Where am I going? What am I doing?

(Also posted on all my major blogs.)

Ubi does not believe that I have writer's block. Naval is meticulously letting me of intrusions into my own cyberspace. People are calling me and telling me they are my fans!

And what am I doing?

With the explosion of networking sites - LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Orkut, Plaxo Pulse, My World in Flock, all my blogs, Google Groups, a plethora of calendars, I am getting terribly lost in Cyberspace.

Where should I do first thing in the morning? Which place should I update first to reach the widest spread of my audience. 80000 people worldwide is quite a reach!

What should I write about? Politics, the economy, nostalgic thoughts about school and college, life in Finland?

There certainly is an inexhaustible list of topics.

It is this explosion which is numbing my mind. Everything I want to do seems to be the wrong step - or is it the right step?

I am searching for someone out there with experience to guide me - but it appears that when you are the trend setter . no one wants to proffer their advice!

So I will have to work this out by myself.

All of you out there will continue to get angry with me as no one is satisfied going to a site which just refuses to be updated!

Maybe tomorrow morning the answer will hit me - but maybe not!!!

Unwanted intrusions

My blogs are quite popular. During a simple Google Search, the references crop up at high levels, not only on Google, but also on the various search engines. Although this is something to be proud of, it does cause some problems.

If someone from our school or college features in a media report, I get many thousands of hits as people turn up at one of my blogs where these people may or may not be mentioned. Then they email me asking for details.

In many cases, where it is friends wanting to meet after several years, or tracing of long lost relatives, I usually mail a copy of the request directly to the person concerned, IF I have the contact. This has put many people together and my blogs are valued very much for this service.

But there is another face to this game. I get requests from investigative or probing reporters asking for contact details of many rich and famous people that feature on my blogs.

In this case I usually have one simple answer - "Sorry, I cannot reveal any details about the persons involved."

These reporters use many tricks to get me to reveal details. I have become past master at identifying their games.

I value the personal life of all my friends. I try not ever reveal what is intimate and personal. I have never had a complaint so far. I hope I never will.

The reason is that you have to think like a reporter to determine what they are after. Having been on the fringes of the journalistic business ever since I was 7 years old, I have learnt the tricks of the trade.

There are many who compliment me on having such a wide reach. That is because of my journalistic experience and perseverance. But I try never to violate the code of conduct of journalists and violate the principles of respecting persons and their personal lives.

Passing away of Mr. John Lewis

The information of the passing away of Mr. John Lewis has just reached me.



A Church Service will be held in his memory on Thursday, March 19th 2009 at St. Thomas' Cathedral at 8.45 a.m.

The late Mr. John Lewis was former Vice-Principal, Wilson House Master and Head of the Maths Dept.

All those who wish to pay their last respects to Mr. John Lewis are requested to kindly grace the Service.

May his soul rest in peace.

Disgusting advertising technique

ANNIKKI and I DO NOT ENDORSE L. K. ADVANI, the BJP political party or the RSS Fundamentalist Group.

It has been brought to my attention by one of my most faithful readers, 49er Naval Patel, that when he comes to visit this Seventh Heaven page, at the top is a picture of L. K. Advani.

That picture seems to appear when the person visiting the page is from India. Hence, being in Finland, I am not seeing this advertisement of L. K. Advani when I visit the page.

Annikki and I detest all fundamentalist parties. We are in no way advocates of the policies or principles of the BJP party or the RSS fundamentalist group, both of which are intertwined with hatred at the hip.

I am asking Google for an explanation as to how this advertisement for a most despicable party is appearing at the top of my blog pages.

I would also like those of you have any feelings on the subject to let others know that Annikki and Jacob Matthan, who are a most liberal couple, who cannot stand any form of religious fundamentalism which breeds on hatred of those of other faiths, have nothing whatsoever to do with L. K. Advani or the party he stands for.

Thank you, Naval, for bringing this to my attention.

54ers mourn two friends

I received the very sad news that, probably the oldest Cathedralite, 97 year old mother of 54er Zarrin Aga (née Lam) passed away. Our deepest condolences to Zarrin and her family.

We lost a 54er, Vasant Khandke on February 18 in England. Our condolences to his wife, Valerie, who is devasted to be parted from her beloved partner of the past 38 years. Vasant lived with Valerie in Harpenden, Herts., in England.

Contrary to rumours floating about - the Seventh Heaven Blog has not been shut down.

As I have been very busy, I have not had time to update it with all the news that has been reaching me.

There is, however, one problem I do want to mention now.

Several of you, who have registered to be updated whenever I update my blog, have been getting notices that the blog has been updated. However, when you come to see the blog, there are no visible updates.

This can be for two reasons.

The first is happening quite frequently in that when someone out there reads an old entry and then posts a comment, the blog updater sends out this info, but fails to mention where the update has taken place.

This is very frustrating, especially for me, as I would like to acknowledge the comment, and reply if necessary.

I have brought it to the notice of the Google Blog Administrators.

The second reason is a glitch in the Updater software as it is recording a change in the ownership of the blog, which is untrue, and it is also updating me about this.

I have informed the Google Administrators also about this glitch.

As it is so annoying, I would like to suggest you unsubscribe from this service till such time as it is fixed - which I will inform you via the blog!

However, do chxck in once a week till I get this Blog working again on a regular basis.

I should start getting my life back in order soon and then I will start my regular blog updates. But till then you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

News of the 59ers GOLDEN REUNION is November 2009 is now in the pipeline. So stay tuned on the Blog as well as the 59ers Google Group as I put together this info.

The Mumbai Organisers have done an outstanding job.

We 59ers will be having the Mother of all Reunions between the 11th and 18th of November this year. Wow, what a programme lies ahead.

59ers meet as a tribute to our classsmate

In Mumbai, our Class of 59 met at the Bombay Gymkhana to remember our dear felled friend, Ashok. The group pictures of those who attended (mostly 59ers and their spouses) have just reached me. But a few close friends from other years did join, keeping 59er Armeane Choksi's message of "be inclusive" alive. (Shivi has mistakenly ascribed that phrase "be inclusive, not exclusive" to me!)

(My apologies for the small text underthe photographs, so I have given the text again as part of the blog.)



57er Ratan Batliwalla, 59er Elijah Elias (Ooky), 59er Ashok Ruia, 59er Trevor Newnes, Rivca Elias (w/o Ooky), 59er Ramesh Mirchandani, 60er Rashida Anees (née Kajiji), 60er Meher (nèe Tata), 53er M. Anees, 59er Renuka Batliwalla (née Dhanrajgir), 59er Venkat Kurma, 59er Piloo Tata (née Dastur), 59er Vikram Singh, 65er Nina Shivdasani, 59er Ratan Singara, 60er Suchita Shivdasani (née Assomull; w/o Shivi), 59er Vijay Shivdasani (Shivi), Anu Kurma (w./o Venkat), 59er Jangoo Moos, 60er Poornima Sethi (née Mazumdar; w/o Viney Sethi), 59er Vikram Kamdar, 57er Lata Bakhle (s/o late 59er Pradeep Bahkle) (Inset: 59er Hasnain Chinwala). Photograph by Hasnain Chinwala



60er Poornima Sethi (née Mazumdar; w/o Viney Sethi), 57er Ratan Batliwalla, 59er Ashok Ruia, 59er Viney Sethi, 59er Vijay Nayar, 59er Elijah Elias (Ooky), Rivca Elias (w/o Ooky), 59er Trevor Newnes, 59er Ramesh Mirchandani, 60er Rashida Anees (née Kajiji), 53er M. Anees, 59er Renuka Batliwalla (née Dhanrajgir), 59er Piloo Tata (née Dastur), 59er Venkat Kurma, 65er Nina Shivdasani, 60er Suchita Shivdasani (née Assomull; w/o Shivi), 57er Lata Bakhle (s/o late 59er Pradeep Bakhle), 59er Vijay Shivdasani (Shivi), 59er Ratan Singara, 59er Vikram Kamdar (Inset: 59er Hasnain Chinwala). Photograph by Hasnain Chinwala

In Oulu, some of the senior Indian Residents - of course, I am the seniormost, held a short meeting where we maintained a two minute silence period in memory of those who had fallen in Mumbai. A few talked about the tragedy. One had been through the bombing in matunga. I spoke but it was through tears when I told about our dear Ashok. But the very act of expressing the grief gave me strength, a strength that I pray will be with those near and dear to Ashok - like all those 59ers and some of other years in school who were close with him.

Remember that today evening is the memorial for all our Cathedralites who went through this tragedy. Be there.

Two important messages from Mumbai

53er Pushpa Bhatia (née Dongersee) sent me this Notice:



The second is an email from our Alumni Webmaster:

The Cathedral & John Connon Alumni Association

Mumbai
December 8, 2008

Dear Friend,

We mourn with Mumbai and the country as we struggle to come to grips with the tragic loss of lives in the city on November 26, 2008. No segment of society was left unscathed in the most brutal and heart-rending attacks on Victoria Terminus, Nariman House, the Leopold Cafe and the Taj and Oberoi/Trident hotels.

The Alumni Association is deeply saddened to announce the passing of our very own Ashok Kapur (Palmer '59; brother of 53er Satish, 56er Pramila and 64er Anil aka Billy), Sanjay Agarwal (Wilson '77; son of 49er Vijay Ram) and Sunil Parekh (Savage '81).

The tragic loss for the Cathedral family extends to the unthinkable - one of our young students, Udayveer Kang lost his life in the attacks as did his little brother, Samar Singh who was about to enter the Cathedral fold. Bereaved students and alumni, Karan and Nakul Agarwal, Anandita and Arundati Parekh, Vaibhav Garg, Armaan Harjani, Sanjana and Sarjan Shah, Nairika and Arshan Maloo and Radhika Bhatt, have lost either one or both their parents. Our students have also said their final goodbye to an outstanding former teacher, Mrs. Rupinder Randhawa, who taught biology and environmental science in the school for several years.

For them and their families words will be of little comfort but they do have our deepest sympathy in this, their darkest hour.

At this exceedingly difficult time, emotions have been running high in Mumbai, and citizens are surging forward to help create a more secure future for India. Among these efforts are those by Cathedral alumni to provide counselling services for affected children, provide supplies to lower income hospitals, to lobby for political accountability, mobilise public opinion and much more.

The Alumni Association has created a platform for you at www.catalumni.com/voices.asp where you can garner support for your initiative and help channelise this emotion and energy, browse listings to see how you can help, read through ideas and opinions, or simply reconnect with a long-lost school friend at this painful time in our history.

Let us alumni be there for every stratum of society in a positive and sensitive manner, in the age-old tradition of the true Cathedralite.

The Executive Committee

Memorial Service on 10th December for the lost lives on 26/11

The School will be holding a Memorial Service for those children, parents and alumni who lost their lives in the tragic events of November 26th.

Date: Wednesday 10th, December 2008.
Time: 5.30 p.m.
Venue: The Cathedral Senior School Quadrangle.

Please try and be there.

May I also request every single one of you who can get there to be PLEASE there.