2010Nov10: From Raphael

(...to Sigismond - and shared with all)

Thanks for all the details. I feel like coming there to (Sakaleshpur) disturb your peace and solitude. Only the pictures are missing. I hope Leo took pictures and is downloading them.
 
After Christmas, Tessy is going for her nephew's wedding in Cochin for three weeks. I will not be able to go this time because of a court date. I will spend the rest of the time with children who live not too far. My oldest Sindu who lives only 20 miles away, has adopted a baby girl Divya (4 1/2 years) from Kerala. She has two boys of her own Sachin (10), Rohan (7).
 
My son Ashok has two children Cyril (6) and Anna (3) and lives in New Jersey about 250 miles away. My youngest daughter is expecting twins sometime in March 2011. She lives 150 miles away in Portland Maine.
 
I am sending a link to pictures of a party Sindu gave to welcome Divya. 
www.picasaweb.google.com/premmenachery
Prem Menachery takes a lot of pictures. You will have to select the right album to see Divya Party.

Sincerely 

Raphael Maliakal

2010Nov10: from Sigismond

Yes, I am not good at sending emails. But, dear Raphael, I might as well detail the mini reunion held at my place before anyone else does. The 2 couples, i.e. Prabhakar, Leo and their wives and Hector, who came alone because Elvira had jaundice, met at my place Saturday last. Harriet and my daughter, Reena, were here to help me entertain them.  Leo, who had an earlier experience here and certainly liked it, arrived a day earlier, on Friday.  Prabhakar and Radhika brought along Hector in his car.  We had a very nice time, full of nature, an occasional drizzle, and the crickets and birds added to the fun. We had to share all the chores since I do not entertain servants inside the house, but everybody helped willingly. Prabhakar's military quota beer and rum kept us all merry.  The two guest bedrooms were vast enough for comfort and attached bath/toilet with generous hot water heated by two 'Gujarat boilers' with the help of firewood galore from the estate added to the comfort.  Unfortunately, the weather was not the traditional wintry cold - blame the global warming which is gradually creating havoc in the Western ghats.

 

We drove in two cars to my brother's estate, 10 kms. away, to visit Redmond who had joined us for lunch. An even larger house, old and traditional, occupied by 4 brothers and a sister (none of them married, hence, happy as a senior-citizen family) welcomed us. My friends got lost in the labyrinth having 8 bedrooms and were amazed at its vastness. We had just enough time to step into the 100 year old coffee plantation before it was dark. They also saw the coffee pulper, but I could not take them to the cattle shed and the gobar gas unit.

 

On Sunday, after Harriet, Reena and myself returned from 7 O'clock mass at a nearby place, and breakfast of chapathies, bread, butter and marmalade, washed down with home-produce coffee,  I showed them around the estate. We had a quick lunch - a balanced Chinese fried rice - before Prabhakar and company left at 1.30. I drove Leo, Philipa, Harriet and Reena to Hassan, 20 kms. away, to put them into their respective buses, seats reserved.  And now, here I am all alone once again. Do I regret?  Not at all, I love, equally, solitude. We will meet next at Hector's beautiful, large house in Bangalore on 18th December. Till then au revoir!

 

from Raphael on 9th Nov 2010

I also noticed that emails have stopped flying around. I know some of us sent too many emails. It may have made some feel it is all junk mail.
 
I hope everyone will send at least one email a month and keep the hype going. Send pictures of mini reunions. Send good news and important news and share it.
 
Sincerely

Raphael Maliakal

God be praised...

Dear Lionel...

 

God be praised!

Glad you have successfully treated your eyes. One is horrified at the thought of putting oneself in the hands of doctors and emerging with an adverse result instead of the remedial cure expected.

On the "SAC-batch of 1960" front, things have been a bit dull and quiet lately - except a get-together reported by Jossie Rego about our Bangalore based batchmates with their wives meeting over dinner at his place recently. He even sent some pictures of the evening, which for some reason I haven't been able to upload onto our Class-Blog yet.

 

I suppose after all the CWG hypes - both regarding the tally of medals won, and the corruption scandals; followed by the Adarsh Housing Society for Kargil Heros scam at Mumbai; and the more proximate Obama visit that gripped our volatile and emotion filled nation silly - there's been no respite nor room for anything else! Never a dull moment in our country, I must say!

 

With warm regards,

 

Maxie

 

 

From: <elfahoist@indiatimes.com>

Date: 9 November 2010 21:06
Subject: Re: Commonwealth Games - 2010
To: Maxwell Pereira <mfjpkamath@gmail.com>

Hi Maxi,
You must be wondering where I disappeared after our memorable reunion. I had to undergo cataract operation which went bad & had to redo laser treatment. Anyway by the Grace of God I can see with both my eyes.
With love,
Lionel Vasant