Editorial 15.09.2021
This first Editorial of Findians Briefings is dedicated to the individuals who have made this possible.
These are alumni from Cathedral and John Connon School. They are located from Penang in Malaysia to Toronto in Canada, from Jerusslem in Israel to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, from OXford in UK to across the US, from Delhi to Mumbai in India!
They represent a cross section of personalities from Jews to Muslims, from Parsis to Sindhis, from Hindus to Christians.
That was my upbringing.
When they saw that both Annikki and I were struggling to keep pace with the many changes around us, that we were falling behind in technology, they got together and changed Christmas from December 25th to June 2nd.
DHL arrived at our doorstep carrying two packages, a latest iPhone and a MacBook Air featuring the latest M1 chip.
Our faded Mac Mini, which I invested in in 2009, had almost given up the ghost. My iPhone 6S had fallen to bits in my hands. I had gone backwards to using Annikki’s ancient iPhone 4, and it was only good enough for the occasional call to our kids in the UK,
With the advent of all this new technology in our home, I got about the task of reconnecting with all my friends from around the world.
To be true, the workload has been so overcrowded that I have not had the chance to thank these 18 friends so far! I would like to call them out here!
Hasnain Chinwalla (Chinnie fromCanada), Robert Tyabji (Malaysia), Adi Cooper, Rustom Dadabhoy, Elijah Elias (Ooky), Nihal Kaviratne, Vijay Nayar, Captain Vijay Shivdasani (Shivi,Retired, Indian Navy) & Ratan Singara (all from India), Mark Sopher (Israel), Wabhi Zayani, (Saudi Arabia), Prof. Sudhir Anand (UK), Ellis Hayeem, Noel Ezekiel, Jack Haskell, Vickram Savara (Vicky) , Viney Sethi & Arvind Thadani (all from USA).
Robert had said in a message “FRIENDS” to our alumni group on 17th November 2020:
“But, true friends are always there, no matter how long or how many miles away they are. A friend is never more distant than the reach of a need, intervening in your favor, waiting for you with open arms or in some way blessing your life.
When we started this adventure called LIFE, we did not know of the incredible joys or sorrows that were ahead. We did not know how much we would need from each other. Love your parents, take care of your family, but keep a group of good friends. Stay in touch with them.”
18 of you have helped us get over writer’s block and restart a part of our lives that had almost ground to a standstill.
It was easy to explain this writer’s block away as part of the equipment, but it is a bad carpenter that always blames his tools.
Neither Annikki nor me know how to say thank you for giving us a new life.
The iPhone 11 is outstanding to keep us in touch with all of you using WhatsApp and other social media tools. The camera is one of the very best. The MacBook Air with the new Apple Silicone chip M1 is the next generation in computing. It is not only superfast but it is superintuitive.
I had a little problem understanding the Voice Over technology. I called our granddaughter, Asha, and she soon put me right by putting me back on the old Mac technology route, which is still the best.
It took me a total of 10 minutes to set up the iPhone and the MacBook Air. It took me another 20 minutes to sync that data I needed from my old computer (as can be seen from the pictures included in this editorial) which had seen the end of the day and was limping on what was called the E-Drive (Emengecy Drive).
That a group of you acted to put us back online was something historic.
The whole episode was a complete surprise for Annikki and me. I had some inkling you guys were up to some mischief when, out of the blue, Chinnie asked me to verify my address as he was referring to my address in our 2009 Golden Reunion Directory.
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| Class Directory published in 2009. ©Jacob Matthan |
A couple of days later I had a contact from Arvind saying he wanted to send me a card and that the Post Office in the US had indicated that my address was not a Target 1 address. I was surprised but I still did not suspect what you guys were up to.
Then Arvind sent a message that he was sending a package and wanted more confirmation of the delivery address. At this point both Annikki and I got wondering why DHL would be involved in sending me a postcard.
On 2nd of June, after much tooing and froing with DHL, my excitement reached a fever pitch as I went to our local Department store and picked up two packets.
What you guys did has been rationalised by Ooky with a beautiful email as did the words of Arvind and Viney.
It is important to realise this friendship goes back to my Bangalore days when Nihal was with me in Bishop Cotton’s.
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| Nihal Kaviratne |
The years 1954 to 1960 cemented my relationship to all of you.
They were indeed Golden Years as only luck and the pig-headedness of Principal Bernard Gunnery.
On transferring from Bsngalore to Bombay, he dropped me by one class making me one of the Class of 59. He could not have made a better decision in my best interest.
I had a wonderful time in those years which I have recalled in detail in my memoirs covering the period 1954 to1959. (This will be online soon!)
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| Arthur Morecroft who gave me the chance for a second life. (1955) |
I got the nickname “Dead Chicken”, coined by Viney after Mr. Arthur Morecroft fished me out of the Vasind River at our class picnic in 1955.
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| Annikki’s rendition of the ”Dead Chicken” in our front window. ©Jacob Matthan |
Here is Annikki’s depiction in crochet of the “Dead Chicken”. (She has a fabulous sense of humour and she hung it up in our front window as a guide to those coming to visit us!)
It was in 1960 that a few of us went to Mussoori to celebrate our Senior Cambridge results. One photograph remains etched in our minds - that of Arvind, Viney and
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| Arvind, Viney & myself (1960) |
It was in 1962 that Wabhi made a trip to Delhi to visit me at college. We kept up our letter communication as long as he was studying in the UK. This was a picture Wabhi shared with
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| Ellis Hayeem ©Percy Mistri |
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| Jack Haskell with Percy @late Frainy Mistri |
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| Wahbi Zayani (1962) |
I remember going to Khadakwasla a when Vijay graduated from the NDA.
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| Shivi & Suchita |
In England, Viney, Vijay and Noel maintained close contact with me including after Annikki and I got married and even after our eldest, Susanna was born.
Noel came to see us in Shawburty where I was working, and Annikki and I visited Viney at St. Helens when he was working with Pilkington. All these are deeply etched in our memories.
I made trips to Southampton to see Vijay weave his spinners in the university cricket team,
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Vijay Nayar and myself (2009) ©Annikki Matthan
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| Annikki and myself with Ratan Singara (2009) ©Hasnain Chinwala |
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| Vickram Savara (Vicky) with me (2009) ©Hasnain Chinwala |
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Viney Sethi with me (2009) ©Hasnain Chinwala
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Ratan, Jangoo, Sudhir, Chinnie, Shivi and Ooky |
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| Mark with our daughter, Joanna, in Jerusalem |
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| Nioel Ezekiel |
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| Adi Cooper (2014) @Hasnain Chinwala |
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| Hilda & Mark (2009) ©Hasnain Chinwala |
I have tried to share with you the value of friendships that are not transient but last a lifetime. Annikki and I are glad that we had nover 10,000 mIndian IT workers who visited Finland and shared theirt timer and space with us. Not one of them is forgotten in what they contributed to our lives in an otherwise remote part of this world.
Today they are in the wider world, many married with children of their own and located all around the globe. They are all Findians and will always remain in our hearts.
We wish each and everyone of them all the very best in their future lives, right from His Excellency K. P. Fabian, who was Ambassador when we moved to Finland permanently in 1984.
This Editorial is dedicated to the 18 friends who have made it possible!
