Today is the birthday of my very good internet friend who keeps me up-to-date with what is happening in India - Georgie.
Our relationship goes a long way back as he used to be an inmate in St. Joseph's College Hostel on Lalbagh Road, Bangalore, in the early 50's, when our home was across the road from the hostel. I used to be a frequent visitor to the hostel as I had made many friends there. At the tender age of 9 -11, I used to be scorer for the College cricket team and a good friend of L. T. Subba who later played for Mysore in the Ranji Trophy Tournament. I learnt to be a hockey goalkeeper from my friend Abraham Tharakan, the St. Joseph's College goalkeeper, which gave me the grounding to become school and college goalkeeper later in life. Above all, I got permission to fly my kites on the large hostel playing fields.
Recently, another hostel inmate of that time, Atul Shenoy, a Mumbai Cathedralite, also remembered this little fellow who used to haunt the college corridors and have Masala Dosais in the hostel canteen!! I was in the process of tracking down Atul's brother, Arun. Glad to say that Arun was tracked down and was able to attend the 50 year reunion of their Cathedral Class of 1954 in November 2004!!
Georgie had a very busy life when he was in MRF. Besides regularly seeing him at Kochappachen's (the late K. M. Mammen Mappillai) home, I used to meet up with him infrequently at some Rotary Club meetings when I had to make up my attendance!!
Now that he has retired from his position as Technical Director of MRF, a post he filled so admirably for many a decade, it is nice to see him lounging on the internet and to share news and views with me.
By co-incidence, when Yakub P. Mathew discovered me a few days ago when I had made a post about the interview with my Stephanian friend Kamalesh Sharma on BBC Hard Talk (see below), he mentioned that Georgie had visited him in New York last year. It is indeed a small world.
I hope all of you will join me in wishing Georgie a very very happy birthday and many many more to come. Unfortunately I do not have a recent picture of Georgie to share with you.
Another relative who has her birthday today is Ammu. Chacko and Ammu are one of the few relatives who have taken the trouble to visit us in Oulu. Here is a picture of of the birthday girl from my image files.
Happy birthday Ammu from both Annikki and myself - I won't reveal your age as the police may accuse your husband of cradle snatching!!
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