Dear Cathedralite friends far and wide,
"Age is of no importance unless you are a cheese"
wrote Billie Burke.
I promised this issue would stew up the nostalgic juices -
I hope I succeed.
This time of the year, in this snow and ice fridge, is
one of great loneliness as the dark nights creep in on us
by 2 in the afternoon. The shortest day ended yesterday
so now we look forward to the ever lengthening albeit
substantially colder days.
My sense of time is all hay-wire. I wake up at about 2:30 am and I am at my computer keyboard hammering away on my forthcoming books. I have been commissioned to write a handbook on a plastics processing technique on which I may have
some little experience. Delivery is as early as March 2003, which means I have to complete about 2000 words every single day for the next six months. Plus my non-fiction novel (following George Bernard Shaw's advice: "If you cannot get rid
of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.") in two languages is required to be made page ready by my publisher by March 2002. That is also a Herculean task.
So you wonderful guys and gals will have to forgive me if I do not update the Seventh Heaven web pages as I would like to. WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO HELP ME WITH THIS?
I am grateful to 57er / 59er Abe Hayeem who sent me the original programmes of three school plays in Mint Condition: The 1954 production of "The King of Sherwood" written by Fred Edmonds with music by Thos Hewitt; the 1955 production of "Aladdin and Out", a comic opera in three acts, again by Fred Edmonds and Thom Hewitt; and the 1956 classic production done jointly with the girls' school of "Ali Ba! Ba! or The Forty Black Sheep". Wouldn't you like to get your hands on these pieces of sheer gold.
It revived many memories for me as I joined school in 1954 and remember the first play very vividly. I auditioned for it but was not successful.
Many names are listed including Bashir Currimjee's two brothers Mustan and Zulfee, Vijoy Nerurker, Sudhir Grover, Nazir Hoosein, Frank Rozario, Clive Ciel, etc., etc. What a wonderful donation from Abe.
I wonder how many of you can recall who acted as Robin Hood? One of the most popular Cathedralites ever, sadly no more.
The "Aladdin and Out" 1955 programme featured my name.
If any of you have read the Seventh Heaven online magazine,I recall in one issue the most embarrassing moment of my life while I acting in that play. Take a look and laugh yourself to oblivion at my expense.
Large as life is my name in the lights as one of the Laundry Students afterwards Court Ladies!! Aubrey Ballantine and Ellis Hayeem were two of my colleagues in this role. Many recipients of this Newsy Notes are listed there.
Wonder if any of you can guess who acted as Aladdin?
It revived memories of John Temple (whose mother was the Art Teacher, a subject at which I was miserable - drawing a straight line with the help of a foot ruler was a work of art for me). MNo wonder I got a fabulous artist as a wife!! Unfortunately all her best works have been appropriated by our daughter and adorn her walls. Annikki (my better half if you had not guessed) has just won - yet again - this year's prize for the best Ginger Bread House cake - a fantastically designed completely edible Finnish Laplander's Wigwam with the Lappish scenery to complement it.
And the Ali Ba! Ba! - recalls such names as Ashok (Tony) Jaitly who is now serving as Chief Secretary in Kashmir (and whose son called up to speak to me from Japan after reading an issue of Seventh Heaven), Ramesh Punwani, Abey Stevenson, Charles, Herbert and Margaret Vaney - Peter's family entourage.
Guess who acted as Ali Ba! Ba!? This is a difficult one but those with good memories will certainly remember that outstanding performance.
The first person who submits all three names correctly (excluding Abe) will be rewarded with a special Art Glass creation by Alvar Aalto of Finland.
If I have time I will recreate these publications on the Internet in glorious colour. I will attempt it this coming year. It is one of my New Year Resolutions.
Thanks to 59er Farhana, I was put in touch with another lovely 59er, Narsys Irani. She and her husband are doctors in Toronto, Canada, and as Farhana put it - theyhave two brilliant sons. Here was Narsys's
response to my last Newsy Notes. We have a wonderful email relationship going on now as I have with so many of you. Her writing is so poetic.
Dear Jacob ,
Farhana forwarded one of your Cathedralite Newsletters.
I used to be Narsys Irani till 1969 Subsequently through the Institution of Marriage I assumed the married name Narsys Punthakee...and that is who I am to all those who know me. You may have to jog my memory to help me remember who you really are. The only two male
classmates I can remember are Sunil Anand (JM: it was Sudhir Anand), And .....Shivdasani (JM: who could forget the debonair Vijay) from our Physics class.
There was a Parsee math teacher in Cathedral school, Mr. Karkaria (JM: my Additional maths teacher) whose son I met a year ago in Canada while he was visiting from Singapore.
It is good to know you have taken it upon yourself to keep Cathedralites alive in their old identity as Cathedralites. In our various earthly identities,life appears to be diverse and mosaic......and yet underneath all this outward show and drama we are ALL ONE. The waves and the ripples are not at all anything other than the ocean. To Know and experience This Supreme Truth is man's only salvation..........to Peace and Bliss which dwells in his own heart and not in an imaginary place we imagine to be heaven.
Once again, Jacob ,thank you for your input of "sharing in the caring". You have touched our hearts!
Godluck and Godspeed !!
Narsys.
Narsys does not know that I do this for a very selfish reason. To have fun and to recreate the lost brain cells due to my heavy drinking habits which I stopped in toto 20 years ago. Reviving those old memories has helped me restore about 85% of my damaged brain, but then
my 59er classmates always thought I was born with that damaged brain!! :-)
Gracie Hayeem sent me this email and you will understand how close many of our dear friends were to tragedy on September 11th and why I value very dearly this online relationship with each and every one of you:
Jacob,
It sure is good to hear from you again. Missed hearing from you.
We are all fine here in California. But my sister Vilma, brother Ellis and Benjie all live in Manhattan, on the easy side. We have been really dazed by the events on the 11th. It took us a day to get in touch with the family. Vilma watched from a big window with her 6 grade students the actual events unfolding in front of their eyes. They actually saw the planes crash into the buildings. Till today she cannot open her windows. The smell and smoke radiates through. Ellis works one block from the Twin T: and was late getting to work that day. He heard the news and stayed home. Ben also lives a few blocks to the T:T: and watched all from his window. He later on in the day caught much of
the aftermath on film. As a flight attendant myself, it was extremely difficult visualizing the on goings. I have been as I think I mentioned on a medical leave for 3 years now. Sure felt like getting back.
Gracie
Sister Sophie was not far behind in writing:
Dear Jacob,
Thank you so much for your 'comprehensive' newsletter! Yes, I am a 49er!
And Benjie and Abe Hayeem are my brothers. Brothers Benjie and Ellis live in New York. Vilma (sister) also lives in NY. I live in Simi Valley in California as does my other sister, Gracie. I have been here 45 years!
I have always been in touch with my childhood best friend, Sheila mContractor who was also a 49er, as is Leila Punjabi, Rashida Chinoy, and Siloo Vakeel, who are all still in Bombay. Rumba Sabavala is in
Sri Lanka. I am afraid I do not know their married names. Sheila lives in Vancouver, Canada and is married to Peter Vaney, thus Sheila Vaney. Rita Moodlier lives in Canada too, and I do not know her
married name.
It's great that you are keeping us all in touch in this life, and I applaud all your efforts. Unfortunately I lost touch for many years, but appreciate all contact and news.
Thanks and hope to hear from you again! Right now we are in the midst of the terrorist war and pray that America succeeds in their mission.
Best wishes,
Sophie
After putting Yezad (Yesh) Kapadia in touch with Gracie and then him getting in touch with Sheila, Yesh copied me his message to Sheila Contractor of the reunion of the 49ers which was held in November. He
also mentioned that the 51ers also held their 3 day reunion a few days later. In the meanwhile Peter Vaney did update me on their situation in Canada.
Hello Sheila, 29.11.
We missed you at the class reunion last Sunday. It was a lively affair at Vijay Ram's (also Wilson House, like you) place. He has a lovely flat in El Cid on the 9th floor with a view of the sea from two sides. Leela will give you a detailed account. Silla (Vakil) was also there with her husband. Leela showed me pictures of you and your family. You do not seem to have changed much. Except for the white hair like mine. I should have
been able to recognize you had I met you unawares.
Apart from Murli Jumani, who passed away, and Sarosh Wadia who continues to be in poor health, all who attended last time came this time too. Moti Malani, who was not there last time (Wilson House Captain), also passed away. Chottu Padamsee surprised us by
turning up at the last minute.
I also attended the Church Service which, as usual, was a stirring experience. The School beat the Old Boys in the traditional cricket match. The lunch at the then Girls' School (now the Middle School) was delicious. Somehow or the other, they always prefer to have a
Parsi wedding menu. I can assure you that the food was far superior to what we get to eat at the weddings!!
The class of 51 also had its reunion. It was a very lively affair at the Yacht Club. Live band, dancing and all that. This class was a very mischievous one and the girls used to tease the life out of us very shy boys. For the dance they had invited representatives from other
classes too. They had a three day programme. They had a picnic at the week end cottage of Rasheeda (Rahimtulla), somewhere across the harbour
and a trip to Matheran for a few days. Rashida is married to Yusuf Curmally of Rhythm House.
Do let us know when you are coming to India next. May be we can organise something when you are here.
Yezad.
The 59ers were out in force at the wedding of Ashok Kapur's daughter, AV 3 day extravaganza in Bombay in early December. One of the best invitation cards that I have received.
The most newsy correspondent during the intervening period was none other than Naval Patel. Here are his two inputs:
Dear Jacob, 14 Oct 01
Yezad Kapadia sent to you on 22 Apr comments on your Newsletter, and marked a copy to me, to tap my recollections too. I was away from my regular residence in Mumbai, on a visit with my daughter in
Mysore. Although my e-mail server had been instructed to forward my mails to her system, it did so erratically and none of the correspondence with you reached me there. Instead the wretched bundle of circuits retained every message (even those which I collected in Mysore) in its mailbox. All these then poured on to me when I eventually returned home, which was only on 7 Oct, and reconnected from here. Only then did I see your messages.
As introduction, I too was in the Class of 1949, a classmate of Yezad Kapadia, Benjie Hayeem etc. I was at Bombay University until 1954, then read Chemical Engineering at Loughborough College in
Leicestershire UK. From 1958 to 1990 I was with the ICI Group in India, then with Tata Consulting Engineers until 1998. Now my wife and I have leisure to visit our children at length - our son is with
United Airlines in Chicago - and watch as much cricket on TV as I can keep awake for.
Regarding cricket, I too was in the School 1st XI in 1949, then played for the Cathedral Old Boys as long as I was in Bombay. We entered the Ksnga League for the first time in 1954, in the 'D' Division which was
then the lowest one. We batted first in our opening match, and I had the honour to face the first ball of the Association's competition participation. My opening partner was Yukub Hamied, who as I recall
was familiarly called Yuku. He batted right handed and bowled left, m moderately quick by our experience in those days. Yuku would have passed out of School in '52. Yusuf, I think, was his younger brother.
We won our first two matches outright i.e. a two-innings result within the six hour playing time. The second of these matches actually started only around 1 PM due to a wet ground, yet we won by an innings after an enterprising declaration by our captain Mehli
Lalkaka, followed by brilliant bowling by him and Bobby Choonavala (JM: My last contact with Bobby was in 1994 when he was Chief of Digital
in Singapore for the South Pacific and Asia regions) which devastated the opponents, all out for 14 in mere 40 minutes!
I do not have details of further matches because I sailed for UK {yes, actually by sea in those days, 17 days voyage!} immediately thereafter. I do know that we topped our Division easily and were promoted to 'C' Division. I think we did fairly well there too, in 1955, but perhaps were just short of further promotion. Thereafter I lost touch, but I believe migration of the principal players for studies or jobs depleted the team severely, and they no longer participated in the Kanga League after being demoted to the lowest Division.
Incidentally my wife too is a Cathedralite, she was Armaity Mody at School, a very successful athlete and netball player.
I recall Sophie Hayeem, she was either in our parallel class or just a year junior. Her younger sister Gracie was Armaity's classmate and a very close friend in schooldays. We have had no touch with Gracie
since. I am sure Armaity will be eager to contact her if Sophie can provide the link, so request Sophie to communicate with us directlyplease.
In your "Newsy Notes 008" you list that you are searching for Johnny Jameson - 2. Would that be the Old Boy who has attained the highest cricketing level of anyone of us - he played County cricket for Warwickshire and was the England opening batsman in two Test Matches against India in 1971.
ANother section in your Notes is
"Deceased Class Teachers - A Section
Mr. D. A. Timmins 1954
Mr. W. H. Thompson 1955
Mr. A. Glynne-Howell 1957
Mr. S. Pharaoh 1958"
The dates surely cannot imply the years of their decease, for I recall meeting all of them myself at least until 1960. (JM: They were the years they were MY Class Teachers!!) CJ Olliver was another of our
Masters, very respected and well beloved. Much later he became Headmaster of St. Peters Byculla, and passed away in the second half of the 1980s.
All regards
Naval Patel
And his second in response to my reply:
Dear Jacob,
You deserve gratitude from very many of us, for creating this delightful CAT network. You must quickly have mentioned our interest in Gracie Hayeem's whereabouts to Sophie, for simultaneously with your reply to me we received an eager contact from Gracie herself. Surely we shall keep touch now, computers
permitting - mine is grumbling presently.
Further example of the "small world" - Gracie told us she worked for 20 years with United Airlines; our son works in United Airlines' R&D Group and so we travel only on their flights on visits to and within USA.
So sorry you had disharmony with Gavin D'Costa. He received mails addressed to me due to another manifestation of the incorrect response from mantraonline software while I was with my daughter. To the best that I can check, my mails are now reaching me and no one else, so please do reinstate me on your mailing list.
Is Johnny Jameson really one of the present England cricket selectors? I cannot recall seeing his name mentioned in this context, surely his nomination would have registered specifically with me. His father
Jimmy was not only a Police Inspector, he was one of Bombay's magnificent all-round sportsmen of the 1940s and 50s, rivalling for acclaim as "best" our Cathedralite Leslie Woodcock. Jimmy just
marginally missed inclusion in the Indian Olympic hockey teams of 1948 and 1952, maybe through bias or regional "quotas" according to critics of those days such as Bobby Taleyarkhan. Leslie was the better track
athlete, the two were equal club cricketers.
Brinda Somaiya led the restoration of the Boys' School building. She presented its essence audio-visually to the alumni at the 1998 Founder's Day function. The old stone building in particular has been excellently restored, and beauties that had been hidden from us
are now emphasized. Examples are the wooden buttresses and crown above the main front staircase, and a stained glass panel that stretches across the width of the building adjoining the inside wall
of what was for me the Physics Lab, on the first floor. Apparently this panel had been boarded up "for protection" in 1914 and forgotten about thereafter! All of us must have spent an year in that classroom
unaware of the existence of this beautiful work behind the lockers and wooden partition at the back of the room.
Do you get much news of Indian sports achievements? The latest glory has been our hockey team winning the Junior World Cup, held in Hobart. The junior teams have been repeatedly successful - we won the Under
15 Cricket in 1996 (or was it 1997?) when we defeated Pakistan comprehensively at Lord's, and won the Under 19 Cricket World Cup last year in Sri Lanka when we beat Sri Lanka again most convincingly. Apart from Paes and Bhupathi's tennis doubles triumphs, our other
successes at the top levels are occasional and individual performances, no worthwhile team title since 1985.
Best regards and Diwali Mubarak
Naval Patel
Another correspondent was Rumi Kapadia who set me a travelogue of his recent visit to Kerala:
Hi Folks
I have had a wonderful holiday in Kerala. In a few
moments, I shall be flying back to Bombay.
To start with, I could attend my Cathedral School
Founders' Day Service and see faces from 50 years ago
that I had not seen; then I could attend both the
Engagement and Wedding ceremonies of my classmate Jal Tata's daughter. Call me a (male) chauvinist pig if
you like, but really no one holds weddings like the
Parsees! Then I met Suhas Phadke after 40 years, June
Hillel after perhaps 15 years, and will see Meyer
Hillel in Bombay on my return!
Kerala has really taken off for tourists; true, the
infrastructure could be better. I spent a night in a
treetop house and one in a houseboat on the backwaters - both unique experiences, which I would only want for one night. There is nothing to do after dark andwashing with cold water loses its attraction after 1 day! Both the Spice Village and Coconut Lagoon Heritage resorts are spectacular and well staffed with excellent food - the seafood restaurant at the latter is one of the best I have eaten in and, believe me, I have tried some fabulous places all over the world. I spent 1 night in Cochin.
Today, the most amazing coincidence took place. On my
way back to the airport, we passed through the village
where one of the Kerala doctors I helped to train
lives, and I went to a large hospital that I knew
belonged within the family, got someone to phone him
and he appeared within 5 minutes and today is his 60th
birthday and he was very pleased with my totally
unexpected visit! He is contemplating retirement. I
met his wife and mother and was taken round their
family factory, which is clearly a huge establishment
and there is no doubt that when you are rolling in it
in India, life is great!
I shall be staying with Meherwan Nadirshaw on my
return, before I fly back on 5th December.
Love to everyone
RUMY
Of course all my regular writers - Willie Shiri, Abe Hayeem, Aubrey Ballantine, Kashinath Dandekar, Vijay Shivdasani, Farhana, have been sending me updates. Without their inputs life could be quite miserable - so please, please keep writing, sending me those photographs you find in that old tin box, and
the other memobralia - and who knows, soon we may have a museum of Cathedral School artefacts buried in the frozen Arctic.
And thank you all for the great Christmas cards that you have sent me. These online cards are great as they are so beautiful and alive.
And finally Season's Greetings from both of us here in Santa's backyard. We have been feeding Rudolf to be sure he gets on flight on time this year. Hope he wings these greetings to you before the New Year arrives.
Love from a snow-bound cold -30 C northern city of Oulu in Finland.
Jacob Mathan
Savage House Captain 1959
Oulu, Finland
No comments:
Post a Comment