Two on one day

Two birthdays among 59ers on the same day. Both live in the US - Noel Ezekiel in California and Peter Miovic in Washington. Here is a photograph of Noel, (top row), Peter (1st Standing row) and me (sitting, duly encircled to refresh your memories!! Lots of others there.

School Prefects - 1959
Happy birthday to both of you from all 59ers, and Annikki and myself (a 59er no doubt).

Peter is quite a famous economist working in the World Bank, while Noel is an equally famous person doing real estate work.

Armeane Choksi (59er) has gone missing for me - as his email address is bouncing. Could someone in the US please check up and update me.

Some Cathedralite / Stephanian News

Willie (Cathedral Physics Teacher 50s & 60s) in Canada has just updated me on some Cathedralite / Stephanian news.

He has only received a one sentence input of this year's Founders Day in Mumbai. Hasnain (59er) is travelling in India, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Will someone feed me with info.

Roshni, (wife of Stephanian Raj who is the son of former Prinipal Sircar of my era in Stephen's), who is also the aunt of my sister-in-law, is back in Canada after a holiday in Bangalore. Willie does say that Bangalore has become over-populated and polluted and as a possible result, Roshni was ill with bronchial trouble. I am fully in agreement with that statement about Bangalore judging from my last visit there a few years ago.

Willie and Pushpa are off for a 10 day, 6 island, cruise in the Eastern Caribbean. Hope both of you have a great holiday.

Happy Birthday, Vikram

Today is Vikram Kamdar's birthday.

Anyone who knows Bombay (Mumbai) has heard of Kamdar and their absolutely great furniture lines. Living in Finland, the land of absolutely superb furniture design as Asko and Isku, let me assure you that the furniture I knew from Kamdars could be counted amongst the best in the world!!

When I was a kid, I used to go to see his showroom opposite the Eros theatre and drool over the great furniture lines that were in the store. I used to run home and tell my mom. Sure enough she would go and have a look at what I liked. We had some great Kamdar furniture. But when my parents left Mumbai, we lost the whole lot when the transfer to Bangalore took place in the early 70's.

I tried to send Vikram an eCard from all of us. The first time the website locked and dispatched the card on the 5th. The second time it locked and has scheduled to send it on the 15th. So I changed websites and finally managed to send one which should reach him today (hopefully). I have apologised to Vikram privately, but here is my public apology as well.

More birthday's of 59ers coming up this week, so stay tuned.

Visitors from South Finland

Yesterday, we had visitors from South Finland. Gopa, Sadhana's (Cathedralite 54er) daughter, her husband, Timo, and his son, Peteri. Timo's mother lives about 80 km east of Oulu and they had visited her over this long weekend, as today is a holiday - Finnish Independence Day.

We had lunch at Michelle's Chinese restaurant. Michelle is of Chinese origin but very much a Calcutta girl. The food she makes us is great. Annikki could not join us as she was busy looking after her mother, so we brought back food for Mika and her.

Tonight, most Finns will be glued to the TV as they see the parade of their dignatories at the Presidential Ball in the Palace. Ladies dress up to see who gets the best coverage, sometimes those with the least coverage, in the tabloids!! Annikki watches if she has time. I do not as they never show the foreign dignatories. They always break for the news when the Ambassadors are being welcomed by the President and her husband.

Last night, Annikki was busy with her art creations from snow and ice in the garden. They are truly outstanding. I hope I can learn to put some of those images here on the blog.

Whenever thoughts flash through my mind on any subject, I will post them on this blog. So do come and visit it when you have a few moments to spare and do post your comments.

Happy Birthday Ellis

I have pleasure in telling you that I sent birthday greetings to our dear Ellis Hayeem, who lives and works in New York.

Just days before his birthday he informed me that his email address has changed. If you want his new email address, please contact me.

Ellis also informed me that Viney Dabholkar's email address was bouncing. I checked using my email verifier programme and have found the change. If you want Viney's new email address, please do contact me.

I have updated the data relating to all 59ers in the Cathedral School site. As I have said earlier, I am not surre of the Houses that each one was. It was only an educated guess. I hope you will send me the House that you were in so that I can put the correct information at our official Cathedral School page for 59ers.

I think that our 59er poage will soon be one of the most complete ones and I hope that it stays that way.

I have been chatting with Ellis's sister, Gracie using internet chat. The other person always logged on like me is Arvind Thadhani In my iChat I have formed a group for us Cathedralites. If you use an Internet Chat programme - BUT not Microsoft's Internet Messenger, let me know your screen name so I can add you on to my Buddy Chat list under Cathedralites.

Arvind was in Vancouver for a few days and says it was a great place. He also told me he met up with Bobby Choonawalla, and Viney Sethi and Purnima (née Mazumdar 62er),Viney’s wife, recently. Arvind also informed me of some very sad news that our dear 59er Ramesh Mirchandani is struggling recovering from two heart surgeries and in the second one, due to a mistake, his vocal chords were cut.

Let us pray that Ramesh recovers to full and complete health.

And finally, Happy Birthday Ellis, from all us 59ers. A prize for anyone (but Willie and Pushpa Shiri who provided me with this picture and any Hayeem family member) who can spot Ellis in this picture!!

(photo to be posted later)

Keep the news rolling in guys and gals. This blog is only as active as the data you keep feeding me.

Happy Birthday Deepak

Visitors from India, including 57er Sunil Sahani and his wife, Kamal. Just for a day, but it was a great feeling to entertain one more Cathedralite here.

(photo to be posted later)

But today, my pleasure to wish Deepak Kaikini on his 61st birthday. This blog may be posted a bit late, but I did send Deepak a birthday card from all 59ers.

I have given an update to the Cathedral site about us 59ers. But I feel that I may have got all the House names wrong. So if you could send me the Houses that you were in, I would be pleased to make sure that the site reflects the true values for our class of 59. I think our list is the most complete. The only problem is that we seem to have a few which need to be corrected. We seem to have had 3 Singaras in our class. There were two already listed, but I only remember Rattan, so I added his name!! I corrected a few names which were misspelled, Sethi was listed a Vinay instead of Viney, etc....

If you want to find the email address of anyone on that list let me know and I will be pleased to oblige.

My other visitor to Finland was a Bangalorean, Anil Anathakrishna, who many of you may remember as the teenage-wonder of the 60's who later developed the world's first electric bicycle using the battery from his father's car.

Do visit his web site

http://ekovehicle.com

which is the new company he has formed in Finland to launch his great range of electric scooters into Europe at a price which is almost half a conventional scooter here in Finland. I have invested a few bucks in his company in my grandchildrn's names as this guy, in my opinion, needs all the support to get his petrol free and pollution free technology off the ground.

No doubt, people in the scooter business, like our own Rahul Bajaj (54er), probably have an electric scooter ready to take off, but it would make a huge dent into their whole marketing set-up as well as their sales when a service free scooter, petrol free, pollution free hits the market.

I have been driving this great Finnscoot around for over a couple of months and now I have given it to a friend's 16 year son to drive it around in the Finnish forests to sort of smash it up so that we can really see how these scooters will take the hammering that young scooter drivers normally give their scooters.

I have produced my first movie using photographs taken by me when my friend Kamu put together the scooter in March and later taken by Anil during his last visit to Finland. The music is Freeplay and called "Walking The Dog". The last clip is from a video taken by the digital camera.

Newsy Notes 014 - School Song Words for 54ers!!!

Hi Cathedralites,

In response to Suhas's request, given below is the
latest version of the school song (from the
land of the midnight sun). Many changes
from the original and even the version of our
times.

Just to inform you that Sunil Sahani (57er) and
wife, Kamal, passed through Oulu, Monday to
Wednesday, and we had a lovely time. It was
nice to think and talk about OUR School. Sunil,
like me (thanks OAG), went on to do Chemistry
(rather he did Chemical Engineering, I did
Polymer Technology) and ended his career as
Research Director of Hindustan Lever. He spent
much time in UK and in China and even has a
Chinese alternate name!!

While walking in the town centre, Kamal noticed
this cloud formation in the sky, which shows
what a beautiful, sunny, warm day we had. And it
was a day without end - literally, as it was
midsummer.

But all too soon, it was time to leave as they
headed for Helsinki and on to St. Petersburg.

57er Sunil Sahani and Kamal when they left Oulu
Gopa, Sadhana's daughter, and hubby, Timo,
passed through yesterday on their way back
to their home near Helsinki. They were
returning from a trip to the Norwegian
sea coast at the top of Finland and a night
at Timo's mother's place about a hour from our
city.

Do not forget to check out the Cathedralite blog
regularly. I will be updating over this weekend.
And we have to wish a 59er Cathedralite for his
birthday on Wednesday - and it will be up on the
blog.

Regards

Jacob Matthan
Savage House Captain 1959

Cathedral School Song 2004

Prima in Indis, Gateway of India
Door of the East with its face to the West
Here in Bombay we are living and learning
India, our country, to give you our best.

Out on the maidan at hockey or cricket,
Or now in the classroom a’driving the pen,
We will try ever to fit us, equip us,
So that in life we may serve you as men.

School School! Play up, School!
Wherever your lot may be cast,
School first, House next, Self last,
School! School! Play up, School!

Himalayan mountains and plains of the Deccan,
Wide sweeping spaces with winds blowing clean,
These are our birthright – ours to defend them,
Ours now to follow where heroes have been.

Out on the maidan our thews and our sinews,
We’ll train and will strengthen a’playing the game.
Then when we leave and go forth to our lifework,
Win for our race and our School a fair name.

School School! Play up, School!
Wherever your lot may be cast,
School first, House next, Self last,
School! School! Play up, School!

Years will roll on, and the palms still be swaying,
Out on the maidan that’s down by the sea,
Pens will be driven by new boys in classrooms
Where we are dreaming what soon we shall be.

Out on the maidan while palm shadows lengthen,
Still will re-echo the old stirring cry –
“Play up school! Let it rip! Let it thunder!
Let it resound to our Orient Sky!”

School School! Play up, School!
Wherever your lot may be cast,
School first, House next, Self last,
School! School! Play up, School!