Also a Cottonian....

Mysore Palace

Yesterday I took on another hat. I became an Old Cottonian. Although I did not complete my schooling from Bishop Cotton's, Bangalore, I studied there between 1949 and 1954, when I shifted to Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai. But my formative years were at Cotton’s and I enjoyed my years there, both in the kindergarten in the Girls’ School and later in the Boys’ School.

Due to Aditya Sondhi, I became involved with the writing of his wonderful book about Cottons and thanks again to him, I have stayed in touch with major events happening in the school.

It just so happened that our visit to Bangalore coincided with the 5th General K. S. Thimayya Memorial Lecture. The subject was by 64er Gopal K. Pillai, IAS, and the current Home Secretary, Govt. of India Old Cottonian (1964) on “India’s Internal Security: Challenges & Responses”.

Mika and I attended the lecture, which was preceded by a morning coffee in the school garden in front of the simply enormous Bishop George Edward Lynch Cotton Auditorium built in 2004 on the 3rd XI field.

As we walked into our alma mater, many changes were observed as on a saturday morning sports practice was in progress on the 1st XI pitch and the school was humming with activity. Greeted in front of the Warden’s Office, a feeling of great nostalgia came over me as I recalled my years in this school. They had been pleasant and wonderful days indeed. I met Aditya Sondhi (Managing Trustee) for the first time and was impressed by his cool and calm appearance and the way he and his colleagues, C N Kumar, Kiran Lakhani, Jairaj Daniel, Rajeev Purnaiya (Trustees of the Gen K S Thimayya Memorial Trust (Regd) handled the Old Cottonians and the numerous distinguished guests who had arrived for this august occasion.

After a really wonderful morning repast produced by the catering division of the school, we trooped into the auditorium, which was then packed to the brim. Mika and I represented a whole host of matthan’s who had passed through this school, starting from the very first Indian girl, Mrs. K. C. Chacko (my father’s eldest sister) right down to Mika, who had, like me studied his formative years in the school between 1976 and 1983.

The lecture was simply excellent as we were briefed on the issues and the responses of the Indian Government in a most candid manner. After the lecture we had a question and answer session and this was a no holds barred session with the final set of questions by the father of the late Late Major Sandip Unnikrishnan, who gave the supreme sacrifice on 26.11.2008. He had been an Old Cottonian. The questions were hard hitting but respecting the wishes of the father, I do not put forward his concerns on this public forum. The lecture and question and answer session overran by almost a hour

After the lecture we adjourned to the Bangalore Club where we were entertained to a lunch by the Trustees. Annikki and I had a chance to have a very intimate conversation with General Thimayya’s daughter, her husband and daughter-in-law and also meet some very old family friends who were not only Cottonians but also those whom I had shared our childhood years with. We recalled many past events of our families and it was with great sadness we pulled ourselves away from this very august gathering and returned to the hotel - exhausted.

As Annikki and Mika rested, i ran to see another dear friend, anil Ananthakrishnan and his wife, Lalitha. It was really wonderful to see how much they had accomplished during the past three years in developing and launching the EKO Vehicles concept which has been Anil’s life’s work from the early 1960s. What he has achieved with his wife in the last three years is truly outstanding.

A tough day but much was left undone. We go on to another exciting day ahead!

(PS: Annikki was brought up as a Seventh Day Adventist Christian, as her father discovered his true faith after the Finnish - Russia Winter War and World War II, where he had served and survived on the frontline (as a soldier) all through it. However, it was not till 1984 that Annikki took the step to be baptized into the faith after her marvellous experiences in the hands of her God. She was baptized in the Church in Bangalore. She attended the Church while Mika and I attended the lecture.)

(PPS: I will return to uncovered dates as I get some free time. Today is the Bangalore Malayakil Matthan Reunion lunch followed by a trip to Mysore. Hopefully back around midnight.)

Remembering one's dad

20th November is a day that I always feel deep in my heart as it is the birthday of my late dad.



After finishing his schooling in Bishop Cottons, Bangalore, (where later he was the Chairman of the Old Boys Association), he did his first degree in Mathematics at Madras Christian College, Tambaram, Madras, and then studied Electrical Engineering at Imperial College, London, in the early 1930s.



He worked as a student in Germany, before his return to India to marry my mother in 1936,

I do not know his earlier job positions although I know he served at the Sivasmudram Dam Hydro station, at the Jog Falls Hydro Station, as the Superintendent Engineer in Mysore City Electricity where amongst other jobs he was in charge of the lighting of the Maharaja's Palace, and then in Bangalore where he crossed swords with the Chief Minister Hannumanthaiya on principle so as to resign and move to his first assignment as Engineering Manager in Bombay in B.E.S.T.

From there he became the Chief Engineer of B.E.S.T, then served as Engineering Adviser in Killick Nixon (which included Bombay Suburban, and several electricity companies in Gujarat) and finally as Chief Executive of Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE) which he took from being a small engineering consulting company to be India's most prestigious engineering consultants.

Even after his retirement, he set up and guided the Bangalore Office of TCE, one of the finest engineering consulting centres, while at the same time sitting on the Board of Mysore Power Corporation supervising the design and construction of the Raichur Thermal Power Plant. He also was an Adviser to the Kerala Power Corporation.

Kuriyan Matthan, as was his name, was a fun guy all through his life till his sight was reduced through a series of problems which started after his 60th birthday which led to his retirement in 1972. With the reduced vision he lost his most favourite hobby, to solve, in writing, mathematical problems and to do crosswords.



I pay quiet tribute this day to my father on this his 96th birthday.



This was one of the last photographs of him taken by Annikki in 1992 when we visited India. He passed away in 1993, a few weeks after I paid him a visit to say my final goodbye.

Even at that age he was man enough to apologise to me for what problems had transpired between us and for him to tell me that he loved me. Tears were in his eyes when I left the front door to go to the airport. As I looked back out of the car window, although he could not see me, he was waving goodbye from the front steps, seated on a chair that he had insisted be brought out to see me leave.

He never showed the enormous power he wielded. However, what sticks out most in my mind is the way he had of dealing with people of all ages, as he gave them all equal respect and importance.

His best friends were the lowliest of those who worked with him, as the driver of his car, or a line electrician. All these "insignificant" people, in later life, were prepared to give their arm and their soul for him and his family!

I hope that this is the one most important characteristic that I have learnt from him!

I am proud he was my dad!