KTWV04 - Issue 3: News from many

Dear Stephanians,

In the last issue I published the picture of the college. Word got around to Principal Dr. Anil Wilson and I had this message from him:

---

From: "Dr Anil Wilson"
To: "Jacob Matthan"
Subject: Re: Ezines for Cathedralites & Stephanians - Feb. Issues
Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2001 07:02:25 -0800

Dear Jacob,

Good to hear from you after quite some time. Please do visit the 'official' College Web Site at

http://www.ststephens.edu

and let me have your response.

Dr. Anil Wilson

---

I think all of you will be pleasantly surprised when you visit the new college site maintained by Kevin Dzousa.

And do not forget to read the Dismissal Address given by Principal Wilson on 13th March.

It was nostalgic to hear of the retirement, after 41 years of service, of Mr. G. S. Bhatia who taught me Physics in 1960-1963. I was one of the first batch his first pupils. He was a great and understanding teacher!! I can still remember him smiling through his jet black well oiled and tied down beard and mustache and saying "Matthanji, ...". I think he sort of liked me, although I was not a particularly brilliant student, but I follwed his lectures regularly, unless I had overslept. :-)

Efforts are paying off after the restart of the web version of Kooler Talk. I had a very nice email from Subir Kubedan:

---

Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2001 12:40:25 -0800 (PST)
From: Subir Kumedan, San Francisco
Subject: Website
To: Jacob

Hi Jacob,

I recently found that this website existed. I am Subir Kumedan, a 1993 gradute (with a non-functioning link on your web page :-) at that)

I have been in the US for a few years now, ditching grad school to follow my photography and creative instincts to become a web designer in San Francisco and now a User Interface Architect at a company in Fremont, California. The web is my life, well along with photography and travel.

So, I thought, I could use my skills to help you redesign the site and publicise it, if you are okay with it. It would be my way of giving back to Stephen's all I got out from it. From the numerous hiking trips to hanging out in the main lawns, to flunking the supplementaries, and samosas and the countless bunking classes to hang out in DU, I still have too many fond memories in Stephens. And I still compare Stephens in India to Harvard/Yale in US.

Anyway, it would be interesting to get in touch with and get a sense of what you've been doing through the website and if I could meaningfully contribute to it. In the meantime you can check out my new website which is in alpha stage

http://www.alwaysoutbound.com/photo.htm

ones that I created during my work at PLural as a web designer -

www.amb.com

www.apptimum.qwest.com

among others. My old photo site is at my rutgers address at

http://www.cabm.rutgers/edu/~subir

bad design, good photos.

Well, cheers for now, my contact information is included. Feel free to get in touch with me anytime.

Subir

Subir Kumedan
929 Pacific Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133
t: 415.981.7161

---

That was real nice of Subir. We have been in touch with each other. Maybe sommething will come out of it.

But how many of you want a redesigned super duper Kooler Talk (Web Version). From my emails I see that most of you seem happy with its present presentation. I did explain to Subir that as far as publicity is concerned, enter "Stephanian" or "Kooler Talk" in any major search engine as Google, Altavista, Excite, or the best of the lot presently, AlltheWeb.com, and without fail, the searcher will land up at my pages. Since 80% of surfers reach the pages by this route, the others through the traditional routes of the college web site, sites of other Stephanians, and the alumni pages, there was no real hope for any Stephanian to escape being pushed to this site, even though they may be kicking and screaming

Of course, it could do with extensive redesign. But what matters is content. The problem is that I sit down at the computer on a Friday evening and in one sitting complete my matter as well as upload the pages. I do not stop till I finish. So being dependent in any third party for setting up and maintaining these pages may be complicated - as I am a computer idiot.

I have not rejected Subir's offer. Maybe we can come up with something simple you all will like. In the meantime, take a look at Subir's web pages - the photographs are truly great.

As I am just launching my own Findians Panorama web site, which is in its beta stage at the moment, it looks as if we have a lot of things to do together.

Any other Stephanian wanting to join us in this cooperative operation, and you have photographs or works of art you want to offer on the internet, you are more than welcome. You are requested to get in touch with me.

Another email I had a couple of weeks ago was thus:

---

From: "Davendra Pratap" UK
To: Jacob
Subject: from Davendra Pratap
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 21:21:56 -0000

Dear Jacob

Hello. I hope this gets to you. If it does, please reply. I would love to hear from you.

Regards

Davendra Pratap

---

I naturally replied in my usual fashion and this was Davendra's reply:

---

Dear Jacob

It is good to establish contact. I did try after your email via the alumni link, but for some reason it came back undelivered. (Ed: This puzzles me! Anyone else had this problem?)

Doesn't time fly by so quickly. It seems only like yesterday-spending evenings playing bridge or table tennis in the JCR.

I have gathered from your enclosures, amongst other things, that you live in Finland and that you are married to Annikki. I would love to hear more about you.

Now perhaps a few words about me and our family.

I live in Richmond (a S.W. suburb of London) with my wife Joan, and we have been happily married for over 30 years. We have a 28 year old son, who is a doctor and a twenty five year old daughter, who works in the publishing world. Neither is married, but they have both have their own flats in different parts of London.

I have recently retired after a long and busy career. I qualified as a Chartered Accontant and, after some years in a large professional firm in the City of London, entered industry and worked in various capacities, eg., Finance Director, Acquisitions, etc., and ended up in the Shell Group in the early eighties. After a very interesting time with Shell, I had the opportunity with some colleagues to carry out a management buy out of a division of Shell, float it as a public company and then sell it to a much larger group. All very good fun, but all good things come to an end! I have not yet got used to retirement and I am sure I will get involved in something in a few months.

Unfortunately, I have not been in contact with any Stephanians other than Ashok Bhargava (who is a Professor of Economics, University of Wisconsin) and Vijay Gupta who runs an accountaancy practice in Delhi. Of the other 1963 ers, Sujit Bhattacharya was in London in the sixties, but I have lost contact. I last heard he was a Partner in PriceWaterhouse Coopers in Calcutta.

I should be grateful to receive any contact details that you may have of anyone from our period, now residing in the UK or Western Europe.

Look forward to hearing from you. Best regards to you and your wife.

Davendra

---

Davendra was with me in college between 1960 and 1963. He did Economics, being the classmate of Montek Singh Alhuwallia, Sujit Bhattacharya and Ashok Bhargava - to name just three of that illustrious class.

I replied to Davendra that I was just the opposite of him and have updated him on a lot of you lot who have been in touch with me.

Using his info I did track down Ashok, who is head of the department of economics at Wisconsin University. I have dropped him a line. Maybe he will be in touch. No luck as yet about Sujit. I am sure someone in Delhi will give me Vijay Gupta's co-ordinates.

Amongst the many emails, this was a typical one:

---

From: "Banerjee, Indrajit"
To: Jacob
Subject: Hi
Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001 15:20:48 -0800

hi Jacob:

Long time no correspondence from you. I also lost the connection to the Kooler Talk until recently when Alumni.net gave a new URL.

Just curious.

hope all is fine with you and your family.

regards,

Indrajit

---

Thanks Indrajit, and others, for writing an dkeeping in touch. The old URL is still functioning but losing its place as I do not have enough web space there to keep the archives up in place. By the end of this year the archives would have disappeared in toto from the old web site.

And finally, I am repeating Yogi's letter - please get in touch with him post haste as the last date for registrations is fast approaching.

---

Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 15:50:04 +0530
From: Yogi Durlabhji
To: Jacob
Subject: Fw: your mail

Nostalgia Stephen's

Dear fellow Stephanian,

An event organised by SIR (Stephanians in Rajasthan) in collaboration with Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur.

Dates: 5th through 7th Oct., 2001
Venue: Hotel Clarks Amer, one of the leading hotels of Jaipur
Organisers: SIR (Stephanians in Rajasthan) and Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur

Nostalgia Stephen's is once again in the air. Some of you were here last year when we had our first Nostalgia bash; others were not.

I am writing to you as advance intimation. Nostalgia 2001 will be held this year in the first week of Oct. i.e. 5th, 6th and 7th Oct. This is a three-day package (two nights and three days) that Hotel Clarks Amer is offering us at a fabulous discount even though it is an extremely busy time for hotels in Jaipur.

October is a superb month in Jaipur when there is a nip in the air! It is perfect for hot tea, light woollens and sunshine and sparing on the lawns!

It is the right time of the year for inter-block cricket, crackling bonfires and all-night dancing on an open stage (such as the one at Clarks Amer). Of course, the entire event will have the flavour of nostalgia and memories of samosas and scrambled.

We have blocked 100 rooms which will be reserved for people on a first-come-first-served-basis. The last day for confirmation (as also for payment) is 31st March, 2001. We need early confirmation as Jaipur receives large numbers of tourists in October, and Clarks Amer is an extremely popular destination since it offers spacious lawns, a beautiful swimming pool and proximity to the airport. If you wish to participate, please revert so that we can send you forms that must be filled up by all participants.

Tariff

Tariff for the bash is as follows
(2 nights, 3 days - all meals)

Double room
(husband & wife -------- Rs 11,000/- only
Or
Shared between two friends)
Each child (additional) - Rs 2,000/- (for the stay)

If you have any queries, please feel free to write to me or phone me or e-mail/fax me.

Love and regards,

Yours sincerely,

Yogi Jain (Durlabhji)
(M.A.History -1967-72)

PS: I am writing this letter to you very early so that you can block dates, and also so that we can block rooms for you. If you want to know what the event is all about, please ask someone who attended Nostalgia 2000.

Mr Yogi Jain (Durlabhji)
M/s K.S. Durlabhji
Emerald House
D-31 Subhash Marg
C-Scheme
Jaipur 302 001 (Raj)
E-mail :yogi@ksdurlabhji.net or ksd@satyam.net.in
Tel # : 91-141-372318/364171
Fax : 91-141-363167

---

Please get in touch with Yogi. Annikki and I may be there!!

Not many of you have still joined the internationally maintained College Alumni. I have made it easy by giving you a link at the top of the the next column. PLEASE DO IT NOW.

Please keep those emails and photographs coming. See you in a month. Remember, this is your page, more than mine.

It is our KOOLER TALK (Web Version)

Regards

Jacob Matthan
Honorary Editor
Kooler Talk (Web Version)
Stephanian 1960 - 1963
JCR President - 1961-1962

KTWV04 - Issue 2:

Dear Stephanians,

Today is Wednesday, 28th February, 2001.

Hope you enjoy an old wedding photograph of ours. Behind me is another Stephanian, T. J. Joseph, also known as Josey, who did his B.Sc. during the years 1957-1960. Josey is presently Vice President of Behram Wadia and associates in Bangalore. We shared a flat in London 1963-1966.

I had an email from another Stephanian who also shared the London flat with us, Anil Kumar, who now resides in New York. I had written to him about the recent demise of my father-in-law. Hope Annie, as he was known in college, recovers quickly from his angioplasty.

---

From: "Anil Kumar"
To: "Jacob Matthan"
Subject: Re: Annikki's father passes away aged 84
Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 11:43:01 -0500

Dear Sushil,

I am really sorry to hear that your father-in-law passed away. I have just returned from hospital where I had my 4th bout of angioplasty in the last 6 six years. Being hospitalised makes one painfully aware of mortality, but also teaches one to appreciate whatever life offers.

My love and thoughts to both you and Annikki.

Anil

---

John Dayal, with his status on the Christian Council, etc., has been quite active during the recent Gujarat Earthquake. He was responsible for a donation of Rs. 1 crore for the quake relief activities.

It is his posts that I have focused on in my most recent issue of my main ezine, Findians Briefings. I have also take to task another Stephanian, or one I would rather not call a Stephanian because of his attacks on institutions like our alma mater - none other than Arun Shourie, the Minister for Public Grieviances, etc.

I am hardly likely to take a grieviance to him knowing how one track mind he has become his his heady days in the mid seventies.

At least one Stephanian was at the recent Kumbh Mela. I am awaiting his article on the subject:

---

From: "trendy"
Subject: MAHA KUMBH
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 20:36:01 +0530
X-Priority: 3

Dearest ones,

i am just back from one of the life time experiences. yes i was at the maha kumbh on the auspicious accasion of MAUNI AMAWAS during the greatest and the largest festival on this globe. 30 million people (australian population) had dip at the holy SANGAM on the 24th of JANUARY, and i was one of those luckiest persons. I am writing an article on this and would soon try and send you more details and some picture if possible. for now
har har gange.
TRIBHUWAN ANAND
Mg.Director
KARSHNI INATOS INFOTECH LIMITED
KARSHNI HOUSE,
A-23, Sect. 33
NOIDA-201301 U.P.
INDIA
Ph/FAX: 0091-118-4505051,4507171,4505471
MOBILE: 9811037176
Email: trendy56@vsnl.com or info@karshni.inatos.com
Mktg Office: B-68 & 91, Flatted Factories Complex Okhla-III
Telfax: 011-6931730 ,6315862
Website: www.softkar.com and www.karshni.inatos.com

---

Amit Wilson from Bombay (Mumbai) sent me a great ariel shot of the college and although he has not given me copyright permission as yet, I am putting up his photograph on the site in anticipation of getting it from him finally for our beloved alma matertites. Thanks Amit.

And now for the most important letter from a Jaipurian Stephanian of a reunion!!

---

Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 15:50:04 +0530
From: Yogi Durlabhji
To: findians@global.netppl.fi
Subject: Fw: your mail

Nostalgia Stephen's

Dear fellow Stephanian,

An event organised by SIR (Stephanians in Rajasthan) in collaboration with Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur.
Dates: 5th through 7th Oct., 2001
Venue: Hotel Clarks Amer, one of the leading hotels of Jaipur
Organisers: SIR (Stephanians in Rajasthan) and Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur

Nostalgia Stephen's is once again in the air. Some of you were here last year when we had our first Nostalgia bash; others were not.

I am writing to you as advance intimation. Nostalgia 2001 will be held this year in the first week of Oct. i.e. 5th, 6th and 7th Oct. This is a three-day package (two nights and three days) that Hotel Clarks Amer is offering us at a fabulous discount even though it is an extremely busy time for hotels in Jaipur.

October is a superb month in Jaipur when there is a nip in the air! It is perfect for hot tea, light woollens and sunshine and sparing on the lawns!

It is the right time of the year for inter-block cricket, crackling bonfires and all-night dancing on an open stage (such as the one at Clarks Amer). Of course, the entire event will have the flavour of nostalgia and memories of samosas and scrambled.

We have blocked 100 rooms which will be reserved for people on a first-come-first-served-basis. The last day for confirmation (as also for payment) is 31st March, 2001. We need early confirmation as Jaipur receives large numbers of tourists in October, and Clarks Amer is an extremely popular destination since it offers spacious lawns, a beautiful swimming pool and proximity to the airport. If you wish to participate, please revert so that we can send you forms that must be filled up by all participants.

Tariff

Tariff for the bash is as follows
(2 nights, 3 days - all meals)

Double room
(husband & wife -------- Rs 11,000/- only
Or
Shared between two friends)
Each child (additional) - Rs 2,000/- (for the stay)

If you have any queries, please feel free to write to me or phone me or e-mail/fax me.

Love and regards,

Yours sincerely,

Yogi Jain (Durlabhji)
(M.A.History -1967-72)

PS: I am writing this letter to you very early so that you can block dates, and also so that we can block rooms for you. If you want to know what the event is all about, please ask someone who attended Nostalgia 2000.

Mr Yogi Jain (Durlabhji)
M/s K.S. Durlabhji
Emerald House
D-31 Subhash Marg
C-Scheme
Jaipur 302 001 (Raj)
E-mail :yogi@ksdurlabhji.net or ksd@satyam.net.in
Tel # : 91-141-372318/364171
Fax : 91-141-363167

---

Considering it is still -25 C here in Oulu, and we take out our light woollens when the mercury heads down below -5 C, and our October temperatures here are just arond 0 C, I wonder whether we should take a trip to frozen Jaipur in October!! :-)

Please get in touch with Yogi Bear as soon as possible - who knows, if we win the LOTTO, Annikki and I may be there!!

Not many of you have joined the internationally maintained College Alumni. I have made it easy by giving you a link to click in the next column. PLEASE DO IT NOW.

Please keep those emails and photographs coming. See you in a month.

Regards

Jacob Matthan
Honorary Editor
Kooler Talk (Web Version)
Stephanian 1960 - 1963
JCR President - 1961-1962

KTWV04 - Issue 1: Relaunch

Dear Stephanians,

Today is Sunday, 28th January, 2001.

As promised, Kooler Talk (Web Version) is finally back online.

I was busy for the last two years as the Project Secretary of social service project for the Northern Finland Sports Federation and the City of Oulu. I was trying to create a sense of harmony between the ethnic minorities and the local Finns, a large number of whom are highly Xenophobic.

The free time I had to be on the internet had to be dramatically reduced.

When I checked to see whether Kevin's site (the unofficial official College site?) was still active - I found that it has defunct since 1998 - the effort was short-lived. It appears that only this old man's musings are still monopolising the web.

The layout of Kooler Talk (Web Version) is new. I have standardised it for the three ezines I am running. (Do take a few minutes to read the other drivel I write.)

The contents are also, hopefully, new. At times, at this tender senile age, it is sometimes difficult to remember what one has said just a few minutes earlier. Trying to remember what one has written a couple of years ago is certainly an uphill task.

The jarring obnoxious style, however, will remain the same.

There will be no email intimation or version of this Web Version. The same problems as earlier persist. Many of you who have sent me your email addresses have shifted. You have forgotten to tell everyone (including me) about the shift. Most of the offenders are students or researchers in the US. But that is not the only category of offenders. Sucked into the turmoil of day-to-day survival, things like telling a half frozen out-of-work Father Christmas in the Arctic about the change of an email address will hardly figure red hot on your priority list.

Hence, when I send email to these closed addresses, I get back a load of returned mails (bounced emails). It takes a frightful long time to go through each one and to delete them from my mailing list.

The only mailing list I do maintain is for those Stephanians from my era (late 50's and early sixties) who have been in touch with me and with whom I have been corresponding over the last several years. (We are about 30 or so Stephanians from the fifties and early sixties who are on this mailing list compared with around 600 to 700 on my general mailing list.)

During the intervening period of two years I have had emails from many many Stephanians. These are mainly from young men and women who have chanced on this web site and written to say nice things. It is indeed fortunate that not one person has written to say not so nice things. That is, except for one who complained that I was an old Stephanian who was nostalgic about the past and not in tune with the real spirit of Kooler Talk!!

That young man was not around when Kooler Talk was launched - but I was. And I was the first one who got into trouble with the authorities for my writing about the distribution of aid in the villages around Delhi by our college. So, I feel I know the original Kooler Talk better than anyone else other than the creators (Montek Singh Alhuwallia, Sarwar Lateef, Swaminathan Aiyar, Peter (Tubby) Philip, Prakash Joseph, Mohammedullah, Zaffar Hai and Vice Principal Mr. D. I. Shanklind). Those that followed have only moulded it to their concepts - but without my having set the agenda - their ability to make Kooler Talk what they wanted it to be may have never been what it has been.

I decided at the outset that in this version I would have a sense of nostalgia - and so it has. If you want to change, you can try by submitting articles and letters, but it will not be at the cost of the present cross-generation readership that I now have.

But it is not just from young men and women that I have heard. I had an email recently from Chinmoy Banerjee (you will recall my earlier reference to him with regard to the tea leaves smoking issue) who said thus:

"Col. Shafat Hussain, retired from the Pakistan army, is an ex-Stephanian who has maintained deep attachment to the college. He is living in the Vancouver area."

I have emailed Col. Hussain. Hopefully, I will have a reply in time for one of the future issues of Kooler Talk (Web Version). I am sure that there are lots of you out there who would like to hear from him and his experiences in Stephania and after.

I hope that you will keep these emails coming. It is from these that I am able to jog my memory and create the input that helps keep this (hopefully) an active and interesting site.

Of all the emails that I received, the one which chuffed me the most was the one from the Stephanian and well known writer Shashi Tharoor. You may recall that in KTWV03 - Issue 1:980310 I had mentioned about Shashi who was always a few steps behind Kofi Annan when they were busy bringing some sense to the Iraq crisis. Shashi is also the debating colleague of my other Finnish Stephanian alumni - Prof. Ajeet Mathur. They are about 12 years my junior.

I was organising a conference to be held in Oulu in March 2000. In an effort to try to get the UN Secretary General to attend, I had written a personal note to Shashi. I did not manage to get Kofi as the Finnish Ambassador to the UN, Marjatta Rasi, who had previously been the Finnish Ambassador to India, was unable to get things organised as there was to be a change of President of Finland about the time of my Conference.

However in my correspondence - in true social English style Shashi wrote:

"I have logged in to your KT-on-the web once or twice and found it marvelously well done."

Thanks Shashi - I am sure my grandchildren (two presently) will treasure that sentence.

Mentioning Ajeet means that I have to inform you that the third reunion of the Finnish Stephanian alumni was held over Christmas at my residence in Oulu. As usual, we had 100% attendance, with all two of us present.

Ajeet came to Oulu, not just to be with his fellow Stephanian/Cathedralite, but his ulterior motive was to try to get to see the Northern Lights which often are visible in all its swirling blue, red and golden glory at this high latitude.

When, on the third evening, because of heavily overcast snowy skies, we were unable to see the stars, we were both a bit surprised when my better half said, very confidently, that Ajeet would see the Northern Lights the next evening. I have never heard such a forthright and dramatic statement from her in all my life. I was quite taken aback.

Next day, as we watched the skies eagerly, looking to see if there was any break of clouds to see the stars above, we were not very hopeful. But Annikki was merrily keeping her composure and said again that without fail Ajeet would see the Northern Lights.

Come evening, we sat down to dinner. After a nice meal, Ajeet was planning a walk around the frozen town to see whether Annikki's prediction would come true, when, out of the kitchen walked this cake designer with a recreation of the Northern Lights transfixed in a glass cake bowl. The ground made of chocolate butter covered cake, with a beautiful blue gel topping about six inches (150 cm) deep. Annikki had managed to create the entire Northern Lights effect in the jelly above the cake - quivering dark blue with stars and moon included.

Ajeet and I were dumb struck.

Annikki is famous for her unique cake designs. Much of her work is soon to be published in a photographic book form (and maybe also on the internet) but none of us expected her to fulfill a promise using her cake designs.

Ajeet left back for his southerly abode quite satisfied at having seen something infinitely more unique and beautiful than the Northern Lights!!

And we all had a great laugh!!

Here are the snippets from his alumni reunion report:

* Rauha Annikki, wife of Sushil (Jacob Matthan to some), contributed a special Northern Lights Cake which she designed and made herself and which was a great hit..not a crumb was left as it was polished off by Stephanians/Cathedralites with much appreciation.

* The cake idea arose to make up for the non-appearance of the Aurora Borealis! The year 2000-2001 was forecast to be a spectacular auroral year with spectacular lights around New Moon Day (24-25 Dec) but you know weather forecasters....

* Ajeet Mathur and Jacob Matthan went a-walking through the snow and ice around Oulu past midnight in - 26 C remembering....

Lots of older Stephanians are finding their way onto the internet. But they still seem to be shy of establishing communications using this medium. I know Niranjan Desai, Montek Singh Alhuwalia, Rathikant Basu, Dipankar Basu and Davendra Pratap, are very much active in their own spheres. Niranjan was Ambassador to Egypt when I last heard of him. Montek is somewhere in the Planning Commission after his stint as Finance Secretary. Rathikant has had a rough ride after his time at Doordashan. According to Nirmal Jhala, who met him recently at Delhi Airport, he now heads the new TV group called "tara" which is affiliated to an international network called "worldwide". Dipankar's name has been recently in the news as chairing some Government Committee. Davendra is somewhere in England - he registered at the alumni page recently. He must be a bit riled at me having sent him email where I addressed him by his nickname, coined by me when he was in college - Daisy. I think we gave him the name as he was top of the list during the Miss Fresher's contest.

Just wondering if the Miss Fresher's is still on the JCR agenda?

---

I had a nice email over Christmas from Dr. Anthony Stone (Tony):

Sender: stone_catend@compuserve.com
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 19:00:20 +0000
From: Dr Anthony P Stone
Subject: Our news

20 Harding Close, Redbourn, St Albans, Herts, AL7 3NT Tel: 01582-626647
Web: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/stone_catend
December 2000

Dear friends

Happy Christmas & New Year!

It's time we gave you our news, and best wishes for Christmas and the New Year. This year Bertha's heath has not been very good, and Tony has been busy. At the beginning of this year Bertha was having ultraviolet treatment for her skin. This helped it a lot, although it is still itchy. The new development is that she has been diagnosed as most likely having Parkinson's disease. Unfortunately, the doctor has not found any pills without side effects, and Bertha is going back to see the neurologist early in January.

In May, Bertha very much enjoyed a week in respite care in a care home near us, which sadly doesn't offer that any more. During that time Tony went to Berlin or four nights, for meetings about the voluntary work on transliteration standards. Things move slowly, but the work could possibly be completed in 2001. Berlin is a very interesting city, and travelling on the underground is extremely easy, with no ticket barriers (a day ticket can be bought from a machine).

In October, Tony gave a paper entitled 'A model of time for physics and
theology', at a day conference in London. The physics part was done in earlier years, but you can see what he will be studying now! After a long break, Tony is again proof-reading books of the Bible in Oriya, as voluntary work with Compass Braille, which is based in Moretonhampstead, Devon, and led by our friend Lionel Holmes.

At the beginning of December Bertha had two weeks in respite care and Tony visited the West Country. He saw Roger & Susan and family, Roger Rowe (who used to be our pastor, now in West Hill near Ottery St Mary), and Lionel Holmes. Both of us benefited from this rest.

Through the kindness of two friends, Tony's computer was upgraded early in the year, at no cost to him. Now he can play audio CDs on it and see video news reports from The Times of India, as well as from the BBC.

We look forward to 2001 when we shall all agree on what is meant by 'the last century'.

Tony & Bertha

---

A subsequent message from Tony said:

"At the end of February I am planning to visit Prabhu & Philippa Guptara in Switzerland. His mother is there, too, so we should be talking about Kerala."

Let us hope and offer a prayer for Bertha's speedy recovery.

I have a public apology to make to the Shakespeare Society in that they wanted to raise funds for this years performance. The target was about Rs. 1.5 lakhs. In an effort to help I promised them whatever was possible from my Indian bank account. I wrote to a cousin in India to find out what lay there. Sadly, either they did not get my mail or they ignored it. As a result I just had no idea how much was lying in my local bank account and I could not fulfill my promise.

I promise to make it up to them, or if they are still prepared to take a donation when I do find out what lies in my local bank account, I promise to give them all that is possible from that account.

In my case, as many of you will vouch, I answer all my emails within 48 hours, usually 24. This is because I get close to 300 emails every day. If I leave my correspondence, even for four days, it would take a month to clear the backlog. Only when I am dependent on feedback from outside sources and it does not come, I usually get into a mess.

I do hope the Shakespeare Society will forgive me on this occasion. I hope that any of you who can help them will dig deep into your purses and send your contributions to them, even if it is a bit late.

Contributions to "Bindu Sara Sunny"

To ensure that you are informed when the next issue of Kooler Talk (Web Version) comes on line, I have instituted a new service on this page. The central panel at the very top of this page is that of a Monitoring Service. You will be sent an email every time I change or update this site. It will take you just 10 seconds to complete the formality. It will save you and me a lot of hassle!!

I also have introduced a special feature. I am listing all the Stephanians mentioned in a particular issue, and also as complete a list of web pages of Stephanians. (Most of e presently given LINKS ARE DEAD, DEAD, DEAD...)I would also like to provide the email addresses (if available). For that I would need a individual OK's that this is acceptable. Till then only names of those mentioned will be listed in the column alongside.

And finally, anyone interested to help Sponsor/Advertise in this Web Version or my other two ezines should contact me. I have been lucky to top all the major search engines with my web pages. This page is also no exception. Do read the research report mentioned at the top of the next column and the introduction to the new book written by my wife and myself (see the column alongside) about how we managed to get to this position. It is a fascinating story considering that I am a computer idiot and my wife does not even know how to type.

So long for now. See you in a month.

Regards

Jacob Matthan
Honorary Editor
Kooler Talk (Web Version)
Stephanian 1960 - 1963
JCR President - 1961-1962