Volume 16 Issue 1: Will you be like this when you are 97?

1st June 2016, Oulu, Finland

Welcome back to the Seventh Heaven Blog. This is an online blog for all Mumbai Cathedralites spread around this globe.

Late 56er Harminder Singh Uberoi, School Captain, lovingly called Ubi, had asked me to restart this blog just a few weeks before his passing. Ubi had been my friend, guide and mentor as well as fact checker for my nostalgic stories. 

More about Ubi in a later blog entry as he deserves an entry of his own!

This blog originated for 59er Cathedralites in 1996. But as I have set up a separate very active Seventh Heaven Google Group for them, this blog will not concentrate on issues which are central to their intetests, but on matters Cathedralite.

The important question I would like you to answer is whether you would like me to update this blog every fortnight or every month. 

I have no shortage of nostalgic stories for this audience. I have already over 75 topics on my list which I intend to touch upon. Stories about the alma mater, former staff, alumni, nostalgic recollections seen from my viewpoint and lots of great feedback from you out there. No politics!

What subject to best touch upon in this the inaugural issue but on the oldest known Cathedralite. 

97 year grand lady

Hilla Pocha who lives in Mumbai is 97 years old. Her sister, Kurshed Colah, is 77 years old. (Kurshed must have been a 53er!) 

Here are a couple of pictures of the two sisters at the 2009 at a Cathedral Middle School celebration where they were the chief guests along with the other Chief Guest, Principal Meera Issacs.

Copyright Cathedral and John Connon Middle School

The pictures are from the School website. (http://www.cathedral-school.com/ContentImage.aspx?id=2&catid=10&pageid=627&mid=111)

What made me alive to Hilla is a picture which was sent to me by 53er Pushpa (nee Doongursee) Bhatia, which appeared in the Mumbai Times of India and the Ahmedabad Mirror (also of the Times Group) which had been written by very good reporter, Reema Gehi.

I emailed Reema complimenting her on the excellent article and asking whether she had been a Cathedralite. (I have not received a reply as yet.)

Copyright Times of India

This very human story by Reema was about a smiling Hilla attending a performance of 80 year old master conductor, Zubin Mehta's performance in Mumbai when she was 97. 

Interesting was she baby-sat a 2 months old Zubin.

Hilla is a violinist herself. She has played with Mehli and Tehmina Mehta, the parents of Zubin. 

Zubin Mehta is not a Cathedralite as he passed out of St. Mary's School in Mumbai. (Our loss!)

I hope all of you will wish Hilla all the best and we hope we will be around to celebrate her 100 years. 

Next Issue: My next feature article on the Seventh Heaven Blog (http://cathedraliteheaven.blogspot.com) will be about a 104 year old Mumbai breakfast household name who supported every event of our alma mater in the 60s.

Comments: Please enter a small comment on this article so that I am encouraged to bring you Cathedralite nostalgia. Please share this with your Cathedralite friends of all ages. 

Do mention which year you were in Cathedral as I normally address everyone with a prefix - I am a 59er. (Privately send me your email address if you want me to update you prior to every issue.)

Author: I was a Prefect in 1958 and 1959 as well as School Hockey Goalkeeper for both years. I was also Savage House Captain in 1959! I am sitting second from the right next to Abe Hayeem. 

1959 School Prefects

Competition: Identify all those in the picture and you can win a prize. The competition is not open to 59ers or anyone in the picture or their spouses.

Author: Here is a recent picture taken at the 55th reunion of our 59er class in 2014 taken by 59er Hasnain Chinwala (Chinnie) of me with a beard with my wife of the last 49 years, Annikki, artist, author, educationist, who comes from Oulu, Finland, where we now live. (Annikki is a truly amazing person and has looked after me devotedly. She has been great girlfriend, and now friend, wife, mother and grandmother!)

Annikki and Jacob 2014, at late 59er Ashok Kapur's Alibaug home hosted by his wife Madhu Kapur. (Copyright 59er Hasnain Chinwala)

See you in a fortnight.

Jacob Matthan

Oulu, Finland

Keywords: India, Mumbai, Cathedral and John Connon, School, Seventh Heaven, Hilla Pocha, Korshed Colah, Meera Issacs, Harminder Singh Uberoi, Ubi, Pushpa Doongursee, Jacob, Annikki, Matthan, Hasnain Chinwala, Abe, Hayeem, Zubin Mehta, Oulu, Finland, Ashok, Madhu, Kapur, Alibaug, 59ers, 55th, Reunion

Back again to our teeny weeny world

Posted on my Jacob's Blog, on the Mumbai Cathedralites Seventh Heaven Blog, on the Stephanian Kooler Talk Blog, and the Oulu CHAFF Blog.

Glad to get back to regular blogging.

The last two weeks were a delight in that we were were not snowed under by snow, but with love and affection and greetings from all over the world.

(Sadly, as an aside, this is the first time in the last I winters we have been in Finland (and Annikki's some 40 winters she has been in Finland out of her 63 winters) that we did not have snow in this near Arctic location. Remember we are just 200 km from the Arctic Circle! A sad reflection of the effect of global warming!)

Into our 10 email addresses, 5 Blog Accounts, 3 Google Groups, our mobile phone number, our landline phone and our snail mail postbox, a total of just around 70000 (YES 70000!) season's greetings poured in.

I had a task sorting them out and then updating mailing addresses in our numerous mailing lists, grouping them into the various groups, i.e., family (Maliyakals and Kandathils), friends (Indian, Finnish, world), Mumbai Cathedralites, Delhi Stephanians, Bishop Cottonians (Bangalore), Findians, CHAFF Participants, O-Indians, past colleagues, present colleagues and others - making sure we were not sending out duplicates or to dead addresses and then send our greetings to all on our lists. (If it was not for 3 trustworthy Macs working round the clock this task would have been impossible for just one computer idiot!)

Out of a total 37000 postings (the last ones were today), I am glad to say that this year we had hardly around 300 returns! I had taken out all those who had university addresses in the US and UK, and that had cut the mailing list from the 80000+ to this more manageable figure.

We are sorry to all whom we may have missed.

But this is proof that we have a teeny weeny world of our own. But this teeny weeny world is even smaller than we thought!

A few weeks ago I had about 6 emails, all with the same attachment - some pictures of the Old Bombay - a truly great collection of pictures. Most of the emails were forward.

One of the persons who forwards me great emails is Cathedralite from Mumbai) 56er Ubi (HS Uberoi). (Another is Cathedralite 49er from Mysore, Naval Patel.)

When I looked at the forward I noted that it was from his daughter-in-law, Anahita. Besides Ubi, she had forwarded it to one Farookh Mehta.

I sent an email to Ubi asking him whether this "Farookh" was the same "advertising" Farookh who was married to a great Maharashtrian stage actress, Vijaya. I explained to Ubi that we had sailed together from Venice to Bombay in 1969, round the Cape, and Farookh had beaten me in the Table Tennis final on board the ship. Farookh played well on a tilting and listing ship!

Ubi's reply was swift as it was amazing. Yes, this was the self-same Farookh, who was also a Cathedralite of the 47 era, married to the Maharashtrian stage legend, Vijaya, and whose daughter, Anahita, who had been a few months on that voyage was Head Girl in Cathedral School in 1985, when Ubi's son, Samir, was Head Boy, and the two were married!

A year or so ago, Farookh and Vijaya's son, Ravi Khote, had passed through Finland and I had talked to him about his parents.

Since this exchange of emails I have had emails and photographs from Farookh, which I will blog soon.

But the moral is that our teeny weeny world is much much smaller than we thought!

Always nice to get emails from Ubi

It is always nice to get emails from 56er Ubi as he has so much to teach me and also by being on the spot, his info is so alive! His latest email did however raise some cause for concern about his health:

Dear Jacob,

Apologies for not being punctual.

I have had a bit of a problem with my eyesight and the house is being painted as well at the same time.

I am having my good eye attended to but it will take a few weeks to sort out totally.

The computer seems to give me the most problems!

David Haskell's email is ellen@gezer.org.il

Anil Akhaney, who was originally a 56er, I believe is no more.

Incdentally, Vinod Nayar was 58 and Ashalata Guha (nee Bakhle) was 54 or 55. Not 56.

Saw your write up on the 59 Mini Reunion.

Great.I remember the cricketing feats of Trevor Newnes and how the late A.F.S.T. Talyarkhan used to write glowingly of Trevor's Kanga League exploits. He used to propogate Trevor as a possible India cricketer!

I also remember, so well, that epic 800 metre race at the Brabourne Stadium when Trevor beat a tiring Tara Malkani to the tape!

Tara had never been beaten before that, but in all fairness, 100 and 200 metres were his forte.

The 800 metre race, if I recalll correctly, was an Old Boys' versus The Present race at the annual athletics day.

As soon as I can have my vision corrected, I will write at length on the other issues you have written about.

Regards,

Ubi..

With such correspondents, there is no need for this guy in the Arctic, except the heat generated causes me to emerge from my frozen stupor!

Fleur, do take note of 57er David Haskell's email address.


1958 Cricket Team.

Surprisingly, Trevor was not in this line up! Wonder why? Was it Jimmy and Nalin held sway?

What Ubi says about Trevor is so true. He had a very easy and smooth run up and he could really get some pace on the ball. Trevor and Ooky used to practice together, but Ooky had to put much more effort to generate the same pace. We 59ers had one more great pace bowler, who did play for Maharashtra or Bombay Juniors, I think. He was the late Sudan Sathe. He generated fantastic pace, but was very wayward at times.

Nnalin Dharia also used to whip up some speed but he was strongly built unlike the other three. Jimmy Tata also bowled fast medium, but I recall him hitting the ball out of the ground more than I recall his bowling.


1959 cricketing trio Ashok Kaåpur behind the stumps,
Vijay Nayar with his left arm spin and Trevor Newnes
with his fast medium, at the Mini Reunion of 59ers
in Mumbai Sunday before last!

I cannot remember the pace bowlers in our side prior Ooky, Trevor Jimmy and Nalin. I think 59er Hussain also used to bowl at a fair pace.

I have been waiting for the final of the Twenty20 between India and Pakistan in Johannesburg. By sheer luck I was able to pick up audio commentary here in Finland of the semi-finals. I am hoping the link, which is that of a bookmaker in England serving his clients, will work again today! They said they were likely to come on air only 2 or 3 minutes before the start of the game, if at all! It has come on stream just now! And India got 13 in that first over with a 6 from Pathan.

So far I have been satisfied with the text commentary from CricInfo.com!

I can recall the spin magic of late Kirtee Dungersee, Ernest Haskell and Vijay Nayar. Noel Ezekiel was also good on his day.

Let me have your photos and your thoughts!

My prayers are with you, Ubi, for a speedy recovery, both for your eye and your computer.

Some of you are Oh so...

Today, I had an email from 54er Sadhana (née Shah) Madhusadan from Pune.



Gopa (Sadhana's daughter), 54er Sadhana, me and Timo (Gopa's husband)
at the Pailin Thai Restaurant in Oulu when Sadhana visited us here in early summer.

Some friends have found it very delicate to send an email to me to find out if I was OK.

54er Gracie (née Hayeem) Bent Lerno sent an email to Sadhana asking "Do you know if all is OK?"

And that was because she had received this email from 56er Doreen (Feibusch) Heimlich which said:

Dear Gracie,

Trust you and your family have been keeping well; --

We've been forwarding each other all sorts of interesting things lately, but I've been wondering if you've had any Update(s) from Jacob?

The last entry on his cathedraliteheaven blogspot is from June 26th.

Has something changed?  Can you please let me know?

Love

Doreen

Doreen, Gracie - you are both so sweet. Love you both.

I guess that the next time I go off line for a period, I should put up a broad sign on all my blogs.

The single most important reason I did go off was that comment from the Anonymous Commenter asking me to get a life, away from my blogs, not knowing that all you wonderful friends out there ARE MY LIFE!

I had inadvertently forgotten to add Ranjit Mathrani to the list of 57ers. (I am sure it was not Budni's fault but mine.)

Not only is he very much around, he will be hosting one of the events for the 50th Year Reunion of 57ers in November.

My sincere apologies to Ranjit, whom I remember so well, for leaving his name off the list.

Emails to two 57ers are bouncing.

One is that of Pop Pharoah's elder daughter, Marguerite (née Pharoah) Sparks. The other is Shireen Desai.

I have sent an email to 61er Claire (née Pharoah) Knight to find out about her sister.

If someone could clarify the situation about Shireen, I would be grateful to help me put the Master List straight. (It is possible that in Shireen's case there are 2 "e"s in her email address user id.)

I tried to speak with 56er Ubi on Skype yesterday. Although I got through, the speech was breaking up and finally the connection got cut. This seems to happen between my computer and calls to India. Anyone give me an explanation?

Ubi seems to be enjoying his retirement in the same vein as me. Wish he would start blogging as he is a wealth of info about the school, and he is on the spot.

Trapdoor

Those of you who read Comments (many, unfortunately, do not) would have seen this one by 49er Yezad Kapadia.

Jacob,

Just to fill in on some of the queries raised.

In 1949 the Prefects' room was below the belfry which could be accessed through a vertical ladder from the Prefects' room. Once we had locked up Kali Cawasji in the belfry!!

I agree with you about what the Lesson Reading taught us.

The badge on the blazer of the Head Boy had a golden braiding whereas the one on the Prefects' badge had a silver one.

We never had a Head Boy's room in our time.

Yesh

It appears the Stationary Room of our time was the Prefects' Room and the belfry could be accessed from there. My word Yesh, you 49ers were naughty! :-)

This input was from 56er Ubi:

Subject: "School Quiz!!"

Hi,

I shall try and clear some of your cobwebs, hopefully!

1. The Prefects' ties were handed over to the recipients by the Head Boy on the stage at school assembly.

2. The Head Boy had a gold braid around the school badge on the blazer, the Prefects had silver braids.

3. The announcement of the appontment of the new Head Boy, at least in my case, was on the last day of school. The Vice-Head Boy appointment was also announced on that day. I am told that there is no Vice-Head Boy any more.

4. Both the Head Boy and Prefects had the same purple badge for their blazers, which was also given out as school colours for games.

5. House Captains, to the best of my memory, were elected at House meetings and the formal announcement was made at time the Prefects' names were announced at assembly.

I hope I got this right!

Regards,

Ubi

So we are clear on the gold and silver braids around the prefects' badge which I now assume must have been different from the school badge.

Ubi added in another email:

Subject: "How could we forget Biology"

Hi,

As a PS, you are right to the extent that boys did not have biology as a subject.

But the girls did and they did not have a lab. So, all their practicals/experiments were conducted in our Chemistry Lab!

It was also another opportunity for the girls and boys to meet!

Ubi

So was Rachod the hamal for both the Chemistry lab on the ground floor and the Physics lab on the 1st floor?

I am sure Willie and Gregory can clear this up when they read this!!

Zahid had this to add:

Ravi - you are absolutely correct.

We bought our ties and belts from near the Principal's Office. There was a steel cupboard in the corridor facing the quad, next to the old IIIB classroom, which stocked these items. The house shirts however, if I remember right, were sold in the stationary office on the 2nd floor.

I am absolutely certain there was a Mr D'Souza in charge. I faintly recollect him as a medium built, bespectacled, elderly man wearing a light coloured suit. There used to be a large register with various stationery item listed in which he would enter our names, and have us initial the last column after supplying the requested items.

I remember our note books as A book which had lined pages, C book which had alternate lined and blank pages, D book which had checked pages for maths and the F book which was for graphs. Then we had "Globe" compass boxes and wooden 12 inch rulers.

Mr J.P D'Souza was the Barham House Master and the name Ranchod definitely rings a bell !

Zahid

Zahid, I almost think you were a Stephanian with the last pun which would have been dignified with a loud (highly complimetary) shout of PJ (Poor/Pun Joke)!!

The story of Mr. D'Souza's House affiliations have taken a twist. Ubi firmly believes he was the Palmer House Master. Zahid says it was Bahram.

But this input really took the cake!

Dear Jacob,

Although Mr J.P. D'Souza was Barham House Master during my years in school, I have this niggling suspicion at the back of my mind that in 1961, when I was in std III, he was the Savage Junior House Master and he left Savage in 1962 to take over Barham from Mr Oliver who became Vice Principal after Mr Pharoah left.

Mr. C. Smith then became Junior House Master for Savage while Mr Timmins continued as the Senior House Master.

As you have a copy of the 1961 Borderer, could you please check the Savage House notes for the year which should have the name of the Junior House Master.

I would be extremely grateful if you could clarify this for me and set my mind at rest ... either way !

Kind regards,

Zahid Parkar
Savage69

I do wish I had a copy of the Borderer!

But I can confirm from my memory that what you wrote was correct. In 1959, when I was Savage House Captain, Mr. J. P. D'Souza, our History Teacher, the teacher in charge of the School Library, which was above the gym, and also the teacher who ran the debates, was Savage Junior House Master, with Mr. D. A. Timmins as the Savage Senior House Master.

I clearly recall being congratulated by both when I was elected (unanimously) at a joint meeting of the Senior and Junior Savage-ites at near the end of term in 1958!
'
However, I do not recall the procedure as whether my name was suggested by the House Master or one of the students. It was probably Peter Philip, who was the 58 House Captain that proposed my name, and I think it was late 59ers Ghatge and Arvind Thadhani that seconded it. I was intending to propose Peter Miovic who was a great gymnast, a outstanding swimmer and also, despite his English not being as good as us, he was also great in studies, especially Maths. But I had no seconders.

I was overwhelmed by that occasion as I did not think in my wildest dreams that I would be so honoured. I was a very very ordinary student, usually occupyng places between 15 and 20 during each years' class assessment of academic skills!

(Please click on the picture to see an enlarged version)

CBS 1961 Boys'School Staff, submiitted by John Billington
(Enhanced image - let me know if this is OK.)

And finally, thanks to Mr. John Billington, who was my Class Master in 1959 and also my 1959 English teacher (prior to this it was the late Rider Salmon), I have the above photographs of the 1961 Boys'School Staff. (If the text is not clear, please inform me and I wil try to put up an enhanced version as the one John sent me is perfect on my computer.) Thank you John.

Some people I respect

Ubi was quick to fill me in about some people I respected when I was young and in school. As soon as the names appeared on the screen, wonderful thoughts on my conversations with them came flooding back. Although I got zero in Marathi and struggled with Hindi, right until I had to pass a Hindi exam to get my Bachelor's degree from Delhi University, with them I could converse for hours in both these languages!

Hi,

The tall hamal was Bhagwan. He, in fact, was still in school when my son Samir was Head Boy. It was quite embarrassing to be called "baba" by Bhagwan in my son's presence! He retired and no one knows where he is.

The short one was Ranchod, who rang the school bell. He died, I am told, soon after he retired. His son also worked in school.


Path to the Old Prefects' Room
Photo by 59er Hasnain Chinwalla.

When I was a prefect, the Prefects' Room was the last room (north) on the verandah near the cricket nets. I am told that later it was shifted to where the tuck shop was.

I believe there is no Prefects' Room now. There is also no Head Boy's room anymore.

In fact, I was discussing the same issue with the present Principal, Mrs. Meera Isaacs, when I met her in connection with our 50th Anniversary Reunion last October/November.

It truly was a great privilege to have had a Head Boy's room, even though it had a connecting door with the Principal's Study! One never knew when he would walk through the door (it was always unlocked) and what state of undress one would be in! I recall having discussed serious school issues with the Principal, with just shorts on with bare feet and bare torso!!

Incidentally, I am told that up to the point there were borders in school (first term 48?) the prefects' room in the boys' school was in the belfry! I have been up there. It must have been fun. I am told that prefects those days were allowed to smoke in the prefects' room (that is unsubstantiated information though!)

Ubi.

Stairway to Heaven
Photograph by 59er Hasnain Chinwalla.

What a wealth of information.

Can you tell us where the stairs are to the belfry? Was it up the main Stairway to Heaven?

As Ubi says, in our time the Prefects' Room was behind the stage. Of the two rooms, the back room was always in a mess. I do not know whether anyone ever cleaned it as it always had a musty smell.

Life was so hectic that I hardly spent much time in the Prefects' Room. I remember using it as the Green Room when acting in the school plays. Also, before Assembly, if one had to read the Lesson, I always went to the Prefects' Room to calm my nerves! (Believe it or not, even I suffered from nerves!)

I also remember using the small mirror on the wall to make sure my tie was straight and my hair, usually disheveled, was tidied up! Otherwise, Pop Pharoah would surely make a comment and there would be a smart rejoinder from Glynn-Howell! Gunnery never said a word except after the reading where he would comment on whether it had been read well or not. Rider Salmon would correct some of my diction after the reading. I appreciated that greatly as it meant he had listened to the reading. I doubt whether any of the students ever listened to what we read!

It is the Lesson Reading in front of the whole school which gave me the poise in later life to stand up and speak in front of huge audiences. I remember when I was giving the Plenary Lecture in Lyon, France, in 1987, at the First European Symposium on Polymeric Materials, as I stood in front of the huge audience of over a thousand people, the thought that flashed through my mind as I looked down at the lectern and then up at this audience of my peers, the picture of the Cathedral school children flashed through my mind, just for a second. Then, I started my 45 minute speech with the confidence that no one out there would probably be listening to me. :-)

However, with old age, I have lost much of that poise as the emotion (not alcohol) of the event usually blurs and slurs my words.

When I was at a funeral of a dear friend the other day, even as I read the tribute from Annikki and me (which is customary in Finnish funeral services), for the first time the emotions overcame me and I just wobbled through the words.

Thanks Ubi for the wonderful information. Made my day as you just patched another large hole in my brain.

Bhagwan and Ranchod - may God be with them.