Distress call - Photographs lost

I had this email from 56er Ubi who was in school till 1958 as he did his HSc.

Dear Jacob,

Your help please.

My set of 1958 School Photographs have been lost. Regrettably!

May I please, through you, request anyone who has the following 1958 School Photographs to very kindly send me copies? I shall gladly pay for the cost.

1.School Prefects
2.Boxing
3.Athletics
4.Gymnastics
5.Football
6.Hockey

I would deeply appreciate your help.

Regards,

Ubi

I should have had the School Prefects and the Hockey ones in my collection but did not find the first.

However, to start the ball rolling, here is the 1958 Hockey Team:



And just for completeness, I am throwing in a couple more of photographs from the 1958 era - Scouts and Cricket.





And more temptingly - the front page of the 1958 School Prospectus!



Send the copies to me, scanned at as a high a resolution you can manage, and you will help 2 causes! :-)

58ers - A special year for Willie

I had this copy of email from 58er Homi Khusrokhan, one of the Governors of the School Board, to Willie Shiri in Toronto - only the relevant part is quoted here:

from Homi Khusrokhan
to William and Pushpa Shiri
cc Jacob & Annikki Matthan
date Nov 25, 2007 7:55 AM
subject RE: 58er Cathedralite please read full message

Dear William,

We had our Founders Day service last week and that jogged my memory to get cracking on organizing next year’s 50’iers. I am meeting Peter Philip, Kamal Gupta and Darshana Boghilal for lunch next Wednesday.

Bye for now, keep well and definitely look forward to seeing you sometime.

(...more but deleted.)

Best regards,

Homi

This was in response to a beautiful email from Willie to Homi:

From: William and Pushpa Shiri
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2007 10:06 AM
To: Homi

Subject: Re: 58er Cathedralite please read full message

Dear Homi,

Do forgive me for this unpardonable delay replying your letter. It always happens to me that when I get a beautiful letter like yours, I say to myself: this deserves a long reply, not a one-liner, so have to find a long time slot. This long time-slot is often beyond my grasp!

Just about the time I got your mail, many things happened, a waste of time to enumerate, so let me stick to replying you! Incidentally, I was so pleased when John Kurrien wrote to me a long letter that I had to wait till I found time for a long reply, and it finally came ....after 40 days ! Just shows my tardiness!

A while ago, I had mentioned to Jacob Matthan with his tremendous access to all who matter to him through his BLOG, that I had seldom seen the names of any '58ers in his list of Old Boys. You see, that group has been of particular interest to me as the first bunch I taught right through their school years starting from Grade 4 ! It didn't matter what subject.

The school didn't need a physics teacher when I started in '51and I didn't care what I taught, I needed a job! Whatever, you now know why your lot is rather special to me. I seem to remember every one of you. I remember you as you used to be in the lower classes, petite, bright eyes and a ready smile!

You may like to know how my family and I fared after we left CBS and Bombay in 1962. To save typing time, (I still type 4 or 5 words per min., and that rate will never change!) I shall here reprint from my letter of about a week ago to John Kurrien, begging your pardon. Here goes :

Dear John,

Today it is exactly a month and ten days since I got your newsy long letter. I am as a rule, slow with my replies, but believe me, I am never this bad ! It never before took me 40 days to reply a letter ! My sincere apologies, John.

There were a few pressing demands on my time like the annual bugbear of Tax Returns of Pushpa ( my wife) and I, due by this month-end, and also for me, a Seniors' Driving Test (every 2-yrs for those over 80 yrs). Besides, a Cuba visit post-poned many times, had to be done before month end. (Cuba gets too hot in May) I hope I have now convinced you with reasons good enough to ignore my tardiness!

I think it was when you were in Std. 4 in 1951 that Mrs. Rispin, your regular teacher went on leave and I started at CBS as her substitute and when she returned I became a teacher of subjects like gen. science, non-scripture and perhaps a few other non-subjects ! Yours was my first lot of physics at the final level.

My wife Pushpa was also a teacher. Did you know she taught in the Junior School the last few years of our stay in Bombay? We left in 1962 April for Hertford UK, the County-town close to the hamlet John Billington hails from. It was because of John that I got a physics teaching job in the local Grammar School. That was rather unlike my experience at the Cathedral school where I had to wait for years till Mr. Gunnery's arrival when he found out what my subject was!

In England Pushpa became a peripatetic (as the term is) music teacher doing just music in 3 different schools in and around Hertford. We enjoyed life in the UK. Our daughters Nina and Kiron were unique in their schools, being the only non-English kids - thereby earning some popularity of sorts, I suppose! In today's England there must be more black or brown faces than white in many class rooms! In my school in Hertford there was just one boy from India then, and that was David Colaco from CBS who also moved to England the same time.

We moved to Montreal, Quebec in '68 and were there till both Pushpa and I retired (I retired in 87 but P only retired in '90 when we moved to Ontario where both our daughters had settled. We now live in a Condominium apt. in a suburb of Toronto called Mississauga.

I first started getting in touch with my past CBS students about 7 years ago through Nusly Pocha, '60 and then the flood gates opened with Jacob's Seventh Heaven!

I am in touch with two past teachers, both in the US. Will attach their photos for you Homi. I do keep in touch with Mr. Billington in the UK , not frequent, although he did visit us here some years ago. I am not in touch with my British or Canadian past students. CBS is unique, you know. I have had visits here from some past Cathedralites and the most recent two are in the photos attached.

What a terrible news it was, re Budni! We got the news on our return from Havana, and in the dazed state I was in, mostly due to sleep-deprivation, (age certainly has something to do with it !), I did not believe what I was seeing. I had to verify it by phoning my nearest CBS friend and old pupil, Hasnain Chinwala. This tragedy will have stunned all friends and is bound to change at least for sometime, the lives of all old friends of his in Poona who used to have frequent parties and jazz sessions ! (I had strayed from the letter to John. Now I go back, maybe to some repeat!)

This letter will not finish unless I stick to the basics!

We moved to Montreal, Quebec, in '68, after job interviews in London, England, by the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal. The warm summers and general dry weather of Montreal , unlike the damp Hertford air would suit, we were told by doctors, both Pushpa and Kiron who were asthma prone. We lived in Monteal till we both took early retirement, I in '86 and Pushpa in '90 and moved to Brampton, a suburb of Toronto. Both our daughters by then were in Ontario, so are now close by here. We have two grand sons 22 and 18.

We moved from Brampton to another suburb, Mississauga in the year 2000 and live in a condo now, on the 23rd Floor. Another month or less and I will be 82, and that was the reason for a move to a low-maintenance home, no back-breaking snow-shoveling!

Yes, clarinet is my new love, since I have stopped all singing in choirs involving night driving which I avoid. I have no clarinet back-ground. It was Pushpa's birthday gift to me for my 80th. I am making some progress, not fast enough, I'm afraid. I am glad I am now in touch with you. Lets keep to two letters a year, what do you say ? You (I notice from your letter Homi,) are a working busy guy, and I am getting slower by the day, oddly, more in mind than body! Two a year will suit us; more frequent, of course, when the spirit moves! Attaching a couple of snaps to make this complete .... implying that your last mail was incomplete ! There were no family photos. Old ones also welcome , to fill the time gap ! (end of J's letter)

Thanks again, Homi for your letter. I feel flattered, being remembered! Also an honour to be in touch with a Cathedral School Governor!

Bill (always)

PS:
(I do not have Willie's picture No. 136 to reproduce here. Jacob)

No. 136 is the very latest pic. of us taken on April 22 in our hotel lobby in Havana.



No 4e with Viney Sethi, visiting from Mumbai, Pushpa, Hasnain Chiwalla (lives 10 min away from me. Both are '59. We are celebrating Jacob Matthan's birthday - don't miss the cake and the solitary candle!!

(This picture is not with me. Jacob)

Are you anywhere in this next School pic.? I am sending this and a couple separately. It may be too much for one mail.



Adding one more, of the Patels and the Rao who visited us some years ago when we lived in another suburb of Toronto, Brampton. Mr.s Rao and Patel were both in the Physics Dept of CBS. Remember them?

I am making up for the late mail by sending these pics….. but you don't have to make yours late just to attach your photos!

What a thrill that a group across the Atlantic celebrates MY birthday and I was there when they called me in Finland to serenade me with "Happy Birthday"! (The truth is that Pushpa had made a cake for Viney's visit and they decided to adopt it as my birthday cake - but that does not matter, does it?)

Is it not great that the 58ers are getting on with organising their reunion. Let us wish them all success.

And I would like to repeat Willie's words "....CBS is unique..."

Reunion 2007 Delhi Chapter Dinner

Thank you to 49ers Yezad Kapadia and Jamshed Desai, as well as 64er Deepak Deshpande (Palmer) for this input.

Isn't to see how great our 49ers are keeping the school flag and our school spirit flying high, even as far as Delhi!

Standing: 55er Anil (Bobby) Bhalla, Commander Ranvir Khosla, Jaidev Ranade, Sunita Khosla, Vinita Ranade, 49er Jamshed Desai, Malti Sayal, Commodore Jaipal Sayal, Krishna Jaitly, 49er Raj Bhandari, Dellinder Kohli, 49er Yezad Kapadia, Rati Kapadia, Kersi Dubash & 54er Ravi Jaitly Sitting: Prakash Bhandari, Jaya Bhandari, Madhu Gurtu, Kuldip Gurtu & Manya Patil Seth

Dear Jacob,

As you are aware, the Delhi Chapter had organised our Founder's Day Dinner at Jamshed Desai's home. Jamshed had very kindly agreed to host the occassion.

The Dinner was very well attended - 24 of us old Cathedralites & spouses got together to celebrate !

On behalf of Yezad Kapadia, I am sending you herewith photographs of the Dinner, with a request that these may please be posted on your 'Seventh Heaven' blog.

Deepak A Deshpande
Managing Director
METLLOY Overseas Private Limited


Commodore Jaipal Sayal, Rati Kapadia & 49er Silla Dubash (née Vakil)



54er Ravi Jaitly, 55er Anil (Bobby) Bhalla, 49er Raj Bhandari & Kersi Dubash


Malti Sayal, Krishna Jaitly & Commodore Jaipal Sayal


Dellinder Kohli, Madhu Gurtu, Kuldip Gurtu & Malti Sayal


49er Yezad Kapadia & Prakash Bhandari


54er Ravi Jaitly 64er Deshpande & 49er Raj Bhandari


54er Ravi Jaitly, Jamshed 49er Desai (our host) & 49er Raj Bhandari


49er Raj Bhandari & Kersi Dubash


Prakash Bhandari & Rati Kapadia


54er Ravi Jaitly, Jaya Bhandari, 49er Jamshed Desai, Kadhambari Chintamani, Jaidev Ranade & Kuldip Gurtu


Prakash Bhandari, Rati Kapadia & Madhu Gurtu


55er Anil (Bobby) Bhalla, Commodore Jaipal Sayal & Malti Sayal


49er Silla Dubash (née Vakil), Vinita Ranade & Jaya Bhandari


Kadhambari Chintamani, (hidden - Jaidev Ranade & Kuldip Gurtu), 49er Jamshed Desai & 54er Ravi Jaitly


Prakash Bhandari, Rati Kapadia & Jaya Bhandari


Kadhambari Chintamani, Kuldip Gurtu & 49er Yezad Kapadia


(Background - 49er Silla Dubash (née Vakil) & Kuldip Gurtu), 54er Ravi Jaitly & Kadhambari Chintamani


Jaidev Ranade, Krishna Jaitly, 55er Anil (Bobby) Bhalla & 49er Jamshed Desai


Malti Sayal, 49er Silla Dubash (née Vakil), 55er Anil (Bobby) Bhalla & Manya Patil Seth


54er Ravi Jaitly, 49er Jamshed Desai, Prakash Bhandari & 49er Yezad Kapadia


Kadhambari Chintamani, Jaya Bhandari, (Background - Kuldip Gurtu), 55er Anil (Bobby) Bhalla & Rathi Kapadia


Standing: Sunita Khosla, Jaidev Ranade, 64er Deepak Deshpande, Commodore Jaipal Sayal, 49er Jamshed Desai, Malti Sayal, Krishna Jaitly, 49er Silla Dubash (née Vakil), Dellinder Kohli, 55er Anil (Bobby) Bhalla, 49er Yezad Kapadia, Kersi Dubash Sitting: Rati Kapadia, Commander Ranvir Khosla, Prakash Bhandari, Jaya Bhandari, Madhu Gurtu & Kuldip Gurtu

Wish I had been there as I am sure several others around the world would have been so wishing.

Founders' Day Photos coming in

Dear 69er Barbara Rossi from Milan, Italy, was at this years Founders' Day in Mumbai. She has sent me this great collection of shots which sets the mood.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

This was who was my correspondent and my eyes in Mumbai this year. :-)



Here is what Barbara wrote soon after she touched down in Italy:

Dear Jacob ,

I am back in Milan, grey and cold and naturally have downloaded the photographs I took during the past few days into my computer and am sending them to you, before anyone else, "in anteprima" as they say in Italy because from the very first of the beautiful Mrs Isaacs standing in front of the entrance of the Saint Thomas Cathedral
to the last in which I captured Fleur when she turned around for a moment as she stood in the group of ladies of '57 (!)

I thought I could act as your virtual eyes at the Founder's Day celebrations.

My photographs are not exceptional, but they surely help you to see the fantastic tradition of school repeated over and over again in its minutest details
and of course the photograph of those joyful choirboys is dedicated to you.

I missed Mr. Velu greatly, but the incredible size of the choir this year and the innocent enthusiasm of the singers did make up for that in part

lots of love

Barbara

Mrs. Meera Isaacs waiting to welcome the guests.

































As I was in school and took part in several Founders' Day services, was part of the Cathedral Church Choir, and was also one of those who read the Bible Lessons, etc., this set of photographs is especially nostalgic.

I remember wearing those choir costumes, walking down that aisle, sitting and listening to sermons and doing lots of mischievous things that we boys would do.

I wonder how we would have behaved if we had had girls in the choir?

The purpose of a blog is....

Many have asked me what is the purpose of maintaining this Seventh Heaven blog?

Although it started out to reunite 59ers as I discovered them around the world, it soon became evident that every one of us out there was living with a great deal of nostalgia for our Alma Mater.

It became popular amongst many Cathedralite who wandered into the web pages in the late 90s. I redesigned it a couple of times till finally I made it a blog.

This old guy sitting near the Arctic, knowing nothing about computers, was able to stay ahead of the pack and recognise where technology was leading us.

There are many Cathedralites who have blogs, but this one, with the help of so many of you who correspond with me, has become the main one linking Cathedralites across many generations.

I am greatly honoured that our Alumni President, 81er Rajiv Bhatia, shares his thoughts with me to share with all of you.

So, this email from 56er Ubi shows how we can cross across many generations, and yet be very personal and caring towards one another:

Dear Jacob,

I have, as always, been following the goings on of your blog!

There have been very varied and interesting comments over the past few weeks!

The 57ers Reunion must by now, have ended.

It was good meet them all at the Middle School after the Founders' Day Service.

Tony Jaitly, Arjun Waney, Billoo Bhatnagar, Tom Holter and quite a few more!

It was indeed very kind of the 57ers to have invited me to a few of their functions, and tempted as I was to attend, I firmly feel that such Reunions are strictly for just classmates ans spouses!

As I was neither I did not go!

It was great,however to have had Tom Holter, his very charming wife, Sue, his brother and his wife at home for a few drinks and a trip down memory lane! We exchanged old memories and news about each others' families. Several photographs were taken to commemorate the occasion! I await the arrival of the photographs from Tom!

Regarding Mr.Rahim, I do recall meeting him very many years ago, in the school after a Founders' Day Service!

I am trying to jog my memory if it throws up anything else.

I am trying to remember who it was that introduced me to him!

How is your eye problem? I do hope it is under control and resloving itself!

Take care,

Ubi

My eye problem is still there as my date at the University Research Hospital to determine what should be done is in mid-January. Till then I have to continue to use my old pair of glasses, which means my vision is severely limited. I cannot read written printed text.

But the computer allows me to enlarge anything on the screen to a comfortable size.

I would love to get back to reading books as a whole collection has piled up over the last few months which need my attention!

I am awaiting pictures from many reunion groups to share with you!

Stretching it a bit far?

This blog site has put together many Cathedralites and also friends of Cathedralites with Cathedralites. The last one just about a week ago was when someone was able to link up with 59er Venkat and his wife Anuradha.

This latest request stretches back a bit to far, but who knows, maybe someone will find the link.

Hello Jacob,

Greetings from Bombay, sorry Mumbai !

My Dad, Kekoo Gandhy, who was also an old boy from Cathedral is trying to trace one of his oldest best friends whom he has lost touch with.

His name is Nazim Rahim. I think they were from the 1936 - 37 batch.

Nazim originally lived in Manchester, UK for several years after which he moved to the United States around 10 years ago. He has since lost touch with Kekoo.

I said I would try through your site in case someone knew of Nazim Rahims whereabouts & could get these two old pals re united again !!

Regards

Adil

But at least we now know of the existence of a 1936-37 Cathedralite.

Please do convey our very best regards to your dad and if he has some photographs from that era, I would love to get hold of scans of them.

Percy and Frainy Mistri

One of my most regular correspondents is globetrotter 59er Percy Mistri, and he is accompanied by his beautiful better half, Frainy.

Well, today is Frainy's 18th birthday, and I can share some pictures of Percy and Frainy along with 59er Ellis Hayeem and his gorgeous better half, Haya and their Indophillic son, Daniel.

Happy birthday Frainy, from Annikki and myself.

Here is an email from Percy:

Hello Jacob,

This is the latest on Ellis, Haya and Daniel Hayeem.







The pictures are taken by him and I am only the messenger.

But let me tell you Ellis hasn't changed much ....he is the same old Ellis a great guy to be with....has a lovely family ...his son son Daniel must have India in his genes as although he has never been to India he loves to speak and does speak Hindi and his favourite pastime is ....surprise surprise....playing the Tablas. He has a set and plays them quite well if you ask me.

Thanks to you, our families met and Ellis is a real warm generous host ......gave us a lovely Jewish meal (as per my request ) which Haya must have taken a lot of trouble and time to prepare, and it was really great to go back to what could be the best times of our growing up.

Keep up the good work.

Percy

One thing which strikes me and keeps me in wonderment is such goofy looking characters, as me, and a few others, who shall remain nameless, got such outstanding beautiful wives! :-)