No dice

59er Retired Captain Vijay Shivdasani has informed me a few minutes ago that he was not successful in the Mumbai Corporation elections. Low turnout, the young did not vote in numbers and the

Retired Captain INS Vikrant Vijay Shivdasani and his wife, Suchita

military turnout was also low. the turnout in these elections was just 30%. Annikki and I replied to him that the winning was not important but he has showed us the way that we need to get involved with politics as otherwise the old game will continue. If we intend to field candidates anywhere we have to have a long term game plan. We have to recognize who should be our representatives and start work NOW for the next election. Preparation of an achievable manifesto, the setting of our field worker team, the dispersal of our field workers in an organized manner to every corner where we can gather votes. These are the essential steps. Contribution of a few hundred rupees every month will be drops in an ocean, but it would soon become the ocean. This is a long term strategy. We are all touching 70, but if we can add our combined wisdom and experience, we can certainly beat those School final failed candidates? Well done Shivi, for playing the game the Cathedralite Way.

Your contact is vital

Two Elivises in our class, Vijay and Percy

I have a very important task to reach all Cathedralites world-wide to ask them to rouse their friends to vote for a Cathedralite in the coming election on 16th January.

It is not often I ask for any assistance. Now I do, for my friend.

If you know someone in South Mumbai, please ask them to vote for retd. Captain Vijay Shivdasani, my childhood friend, my school classmate, a good friend till today (like you), totally a man of integrity, a man of decision, and, like me, a man with enormous energy to accomplish things. At 69, he still plays a mean game of tennis, walks tall, and has a schedule which puts me to shame!

I do not ask this lightly. If each of you can rouse 7 voters, just 7, then we will have a viral success that you will be part of with pride in your accomplishment.

Remember that I am 7000 km away but care enough for our CITY to stand up and support one honest candidate.

Please forward to all your friends. 

Call Shivi if you want. Just tell him that I asked you too. He will listen and act on whatever your request.

He is the hand we need up guide our city - Mumbai.

Please note: the Bombay Municipal elections are  to be held on 16th February.

Thanks.

A submission by Vijay and I stand by every word he says:

CAPTAIN VIJAY SHIVDASANI

captainvijayshivdasani@gmail.com; 9833622312

                                A NOTE BEFORE YOU VOTE

 The main reason people do not vote and that there is so much cynicism is because many parties are tainted by rampant corruption, numerous scams and poor performance in governance. You and numerous other thinking voters like you do not find a credible educated candidate of calibre because such people shun politics. For these reasons I have decided to offer myself as an Independent Citizen Candidate – to do the best for Mumbai where I live, for South Colaba where I was born and for Navy Nagar where I spent many years in uniform.

I am a family man, groomed at one of the best schools – Cathedral School, Mumbai, and am alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla. I successfully completed an advanced navy post graduate study at the Royal Military College of Science, UK.

As a serviceman, dedication to my country and men is paramount. The motto, Service Before Self, was deeply ingrained at an early age. It has been uppermost in peace and war. I have had the responsibility to sail and command numerous warships, been the Commander of an operational aircraft carrier, the Operations officer in the 1971 war and Head of the Alma Mater – the Navy’s Signals Establishment, Kochi, where thousands of personnel are trained each year.

Working recently in Mumbai, as head of an NGO, Founder of a Charitable Trust, an active member of the Nariman Point Association and A Ward Federation, I sincerely believe I have the experience, knowledge and educational background to improve the standard of living and lower your taxes by better governance decisions and without corruption.

After retiring from the navy I lived and worked in Hong Kong. It is a modern efficient island city where despite limitations of space, every civic system works – ferries, roads, mass transportation and traffic, drainage, hygiene and healthcare services, municipal education, sanitation and water supply, the rule of law and police, clean green open spaces with low levels of pollution – all these are of a world class standard. This is what I would strive for in Mumbai. This is my Mission.

I am often asked what an independent citizen candidate can achieve. As the saying goes – never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world – indeed it is the only thing that ever has!

So do cast your valuable vote for Corporator for

Vijay Shivdasani - a Captain and Gentleman

Reason for being a top school

I was informed by one of my best and learned readers that his comment about why our school is at the top of the charts was missing. I do not know how that happened.

From Cathedral School, Mumbai

>

However, I reproduce here what 49er Yezad Kapadia wrote:

Quite some time ago. I had clicked on comments  and sent the comments.

Although there are various factors at play, I believe a lot of credit should go to the Founding Fathers for their vision and the sense of purpose with which the School was founded. The value system endowed at that time prevails even now. I guess the same reasoning applies to the the Public Schools in England too.

I have worked for the House of Tatas. Fortune magazine has estimated that the average life span of a corporate entity is 17 years. There are at least three corporates/entities in the Tata stable (Tata Steel, the Taj Mahal Hotel and the Indian Institute of Science) which, after being around for more than 100 years, are world class! I can only attribute this to the vision and the sense of values of the Founder. We all know what a great man he was. Very few know how great!! 

This comment is specially interesting as most of our family companies are also of thatbreed of over or near 100 years. The Malayala manorama is now 123 years old, MRF is over 70 years old and most of the plantation companies as Badra, Devon, Balanoor are in their 80s.

To last just 17 years for a corporate seems a bit astonishing!

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!