Annikki celebrates her 79th birthday

Finland was rated as the happiest country in the world for the sixth year in a row. I have been married to the happiest person in the world for the 56th year running!

On Annikki's 60th birthday in 2003 I set up a web page as a tribute to her as my girlfriend and then and wife, and then as the mother of our children and then as grandmother of our grandchilodren. She was a loving daughter-in-law to my parents.

Sadly, as my network provider closed down, my tribute to Annikki vanished into thin air.

Happy birthday Annikki

Today, September 6th 2023, on her 79th birthday  I have pleasure of presenting  you with a photo profile of this amazing beautiful talented lady who has travelled this journey through life with me, encouraging me in my deepest moments of despair, sharing with me her strength to get me this far in life.

The Laughing Goddess

Stockholm 1963

London 1964

Wedding in Shrewsbury 1967

Shrewsbury 1967

Wales 1967

With Mother in Oulu 1969

1969 Annikki in Copenhagen (Viney Sethi)

Travelling to India on M.S. Victoria 1969

Travelling to India on M. S. Victoria 1969

Madras 1972

Family photos in Madras 1975 (late Mathew Verghese)

Norway 1975

Matthan family in Bangalore 1976

With families of Jaakko Pöyry Oy in Bangalore Club 1980

At English Club Oulu Exhibition and lecture 1984

Taking over as English Club Chairperson 1988

With Mr. & Mrs. K. M. Mathew Kottayam 1989

With former Driver Narayan and his family Chennai 1989

At late Ashok Kapur’s residence in Mumbai 1989

Holiday in Mangalore 1989

2009: In Cochin with Radhika, Bina, Thangam with Annikki

1989 In Madras Annikki with family of Vishnu and Verna

Annikki and me with Gayathri and Rsghu family in Bangalore  in 1989

1989: Annikki and me at Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary

2009: Annikki and me with Ratan Singara

2009: Annikki and me with Billy Kaput

2009: Annikki and me with Noel, Ramesh and

Naubir

2009 Delhi Cathedralites (organised by Deepak Deshpande) host Annikki and me

Prof.  Ajeet Mathur in Sarkkatie

Joanna’s graduation Oulu 1991

Exeter 1992 Susanna wedding

1992 Radha and Gnani Perinpanayagam

Susanna Wedding Exeter 1992

Holiday in Lapland 1991

Gingerbread winnimg creation 1998

Mrs. K. M. Mathew admires Annikki’s  cake design

Suchi’s wedding cake 1999

Mosaic cake, Oulu 2000

With Asha 2004

Oulu 2004 with Asha

Oulu 2004 4 generations

Snow work Kampitie 2006

Kampitie Oulu 2007

2007 With Minnea

Oulu 2008 four generations

Pongal 2008 First O-India Event

2008 With grandson Daniel

Sea Lounge in Taj Hotel Mumbai 2009

1959ers 50th Class Reunion. Alibaug 1969

With Jane Colaco  Mumbai 2009

With Vicky and Suchi Mumbai 2009

Mumbai 2009 Hosting our Findians dinner

Beating pollution in Ahmedabad 2009

Rajasthan 2009 with farmers

Visiting Check Dams in Rajasthan 2009 with farmers

Nirmala & Gulden in Helsinki

Annikki’s 70th birthday 2014 in Oulu (Christian Thibault)

President Mukerji in Helsinki 2014

 55th year Class Reunion of 59ers Mumbai 2014

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At Nalini’s Grave Mumbai 2014

With Susykochamma Mumbai 2014

With Amal &  Joseph Mumbai 2014

With Chinnie, Ooky & Rivca Mumbai 2014

2014: Video about Annikki produced by Espoo professional college to motivate older people using her work as an example. In Finnish (Helena Lehtimäki)

With me at Sarkkatie 2016

Royal Garden Oulu 2018 (Dodo)

Clearing snow at Sarkkatie 2018

2018 Coffee with daughter Susanna

With Susanna & Asha Oulu 2018

2018 With  Asha & Mathew

With Asha Oulu 2018

Oulu 2021 True Laughter

Oulu 2021 laughing from the heart

Oulu 2022

With me in Oulu 2023

Holi 2023 (Pushpa Dhundwal)

Oulu 2022

Oulu 2022

Oulu 2022

Eating strawberries in Oulu 2023

Soaking in the sunshine Oulu 2023

Getting more sunshine in Oulu 2023

New Barefoot German shoes, Oulu 2023

Dancing at home (Viney Sethi)

Visit of Viney Sethi 2023 (Lee)

2023: A lively Annikki dancing on the streets of Oulu (Lee)

April 2023 Annikki with Rudra, Mont, Pushpa & me (Avinash Bhaker)

Vinay Shekar & Pooja Thakkar from India 2023 (Vinay)

Malathi in Oulu 2023 (Ashok Khembavi)

With Malathi and Ashok Oulu 2023

Onam 2023

Oulu 2023 Ladies Cricket tournament

Miscellaneous photos

Of my forever Ms. Universe

Annikki has been my comfort and my joy. She laughs with me and wipes away my tears.

Happy birthday dearest Annikki. I love you dearly.

Jacob (Sushil)

Onam in Oulu 2023

 Annikki and I were absolutely delighted to take part in the 2023 Onam celebrations in Oulu in August this year.

When I sent this picture of the flower arrangement made by the ladies in Oulu to my cousin, Rajen Mammen Mathew, of Malayala Manorama, he commented that it was better than what was done in Kottayam.

Well done ladies.

I must thank Anand for sharing a short video of our Onam celebrations.

The video captures all the highlights and fun and games associated with the celebration. It is a group which has no chairperson, treasurer, secretary or Board members. The children all performed marvellously. The food was superb snd all the menfolk took the responsibility allowing the ladies a chance to enjoy the day. 

The group runs with respect, love and affection amongst all.

This group photo embodies the atmosphere within this group.

Thank you all for giving us this opportunity to be part of your group.

Annikki & Jacob

Most exciting technology interest

Over the years I have been involved with dozens of projects on plastics, rubber, fibres, adhesives, microelectronics.

Someone recently asked me which particular technology I found most exciting.

Undoubtedly it was the subject of extrusion coating.

In extrusuon coating one material in the form of a hot film extruded from a flat long orifice is laid on a moving substrate. The substrate can move at extremely high speeds. Several metres per second.

All the action happens in a fraction of a second.

Using this technique many thousands of products can be prepared, some very simple to highly complex composites.

I first got interested in extrusion coating when I visited the factory of company called Telecon Plastics situated south of London in 1968. 

I read tonnes of articles on the subject and discussed it with many experts. The most interesting discussions with persons who operated these machines. 

When I returned to India in 1969, I found that one of our family concerns, Devon Plastics, had a rather unique machine which was an extrusion coater. It could be used to produce simple plastic film and complex coated products.

With this.machine the face of India was changed in several areas as I teamed up with a brilliant Management Expert, the late Prem Sadanand. 

Based on my practical experience on that machine, I got several consultancy appointments in Vishakapatnam, Hyderabad, Baroda, and other locations around India. 

I worked on several differnet types of machines, and was able to get to know the process, hands on, very intimately. 

Cheap packaging products to complex laminates used by defence and pharmaceuticals were developed.

I was asked to write a “Handbook of Extrusion Coating” by the Rubber and Plastics Research Association of Great  Britain (RAPRA). 

They had been my first employer between 1966 and 1969. 

During my time with them I had over a dozen major publications written and published in the UK. 

I agreed to write the handbook but it was at the time of the Iraq invasion by the US and UK.

I realised that if I wrote that book for the UK Association, I would be colluding with a power which was lying to the world.

I asked to be released from that contract as our principles did not permit me to work with those who told blatant lies, such as the non-existent weapons of mass destruction that Tony Blair said existed in Iraq.

I am glad that I followed our Guiding Principles of never working with liars.