SHV02-Issue 5: 961201

Hi Cathedralites,

It is nice to get 93er Vivek Sikri's occasional newsletters with a couple of interesting letters. Also, he has taken the trouble to maintain the directory but has asked someone to relieve him off this responsibility.

I still think that the World Alumini Register is the best bet and all Cathedralites should register there. It only takes a couple of minutes. They have a useful monthly reminder service in which any entries to the Bulletin Board which is maintained on the site is also informed to all those whose names are registered there, besides informing the names of new additions. I get four reminders from them, and therefore, am fairly up-to-date with all my alma maters.

Many of you have been intrigued by the Tin and Bottle Competition that I mentioned in an earlier issue. It was for the badminton competition which we used to have at school, the entry fee being either a tin or a bottle of something. In our childhood days most tins and bottles were great delicacies - there were not many Kissans and other brands around, so the collection of tins and bottles was quite an attractive package to play for.

The Nestles Milk Maid condensed milk tin was my favourite. I could finish an entire tin by myself in one sitting, and I probably still could, if my wife were not so strict in keeping my triglycerides down.

I wonder why Bombay is so quiet about setting up the Catcall Web Site. It would certainly relieve a lot of pressure on me if they would put up regular issues of Catcall on the web so that I could gradually make this webletter a monthly rather than a fortnightly. I do not want to reduce the momentum that we have achieved so far for almost a year, but I would certainly like to have some others share my load.

Oh, that Ooky had a web presence. His imitable style would have all of you in splits of laughter. That is something, unfortuately, whch is not my style, because I am more a political satirists rather than a humourist.

Could someone out there give us more details about the new school principal. Is she the first woman principal of the combined schools? Sorry to show my ignorance, but it does show you how far I am from the city of Bombay!!

I have discovered some more old photographs in my collection here in Finland, and hopefully will put up some of them in the coming issues.

57er Kashinath Dandekar had one comment that got me a bit worried - he mentioned that someone had equated the title "Seventh Heaven" as sounding like the name of a Bangkok massage parlour.

I hope I have massaged your senses, but there has been an overwhelming mail to maintain the name as it is, as after all, it was the class newspaper for us in 1955 when we were in the Seventh Standard, and it has a lot of sentimental association to many of the readers of that era.

More in a fortnight, and do continue to send me your criticisms and comments. Above all, I love the criticisms as it spurs one to do better - that was one of the best lessons that I learnt from the red ink of Pop Pharoah from his correction in my geometry Xth Standard classwork book.

Your Cathedralite friend

Jacob Matthan
Savage House Captain 1959
Oulu, Finland