao

ENTERTAINMENT

SUB COMMITTEE MEMBERSENTERTAINMENT

Mr. Jasti Madan M-116.

Mr. Kankatala Mallik M-91

Mr. Kovvuri Srinivasa Reddy R-138

Mr. Kambam Kailash Reddy K-65

Mr. Y.V. Hari Krishna Sai H-22

Mr. Vegeshna Raghu Rama Raju R-361

Mr. Nikihl Oza N- 83

Mr. Kantimahanti Nagendra N-200

Mr. Kalidindi Vijaykumar Raju V-308

Mr. Ashfaq H Aarif A-137

Mr. Aditya Muppidi A-287

Mr. Gannamaneni Venkta Krishna N-206

Mrs. Katragadda Jhansi Rani V-154

Mrs. Sangeetha Bharadia S-427

Mrs. Rajani Sandeep Chitra S-591

Mrs. O. Chandrakala S-759

Mr. Kosuri Srinivasa S Murthy M-231

Mr. Dantuluri Sirish Raju S-1257

Mr. Yelavarthy G Dinesh G-124

Mr. Kothapalli Mohith M-287

Mr. Harish Deepak Idanani H-153

Mr. C.V. Pradyumna P-315

Mr. Aditya Ravi A-310

Mr. Paladugu Srinivas Rao S-1200

Waltair Times 10

BAR

At the outset I thank all our fellow members for giving me an opportunity to serve the club

as a committee member

It has been an extremely challenging year for everyone due to the Covid situation, yet the

turnout for the election was a pleasant surprise.

At the bar committee we would like to improve the grooming of the service staff and

standard of service. Work on the the internal processes to standardise and make them

seamless.

Members suggestions and feedback will be highly appreciated.

Despite the high prices we hope to keep

your spirits high this year with our service.

Cheers!

G Sivaji

I thank the members for giving me the opportunity to serve our club and its members. I

consider this a privilege and pledge that I shall strive to implement the necessary systems

and programs in the areas of my assigned responsibilities. These tasks would be in an effort

to improve the club facilities and strengthen the operational procedures while upholding

the principles upon which the club has been established.

LIBRARY - For the Library, efforts would be made to increase the usage of the facility by members

by purchasing and stocking new and suggested materials both in paper and electronic form.

Increase the subscription of magazines,

addressing the needs of all age groups and

the varied interests of the members.

Encourage and attract young children to

use the facility more. Device or modify the Library Management System

appropriate for the scope of the club's library function. Computers/

monitors and printer in use need to be upgraded and provided with high

speed internet. The computer desks, chairs and other furniture may be

replaced with more comfortable ones.

THE CHAMBERS - The Chambers has remained closed for the last several

months just as the other activities have in the club due to Covid-19. Having

cleaned up and prepared the facilities after a long shut-down, the

Chambers is now open and is receiving guests. All necessary precautions

are being taken to ensure the safety and health of the guests and that of

the staff that provides the service. Steps are being planned to ensure a

smooth and comfortable stay for the guests. The necessary space,

equipment, materials and services are being organized to enable the staff

to provide guest services adequately and smoothly.

Jogendra Suryadevara (J-064)

SUB COMMITTEE MEMBERSBAR

Mr.Avnash Anumolu (A 72)

Mr.D V Raju (V 104)

Mr.R Rajesh Varma (R 260)

SUB COMMITTEE MEMBERS

LIBRARY, CHAMBERS AND ERPCOMMITTEE

Mr. P. Ganga Raju (G-142)

Mr. K. Janardhana Reddy (J-059)

Mr. A. Krishna Kumar (K-056)

Mr. N. Krishnam Raju (K-206)

Mr. B. Prabhakara Rao (P-070)

Mr. G. Pattabhi (P-307)

Mr. S.R.K. Reddy (R-377)

Mr. K. Srinivasa Raju (S-688)

Mr. BH.P.V. Subba Raju (S-714)

Mrs. M. Usha (U-011)

Mr. T.V.S. Lingamurthy (Shankar) (V-171)

Mr. V. Vidya Sagar (V-187)

Mr. K. Vijayendra (V-197)

Mr. G. Vinay (V-238)

LIBRARY, CHAMBER & ERP

Waltair Times 11

It is with great honour and a powerful grit

that I step forward to serve as the

Chairperson for the Ladies Committee

2020-21 in one of the most prestigious

clubs i.e. The Waltair Club. I express my

sincere thanks to Mr. P. PhaneendraBabu,

The President Waltair Club, The Vice-

President, The Secretary, The Treasurer

and all the Committee Members and

fellow members for entrusting me with

such a great responsibility. I am fortunate

to be a part of such a prestigious club

which is fully committed to giving the best services and amenities to all

its members in a secure and pleasant atmosphere.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank our

previous Chairpersons, and sub-committee members who have worked

so hard and for putting in a lot of effort to make sure that the women

and children of Waltair Club were entertained throughout the year.

Putting on our work gloves ...

I'm grateful to all the wonderful ladies who have stepped up to

contribute your valuable time for our current 2020-21 term. Our team

of young and experienced members will create the right balance and

the new will be paired with members who have served in the committee

before. As the saying goes "Many hands make work light."

Goals ...

We have many ongoing initiatives done by our previous committee that

will continue uninterrupted such as dedicating a whole page to ladies

and children in the club magazine, having our exclusive Ladies events.

Planning and executing events this year will be challenging. It is going

to be a term like none other we have seen before!

#Some of the major changes we will be making this year would be to

shift the focus to a virtual platform which makes it convenient for the

members to participate from the comfort of their homes.

#For events where in-person participation is required we will make sure the event is conducted in an extremely safe manner

following social distancing and with MHA guidelines being strictly followed.

#Learning with fun would be our motto for kids and we will be adding some fun virtual events. We will be organizing

events that will enhance the creative and artistic side in children.

# For the members who are not tech-savvy, don't worry! We will provide you with proper instructions as to how you can

join and participate in the virtual events.

We are all in this together…

For all the fear and anxiety the pandemic has introduced, it has also brought something else: an opportunity for us to be

empathetic and support one another. Please feel free to reach out to the ladies committee and we will try our best to help

all members. Being there for each other in these tough times will help us get through these difficult times.

"It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our great strength lies" - Thomas Paine.

Bhavya Cherukuri

SUB COMMITTEE MEMBERS

LADIES

Dr.HemaYadavalli H-22

T.Sunita Rani G-100

J. HemaMalini D - 90

K.Vijaya Reddy K-65

Archana Gupta N-125

S P M Divya Das D-93

JyothiSree J-123

LohitaPollisetty L-074

LokvandithaDutt S-667

SonikaKankatala A-412

ShivaniPuvvada S-1134

I Deepika Das I -26

G.Hymavathi R-364

AnanyaGopalasetty R-598

VineeshaValsaraj V-422

Anita Nuttaki I-28

Praneeta Reddy N-201

K.Renuka R-717

Sakshi S-514

V. Priya K-79

NSN Sanjana S - 964

GayatriGottumukala G-127

N.Lakshmi L-76

A.L Sowparnika L-077

AbhignyaGrandhi R-510

MadhuriSagi S-851

Prashanti P-283

LADIES SUB COMMITTEE

Waltair Times 12

NOTICE BOARD Announcements

1. This is to inform all the members that the Chambers has been reopened on 07th October, 2020 (Wednesday).

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner served at Rooms only. MHA guidelines strictly applicable.

2. This is to inform all the members that the Party Halls (Oyster, Pearl-I&II) and Centenary Auditorium are opened

from i.e. 12.10.2020 onwards. MHA guidelines strictly applicable

3. Guests are allowed on members request w.e.f. 15th October, 2020. MHA guidelines strictly applicable.

4. We wish to inform all the members that Executive Lunch has commenced from 15th October, 2020 (Thursday)

at Main Building Dining Hall. Members are requested to utilize this facility. Guests are allowed.

5. Next Tambola will be on 21.11.2020

Chambers reopening

EVENTS

After a temporary closure

since the Covid 19 lock

down in March, the Waltair

Club Chambers was opened

for guests again on 7th

October 2020. The re-

opening was done by Mr.

Pydah Krishna Prasad, in the

presence of the Hon

President of the club

Mr.PhaneedraBabu and his

team.

Waltair Times 13

Dasara or Dussehra is the joyous

culmination of the nine day Navaratri

festival celebrated across India. Like many

other festivals, it celebrates the

triumphant victory of good over evil, but

has at its core some beautiful myths and

legends found in the scriptures, and

handed down over generations.

According to popular lore, Dasara

celebrates the victory of Goddess Durga

over the invincible buffalo demon,

Mahishasura, who as the story goes,

belonged to Mysuru. After an epic battle

that was waged over nine days and nights,

at the foot of the Chamundi hill, the

Goddess, mounted on a lion, slayed the demon and liberated

mankind from evil. The Goddess came to called Chamundeshwari

and every year the royal family of Mysuru celebrates this victory

of the Goddess with great pomp and magnificence, with the

highlight being the spectacular illumination of the Mysuru palace.

This celebration of Dasara is observed with the same

enthusiasm and grandeur in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and

Telengana, as also in West Bengal, Tripura, Orissa and Gujarat.

During the nine days of Navaratri, the Goddess Durga is

worshipped devoutly in her different manifestations and the tenth

day is celebrated as Vijayadasami. Kolkata is famous for its aesthetic 'pandals' with statues depicting the ten-armed Goddess

Durga in all her splendour. In the Southern states, women arrange 'kolu' or 'bommala koluvu', displaying idols of Gods and

Goddesses and scenes from mythology in an artistic manner.

In the North, this pan-Indian festival has its roots in the Ramayana and commemorates the glorious return of Lord

Rama to Ayodhya, after vanquishing the ten-headed demon king

Ravana, and saving his abducted Queen Sita from Lanka, in a heroic

battle that lasted ten days. The word Dussehra is interpreted as

'Dasa-hara', which refers to the annihilation of the ten heads of

Ravana by Lord Rama. Delhi has its famous 'Ram Lila' enactment of

the tale of Rama's ultimate defeat of Ravana, and the festivities

culminate in the burning of towering effigies of Ravana.

Perhaps this year celebrations will be scaled down - but now,

as much as ever, we are in need of divine intervention in the eternal

battle between good and evil. The essence of Dasara is the victory

over evil, and for good to prevail, we humans need to battle evil

and negativity both within as well as around us in the world, whether

manifested as a war or global warming or even a pandemic….

- Dr.Padma MuraleFestive Fervour!

Waltair Times 14

Waltair Times 15

Waltair Times 16

Lock Down Musings ...

- S. Nandagopal (S-455)

When our PM Modiji announced the lockdown on March 24th, my wife and I were out of Vizag. We had gone to stay

overnight in our weekend home, which is in a village about 50Kms from Vizag. The house is in a gated community, with

about 50 plots, but though it has a few houses built on the plots, hardly anybody stays there permanently. If you remember,

the lockdown was to be imposed from the midnight of 24 March, so we were in a dilemma. We could rush back to the city

in the night or choose to stay back in our weekend home. We chose the latter! In hindsight it turned out to be one of the

best decisions we ever made. We usually stayed there only for one night, and then rushed back to the hurry-burry of our

city life. So, it was a novel experience for us to stay there for a long period of time. This place was totally cut off from all

civilization but was surrounded by trees and birds (and stray dogs). So, here we were in the lap of nature, with no newspaper,

no internet (except for intermittent 4G on our phone) and best of all no traffic and no pollution. Now it may appear

difficult to spend time in such isolation, but we had a much better time than the city folk, who were literally confined to

within the four walls of their flat.

We could roam freely in our garden among the birds, plants and fish. Have our morning tea in the garden, breathing

the fresh air and smelling fragrance of early morning few due on the leaves. I used to go for a long walk within the layout

and meet no one (except some stray dogs). Our diet was a simple one, as we had to manage with the basic provisions of

rice, dal and oil, supplemented by fresh vegetables from the garden and eggs from the chicken. Wife was happy spending

time pottering around the garden (her first love) and I tried my best to keep out of her way, reading some books (Jennings

goes back to school), and listening to music.

I used to go through my contact list in my phone and call up all old friends and country cousins and chat with them.

I found that generally, they were also stuck within their homes, and more than willing to chat about old times. I even found

time to chat with my first boss (under whom I started my career) and found him surprisingly in a chatty mood. We both

took a journey down memory lane! I was trying to recollect my initial days as trainee engineer but ended up listening to his

recollections on how he got the job!

We never really felt the lock down! Time flew fast and before we knew it, the 21 days were up! We decided to come

back to town.

My experiences of Pandemic

- Anmisha Puvvada (A A 329)

All these months at home gave me new appreciation to

what I surround myself with, I realised the importance of having

aesthetically pleasing things around me and it’s impact on my

mood. Art is said to uplift your spirit and encourage

productivity. With this in mind I used the extra time I had during

the quarantine to design unique furniture that has utility and

is artistic. Marrying traditional Indian art and modern

functionality is what I was focused on. All this extra time gave

me the headspace to work on few painting techniques that I

always wanted to master. Two painting techniques that kept

me occupied during the quarantine are adding Gold Leaf to

the furniture and Wood Distressing. I can’t wait to infuse these

techniques into the products that I’m currently designing. Even

though “White Lotus” has been around for sometime now, this

lockdown gave me an opportunity to re evaluate my vision for

it. I was able to put together a road map and I have exciting

things in the works! Who said lockdown had to be dull?

I have learned many things .....- Avani Somani (S-608) Class V

Few of them are... Coffee painting can you

imagine all the paints were coffee. In a few places we

used a lot of coffee and a few places little amount of

coffee. Mandala art: we made bookmarks and other

things. Computer coding in this we used our

imagination skills and had a lot of fun, I even cooked

with my dad on weekends, few of the things we cooked

are: butter rice, many types of milkshakes, treats etc. I

spent about an hour and a half daily on mindspark

...SCHOOL based fun module concepts.

I also watched many series on Netflix and amazon prime

video. My fav ones are“ Worst Witch which is about

magic and also Spirit Riding Free which is about a horse

and his owner. I also feel that I have developed my

speaking, listening, & communication skills. And when

I sing with my cousins it’s really cool to see that we all

sing the same thing at the same time

Pandemic Parleys Experiences of Club members

Waltair Times 17

Unquarantine your mind- Aziz Mehdi (M-95)

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous

circumstances would have lain dormant" - Horace

And how this Covid situation has proved this true!

Difficult times come and difficult times go. The secret is how one goes

through these difficult times. For me, the difficult time was not so much the Covid

thing, it was being locked up in my house with my wife of 38 years and 23 days. And

I quote the exact figure because I forgot the anniversary last month and am being

reminded every day since. Yes, things couldn't get worse! I tried to make amends

by volunteering to help in the kitchen. But this only made things worse as I could

not distinguish between a tomato and a mixie. I was thrown out of the kitchen

when I tried to boil milk while watching YouTube videos.

As I sat, despondent, cut off from my friends and my work, with

my iPhone for company, I started clicking pictures of my dog, my slippers,

my toothbrush. I posted some of these "works of art' on Instagram and

was astounded when I got several likes. It was a serendipitous moment.

And that's how I began my journey into the world of photography, thanks

to Covid! As I progressed in this newfound diversion from Covid, I found

myself surreptitiously getting sucked into the fascinating world of

photography. The first lesson I learnt was that everything I was doing all

these years taking pictures was wrong. Almost the opposite! Started with

the purchase of a Sony RX100 M5 point and shoot camera. From various

articles on the subject, I realised that it takes at least one year to get the

hang of the camera and its settings. But let me assure you that it is still

less complicated than operating a multi-burner gas stove or an induction cooker.

As I plodded along the not-so-easy path to understanding, not mastering,

photography, it became clear that this art is not as obvious as it seems. There are times

one gets exasperated with the complexities of this "hobby" but I look at my stint in the

kitchen and this does not look that complicated! Boiling milk can be a horrifying

experience. You watch the vessel for half an hour and the milk is sitting there all placid

and peaceful. You turn you head for a second and it explodes like a volcano followed by

shrieks of "you clumsy oaf" from behind! In photography you quietly delete all your

mistakes. Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, metering modes, focal length, wide and zoom

lenses, ND filters, shutter release all did overwhelm me. Books on photography confused

me and I seriously considered giving up. But then I happened to browse through a recipe

book. Cut the vegetables into medium sized square pieces, heat oil to 80 degrees, put

vegetables in and allow to simmer to 15 minutes-add cloves, cardamom (whatever in

God's name these things are), stir on slow flame till golden brown... I was horrified! I rushed back to my photography books

and they now looked so easy!

The first step is to get off the 'auto' mode and begin understanding the 'exposure triangle which is aperture, shutter

speed and ISO. Start practicing with various combinations of these three settings. The secret of becoming a good

photographer is, like in every other skill, except cooking, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. One does not have to go to

exotic locations to practice. It can be done in the house, in the garden, even in the drawing room. This is much easier than

learning how to make chicken biryani where there are hundreds of different ingredients, a complex sequence of steps,

hours of sweating in the kitchen...

Remember, we have been asked to quarantine our bodies, not our minds!

Waltair Times 18

A Journey through the Realms of COVID-19 aka THE CORONA VIRUS

- Anantram Ganapati (A 82)

There have been many stories circulating during the past few months due to the pandemic, on working from home,working at home, prophylactic medications, benefits of steam inhalation, the downside of hospitals looting the gulliblepatients, and innumerable statistical analyses with predictions of hope and apocalyptical consequences, of the CoronaVirus. It is interesting though that in comparison, there are very few stories shared on experiences of people who havetested positive and recovered. This is probably because of a perceived stigma associated with the Corona virus, so muchso that even close friends are unwilling to share their story. My story is here for you, as shared in the past month, withother people who reached out to hear from a COVID affected patient. It all started with a typical cold, a stuffy nose, andpretty much nothing else except a mild headache. I have been getting these symptoms typically four to five times a yearfor the past five decades, and did not take any cognizance of it. When it persisted and my sense of smell vanished (mytaste buds were as keen as ever), my son sensed that something was wrong, and dragged me for a CT of the lungs. A fewpatches were detected, “You must be SARS-COV-2 Positive” (a swab test confirmed it later) pronounced the doctor andmy battery of medications were started. I quarantined myself at home, was taken very good care of by my son and daughter-in-law, and Bingo! I tested negative a fortnight later. The slew of antibiotics, steroids and supplements took care of anylurking chronic infections I think, as I felt better than normal throughout my quarantine. My work output increased, manyof my long procrastinated tasks got done, and I touched base with many friends and family members in that period.

A few tips from my experience are given below that may be useful to those who wish to know how to tackle thisvirus if it reaches them. Don’t worry and keep your mind positive – being mentally alert is most important. Keep checkingyour SPO2 level (oxygen saturation level in the blood),using a Pulse Oximeter, every two to three hours after a bit ofexercise like walking in the house for five to seven minutes (it should be 95 plus). Keep active and energised all the time.Don’t lie down, and pity yourself. Take up some online course (lots of them are free and many are available for a pricelesser than the cost of your daily dose of antibiotics). Talk to friends, walk around as much as possible, and oxygenate yoursystem. Do breathing exercises like Pranayama. Use your nose to take in air and let it out through the mouth. Fill the lungsas much as possible and hold your breath for 15-20 seconds Consult a good experienced doctor who is reachable andknows what he or she is doing. Steam inhalation, gargling, hot soups, green tea, etc. help to clear congestion. Avoidhospitals as far as possible as the situation there is depressing. Rush there if you are advised to by your doctor. Bingewatch movies, news channels, IPL matches, whatever you like, but keep your mind off the virus and of course the relatedWhatsApp advice that you receive aplenty and your own research on Google Baba. A positive attitude coupled with good,timely medical advice will help you conquer the virus. Do not make it dominate your life – you should stand tall before it!

- Meenakshi Anantram (A 82)

The covid19 pandemic affected mother earth and it's inhabitants in different ways. While it was a trying time forthe medical fraternity worldwide, for many it was a time of introspection, for many others it was a time of self discovery -hidden talents surfaced - culinary skills, painting skills, writing skills ....the list is long.

For MrsMeenakshiAnantaram, CEO, Razzmatazz ,it was a totally unexpected and different experience altogether."When i left for the US to visit my ailing mother, covid 19 was still a distant piece of news that was happening in China. Afew days later irealised the magnitude of the situation as it was declared a pandemic by the WHO and soon the wholeworld went into a lockdown mode and everything came to a standstill. Initially, I felt really relaxed, two weeks of stayingput at home was a good break from my busy routine and I could also spend quality time with my parents, brothers andtheir respective families. But very soon the magnitude of the situation hit me as the lockdown was extended and therewas no way I could get back home to Vizag, anytime soon. Staying indoors for days on end is not easy and a monotony setsin and this definitely takes a toll on your mental fitness too', says Meenakshi . "That is when I firmly spoke to myself anddecided that i will have to work my way out of this situation and make the most of it. I started working on my book that Ihad begun writing when I was in Vizag. I also discovered that there was a whole new world waiting to be explored on theinternet and social media. I became a member of an international women's organization online ,and this gave me a platformto address children from countries like Africa on the precautions they need to take against the pandemic. I thought Iwould do my little bit in these trying times and shared my thoughts on youtube on the importance of staying physicallyand mentally fit. I am also a member of Smule, an online karoake group and recorded a whopping 6000 songs during mystay abroad for 7 long months." This definitely is no mean feat I must say and all this while taking care of her ailing motherand also having to stay thousands of miles away from her home and hearth in Vizag.

Waltair Times 19

There I was, staring blankly at the blank laptop

screen on a Friday night wondering what on God's green

earth I should write about. Although my glass of amber-

coloured ambrosia, the weekend spirit-lifter, was working

its wonders to revive the soul, it wasn't quite cutting it as a

muse. And who or what had given anyone the bally idea

that I could write-and comedy at that! How did I ever let

events come to such a pass?

But I am getting ahead of myself, so let me start at

the start.

***

One balmyOctober afternoon, not long after the

Waltair Club elections, while I was pondering deeply,

mentally listing out and evaluating the pros and the cons

on what to me felt like a rather weighty decision to have,or

not to have, a siesta, that was my dilemma my smartphone

sang out its remix ringtone and jolted me out of my

ruminations. A casual glance at the caller ID on the touch

screen revealed the identity of the caller: Shanti someone

who hadn't called me in ages; also someone who wouldn't

call without good reason.

'Hello?' I said and, with her customary lack of

preamble, she straight away lobbed a question at me:

'Want to join the Waltair Times team?'

Now, I have successfully survived for decades as a

male of the species of homo sapiensand this is purely

because I have, over time, honed my survival instincts to a

fine art. When a person of the female persuasion asks

whether you want to do something, it generally means:

'you'd better do it, or else!'

So, in the semi-siesta somnolence, with my survival

instincts eclipsing common sense, I said 'yes' and she said

'thank you' and promptly hung up.

She knew better than to linger when victory was

scored and one has had one's way. I had cooked my goose

quite effectively and you will eventually learn why I say this,

but the weighty problem which I had been wrestling with

vanished in the puff of alarm that followed, with me going:

'Uh-oh, what have I gotten myself into?'

Well, there wasn't much to do now, a commitment

is a commitment, and God forbid that a gentleman should

go back on his word.

The next day, I got a call from the boss of the team,

a cheerful lady called Hema, if you know her, who instructed

me to be present on the following Friday at 5 p.m., on the

dot, for a team meeting. Ever since February/March, when

the Chinese virus washed up on our shores and started

taking a stranglehold on our lifestyle, we at home have

grown more and more wary of interacting with people to

the point that, in mid-March, we furloughed out our cook

and maid (I learnt, thanks to this infernal infection, that

the word 'furlough' was not just a fauji thing that applied

to the army types from Catch-22 and Sad Sack, but also to

civilians like you and me), and brought almost all interaction

with strangers, friends and family members, beyond those

who lived in our house, to a grinding halt.

After over six months, this was going to be my first

social sortie and I looked forward to it with excitement as

well as trepidation, much like someone looking forward to

leaping off a cliff to paraglide for the first time in one's life

on the one hand, one might enjoy an exhilarating bird's-

eye view of the panoramic beauty of nature spread out

before and below one; but, on the other, one could find

the fastest way to the ground and land with a spectacularly

spreadeagled splat, getting a first-hand feel en-route of

the term 'acceleration' in Newton's equation for

gravitational force and find oneself thereafter, in the

hereafter, engaged in a stiff and heated argument with

Chitragupta that he had made an Unforgivable Typo in his

ledger and needed to remedy the situation pronto and

nobody cared how he did it! Such being the sorry state to

which covid has reduced us all.

So, on the Friday, at the appointed hour, I reached

the club and exited my vehicle, suitably masked and

visored, looking like one of those medieval warriors of yore

setting off for a joust or a tilt at some windmills. I would

have donned a cap too after all, one never knows from

where the blasted virus is going to hitch a ride and work its

way into one's turbinates and settle down in the sphenoidal

sinuses and thence onto one's epiglottis, larynx and

trachea, seeking an access into one's alveoli. But the

deterrent design of the visor prohibits such comprehensive

excesses-it is an 'either'/'or' situation with the headgear

and facegear, not an 'and'. So, I had to compromise on the

cap, but I must admit to a certain paranoia that made me

place it within easy reach in the glove compartment, should

- Chalam Surampudi (C-56)

Jest like that ! Corononsense

Waltair Times 20

the need arise and one should find oneself in a dire cap

emergency.

Anyway, armed with a vial of sanitizer, I smugly

walked into the reception area to sign in, safe in the

knowledge that I was properly equipped as per WHO and

MHA guidelines (the latter of which, the club insists we

follow and assures us, in every SMS I receive, that it itself

follows).

I would have bypassed the reception area, but I

hadn't the foggiest as to the whereabouts of the

boardroom, the venue of the meeting. Consequently, I

ambled over to the reception desk, upon reaching which, I

realized, to my utter horror, that I had forgotten to bring

my pen. I now had the unenviable task of picking up a

potentially CoV2-ridden pen on the desk and sign with it. I

whipped out my sanitizer bottle and flipped the lid open

with my left hand, in the manner of one of those fastest-

guns-in-the-West that one used to frequently see in the

spaghetti westerns that were a popular genre of yesteryear

cinema. With a feeling of reassurance that the bug would

be held at bay with my precautionary measures, I picked

up the reception pen, signed the register and keen to get

it out of my hands asap, tossed it back on to the inner spine

of the open register, where the left page meets the right

one. Like the infamous ball that Chetan Sharma

misdelivered in the last ball of the innings only to have it

heaved for a six by Javed Miandad, the pen missed the

intended spot and rolled to the floor. The man who manned

the reception immediately emerged from behind his desk

to retrieve the biro on my behalf. As soon as he had gotten

possession of the errant writing device, I asked him where

the boardroom was a perfectly innocuous question, I

thought, but which discombobulated him to such an extent

that he recklessly straightened himself without regard to

the consequences of such precipitate straightening up. His

head almost hit the overhang of the desk and only with an

acrobatic backward leap, rather like the ones that the

fielders at silly point are capable of, he managed to

narrowly avoid getting his skull cracked. He looked pretty

shaken and I am sure you will find that if you ever go around

dropping pens at the club reception in future, you will have

to fend for yourself but presently composed himself after

the narrow non-covid squeak and confessed sheepishly

that he had no idea about the location of the boardroom.

He scurried about and tapped a couple of other shoulders

for info, but they too were just as clueless, which was when

I decided to take matters into my own hands, now well re-

sanitized.

I telephoned S and asked her where this mysterious

boardroom was and she said she wasn't sure but suspected

it must be on the left after going up the wide flight of stairs

from the lobby. So, I ascended the stairs and found that

she was totally wrong. By the time I was back downstairs,

the reception bloke had made more inquiries but with out

deriving an ounce of joy from all the extra exercise. So, I

called H, who was mid-drive and had to park prudently at a

kerb to answer my question, thus adding to the 15 minutes

it took to get from her home, round the corner, to the club

(which, if she hoofs it, takes under 5 it seems) because of

the new, unnecessary (in some people's view) and

randomly-positioned traffic lights that hadmushroomed

literally overnight, allegedly in a fit of pandemic-induced

enthusiasm by the GVMC to add to the GDP of the city.

She told me to go into the office where, she assured me, I

would find the venue quite easily. So, I walked into the

office but could espy no boardroom! Taking the easy way

out, I asked the guy at the first desk where the boardroom

was and he, and all the other people in the room, seemed

shocked at my ignorance because a hushed silence fell

instantly. He pointed to the room at the back bearing the

legend 'Conference Room' over its door, while secretly

rolling his eyes at me. I could see him thinking-are you

******** new to the club? (decades as a member, thank

you very much!).

Having solved the mystery, I strode away haughtily,

looking neither left nor right and upon reaching my

destination, in order to avoid touching yet another surface,

tried to nudge open the door with my foot but the darn

thing wouldn't yield.

I heard hurried footsteps behind me as someone ran

up to tell me that the door opened outwards. No option

now one needs must get one's hands dirty. So, I grabbed

the handle with one hand, did my cowboy thing with the

other and once inside, sanitized my hands thoroughly so

that no trace or remembrance of so vile a wretch as a single

microscopic mischief-monger may longer be found. I then

made my way towards the farthest end of the table to be

as isolated from everyone as possible (if my actions seem

excessively neurotic, don't forget that this was the first

time,in more than a semester, that I was to participate in a

Corononsense

Waltair Times 21

gathering) and stared at the chair which greeted me there.

Looking at the chair took me back to my recent ordeal of a

haircut at my friendly neighbourhood barber's saloon.

Not being able to interact with others outside the

household has had a number of fallouts, not least of which

being that one has had to come to terms with one's

grooming habits. I had scrupulously avoided haircuts just

as much as the rest of the world (excepting the Italians, I

am told) did, but had reached a point where the sparse

strands on my head had grown too long for comfort. What

I mean is, if a louse (I don't have any lice so this is a

hypothetical louse) traverses from back to front, occiput

to frontal cortex, it will feel like it is in the Sahara desert,

with large expanses of tan-coloured nothingness and a few

oases to shelter in between. But if the same hypothetical

louse were to traverse from temple to temple, it would

find vegetation that was as long as the beanstalk upon

which Jack shimmied up to the heavens. So, it was hightime

to bring those long strands back to respectable length, but

how? I, with a resolute chin and grim determination,

spurned all advances by my wife who circled menacingly,

scissors in hand, waiting for the slightest opportunity for

me to show my weakness and yield. I managed to take the

itch off her hands by handing her father over to her that

poor bloke had no means of escape. Age does that to you.

And then, just as if God had been watching over me

and finding the view of my long-haired scalp from above

no longer bearable, decided to get a barber to open a new

single-seater shop just opposite my back-gate. I

straightaway started scheming on a strategy to get myself

a covid-safe haircut. The barber, eager to kick off his

business and please the neighbours, agreed to buy me an

exclusive apron and haircut kit for a princely sum of 600

rupees. I promptly parted with the requisite amount and

he arranged the kit within a day. Presently, I unlatched my

back-gate and walked across, only to realize that sitting in

a chair that some other person had sat upon was not a

covid-safe endeavour at all! So, deciding to get myself a

sheet to spread over the chair, I darted back and grabbed

one of the 'covid bedsheets that we had happened to

acquire when we visited Spencer's in the early days of covid.

Funny story.

In prep for the lockdown, we were shopping at

Spencer's to stock up on sustenance (both solid and liquid)

before the section that sold the nectars of the gods wound

up completely. It was then that we chanced upon some

bedsheets being sold at a throwaway price, at a ridiculous

discount of 75% or something like that. Upon getting home

and unfurling the bedsheets, we realized to our horror that

the evil genius who had come up with the design for these

sheets had made a realistic replica of the corona virus in

multicolours! There was a large spore in the centre of the

sheet and several smaller spores scattered about the rest

of it. I kid you not!! Book a ticket if you want to see one.

That explained the steep discount. I could picture the

Spencer's guys, having bought themselves a large

consignment of bargain-basement-priced bedsheets from

China and,discovering that these sheets were probably

designed by one of the lab technicians from the bat

laboratory in Wuhan, urgently whispering to each other

that they had to quickly get rid of them, even if at a hefty

loss. Clutched heads and frantic meetings with sales,

finance and the top management must have ensued and,

at the end of it all, we found ourselves at the other end of

this fire-sale supply chain. Anyway, long story short, I

grabbed one of those bedsheets and returned to the

barbershop to get myself a quite satisfying and stress-free

haircut. All's well that ends well.

As I stared at the chair in the boardroom that I was

readying to plonk myself into, I was ruing having not had

the foresight to bring along one of those covid bedsheets-

but then it would have looked a bit OTT I suppose. So,

steeling myself, I gingerly eased myself into the chair just

as the meeting was called to order.

It all began with the usual round of intros which went

off smoothly enough and the rest of the agenda swiftly

followed. What should go into the magazine and who

would be responsible for what? Lest I got saddled with

something I couldn't handle, I shrank back in my seat and

tried to blend into the background. I thought that taking

the farthest chair would have helped and maybe it did.

Many options were discussed, some were enthusiastically

received and there were team members who actually

volunteered to take up some of the responsibilities! What

a relief. When it came to my turn, I chose what I thought

would be simple and straightforward the light-hearted,

non-serious pages that dealt with the funnies and the brain

teasers. Easy enough. What with the WuFlu and all, there

was a flurry of WhatsApp activity and surfing was the only

way to kill time. So, I was sure I could find a whole bunch of

Corononsense

Waltair Times 22

jokes and puzzles to fill a few pages each month and heaved

a thankful sigh. It was then that the knife plunged in and

twisted itself in my gut the unanimous (if you don't count

me) decision was that no material should be reproduced

from the internet or WhatsApp because almost everyone

who reads Waltair Times would have, must have, seen all

of those jokes and puzzles and the team wanted fresh

content. Fresh content?!!! Where on earth do I get that

from? Just then someone proposed that I should write

something myself and my blood ran cold. But there was no

escape. The pressure was relentless, and I had no option

but to accept. So now you know why I said at the start that

I had irrevocably cooked my own goose.

***

So there I was, sitting in front of my laptop on a

Friday night, holding my weekend drink, as I mentioned

before, staring at a blank screen, wondering what I should

write about and all I could think of was that my state was

like that of the tubby boy in Two-and-a-Half Men who goes

'brain freeze! brain freeze!' after swallowing a scoop of

gelato. I fretted about how whatever I might write would

be received what if no one liked what I wrote? Worse, what

if no one found the humour section funny because of what

I wrote? Finding no answers within myself to these knotty

questions, I called it a day with nary a word typed in, still

wondering how I would overcome this challenge of not only

writing something that someone would not only read, but

would also then go on to crack a smile at least. Somewhere

in my tired-by-now mind, a thought floated in. It didn't

really have to be terribly funny did it? I mean, the great

bard himself wrote 'comedies' that I personally didn't find

very funny, nor do I remember anyone, other than some

experts, labelling anything in them as funny. I don't know

of anyone, for example, who would have come across this

dialogue from A Comedy of Errors (you will notice that even

the title of the play has the word 'comedy' worked into it!)

Antipholus of Ephesus : Go, fetch me something : I'll

break open the gate.

Dromio of Syracuse (within): Break any breaking

here, and I'll break your knave's pate.

Dromio of Ephesus : A man may break a word with

you, sir, and words are but wind, Ay, and break it in your

face, so he break it not behind.

Dromio of Syracuse (within): It seems thou want'st

breaking. Out upon thee, hind!

… and scribbled 'LOL' in the margins or for that

matter, underlined these following lines from the Taming

of the Shrew and gone 'ROFL', deeming it immediately

worthy of being snapped on the smartphone and

forwarded to a bunch of WhatsApp groups:

Petruchio: Who knows not where a wasp doth wear

his sting? In his tail.

Katherine: In his tongue.

Petruchio:Whose tongue?

Katherine:Yours, if you talk of tales. And so farewell.

Petruchio: What, with my tongue in your tail? Nay,

come again, good Kate. I am a gentleman.

Katherine:That I'll try.

So, I decided that if the bard could get away with

this as high comedy, I should probably be able to squeak

through somehow and be able to mop my brow at the

end of it. All I needed was for a few experts to say that

what I had typed up on my laptop was humorous indeed

… but how to get that to happen? It was then that my

phone pinged and I found that I had gotten a funny (not

ha-ha funny but how-strange funny) WhatsApp message:

it seems that some news agencies, including the loud and

love-him-hate-him figure Arnab G, no less, had paid their

way to top TRP ratings. So, all that was left for me to do

was to find some of these bendable TRP-rating agencies

and with some pieces of silver, get them to brand my

article (all I need is a topic, any topic, to write on … please

suggest something) as high in 'humour' so that it could

happily feature in the 'humour' section of the magazine

and who cares what the reader thinks (lol)! With that

happy thought, I re-corked my bottle of scotch, had my

dinner and drifted into the peaceful slumber which

Mr S. Speare aptly described as that 'which knits up the

ravell'd sleeve of care'.

Corononsense

Waltair Times 23

1. Make one word from all the following jumbled letters:

o r e n o d w

2. An explorer found a silver coin marked 7 BC. He was told

it was a forgery. Why?

3. A malicious computer program informs a user that it has

"kidnapped"an important file and that what happens to the

file willbe based on the next statement to be typed by the

user. If theuser types a false statement it will delete the file,

and if theuser types a true statement it will change the file's

name so itcan never be found. The user types a statement

that makes thecomputer unable to perform or shut down.

What could the userhave typed?

4. Terry is half as old as Alice was when Alice was five years

olderthan Terry is now. How old is Terry now?

5. The price of a watch at a department store has been dis-

counted20 percent and then an additional 30 percent after

the firstdiscount was applied. Would the final discounted

price havebeen lower if there had been a single discount of

50 percent?Why or why not?

6. A doctor's son's father was not a doctor. How is this

possible?

7. What is the next letter in the following series: y z v w s t p q?

(a) l (b) m (c) n (d) o (e) p

8. If A = 250 percent of B, what percent of A is B?

(a) 1/250 percent (b) 25 percent

(c) 40 percent (d) 50 percent

(e) 125 percent

9. A man with a number of bookshelves has distributed

his book collectionevenly on the shelves, putting 80 books

on each shelf.If he adds 3 shelves and redistributes his col-

lection evenly onall the shelves, each shelf will have 50

books. How many booksare in his collection?

10. Matt is the fiftieth fastest and the fiftieth slowest run-

ner in hisschool. Assuming no two runners are the same

speed, howmany runners are in Matt's school?

(a) 50 (b) 51 (c) 99 (d) 100 (e) 101

Cerebrations!

CROSSWORD

PUZZLES

Key on page25

Key on page25

Waltair Times 24

B O O K R E V I E W SSAPIENS

The author is a historian, philosopher

with a PhD degree in history from Oxford

University. This book is about us, Homo

Sapiens, and gives us insights into who we

are and how we have evolved to dominate

the world.

The book is spread over a span of

70,000 years and covers a wide variety of

topics such as history, geography,

psychology and spirituality. The author contends

that there are three phases which brought

various changes in our species over the millennia and not all changes were

positive. The first phase was the process of perceiving, or knowing, - the

cognitive revolution. Humans were not unique compared to other species

during this period. The second phase was the agricultural revolution which

led to the formation of social hierarchies and inequality causing the

distinction between the peasants and elites. The author stipulates that this

phase was the biggest mistake in human history. The third phase talks about

the scientific revolution which outlines the unparalleled growth of human

influence. Here, technological innovation has empowered humans to

transform themselves and the environment around them giving them near-

superhuman powers.

The author has a nihilistic approach towards humans and, at times, it

feels like he looking down upon the race, and the reader's mileage on this

tone might vary. The book is also packed with information which means

that, at 443 pages, it isn't really a quick read option. However, insights such

as humans having the unique ability to unite millions of people based on

common myths is an alluring concept, and quite relevant in our polarised

times. The readers will find the last section, where the author speculates

about our future, very stimulating. There is a wide range of topics for

everyone to discuss when you are surrounded by your favourite Sapiens.

- Yogita Yerra (S-1015)

In The Woods, the first in the murder mystery series Dublin Murder Squad by Tana French,

is a novel about many things-memory, loss, love, and friendship-but it is a rare book that does

justice to these themes and its characters without letting the genre get in the way. Rob Ryan, a

detective with the Dublin Police, revisits the town where he grew up to solve the murder of a 12-year-old girl. He has a

history with the place-when he was a boy, his two best friends disappeared in a mysterious incident in the woods near the

town-an occurrence that shaped his life, and led him to become a detective. He is accompanied by his partner Cassie Maddox,

an intelligent and quick-witted sleuth with whom he quickly strikes up a surprisingly deep friendship. The Dublin Murder

Squad novels all occur in the same universe and characters from one novel feature as protagonists in others. The writing is

often evocative: sample the line that introduces a fateful summer in the past- "This summer explodes on your tongue tasting

of chewed blades of long grass…" A smashing detective mystery that doubles as profoundly affecting literature.

-Sagar Tetali (S-1050)

Shelf Indulgence

Waltair Times 25

1. Okay, that may be a cheap one! The fact that"one word" in the question was italicized couldindicate that the word was in fact "one word."

2. The label BC only could have come intousage after 0 BC.

3. He could type"The file will be deleted."

Think of a statement that will be in conflict withwhat ismentioned. If the user types "The filewill be deleted" and thestatement is true, thefile's name will change but not be deleted.Thusthe statement "The file is deleted" cannot betrue.So it is false. But if the statement "The filewill be deleted" is false, according to what ismentioned in the question, thefile will be de-leted, aking the user's statement true,whichwould be contradictory. So if the usertypes "The file will bedeleted," the computerwill not be able to perform a functionwith thefile and probably shut down.

4. Terry is 5 years old.

Translate words to math. "Alice was five yearsolder than Terryis now" translates to a = 5 + T,where a is the age that Alice was.Now trans-late again. Terry is half as old as Alice was:

Key for puzzles

T =(1/2)a

Substitute for a:

T = (1/2)(5 + T).

2T = 5 + T

T = 5.

So, Terry is 5 years old.

5. A single 50 percent discount is better.

It is better to get a single discount of 50 per-cent. Do not getlured into a process thatsounds superficial. In fact, it is alwaysbetter toget a single discount of the sums of thesuccessivediscounts than to get the successivediscounts. Forexample,suppose the item wasoriginally $100. A single discount of 50percentwould give you the item at $50. Now, if I hadsuccessivediscounts of 20 percent and 30 per-cent, the first 20percent discount would giveme $80. The second 30 percentdiscount on $80would give me $56.

6. The doctor is the son's mother.

7. (b) m

Letters are arranged in pairs, backward skip-

ping every thirdletter:

m n (o) p q (r) s t (u) v w (x) y z.

8. (c) 40 percent

Translate words to math. Percent can be trans-lated to 1/100,of to X, what to x, is to =.

A = [250/100](B).

x/100 (A) = B.

Substitute: x/100[(250/100)]B = B.

Cancel B: x/100[250/100] = 1. 250x/10000 = 1so

x= 10,000/250 = 40.

9. 400

Let n be the number of original shelves. Then80n = 50(n +3). 30n = 150; n = 5.

80 x 5 = 400.

10. (c) 99

This is tricky. If Matt is the fiftieth fastest runner,he wouldbe number 50 in the sequence 1, 2,3…50. To be the fiftiethslowest, he'd have to benumber 50 in the sequence 50, 51,52…99, sincethere are fifty numbers from 50 to 99 inclusive.

cd cryptic definitiondd double definition(xxxx)* anagramanagrind = anagram indicator[x] letter(s) removedAcross5 Vehicle’s taking heavyweight containerCARTONA charade of CAR and TON.6 Fight to protect large American animalWALRUSAn insertion of L in WAR followed by US.9 Overcome death nearly with heart of ironDEFEATAn insertion of FE in DEAT[H]10 Drawn out reorganisation is not right and properUNTOWARD(DRAWN OUT)*11 Look after sailor in portOSLOA charade of OS for Ordinary Seaman or ‘sailor’ andLO! for the archaic word for LOOK!12 Country house has good English minced beef andmashCOTTAGE PIEA charade of COTTAGE, PI for ‘good’ (short for ‘pious’and only seen these days in crosswords, I fancy) andG and E. Had this for tea last night, as it happens. Add a handful of sultanas to the next one you make;you won’t regret it.13 Head off big cat outside, after Jack’s put in dangerJEOPARDISEDA charade of J for ‘Jack’ before [L]EOPARD and(SIDE)* What some folk call a ‘lift and separate’ clue;nothing to do with bras, but the fact that you haveto separate ‘outside’ into ‘out’ and ‘side’ so that ‘out’can function as your anagrind.18 Trouble from iffy cult I’d abandoned

DIFFICULTY(IFFY CULT ID)*21 Some acclaim a Muslim leaderIMAMHidden in acclaIM A Muslim. I think ‘leader’ has tobe the definition, otherwise you’ve got ‘Muslim’doing double duty.22 Hey! Make allowances for setterEXCUSE MEAdd, with the latter definition being a bit whimsical.23 Passes water hearing struggle for breathWHEEZEA homophone of WEES for ‘passeswater’.Homophone indicator in this case is ‘hearing’24 Endless tedious travelling is to become lesscommonDIE OUT(TEDIOU[S])* with ‘travelling’ as the anagrind.25 Regret being without key to recoveryRESCUEAn insertion of ESC (look top left of your keyboard ifyou’re accessing this on a laptop) in RUE.Down1 Repugnant having several pursuing unnatural urgeGRUESOMEA charade of (URGE)* and SOME.2 About to quote work that’s lyricalPOETICA reversal of CITE and OP.3 Imparts a dash to cold meatPASTRAMI(IMPARTS A)* with ‘dash’ as the anagrind. Think ‘theship was dashed on the rocks.’4 Look round, having heard bee within flowerBROWSEAnother ‘lift and separate’ clue. It’s B followed by Win ROSE. You need to separate ‘within’ into WITH andIN to give you the material and instruction to insertW for ‘with’ in ROSE.

5 Finish raw edge in pleatCREASEAn insertion of R for the ‘edge’ of ‘raw’ in CEASE.7 Pops back to collect gunners’ wrenchSPRAINAn insertion of RA for Royal Artillery or ‘gunners’ inNIPS reversed.8 Goat runs away from insectsBUTTERFLIESGoats have been know to butt, so one might be aBUTTER. Put FLIES after that and Robertestvotreoncle.14 HeardSheeran’s invested in truckPICKED UPHectence getting down with the kids. An insertionof ED in PICK UP. Referring to ED SHEERAN, the 26-year-old UK singer-songwriter who has had muchchart success of late.15 Proof that even cider production’s not rightEVIDENCE(EVEN CIDE[R])* The anagrind is ‘production’ andyou have to read the apostrophe s as ‘has’ and not‘is’.16 Knight, unknown in Jedi order, brought bad luckJINXEDAn insertion of N for the chess ‘knight’ and X for themathematical ‘unknown’ in (JEDI)* The anagrind is‘order’.17 Blinding light where bends cut through valleyDAZZLETwo Z bends inserted into DALE.19 Fine instruments found in woodwind sectionFLUTESA charade of F and LUTES.20 Showed sign of tiredness with break of new dayYAWNED(NEW DAY)* with ‘break’ as the anagrind.

Key for crossword

Waltair Times 26

The Nawabs of Lucknow, in reality the Nawabs of Awadh,

acquired the name after the reign of the third Nawab of Lucknow.

The city became North India's Cultural centre and its nawabs best

remembered for their refined and extravagant life styles and

arts.

Located at an elevation of 123 mtres (404 feet) above MSL,

Lucknow is the Capital of Uttar Pradesh one of the largest states

of India and generally controlling the political power at the

Centre. The city is famous for its Adabs&Tehzeeb (manners &

hospitality), Chikankari, Kathak dance and other forms too.

Lucknow is the land of blinding colours and dazzling lights. It

demands all your attention, enticing you to come, see, smell,

taste and touch. With so much to do and travel with 'CARE' in

view of the present pandemic situation prevailing due to Covid-

19.

If all of us follow the existing rules & regulations like using masks,

maintaining social distancing etc - we can very safely visit various

places in and around Lucknow and enjoy.

Things to carry - Medicines, sanitizers, masks and hand gloves; if

possible some eatables to chew in between meals (ofcourse, all

are available in Lucknow in abundance too).

Caution - avoid large gatherings etc, maintain hygiene through

out the journey.

ABOUT THE CITYSprinkled with exceptional Islamic and British Raj-era

architecture, stuffed with fascinating bazaars and famed

throughout India for its food, the capital of Uttar Pradesh is

something of a sleeper: plenty worth seeing, but often

overlooked by travelers. Central Lucknow features wide

boulevards, epic monuments and several parks and gardens that

contribute to an atmosphere of faded grandiosity. Locals tend

to be welcoming, and you'll experience little of the hassle of more

touristy towns.

The city rose to prominence as the home of the Nawabs of Avadh

(Oudh), who were great patrons of the culinary and other arts,

particularly dance and music. Lucknow's reputation as a city of

culture, gracious living and rich cuisine has continued to this day

- the phrase for which conveniently rhymes in Hindi: Nawab,

aadaab (respect), kebab and shabab (beauty). Best time to visit

Lucknow is from October to March.

Kebabs and biryani are the two lip-smacking delicacies that

beckon visitors again and again

MAJOR ATTRACTIONS

Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, lies in the middle of theHeritage Arc. This bustling city, famed for its Nawabi era finesseand amazing food, is a unique mix of the ancient and the modern.It is home to extraordinary monuments depicting a fascinatingblend of ancient, colonial and oriental architecture

LUCKNOW - The City of Nawabs

Bara Imambara

The Bara Imambara of Lucknow is one of the most famousmonuments of the city. Also known as AsfiImambara, after thename of the Nawab of Lucknow who got it constructed, (It isbelieved that the construction of this grand building was startedin 1785 when a devastating famine had hit Awadh, and thenawab's objective was to provide employment for people in theregion for almost a decade while the famine lasted).it is animportant place of worship for the Muslims who come here everyyear to celebrate the religious festival of Muharram. TheImambara is primarily known for its incredible maze, known asBhulBhulaiya locally, which is located on the upper floor of themonument. The Bara Imambara has a unique style ofconstruction. The central hall of Bara Imambara, which is said tobe the largest arched hall in the world, measures 50 meters longand goes up to a height of 15 meters. The whole building is madeof Lakhanui bricks, which are a bit small in size, and lime plaster.No wood or metal has been used in the construction (Except forthe galleries in the interior). The Bara Imambara is worth seeingin its own right, but the unusual labyrinth of corridors on its upperfloor (BhulBhulaiya) is what steals the show!

Rumi Darwaza

Rumi Darwaza is said to be identical in design to an ancient portalat Constantinople in Turkey and is also referred to as Turkish Gate.It is a huge ornate structure, marked by an eight faceted chhatri(umbrella) in its uppermost part. In earlier times it was used tomark the entrance to the Old Lucknow City. It is now adopted asa symbol of the city of Lucknow. It was built by NawabAsaf-ud-Daula to generate employment during the famine of 1784.

Hussainabad (Chota) Imambara

Located near the Rumi Darwaza, this structure was constructedby Mohammed Ali Shah in 1832, and houses his tomb and that ofhis mother. The walls of the mausoleum are decorated withverses in Arabic. It is more ornate in design with gilded dome,several turrets, exquisite chandeliers said to be brought fromBelgium, gilt-edged mirrors and colourful stuccos which adornthe interiors.

Residency

Residency was the scene of dramatic events during the first warof independence in 1857 also known as Siege of Lucknow. Itbegan on July 1 and continued until November 17, 1857. Builtfor the British Resident during the rule of NawabSaadat Ali Khanin 1780-1800, it was originally a large complex of many buildingsincluding residential quarters, armoury, stables, dispensaries,worship places and so on. The main building overlooks the riverGomti and is surrounded by terraced lawns and gardens. Today,only the scarred ruins bear witness to the turmoil of 1857. Thecemetery at the nearby ruined church has the graves of 2000 men,women and children, including that of Sir Henry Lawrence whodied during the siege. There is also a Residency Museum situatedwithin the campus of this building.

TravelgramIn Travelgram, we are planning to feature some interesting and ‘must visit’ cities that have clubs affiliated to Waltair Club

Waltair Times 27

Dr. Ambedkar Park

The Ambedkar Memorial Park was constructed to commemoratethe people who dedicated their life to equality and human justicelike Dr. BhimraoAmbedkar, Kanshi Ram and others.

La Martiniere

The finest and the largest example of European funerarymonument in the subcontinent, La Martiniere is associated withits rather strange and romantic past. Built and designed by Frenchsoldier turned architect Claude Martin, it incorporates thefeatures of Italian architecture, fusing them with nativearchitectural attributes of Hindu and Mughal architecture.Another college by the same name is situated in Kolkata.

Shaheed Smark (Martyrs' Memorial)

Opposite the Residency, on the bank of the river Gomti, stands awhite marble memorial amidst a beautiful park. It was built in the1970s and is dedicated to the martyrs who laid down their livesduring the Freedom Movement of India. (Near the memorial is apark dedicated to other war heroes).

Shahnajaf Imambara

This white domed mausoleum was constructed by Nawab Ghazi-ud-din Haider, the last nawabwazir and the first King of the stateof Awadh in 1816 - 1817.

It is situated on the bank of the Gomti River near Sikanderbaghand is a replica of Hazrat Ali's burial at Najaf in Iraq. The silvertomb of Ghazi-ud-din Haider lies in the centre of this building andhis three wives are also buried here. It is flanked by the moreimposing silver and gold tomb of Mubarak Mahal on one side.

ARTS & CRAFTS IN LUCKNOW

Chikankari

One of the important crafts of UttarPradesh is Chikankari, which entailsdelicate and traditional handembroidery. This form of handicraftis mainly practiced in Lucknow. It isdone on fabrics like chiffon, muslin,organza, organdie and silk. Chikansaris and Kurtas which are the perfect summer wear.

Jewellery

Lucknow is well known for itsjewellery and enamel work. Exquisitesilverware with patterns of huntingscenes, snakes and roses are verypopular.

Metalware

Uttar Pradesh is the largest Brass andCopper producing state in India. Indomestic-ware each of the 'lotas'(small water-pots) is known by thename of its origin, like Etawah,Banaras, Sitapur, etc. The ritualarticles are largely in copper.

Painting & Rock Painting

The tradition of painting in Uttar Pradesh has been going on sincepre-historic times. The cave paintings of Sonbhadra and Chitrakoot

depict scenes of hunting, war,festivals, dances, romantic life andanimals. The golden period ofpainting in UP was the Mughal Era.The art of painting attained its peakduring the reign of Jahangir. TheMughal style of painting remains oneof the greatest achievements of Asian culture and is unique inits concept, presentation and style.

Perfumes

'Attars' or perfumes are alsoproduced in Lucknow since 19thcentury. The Lucknow perfumersexperimented and succeeded inmaking attar with delicate andlasting fragrances those are madefrom various aromatic herbs, spices,sandal oil, musk, essence of flowers,and leaves. The famous Lucknow fragrances used in perfumesare khus, keora, chameli, zafran and agar.

OUDH GYMKHANA CLUB(Affiliated to Waltair Club)

A major club in Lucknow is Oudh Gymkhana Club. Gymkhana isactually a mere derivation of "Ghendkhana" where damsels usedto play ball game with huge marigold flowers popularly called"Ghenda" (Merigold Flower).

The club was basically meant for tennis player & its purpose wasto promote sports. Initially only tennis players were givenmembership. It had 16 tennis courts, which would also fall shortsometimes. The club hosted a lot of tennis matches and hostedmajor tennis events like National & International level champion-ships and Davis Cup. Many of the renowned tennis players likeElee Bob, Tilden, D.N. Capoor, Ghaus Mohammed, RamanathanKrishnan, Amritraj Brothers & Leander Paes have sweated it outon the courts of this club.

Later, Table Tennis & Billiards were also introduced. The club wasrun strictly according to rules & regulations. Though the memberswere sportsman the club hosted other social activities also likeball dances etc. The club had a varied menu with varieties ofvegetarian dishes to non-vegetarian dishes. Slowly, over theyears, the club started changing its colour, look, and its activities.Its activities are now channeled for entertainment along withsports facility like Tennis, Billiards, Table Tennis and Cards. It isnow frequented by families and gained a new respectability. Thefocus of club's main activities now is family entertainment.

Waltair Times 28

Screens are an innate part of our lives and if one’s

looking for any kind of validation for this hypothesis, they

need only look back to the last 6 months. One shudders to

think of how they would have survived the lockdown -

personally and professionally- without these pieces of silica

and silicon. While they take many shapes and forms, adorn

different parts of our households and even act as extensions

to our bodies in some cases, the most

popular form factor

these pieces take are that

of smartphones over 500

million devices floating

around, in India alone.

Smartphones share

innate properties with black

holes (there’s a recent video

doing the rounds on the

internet of a blackhole

swallowing a star if you need

help visualising it ) as they suck

you in to their world and in the

process change yours; in most

cases for the good. They are so

sought after that multi-billion

dollar companies have been built

around it and they take up prime

share of wallet space during festivals

and gifting occasions.

The most desirable brand of the lot happens to be

Apple’s famous iPhones, ever since the legendary Steve Jobs

introduced it in front of the world almost 14 years ago.

Historically, picking an iPhone used to be simple: there’d be

one or two phones up for grabs and the only choice you

had to make was picking your storage or the colour that

best showed you off. This year, ladies and gentleman, we

have four! It’s also the most phones the company has ever

released in a single year and that says something.

Leading the pack are the iPhone 12Pro and Pro Max

that represent the pinnacle of innovation followed by their

volume drivers the iPhone12 and iPhone12 mini. With

innovations around the silicon, camera, screen, a myriad of

stunning colours and screen sizes to choose from, the line

up packs quite a punch with the choice to picking one,

indeed a hard one. Not hard enough?, allow me to

complicate your life a teeny weeny bit further. This lineup

joins the recently released iPhone SE and the iPhone11’s

from last year (that just got a sweet price cut because of

the latest releases) that makes it a total of ~9 phones to

choose from and gift yourself or your loved ones or if you’re

feeling generous, me?

So what kind of a shopper/

gifter are you going to be this

season? Are you one of those

who has to have the latest and

greatest from the house of

Silicon Valley’s most valuable

outfit (or) are you going to be

one of those logical ones

that argues with the

aforementioned folks and

picks last year’s models

because “Why buy a 5G

phone when we’re still

perfecting our 4G

networks, right?”

Whatever your

choice, what seems

rest assured is that

these devices are

bound to put a smile on someones face

(mine included, if one of you takes up my earlier

suggestion)

Till then May the force be with you and Happy

Shopping !

Raghav Chitra (R-477)