Readers

I am getting requests from many to get registered to read this blog. I had no idea that many of them existed.

The reason I am following this for the well-being, safety and security of my grandchildren.

Today I receive a request from a 62er, Sandra.

I do remember her as a pretty little girl about 3 years my junior.

Her brother, Maurice used to play hockey alongside me. He was a really good sportsman. Maurice was not a 59er and I think he was a 60er. I think he also was in the Cathedral Church Choir, although I cannot vouch for that.

I know that Sandra and Maurice were cousins of the Colaco family, David being my classmate!

Wonder where Maurice has got too?

No doubt, as Sandra is reading this blog, I may soon find out! :-)

Do keep registering. I will soon introduce a much better and simpler system when the limit of registered readers is approached.

Yezad in Finland

About a week ago, on  hectic day in Oulu, I was all over the place. My phone was on silent or discreet because of meeting after meeting. (Please do remember that my phone number has changed. The new number is + 358 44 9361387)

Yezad, Rati, Ruki and Jero

We had some visitors, but as neither Annikki nor I were at home, so we did not know that they had been. They left a note in our mailbox which, because I was tied up till midnight, I missed.

The next day, I left for Helsinki at 3:30 am.

I decided to give 49er Yezad Kapadia's daughter, Ruki, a call to find out news of the arrival of her mom and dad to Finland.

Ruki answered my call, but she was not in Helsinki, but up north, about 200 km from Oulu near the eastern frontier. She was with her two kids as well as her parents!

She explained how they had been to Oulu the day before and missed us.

I was heartbroken as I was waiting to show all of them my home town of the last 26 years.

That evening I drove back to Oulu and reached about 3 am.

But I was up at the crack of dawn, finished my office work, and took off to Vuokatti, a small holiday resort near Sotkamo and Kajaani, quite a beautiful part of Finland. (Actually, these days we do not have dawn here as it has been our season of the nightless nights!)

It was really wonderful to connect with Yezad. We had lunch together, and then spent quite a few hours chin-wagging, till I finally had to take leave around 5 pm to reach Oulu at 7 in the evening.

I was really sorry that they could not visit and stay with us at Oulu, which had been the original plan.

Annikki and I will go Helsinki on the 9th of August and meet up with them at Ruki's place for dinner on the 11th night.

Yes, it will be Cathedralite Reunion! A 49er and a 59er! Any 69ers likely to join us? Barbara, game?

We talked a lot about our alma mater. The fact that Yezad is 10 years my senior just did not matter as we have so much in common to talk about.

I do wish more of you will make it to this lovely country!

New speakers

Jack Haskell 

I just attached two new speakers to my Mac Mini.

This morning , when I reached worked, I opened my iTunes and clicked on the piece "Nostalgia in Times Square"

It was amazing how quickly I reacted to strains as played by our own 59er Jack Haskell.

Jack has sent me many compositions he has been playing with his friends. There no better way to start a morning at work than listenng to his playing.

It brought back many nostalgia thoughts of when we used to stand outside St. James Court corner on the Marine Drive and Jack would be drumming away on the first floor!

Or the times we went to a restaurant opposite Eros theatre to listen to the Jazz bands playing there.

Or the time when 59er Ooky introduced me to the Voice of America broadcast Jazz Hour, or was it Jazz USA, and the deep voice of the host. I cannot remember his name, but he was around for several years.

That was 50+ years ago, but is seems just like yesterday, thanks to the wonderful music of our Jack!

I felt young again.

November Programme....

For those of you not in the loop, here is the 150 year celebrations and Founders' day programme for this October / November 2010:

22 Oct. 2010: Art Auction by Saffronart followed by dinner at Taj Hotel. A fund-raiser for school expansion.

9/10 Nov. 2010: School play at Tata Theatre

12 Nov 2010: T20 cricket match between Alumni and School

13 Nov 2010: Golf Tournament at Willingdon Club

13 Nov 2010: Celebratory Dinner at Turf Club. Note. A Commemorative stamp will be unveiled as also a coffee-table book launched

14 Nov 2010: Church Service and High Tea followed by Bus Tour of school buildings which will all be illuminated.

It is interesting that a "Coffee Table Book" is going to be launched.

Well, I guess we 59ers have set the standard and raised it so high, they are going to have a job keeping it up there, and at what cost!!

An important request to ALL our readers

Dear Readers of all our blogs,

It is with great sadness that we have to announce that we will now have to make all our major blogs accessible only to those who register with us.

The subjects we have covered over the years include the wrestler Dara Singh (probably the most popular and controversial blog entries, ever), St. Stephen's College, Delhi,  Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai, Bishop Cotton School, Bangalore, the UN, talk Shows in the USA, politics, the Kandathil and Maliyakal families, Kampitie, Vesaisentie, Annikki's creative art, achievements of our children and grandchildren, CHAFF (Chamber for Assistance of Finns and Foreigners), Findians, our numerous friends, relatives, our travels, recipes, and life in general. Above all, t they contained the nostalgia the people love.

Due to circumstances far beyond our control, which affect the lives of many of our loved ones, we have to create the SETTINGS of our blogs so that only those whom we invite can read them. This is very sad as our blogs have reunited many friends across the continents.

With over 120000 readers around the world, some reading more than one of our blogs, for a decrepit old blogger and his wife sitting near the North Pole, this will prove to be a Herculean task, but one which has to be done for the safety, security and well being of many of our loved ones.

Please take the time and effort to send us an email telling us which of our blogs you want to be added to so that you can access them freely.

Our sincere apologies to each and every one of you lovely readers who have kept us going for almost a decade and a half by your readership, your inputs and your outputs!

Yours in great sadness as technology besides being a positive aspect of life can also be a very negative one.

Annikki and Jacob Matthan

Oulu, Finland

This is for 41ers to 69ers and a few others

I have sent out this email today:

Dear 59ers and Cathedralites,

Today Annikki and I mourn the loss, not of a 59er, and not even of a Cathedralite, but the spouse of a great lady without whom we would never have achieved our dream of organising our Golden Reunion last November. She comes from from one of the greatest families our school has ever known.

I received this email from her this morning:

"Dear Friends and Family,

We lost the Great Dane, Bent Lerno on the morning of the 4th of July, 2010. He died peacefully after fighting for so long with his heart condition. He was surrounded by family and friends. He will be greatly missed as he was a true Viking, soldier, philanthropist, and above all a great husband, loving father and grandfather.

He came to America in the 1950's and immediately embraced his new home, but never forgot his Danish roots and was involved in many Danish charitable organizations. A Holocaust survivor, he felt it was necessary to make sure that the past was never forgotten and spoke eloquently at many local schools and through the Shoah Foundation as well.

Bent was always the life of the party and it's only fitting that he left us on the 4th of July as it was one of his favorite holidays which he heartily celebrated here and in Denmark at Rebild.

With love, Gracie Lerno and Family"

Dearest Gracie, Sophie Vilma, Abe and Ellis - we shed tears for Gracie's husband, Bent, who left us on the 4th of July.

Although we never met or corresponded with Bent, we knew him intimately through our dearest Gracie, who kept us informed of all the happenings.

It was through Gracie that we were able to track dowwn so many of you, starting with her two brothers - Abe (the School Vice Captain in 1959) and our own dearest Ellis. Other 59ers whom we were able to locate included Jack Haskell, Noel Ezekiel, Mark Sopher, Matilda Moses, Pamela Shelim, Anne Sopher, Jeanette Ezra, and many more, as well as many many Cathedralites of all years. As soon as we had a problem finding someone, the very first person we turned to was Gracie.

Bent was a rock at the side of Gracie. Gracie often shared her thoughts of her husband and her family with us, so they all have become part of our family, especialy our Cathedralite family which extends over all the continents.

And the Hayeem family, as a whole, is ingrained in all of us in a thousand ways. All of you would have known at least one of these - late Benjy, Sophie, Vilma, Gracie, Abe and Ellis, whose time at our school spanned almost two decades in the 40s and 50s.

I have sent our deepest condolences to Gracie.

May Gracie, and the Hayeem family, stand firm knowing that all of us are with them in and with our prayers at this grave hour of their lives.

And may Bent's soul rest in peace.

Love

Annikki and Jacob

Condolences have been pouring in as all of us have some close affinity with the Hayeem family.