59er Golden Reunion Directory

59er Golden Reunion Directory
59er Golden Reunion Directory

Friday, December 28, 2007

The price of readability? Zero?

My sincere apologies for not updating the Seventh Heaven and all my other Blogs.

The reason is not ill-health but the fact that I have had several several thousand email Season Greetings in all possible modes including my 10 email addresses (Each email address handles separate Blogs and Groups that Annikki and I run.)

My computers are working round the clock to include everyone in our short annual Season's Greetings. I am hopeful that this will clear by the weekend and I can get back to a normal Blogging Schedule by next week.

However, I received one message which I thought I should share with you immediately. It was a newsletter from our Alumni Association informing us that the First Issue of the new Alumni magazine launched in November 2007 is available as a downloadable pdf file. This was the message I received today:

Fellow Cathedralites

The latest issue of the Association Magazine was released on 14-Nov-07 at the Middle o School Tea. The online pdf version is available at

http://www.catalumni.com/articles/Catmag.pdf

The magazine is being distributed by courier in India only. No distribution will be done overseas. The distribution will be done at a slow pace over the next month so as to minimize address & postal errors. Members are requested to do the following:

1) The magazine is fully sponsored so there will be no charge to members.

2) Send your contact information by email to helpdesk@catalumni.com - Name, Tel, Email, Postal Address, Class of

3) If you are located abroad and don’t want to miss your issue of the magazine, providing us an India contact address (Mumbai even better) will ensure that your copy is delivered to the Indian address - Name, Tel, Email, Postal Address, Class of

4) You may form groups and request a representative of the group in Mumbai to collect your copies from my personal office which is situated at http://www.beemanagement.com/pdf/beemap.pdf

Please call/sms Reeta, our Alumni Officer, at the Help Desk at +91-99203-37424 to fix a time. Reeta works from IST 11am to 3pm, Mon-Fri only. So call or sms accordingly. The group representative must bring along a list of members he/she is authorized to represent and collect copies for. The list must be in the format Name, Tel, Email, Postal Address, Class of. Such representatives will be responsible for delivery to those authorizing them. This method will help you receive your copies at the earliest.

Best wishes for 2008 and a very happy new year to all!

regards

Rajiv Bhatia
President @ your service


I am glad that the decision to have a downloadable pdf version was made for expat Cathedralite Alumni.

I have just glanced through this very professional presentation and it can certainly prove a success in replacing the old CATCALL.

Kudos to the team that has launched this magazine and many thanks to all the sponsors which has made this magazine fully funded and hence available to us expats.

This caused me to seriously think whether I should continue the Seventh Heaven Blog.

Does my nonsensical Blog have a place in this competitive world where people have less and less time to read stuff online?

Just as I was thinking this over and discussing the subject with my better half, I received this email from 57er Tony:

Subject:

Season's Greetings from Oulu, Finland


from ashok jaitly 09:51 (7 hours ago)
to jmatthan@gmail.com
date 28 Dec 2007 09:51

Dear Annikki and Jacob,

Always such a pleasure to hear from you. I have not had the privilege to meet Annikki but I have no doubt that she must be a remarkable woman to have dealt with this character called Jacob Matthan for all this time !

Annikki, I recall this gangly young goalkeeper as a rather quiet and civilised sort of a person not realising that he would slowly emerge into what he has....not so quiet or so civilised-with his proclaimed unconventionaal opinions and his unkempt but rather elegant beard...yet such a warm and lovable person who has brought an entire world of school and college friends together in what is perhaps the only network of its kind anywhere.

Well done Annikki ! All these medals we Cats talk about should all go to you !

Jacob, we 57ers had such an incredible reunion that the President of of the Union, Rajiv Bhatia, said to me that 1957 has created a record which will be hard to follow!

You guys have a real challenge on your hands !

Sabina and I send you Anniki and all the family our warmest good wishes for a very wonderous Christmas (belated) and a rollicking New Year with all the peace and love for 2008.

God Bless,

Tony.


As I went through my INBOX with Annikki, there was message after message from Cathedralites, all in the same vein - 47ers (Farookh, your 60th year reunion report will soon find exposure here and your call to other 47ers will go out soon), 49ers (What a great Reunion was hosted by 49er Jamshed Desai in Delhi), 51ers, 54ers, 55ers, 56ers, 57ers (Pramila - your 50th reunion report will see the light of day in a short while), 58ers (Homi - your 50th reunion plans will get the fullest publicity very shortly), 59ers, 60ers, 67ers (Shobha - your reunion report will soon be up here), the Delhi Catedralites, the Pune Cathedralites, the Italian Cathedralites, the Brits, the yanks, and on and on.

Annikki was of the opinion that as long as this outpouring of love and affection by "crazy Cathedralites" who believed that I could have EVER been "quiet and civilised" continued, and it was no strain on me (especially my failing eyesight), I should continue this project I started in 1996.

All the blogs of the school, the alumni and the magazine could co-exist, and we could serve different functions.

I will remain as the mouthpiece for YOU, my readers, in my "unconventional" manner!

Do not expect me to carry the same stories and news items that others will carry in the other school publications.

So the Seventh Heaven Blog has a reprieve for another 2 year - 2008 and 2009!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Latest published articles

Posted on ALL our major blogs - my Jacob's Blog, the Oulu CHAFF Blog, the Mumbai Cathedralites Seventh Heaven Blog and the Delhi Stephanians Kooler Talk Blog.

Annikki was Chairperson of The English Club of Oulu almost 2 decades ago. We were also the first Life members of the Club. The Finn-Brits Magazine is the publication of The Federation of Finnish-British Societies under which English Clubs function all around Finland to promote the English Language and the cultures associated with English speakers.


Cover of Autumn 2007 edition.


The magazine decided to do a special feature about Oulu in the Autumn 2007 edition and they asked us for a couple of articles.

The first was an article about the Chamber of Assistance for Finns and Foreigners which was founded by Jacob and a few friends a couple of years ago. The article was authored by the present CHAFF Monitor, Ildikó Hámos-Sohlo, along with Jacob.

The second, a highly controversial one was authored by Annikki and Jacob about the lack of Free Speech in Oulu.

Hope you enjoy them!

TODAY: Mumbai Unplug / Batti Bandh -- This is how Mumbai will "Unplug"

Posted on my Jacob's Blog, Mumbai Cathedralites Seventh Heaven Blog and Delhi Stephanians.blogspot.com.

I have received this message from many sources and I thought to give it the desired publicity and pray that this is not a "one-off" event but one which will be repeated again and again across the world.


Old Bombay - Apollo Bunder.


This is how Mumbai will "Unplug"



Batti Bandh! Switch off Mumbai
Mumbai Unplug / Batti Bandh tells you how


Mumbai city uses an average of 550 megawatts of electricity on a Saturday between 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm. Let's see how much electricity we consume on December 15 between 7:30 pm -8:30 pm. Unplug tomorrow and vote for a green planet! Switch off and come to enjoy electricity-less entertainment at these locations.

Bandstand
Shaair and Func
Cirkles—Timir and Abhishek (band)

Carter Road
Gullywood (performers)
Dischordian (band)
Concorde (band)
Ideal Drama and Entertainment Academy (IDEA ) enact a Hindi play

Marine Drive
Gullywood (performers)
Anoushka and Friends
Violin Recital
Sophia College carol singers
Something Relevant

Ghatkopar
NSC/NCC Human Chain – MG Road to Station

For more updates on performances at Gateway, Kala Ghoda, Hard Rock Café and InOrbit Mall visit Mumbai Unplug.com.

So far, the Marine Drive landmarks, The Hilton Towers and the Air India building, have promised to switch off their façade lights for Batti Bandh. Essar is accommodating Batti Bandh on their Founders' Day conference which happens to be on December 15 too. As a part of their event, they will be switching off lights from 8:30pm-9:30 pm. Bank of Rajasthan will unplug all branches across India for Batti Bandh. Restaurants along Colaba causeway like Café Mondegar, Hard Rock Café and Shiro at Lower Parel have also pledged to "switch off". Perfetti India and Mentos have created an ad campaign centered around Batti Bandh. Students at St. Xavier's College are forming the Batti Bandh logo with candles in their campus.

There will be music bands playing at Carter Road, Marine Drive and Bandstand. At Kalamboli, Panvel and Navi Mumbai Dhol players along with 50-100 rickshawwallas will hold a peace rally. Bombay Catholic Sabha is holding another peace rally from Sahar to the Airport in Andheri. Residents of Raheja Hillside society in Powai are planning an antakshri competition during the Batti Bandh hour. "You don't have to wonder about what to do in the absence of electricity. Have a community hour," says the Batti Bandh team.

Modelled on the Sydney Earth Hour 60 held in March 2007 (that had 2.2 million citizens of the city switch off lights), Mumbai Unplug / Batti Bandh is an initiative taken in order to educate the masses and make them aware of their contribution to the deteriorating environmental conditions of not only Mumbai but India and the world. "Unlike Earth Hour 60, which was initiated by organisations like Leo Burnett and WWF, Mumbai Unplug / Batti Bandh is a citizens' initiative," said Keith.

WWF has also supported the Mumbai Unplug / Batti Bandh initiative. For more information and updates on other performances happening across the city on December 15, visit Mumbai Unplug.com.

Take a stand. Unplug.

For more information, contact:
Keith Menon
Email: info@mumbaiunplug.com
Phone: 9819769933

Rustom Warden
Email: info@mumbaiunplug.com
Phone: +91-9820806355

Neil Quraishy
Email: info@mumbaiunplug.com
Phone: +91-9820353067

Shiladitya Chakraborty
Email: info@mumbaiunplug.com
Phone: +91-9833229449

Web Site: Mumbai Unplug.com
SMS Unplug to 56363


Thank you for all the concerned Mumbaites for sending me this amd I will be there with you in spirit.

I will symbolically UNPLUG here in the Arctic between 16:30 and 17:30 today!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Obituary

The first email I saw this morning was this:

Folks,

It is with a heavy heart I read this mornings Times of India where the Obituary column shows that Madhu Ruia has passed on.

For those of you who have met Anil and Madhu in recent years you would have seen both show tremendous courage and fortitude.

Madhu suffered in silence and most of us thought she was in remission, nary a word of anything but optimism and always with a smile they both bore their woes quietly and went on with their business.

The condolence visit is scheduled for today (Tuesday 11th December 2007) and I expect a large number of friends and well wishers will be there!

RIP Madhu.

Shivi


Our hearts go out to our dearest 59er Anil and his family at this grievous loss.

May Annikki and I reiterate Shivi's words that dear Madhu Rests in Peace.