59er Golden Reunion Directory

59er Golden Reunion Directory
59er Golden Reunion Directory

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Different experiences

I had an email from 68er Ravi Nangia who pointed out that Mr. N. T. Ranji was the Carpentry Teacher, while Mr. Hazarnis was the Art Teacher.


Mr. G. M. Hazarnis


Mr. N. T. Ranji


Ravi is absolutely right. But during our time our Art Teacher was Lady Temple. Mr. Hazarnis used to also help Mr. Ranji in the carpentry room, the backroom of which used to be the teachers secret smokers hangout.




I had this in response from Ravi:

It is interesting to see how each cohort at Cathedral had slightly different experiences. By our time, the art room (and Hazarnis) relocated to just under the further turret (reached by an inside staircase) above the physics/chemistry labs. I don't think he "descended" very often from the very top of the building.


In our time the Art Room was the Library, which we went to from the gym via the staircase at the side of the boxing ring! It was also the room where we used to have the lunch if we bought the school lunch. I tried it, the lunch, for a couple of months, learnt a lot about table manners from that experience, but the quantity hardly filled a small corner of my stomach!

Thanks for that input, Ravi! Certainly made my brains do a little bit of work.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

My carpentry skills?

(Cross posted on my Jacob's Blog.)


Not having published the final outcome of my front porch carpentry effort, many of you have cast serious doubts about my carpentry skills. I many not have the talent of my wife in creativity, I can design and create mathematically designed objects - small ones.

I will now educate those who query that aspect of my life!

I learnt to use wood, hammer, nails, saw, screw driver, screws, drills (hand variety), pliers and other simple carpentry tools while at Cathedral School, Mumbai. Many thanks to our carpentry master, Mr. G. M. Hazarnis, who guided us with simple tasks for 12 and 13 years olds. Although we had only one class per week in our lower years, it was fun, but I learnt to do things with my hands.

Later, when I was at the National College of Rubber Technology, I studied engineering drawing and also did work in a metal workshop, learning to use the lathe, welding machine, and other simple engineering tools.

When I had my first paid job at the Rubber and Plastics Research Association of Great Britain (RAPRA), I was fortunate to have to work alongside an architect studying about plastics and rubber in building, while I was looking at the durability of plastics in building. Ken Taylor is an outstanding individual as he could visualise things and create them with simple tools, without going through the process of putting them on paper. As he was a bachelor, he used to drop in at home. He and I would have brain-storming sessions with lots of wild ideas flying around. As much as he learnt about plastics from me, I learnt much about architecture from him, which helped me lecture to architects about Plastics in Building, a hot topic of those days.

In 1969, when I returned to India, we needed furniture. As carpenters were cheaper by the dozen, I was not put to the test. However, I followed Annikki's instructions and created the furniture of her liking on to paper and helped the carpenter to turn them into our unique furniture.

Many years later those skills helped me visualise design and create objects in the air and the drawing board, but I did not have much opportunity to physically create anything.

So it was only after we moved to Kampitie after the demise of Annikki's father that I had the need to use those talents. (He was a carpenter by profession, and hence I did not interfere with his work so long as he was alive.)



The first job was a porch over the rear entrance to the house. The snow used to make that entrance most difficult to use in winter. I designed and made a simple covering which has now stood the test of adverse weather conditions for the last 6 years.



When Annikki re-made the greenhouse, I did not do much except install a plastic roof.



Then Annikki wanted a cover over the bathtub, the centre-piece of the Kampitie garden. I designed the structure and erected it and my Thai friend, Unnop Khungrai, gave it the finishing touch of cutting and putting up the Thai design decorative effect.

And now to the cover over the front porch so as to protect Mika from the rain and snow, as it is his smoking patch.





Once Annikki acquired the waste wood from our neighbours, and having a large structural section from Joanna's garden, which was destined for the rubbish dump, I designed and set up what I think is a satisfactory protective cover, which looks nice and executes its purpose.

Life is one of learning and I can say that right from my school days, even the very simple things that I was exposed to has helped me do what is required in life in as simple a way as required. That is what life is about.

Thank you Mr. G. M. Hazarnis, my instructor at the National College (a person of Czech origin whose name I forget), my good friend, Ken Taylor, my late father-in-law, Matti Reinikka (who would have been 91 yesterday had he been alive), and above all, my dear wife who has implicit faith that I will execute her commands satisfactorily, even though I may serious doubts till the last screw has been put into place!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Rememberance service for former staff

I have just been informed by both 56er HS Uberoi (Ubi) and 71er Rajiv Bhatia, current President of the Alumni Association, that there will be Memorial Service for the Late Col. Eric J. Simeon, former-Principal, on Thursday June 28th, 2007 commencing at 9:00 am sharp at St. Thomas' Cathedral, Mumbai.

Late Mr. G. Bose, former-Vice-Principal and the late Mr. J. Paulose former-Chemistry teacher will also be remembered at the service.

56er Dorreen (née Feibusch) Heimlich from North Carolina, USA, drew my attention to a nice article that appeared in The Times of India Mumbai's Rang de Basanti heroes which describes some dedicated social work done by some former students from the school.

MUMBAI: A doctor from a civic hospital describes them as the 'real Rang de Basanti heroes' and their school principal thinks society needs many more such youngsters.

But these six former students of Cathedral School, all from affluent backgrounds, simply want to do their bit for society. Tired of others blaming 'the system' for everything that goes wrong in the city, they put their heads together, loosened their purse-strings and decided to 'change the system'. ....(more)


I hope more students from our school will take up the cudgel to eliminate corruption from the system and bring India in line with the some developed nations of the world. If our school students cannot do it, no one else can!

Those who have been following my other blogs will know that I have been busy - even being a carpenter! But as I knew that most of you would be vacationing, I knew I would not be missed, MUCH!

Our vacation period is just starting and I am looking forward to 56er Sadhana (née Shah) Madhusadan arriving here in Oulu during the next 10 days.



Just for the record, tomorrow is Midsummer's Day with sunrise at 2 am and sunset at 1 am. Just 200 km north of here, in Rovaniemi, the sunrise and sunset will be at 1 am tomorow!

Monday, June 04, 2007

Dangerous situation of VIOLATION

(Cross-posted on all my MAJOR BLOGS.)


A few weeks ago, I received an email from my good young friend, Soda, that he had TAGGED me and the email had a line implying that if I did not join this TAGGED network, my friendship with him would be in question!

Is Soda your friend?

Please respond or Soda may think you said no :(


When I get emails which border on being emotional blackmailed, I usually investigate a little deeper. When I went through the process of joining the TAGGED network, and it came to a particular stage, whoosh, I closed the link.

The process of registration was asking me to reveal, to TAGGED, my email password.

This is a sure recipe for your entire security on the Internet and your personal computer to be fully compromised. Once you part with your password to such an organisation, the robot can enter your personal email INBOX, your ARCHIVES, your ADDRESS BOOK and data mine all your sensitive information, which could even be your credit card details.

I sent a reply to SODA:

Hi Soda,

Tagged is asking for my Password when filling in details - which I cannot give. Be careful about this site!

Jacob


I few days later I had a similar request from a Cathedralite friend.

I replied him this:

Dear Adil,

Tagged is asking for passwords.

Quite dangerous.

Use LinkedIn, much better. Do you want to be in that Contact Manager?

Regards

Jacob


To which he replied:

I merely answered one tag message, filled a form in and I now see that this thing has gone to my entire address book ! Quite horrified. Any idea how I can undue this Tag business? Sorry, I truly didnt mean to Tag everyone, except the guy who tagged me! Help !!

Adil


He was in panic and I replied to him:

That was why they asked for your email address AND Password.

Dangerous situation.

Don't know how you get out of it except by directly communicating with them.

Stay away from anything that asks for YOUR password to register - you are in for some tough times!

Regards

Jacob


Since then I have had similar request from many friends who had compromised their system. Then came this from the Cathedralite daughter of another Cathedralite friend:

Hi,

Thanks for this mail - its really weird as I didnt tag anyone. Will check my system for a virus.

Thanks for letting me know,

Kind regards,

Dimple


Remember, this is not a virus, but a violation of your secrecy which you permitted by giving your password when you were emotionally blackmailed. Take action NOW before you are compromised on some other front.

My suggestion is that you bombard them with questions and demand restitution for compromising your email secrecy!

These are the CONTACT details for TAGGED:

CONTACT

Email support@tagged.com with site related questions or complications.

Company Information: info@tagged.com
Business Partnerships: business@tagged.com
All Other Inquiries: inquiry@tagged.com

web Address: http://corp.tagged.com/

Tagged Inc
P.O. Box 193152
San Francisco, CA 94119-3152



Do not violate Rule 1 of the Internet- never give YOUR PASSWORD to ANYONE!