Mandela dead? So says world's greatest ignoramus!

Posted on my Jacob's Blog and my Jacob's Politics Blog.

Yesterday, George Bush, who was "elected" twice to the post of US pResident, stated that all the Mandelas were dead as Saddam Hussain had killed them all!

Referring to former South African president Nelson Mandela, who led the fight against apartheid to become a symbol of reconciliation and hope, Bush said of Iraq: "I heard somebody say, 'Now where's Mandela?'"


Is Nelson waiting for the Bush goons to disappear him in Guantanamo?
(Image copyright acknowledged.)

"Well, Mandela is dead. Because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas."

I am glad to refute this as Nelson Mandela is fit and well and so is his former wife, Winnie Mandela, as well as his present wife Graça Machel née Simbine, widow of Samora Machel. His mental agility remains focused on solving the problems of the world. The number one problem must be this idiot in the US White House!

Only stupid and ignorant people can elect a man like this, twice, to rule them. They get what they deserve and as he happily organises to kill more of them, his base, which includes a large number in the American House and Senate, cheer him on and continue to give this war criminal their tax money to murder their relatives and lots of innocent people in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Now they are following his drum beat to start a shock and awe campaign against another country, Iran, and a programme to try and kill another lot of innocent poeople. He is not satisfied with the blood of a million innocent Iraqis on his hands.

Bush has said that he does not read newspapers but relies on people to brief him.

Wonder who briefed him that Nelson Mandela was dead?

Must be the same intelligence officers in the US who told him that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq!

Laighing?

On the BBC Sports Page about the Champions League, I found this interesting entry:



Was Roman Abramovich really laighing with a lady friend at the match? :-)

Recruitment Service

Although I am enjoying my retirement, I have been persuaded to act as a Consultant to a Recruitment Service which is organising specialised jobs for job seekers from Finland to India and vice versa.

The FINDIANS Recruitment Agency is an Indian Services Company using Jacob Matthan as their part-time Advisor.



The Agency has been licensed by Annikki and Jacob Matthan to use their trademark “FINDIANS”.

The company is specialised in the recruitment and head-hunting of specialised professionals for India from Finland.

The company also locates specialist personnel from India for Finland.

Please send your recruitment requirements specifications or your CV to findians1@gmail.com

Autumn evening sky

Yesterday evening, Annikki wanted to collect some stones for thegarden from nallikari beach, so in the late evening, after collecting a pizza, we drove down to the sea front.

As she collected the stones, I had a snooze, after taking a few pictures of the autumn evening sky.







The yellow and gold colours are spreading while the leaves fall.The western and northern skies are still bright and beautiful.

Soon, all the leaves will be gone and darkness will descend and envelope us, as we wait for snow on the ground to brighten the scenery!

Mallus in Oulu, Coincidences continue

For decades the only Mallus in Oulu has been my family. We have had a few passersby.

A couple of months ago, Ajeet, a Mallu from Helsinki informed me that there was Mallu family in Oulu. I did not get a chance to meet them.

Last Friday, when Annikki and I were in a Department store, I saw a young lady looking at me intently, and then she plucked up the courage to ask if I was Jacob Matthan!

I introduced Annikki. Nisha introduced her 4 year old daughter, Hannah. Nisha said that her husband, Sunil, was due in late evening and she promised to be in touch.

Sunil called on Sunday morning.I invited them to join me for lunch at the Thai Pailin restaurant, as that is the closest to Mallu food.

We had a pleasant get together and got to know each other. Sunil and Nisha are both electronics engineers and they both work in Nokia. But Sunil is in Helsinki while Nisha and her daughter are here in Oulu. Sunil comes home for the weekend.

They are looking for a new apartment and they have found one just below the one where Ashesh Kumar and his wife, Indu, and their 4 year old son, Karthik live. I called Ashesh to join us after lunch for a cup of tea as Indu was away in India.

Yes, we Mallus are everywhere. I am happy that we have another family here as our grandchildren may get a chance to learn a little Malayalam when they get back from Newcastle for Christmas.

On Saturday, Annikki decided to make one of her rare attendances at church. She asked me to pick her up at a few minutes after 12.

As I drove into the church compound, I saw Alan Pembshaw (whom you will have read that I met at Oulu Airport just a week earlier) getting put of another car accompanied by two ladies. Looking a little closer, I noted that one of them was Anne Takula, one of Joanna's friends. The other was Alan's Finnish wife, Virpi.

They had just dropped in to the church to have the really good vegetarian lunch which is served up on Saturdays after the church service.

So Annikki got to meet Alan and his wife and also Anne, after a space of many years.

The world is full of coincidences - or is it fate?

Taste of Morocco in Oulu

Posted on my Jacob's Blog and the Oulu CHAFF Blog.

When Isaac Sundarajen, CEO of Codenomicon Oy, let me know he was over in Oulu for a very short trip, we agreed to meet over the weekend to have a meal together.

Tony demoing a computer game. Photo Copyeight: Jarmo Kontiainen, Kaleva, 8th September 2007.

I asked son-in-law, Tony, also to join us to get him away from his gruelling schedule of launching his new company, Ludocroft OY. (His new book on the approach to creating games, was also released last week.)



On Saturday evening Tony suggested we go to the Marrakech restaurant, the new Moroccan one opened by an old friend, Sayeed. Tony had been there with Joanna in the summer and he vouched for the food. I had visited the restaurant a couple of times before it was opened and had found the simple decor really appealing.

When we arrived, at just past 6 pm, we found the place packed to the brim. Luckily Sayeed was there when we arrived and he quickly cleared a table for us in the far corner, so that we could eat and talk in peace.

I was quite amazed that in a very short time the restaurant has become extremely popular. The decor is tasteful. There is a real feeling of a north African flavour. The waiters are dressed perfectly in Moroccan clothes. It was obvious that all the customers there were really enjoying their food.

We were each offered a very neatly done menu book (English and Finnish separately). Each of us ordered based on level of hunger.

The service was very friendly, the food arrived quickly and was piping hot and served on crockery suited to the cuisine. I had the choice of having either rice or freshly baked bread with chicken with olives and lemon. I chose rice, but the Chef sent me BOTH!

We were able to eat slowly, each of us enjoying well prepared food, talk at length about many many issues and finally enjoy a pot of piping mint tea served in a siler teapot, a slightly sweetish African version. We even got a refill - free!

We spent a good 3+ hours in this very comfortable atmosphere. When we were leaving, we noticed that Sayeed was still busy with a large group in an ante-room. As he saw us leave from the corner of the eye, he was outside in a flash to bid us goodbye.

From this first experience here, there is no doubt that this restaurant is going to be an outstanding success. It is no wonder that Ildikó would like to have our CHAFF meetings here. I have no hesitation in recommending this suggestion.

Please get a move on and tell Ildikó which day and time you would prefer so that we can get CHAFF meetings restarted!

Next US President, your action please

Posted on my Jacob's Blog and Jacob's Politics Blog.

Please ask your American friends who have a vote to support this man for the post of the next US President.

Please watch this video till the end to know what is the real character of this amazing individual.



Dennis Kucinich won the Gandhi Peace Prize, has stood firmly against the invasion of Iraq from Day 1. He stands for a Department for Peace (not WAR).

On almost every major Liberal Talk Show, whenever there has been a straw poll amongst the listeners, Dennis Kucinich has topped all others.

But the Main Stream Media continues to discard him as they want their man in the White House who will promote WAR, not PEACE.

Almost every major Liberal Talk Show Host thinks Dennis Kucinch is the outstanding candidate for the post of President.

In a poll yesterday online, when asked who the readers wanted as the next US President, 54% voted for Dennis Kucinich. The next person trailed by over 30 percentage points.

70% of Americans are against the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. Over 90% of Iraqis are against the invasion and occupation of their country. Over 80% of the population of the world are against this form of unilateral action by the US in destroying another country and its people.

You can help shape the world by putting yourself forward to get the President of the US that the world needs.

Betrayal of Trust of the American People

Posted on my Jacob's Politics Blog and Jacob's Blog.

This ad which will be aired in the US on Monday places the issue before the American people.

All we around the world can hope and pray for is the citizens of America will get rid of their, the Iraqi and our nightmare.

Discomfort? No, but mental agony!

Yesterday morning, I was up early. I picked up the newspaper which usually arrives around 3:30 am. I settled down, with our cat, Iitu, to find out all the previous days news.

As I turned the pages I came across this picture by photographer Jarmo Kontiainen:



First I shuddered, causing Iitu to turn to me inquiringly. In less than a second I realised I was feeling great mental agony.

It has not been many pictures that has caused that feeling in me.

Regular readers of this blog may recall that as a child I was bouncing with exuberance. When an uncle of mine taught me the art of relaxation, I learnt to drop asleep in just a few minutes. But, the process required I find the most comfortable position to fall asleep in. It also meant I remove all small urges that may occur, such as scratching here or there, removing a ticklish feeling that may occur on some part of the skin, etc. I need freedom of movement during those last few minutes before I drop asleep. If I do not ease those simple small urges, the mind will focus of them and the relaxation process ends, causing me great anxiety.

When I saw this picture which restrains both the hands and legs of the wearer, it caused in me a great anxiety, almost as if I was being tortured. It was as if a claustrophobic wall was around me. I was in great mental agomy as I felt that the person so strapped must be feeling the same as I was!

These straps are what is used here in psychiatric institutions to restrain violent patients. The use of this is not permitted in other Scandinavian countries. It is used exclusively in Finland. As I visit patients in these institutions, I have seen the use of these on several occasions.

It is a barbaric practice, to me. But Finnish authorities continue to use them, although they border on mental and physical torture.

The picture was from a newspaper report explaining how their use continues in Finland.

I hope the authorities will find more humane methods to restrain violent patients, such as in the neighbouring countries.

Finnish company in environmental objection

Greenpeace blockades wood pulp shipment

- Greenpeace said it blockaded a ship on Friday slated to carry a cargo of wood pulp from a Canadian freshwater port to a German plant operated by Stora Enso in protest over what the environmental group said are destructive logging practices.

Stora Enso, the largest paper and board manufacturer in the world, is a Finnish/Swedish venture.

Stora Enso is also in trouble in China where it is planning a huge plantation of eucalyptus to meet its needs for pulp. Natural diversity is put at risk when the area is filled with imported eucalyptus trees planted in straight rows. The tree plantations can also suck up water that would be needed by local agriculture. Fertiliser could also be left in the soil. The problem has remain unresolved even as Stora Enso moves rapidly with the project.

Stora Enso has problems in its plans in Uruguay with protestors in Argentina coming onto the streets.

Stora Enso also faces problems in Finland where they have been accused by Greenpeace of attacking the Europe's last ancient forests in northern Lapland.

But Stora Enso just ignores all the objections as it feels its size is its muscle!

Ignore or reply?

Posted on my Jacob's Blog, the Mumbai Cathedral School Seventh Heaven Blog and the Delhi Stephanian Kooler Talk Blog.

Although the bulk of this posting relates to my alma mater, St. Stephen's College, Delhi, the moral and rationale that I talk about here applies to all my alma maters and also to my many readers on my primary blog.

It has been quite a while since the exchange of views on the Kooler Talk Blog about the appointment of Rev. Valson Thambu as Acting Principal of St. Stephen's College and then his radical new Dalit Christian oriented admission policy to the College.

I was greatly honoured when John Dayal, Member of the National Integration Council, Secretary General of the All India Christian Council and President of the All India
Catholic Union, asked me to contribute to a book which would consider the aspect of admission of Dalit Christians to minority educational institutions.

Then came those couple of Anonymous postings in the Comments section of the Kooler Talk Blog which accused me of being a fundamentalist Christian.

That made me sit back for more than a moment and search through my 11 years of writing on the internet to see whether I had ever given cause to be considered as a fundamentalist Christian.

There was a time when I took part in a fundamentalist Hindu web discussion site where I came out strongly against Hindu Fundamentalism and Muslim extremism in the wake of the Gujarat massacre. It left a very bad taste in me to get into a discussion with a set of rabid and illiterate Hindu fundamentalists located all over the world who were foaming at the mouth when challenged about their fundamentalism.

Then there was a time when, thanks to Stephanian Prof. Sreenath Sreenivasan, Professor of Journalism at Columbia university, New York,I was looking in on the South Asian Journalists (SAJA) Discussion Forum where, again, a few well-educated Hindu Fundamentalist "journalists" were putting forward all sorts of arguments to prove "their" theories of the Indus Valley Civilisation to demonise other religious groups in India.

There was no limit to the twisting of the truth, very much as George Bush continues to use his "Christian Fundamentalist" values to kill innocent Afghanis and Iraqis to achieve his ends.

As a result I had decided not to be drawn again into such arguments as they only leave me with wanting to use a new mouthwash!

When I decided to wish Rev. Thambu well on his appointment as the Officiating Principal of St. Stephen's College, I had no idea that I was being drawn into a major controversy which is raging there.

I am 7000 km away from India. I have not visited India since the year 2000. I am not an expert on anything Indian. I have only my nostalgia of a time long gone by and that does not make me competent to even write a line in support or defense of policies of education, religious fundamentalism or any other matter related to what is taking place in India.

After much deliberation with my friends and my main confidante, I felt that I would only be adding fuel to the fire if I wrote about the controversies. After 8 weeks of much thought and prayer, my wife and I decided that we should not be embroiled in a battle of which we knew nothing about.

We have a reputation, which has been stated by many of our regular readers, that we have never done anything or written anything which violated the trust of all the different religious and ethnic groups that read our many blog pages.

When I went through the Indian Press Reports that I get daily, yesterday there was this one in the Times of India "Exclusive quota for backward Christians and Muslims in Tamil Nadu". This is for the second time that DMK Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has sought to provide exclusive reservation for specific castes in the backward classes catagory. In 1989, he had carved out 20 per cent of the 50 per cent reservation for Backward Classes for the Most Backward classes.

This has been Karunanidhi's vote gathering politics.

Rev. Valson Thambu's strategy was to divert the attention from his controversial appointment to a more amenable to improve his public ratings. In that he succeeded admirably by focusing on the concept of social justice.

To continue to stay away from the personal glare, yet another step was undertaken to undo anything controversial that previous Collge Principal had done. Rev. Thambu took steps to end the open ended permission that Principal Anil Wilson had given to the Centre for Mathematical Sciences (CMS), run by the Mathematical Sciences Foundation (MSF), by asking them to move out of the Stephania campus, causing a section of senior teachers at the college to protest.

What is happening in Stephania today is not based on the ideals that I imbibed in the educational institutions that I attended in India.

Principal Anil Wilson was obviously wrong to have made such an agreement with the MSF. The Bishop of North India was wrong to appoint his son onto the Supreme Council of the College. Principal Wilson was wrong to have continued to hold his position as Principal when he went forward as Vice Chancellor of another University. The Supreme Council was wrong to appoint Rev. Thambu as Officiating Principal when they had not resolved the issue with Principal Wilson. Principal Wilson was wrong to publicise his dissent. Rev. Thambu was wrong to start his tenure with moves meant to divert attention away from his appointment. Principal Thambu was wrong to cause the still waters of campus life to be stirred so violently.

And, all this is being done in the name of "education" and "Christ".

To me none of this stands up as promoting "Christian values".

I know there are many senior and outstandingly intellectual and honest alumni, before and of my era, in and around Delhi like B. G. Verghese, Rahul Bajaj, Ashok Jaitly, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Mani Shankar Ayar, Shanker Menon, John Dayal, etc., who have the depth of vision to tackle these issues rather than someone as uneducated as me who is so far away from home base to contribute anything worthwhile to resolving them.

All I can do is to tell my audience of all alma maters that what is happening in St. Stephen's College will happen in all minority institutions when internal and personal politics supersedes the values which we should adhere to.

I do not appreciate anonymous input. One should have the courage of convictions to put a name and identity to what one believes. Have the courage to call a spade a spade. As otherwise the spade is being called a bucket to hold the nightsoil!

Do I approve of the actions of the Bishop of North India, his son, former Principal Anil Wilson, or present Acting Principal Rav. Valson Thambu in what is happening in the college?

The answer, from this distance is - NO.

That is because it is not in keeping with the values which were imbibed by me from all my Indian alma maters - Good Shepherd Convent, Mysore, Bishop Cotton School, Bangalore, Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai and St. Stephen's College, Delhi.

These values have nothing to do with any religion. It has to do with Fair Play.

I request the alumni in all these institutions who are nearer to the home bases to get actively involved in the institutions that they love to ensure that what is happening in St. Stephen's College is not repeated elsewhere.

Several have sent me this...

One traces one's history through a few generations, but I have received this article given below from more than a couple of people.

(Please visit the Maliyakal pages, Maliyakal Ravoor Matthan Kurien, alias Maliyakal K. Aaschan, alias Kurien Assan, the founder of the House of Maliyakal linked from this page as some of them have been updated.)

How much weight do I give it?

I do not know, but it is interesting to learn that an ancestor was one of the first Brahmin converts to Christianity in India!

Maliyakal Thomas Ramban

The first Hindu Convert

by
St. Thomas Cochukattil Daniel Varghese

“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).

According to the book Apostolate & Martyrdom of St. Thomas, the first Brahmin convert in Malankara was Vishnu Nambuthiri, originally from Niranam Maliyakal, accepted the name "Thoma” after he was converted at Kodungalloor by St. Thomas, who ordained him as Ramban. His descendant wrote the original Ramban songs. In 1601 his 50th, descendant another "Thoma Ramban" re- wrote the original Ramban Songs called "Thoma Parvom” (page 433- 39). According to “Thoma Parvom” the visit of St. Thomas in Kerala lasted only eight days in the first instant. A total of four Brahmin families were converted at this time and one of them was Maliyakal family, his converted name was Maliyakal Thomas Remban. During St. Thomas’ second visit, he converted 75 Brahmin families along with Jews, Kshatriyas, Nairs and Chettiars. Each local parish was self-administered, guided by a group of presbyters and presided over by the elder priest or episcopa (bishop). These songs (page 213-252) states that St. Thomas and the 1st Thomas Ramban came to Nilakkal to preach the good news. He settled down there. Also Kulathakkal Kudumba history (1974 page 22) records that their founding father was from Nilakkal and came to Aranmula with the Maliyakal family. In the 13th century the Kulathakkal family became Christians because of the influence of the "Maliyakal (Maliakkal)” family. The Maliyakal family later moved to Maramon.

Dear brothers and sisters I am writing this to remind you that, we were all chosen into His Light through His disciple and Apostle St. Thomas. Our ancestor was the first Brahmin convert in Malankara, India into the new faith, Christianity. We the Maliyakal family are proud in Christ for His desire to choose Maliyakal Thomas Ramban as the first Christian convert in Malankara, India. It is because of this selection and decision we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood and a people belonging to God. The Maliyakal family Kudumba-yogam is registered as “Maramon Maliakkal Kudumba Yogam”. Also an internet web site is registered as www.Maliyakal.com.

Though this St. George Orthodox Church was established and constructed for to serve Maliyakal (Chackalayil /Mulavinayil / Kochukattil) family members, today it has grown to serve for a community at large.

On this occasion of the 75th anniversary of the St. George Orthodox Church, we the Cochukattil (Maliyakal) family in America remembers and honors the loving memory of Maliyakal Thomas Ramban for his bold decision to accept the Christian faith, despite suffering family persecution for this noble cause and to become His Royal family.

On this occasion I want to remember and honor the Malankara Metrapolitan Cheppadu Philipose Mar Dionysius, one of the grand nephews of our great grandfather Geevarghese who came to Kuttanperoor (currently Ennakadu), for Thirumany’s selfless services to the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. Geevarghese was the great, great, great, great grandfather of the founding members of this Church. Also with gratitude I take this opportunity to remember and honor late Very Rev. Thanuvelil Mathai Samuel Ramban; one of the early members of the Pathenapuram Thabor Diara, who was one of the grandsons of Kochukattil (Muttattinkara) Mathen Oommen, a founding member of this Church.

Let all glory and merits belong to Him. Let us re-dedicate ourselves and seek His Kingdom and His righteousness first. Let the Almighty open the floodgates of heaven shower His blessings upon all the members of the St. George Orthodox Church and the Maliyakal family to shine like a beacon for His Kingdom and His glory.

We wish and pray for all the members (living and departed) of St George Orthodox Church for His abundant blessings and heavenly guidance.

1964 Stamp of St. Thomas.


1973 Stamp of St. Thomas.

Some of you may remember that the Government of India, in 1964 and 1973, issued postage stamps to commemorate anniversaries of St. Thomas' life and work in India. On one of those stamps Thomas is shown as an elderly man, with his facial hair very reminiscent of historic and contemporary hair and beard styles of older Indian men.

Interesting - Yes. Believable - The jury is still out!

Shopping expedition....

Posted on my Jacob's Blog and the Oulu Best Buy Blog.

Annikki rearranged the living room at Kampitie.

The sofa sets have gone to the far end of the room. The higher dining table has come between the sofas and the tv. (Not that we can watch tv these days as we have not invested in a DigiBox.)

The solution was to raise the tv to a level above the dining table.

We decided to search for a strong table (as we have an old and heavy tv set) and then work out how to place the satellite receiver and the video player (which has never been used by us!).

We went to the major Finnish furniture shops selling new design furniture and also to the antique furniture shop which has great furniture from different parts of Europe. The best priced ones were around € 250, more around € 300 for the ones we liked.

Annikki we suggested that we visit the Flea Markets.

Yesterday we started a round of the Flea Markets around 5 pm. By 6 pm we had visited 10 Flea Markets, found the table we liked and bought it, by 6 pm, for € 25!

I installed it and the tv. Annikki put up a shelf just above it for the satellite receiver and the video player, which I then connected to the tv with a minimum of loose wires showing. Under the tv table she put an old stool type table that we had for keeping newspapers and magazines. Quite modern looking!

We saved € 275 for this bit of creative thinking by Annikki and a bit driving around.

And both of us are happy with the new set up.

Now all we have to do is wait till the leaves fall off the birch trees. Then we can watch satellite tv (Sirus at 5 degrees E) till the new leaves are back on the tree next may! (I'm not joking!!!!) :-)

Going back a few generations...

I had this nice and interesting email:

Dear Mr.Jacob Matthan

I am Sunil George Koshy from Mullamangalam family of Kottayam.

I just came back from the funeral service of one of the grandsons of Arch Deacon K.Koshy – Mr. John Mathai who passed away on Sunday 9th at the age of 93.

After coming back from the funeral, I searched for Mullamangalam in Google and found the website on R.M.Kurien Ashan which mentions his mother as the sister of Koshy Achen (who was the son of Maramon Koshy).

My great grandfather is the youngest brother of Arch Deacon K. Koshy (Koshy Achen) , Mullamangalam. Like his eldest brother, Koshy achen, my great grandfather was also a teacher at the CMS School at Kottayam. Both Koshy achen and John Ashan (popularly known as Chempolil Ashan) where the sons of Maramon Koshy (who had other sons too, as written in the Madolil Family History – published by the Madolil Kudumbayogam), Koshy Achen being the eldest and John Ashan, the youngest.

I have often heard, in my younger days, my father – George Mullamangalam Koshy (Thankappan) who is 83 years now, discuss R. M. Kurien Ashan and Dewan Bahadur Kuriyan Matthan, at family gatherings.

Every year, in December, the Madolil Family (of which Mullamangalam, Chempolil, Pullavallil, Vengalil etc. are branches) meet for the Kudumbayogam in Maramon.
I think and hope that you can gather more information from people who gather at this meeting.

I will write to you after talking to my father. I hope he still remembers the visits of the Dewan.

Warm Regards

Sunil G. Koshy

From the above I am glad to decipher this side of the family.

Marmon Koshy had several children, of which Arch Deacon K. Koshy (Koshy Achen) was the eldest and John Ashan (popularly known as Chempolil Ashan) was the youngest. One of their sisters was the mother of Kurien Aaschan (my great grandfather).

Kurian Aaschan was brought up by his uncle Arch Deacon K. Koshy (my great great grand uncle), so John Ashan was also my great great grand uncle.

George Mullamangalam Koshy, who is now 83, is, therefore, the second cousin of my grandfather (Dewan Bahadur Kuriyan Matthan) and the writer of the email (Sunil) in my father's third cousin.

John Mathai, who is reported by Sunil to have passed away, was also the second cousin of both Dewan Bahadur Kuriyan Matthan and George Mullamangalam Koshy.

I have recorded as much as possible of the Maliyakal Ravoor Matthan Kurien [also known as Maliyakal K. Aaschan (1852 - 1935)] on my web page about the Maliyakal family. (I apologise to many of you who have fed me much valuable information but which I have not yet used.)


My grandfather, Dewan Bahadur Kuriyan Matthan (1877 - 1951).

My father, Kuriyan Matthan (1911 - 1993).

Me, Jacob Matthan (1943 - ).

Thank you Sunil for this fascinating input.

Ilari and Ildikó wed in Hungary

Posted on the Oulu CHAFF Blog and my Jacob's Blog.

Ilari has been a family friend for over a decade. He first came into our life as a classmate of Joanna at Oulu University. Later he and our son, Jaakko, became friends. Ilari then became a close friend of Annikki and me, and when Ildikó entered his life, she also became a good friend of the two of us.

We had planned that at least one member of our family should be present at their wedding in Hungary. The first choice was Jaakko and his partner, Joy. But due to circumstances beyond their control, their attendance was not possible. So it fell on Annikki and me to try to attend.

Annikki has no passport as she has not travelled for over 7 years. And I needed a visa for Hungary. Both these proved a great hurdle as the time available to organise them was just not enough.

On top of that we had a call from Joanna that she was not well, and she had got permission from the University to sit her exams in Medical School in mid August, so she was returning to Finland from Newcastle with immediate effect. This was on the condition that Annikki and I would take charge of the two grandchildren, Samuel and daniel, so that she could study.

On top of this we had a visitor from India, who planned to reach here just at the time of the Hungarian wedding!

So the plans to proceed to Hungary were just not on.

However, we kept abreast of what went on at this double wedding of Ildikó and her brother.

I present here the report of a grand occasion which was well attended by many CHAFF Participants.

The photographs have been provided by Ilari and Ildikó and also by Benjamin, who was able to be there for the occasion.



Ildikó



Ilari



Arpad and Ildikó arrive at church.



Juliska Hámos



Ilari and Ildikó



Heli and Jorma Sohlo.



Ildikó and Ilari.



Brides and grooms and their parents.



Guests at the wedding. See many CHAFF faces here?



Juliska and Arpad speak.



Mona and Kerstin with others.



Andy and Benjamin.



Mona, Andy, Kerstin and Mike.



Ildikó and Benjamin.

And some snaps from their honeymoon in Central America.



Ildikó in Livingstone.



Ilari in Livingstone.



Honeymoon climbers - Ildikó and Ilari.

Here is wishing Ildikó and Ilari a great wedded life from the Matthan family as well as all their CHAFF friends around the world.

2 YEARS - What has CHAFF done?

Posted on my Jacob's Blog and the Oulu CHAFF Blog.

Many of you have addressed me as to what exactly CHAFF (Chamber for assistance of Finns and Foreigners) Participants have been doing during the past two years. You may be in the dark as many of our participants have not asked for publicity. Also we have wished to not violate the privacy of those who have received some form of assistance from CHAFF Participants.

At this point of time it is important for me to tell you some of what we have done so that you know what has been happening over the last two years and also to understand how Ildikó Hámos-Sohlo and her team have their work cut out to help people and communities in different problematic situations.

Kasia Mazur was a trainee teacher from Poland who spent some time here in Oulu. When she needed help with her work of teaching children in a Finnish school, several CHAFF Participants stretched out their helping hands.

I had this very emotional COMMENT from our Kasia , who is now back in Poland after her short stint in Oulu, on the CHAFF Blog:

Dear Jacob,

It's Kasia.

I have just read about the last chaff sunday and although I'm not in Finland any more and I don't take part in the meetings, this is one of the saddest infos recently.

I can not imagine my stay in Finalnd without CHAFF, without help I received from all of the participants and great friends.

I kept on entering your blog site almost every week here in Poland because even if I'm not with you there, I still think about all the good times back in Finland.

Hopefully your great idea of connecting people and all the good things that came with it will be continued, and as far as I know Ildi, CHAFF is in good hands :)

So now again I want to say thank you to all my CHAFF friends and hopefully when I visit Oulu some day again, CHAFF will be still there.

With all my love,

Kasia

Is this is what Kasia remembers of a very regular CHAFF meeting?

The photograph shows some of our younger CHAFF participants: Benjamin from Australia, Andy for Venezuela, Pailin from Thailand, Kasia from Poland, Ulf from Germany, Tingting from China and Kerstin from Germany.

Or was it this of the Indian Evening organised by CHAFF participants:


Here we have Kasia, Mona's Finnish friend from Helsinki, Mona from Finland, Benjamin, Andy, and Ildikó from Hungary dressed in Indian clothes brought to the evening by the Indian members of our community.

Dressing in national coustunes was great fun for the ladies as was when they dressed and danced with Thai costumes.


Here we see Kerstin and Kasia in Thai clothes with Pailin and Mona.


But CHAFF was not just about social events like these.

Kazutaza Temboa graphic designer from Zambia, one of the founding members of CHAFF, designed the award winning posters for the International Anti Racism Week in which CHAFF joined the Oulu Divisions of United Nations, Finnish Red Cross, Amnesty International and the Oulu International School as a major organiser of this event.


The main poster designed by Kamu was symbolic and was designed to show the importance of integration.


But CHAFF Participants were not just active on the sidelines in organising the events. Ildikó and Lauri Gardner, along with Anne Rännäli, International Affairs Manager of the City of Oulu, were part of the panel chaired by Markku Heikkinen, a senior editor of the local newspaper, Kaleva, which discussed the issues of racism faced by foreigners in Oulu.

Among the participants who attended CHAFF meetings were many people of note, some famous and some not so famous, from various parts of the world.


Here, one of our regular Finnish Participants, Pentti Paakki, bids farewell to Subramaniam Paneer, from Tamilnadu, India, who had worked tireless moving the dead bodies along the Tamil Coast after the devasting tsunami.

We had Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Arpad Hámos, attending our meeting. He said that many in the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Association) in Austria were regular readers of the CHAFF Blog.


Unnop Khungrai, Ilari Sohlo, Arpad Hámos, Ildikó Hámos-Sohlo, Julista Hámos and Pailin at our CHAFF meeting.

But the reach of CHAFF has stretched far beyond the Finnish shores.

When CHAFF Participant Kannan Balaram asked me to help a group of Rotarians who were visiting India, we extended our helping hand to them to meet our friends and relatives there and organise things which were outside of their normal programme.


Kannan Balaram with another CHAFF Founding Member, Saikou Marong from Gambia.


Here Ville Suomi (second from right) and fellow Rotarians from the Oulu Region with my cousin, Satish Abraham (far left), at the Sailing Club in Kottayam, India.


Our CHAFF population grew as, for example, Ville's Japanese wife, Fumi, a biochemist researcher in Oulu University, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Mari. CHAFF participants were there to greet a new addition to our CHAFF Culture.

None of the work has been done for either profit, personal recognition or reward of any form. These have all been acts of self-giving. Some people have misunderstood that someone has been trying to gain publicity or monetary benefit in executing these tasks. Nothing could be further from the truth. All acts of assistance have had no ulterior motives.

I have to say to most of the 300 or more people who have been active in CHAFF, that some amazing things, some mundane things and some very responsible things, have been done by them.

As I do not wish to violate the privacy of many people who have been helped by CHAFF, I can only outline a FEW of the things done in the most general terms.

1. CHAFF Participants have been visiting foreigners and Finns in psychiatric institutions in Oulu to help them find themselves. This has included attending meetings with psychiatrists and the staff in rehabilitation centres.
2. CHAFF Participants have been rescuing helpless persons (especially foreigners) who have been violated by their partners and ensuring that they are guided to the appropriate shelters and, if necessary, legal help organised.
3. CHAFF Participants have been helping persons who have been stranded without a roof over their head and providing the temporary relief while they rebuild their status and lives.
4, CHAFF Participants have been helping persons who have been cheated by unscrupulous businessmen either in violation of contracts or in their inability to collect their legal dues.
5. CHAFF Participants have been helping those who have language difficulties during their settling period in Finland.
6. CHAFF Participants have been helping persons with accountancy and other business services.
7. CHAFF Participants have been helping those who have alcohol related problems.
8. CHAFF Participants have been helping those not to enter into job contracts where they could be exploited.
9. CHAFF Participants have been helping people move their business or residence premises.
10. CHAFF Participants have been helping people move their furniture between homes or to the rubbish dump.
11. CHAFF Participants have been helping people to start small businesses.
12. CHAFF Participants have been providing counselling to people with severe illnesses.
13. CHAFF Participants have been helping to organise cultural events.
14. CHAFF Participants have been helping to organise events related to removing discrimination.
15. CHAFF Participants have been providing short term financial help in emergency situations.
16. CHAFF Participants have been helping people with transport in difficult circumstances.
17. CHAFF Participants have been helping to organise cultural groups and associations.
18. CHAFF Participants have been introducing newcomers to Oulu to the life in this city.
19. CHAFF Participants have been sponsoring young sportsmen from ethnic minorities.
20. CHAFF Participants have been sponsoring young musicians and artists for ethnic minorities.


It was a proud moment for CHAFF Participants when a young sportsman sponsored by CHAFF, in his very first year in Finland won gold medals for both football and basketball. Here Soda proudly shows off one of his medals.

What I have shown above is nowhere near an exhaustive list of things we have done.

Some of the events were large public ones.

CHAFF helped the Oulu Divisions of the United Nations, Amnesty International and the Finnish Red Cross to organise the week long Anti Discrimination events in Oulu.
CHAFF has helped the Thai Association and Thai Community in Northern Finland to organise several exciting cultural events and also organise educational and cultural classes in Oulu. (eg., Thai Water Festival. Thai Mother's Day, Thai King's Birthday, International Festival featuring Thai culture, Thai dance Classes, Thai Cooking Classes, Thai Language Classes.)
CHAFF helped organise a wonderful Indian evening in Oulu.
CHAFF helped in organising the International Day for ethnic minorities organised by the Youth Centre in Oulu.


Bill Zhang, a brilliant Chinese Engineer was one of the Founding Members of CHAFF.


Me, another founding member, with two young CHAFF Participants, Kwan from Thailand and Veikka from Raahe, Finland.

The number of nationalities who have taken part in CHAFF activities is well over 40.

It started with just four people - Bill, a Chinese engineer, Saikou, a business man from Gambia, Kamu, a Zambian graphic designer and me, Jacob, a retired Indian living a life of leisure here in Oulu.

Some of the nationalities that I can remember, besides Finns, that passed through the portals of CHAFF during the last two years included Americans, Australians, Austrians, Bangladeshis, Canadians, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, Gambians, Germans, Ghanaians, Greeks, Hungarians, Indians, Iranians, Iraqis, Irish, Italians, Ivorians, Japanese, Kenyans, Liberians, Malaysians, Nicaraguans, Nigerians, Pakistanis, Poland, Peruvians, Portuguese, Russians, Sierra Leonians, Slovakians, South Africans, Spaniards, Sri Lankans, Sudanese, Thais, Turks, Vietnamese, Zambians. (Sorry if I have missed any nationalities!)


Isaac Sundarajan, CEO of Codenomicon OY with Tingting from China.



Indian researchers who were attendees of an International Conference on Microelectronics were happy to meet with CHAFF Participants.

We have had several notable personalities, besides the Nobel Prize winner, including several professors (eg., Fulbright lecturer, the professor from Washington D. C., Kenneth Kolson), and senior researchers from the US, India, Russia, etc., CEO's from small, medium and large Finnish and international companies, attending and taking part in the CHAFF Meetings.

But CHAFF is not about the rich and famous. It is for the humble, poor and weak, the lonely and disraught.

In this, may I ask you all to extend your hand of help to Ildikó to run CHAFF in a manner which we have done together for the last few years.

As I have said, time and time again, CHAFF is not ME or any particular individual, but it is YOU. It is not Ildikó, but it is YOU.

Without YOUR participation, CHAFF ceases to exist. It is your camaraderie and hand of friendship which is needed for CHAFF to continue in it glorious path helping especially those in desperate need.

Annikki's novel photographing technique!

A couple of days ago Annikki asked me to take pictures of the wigwam and the sand castles built by the grandkids as she intended to rake over the ground as the autumn leaves would soon be all over the garden.

When she saw my pictures, she was not quite satisfied. She said I had too much extraneous matter in the background. I tried to explain that because the picture was square, I unfortunately had to keep the background in.

She was not satisfied.I asked her to take the camera and show me how to do it.

She came back a little while later not quite knowing what she had done. When I looked at the images, I had to burst out laughing.



Quite inadvertently, Annikki had stuck her finger in front of the lens cutting out the "offensive" background!

100% attendance at Finnish Chapter Reunion

Posted on Delhi Stephanian Kooler Talk Blog, Mumbai Cathedralite Seventh Heaven Blog and my Jacob's Blog.

On Thursday afternoon I had a call from fellow Cathedralite and Stephanian, Professor Ajeet Mathur that he was on his way to Oulu to address a conference here. I decided to call a reunion meeting of both our alma maters, Delhi Stephanians and Mumbai Cathedralites.

Ajeet and spouse, Sari.

Ajeet's better half arrived on Friday afternoon, so Friday evening was reunion time with spouses at my residence. I am glad to report that yet again we had 100% attendance with both spouses present!

Ajeet is now the Project Director of the Finland - India Economic Relations Project being executed at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. He is also the Director of the Institute of Applied Manpower Research, which is part of the Planning Commission of India (working on the 11th 5 Year Plan), which is headed by Stephanian 63er (like me) Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Quite surprised to see that Ajeet is now an Indian bureaucrat!

Ajeet gave a very interesting talk at the conference in Oulu "Promoting mutual cooperation, economic and social development". Ajeet's topic was "On why unemployed are unemployable and what Finland can do about it".

A few years ago I would have been very excited about such a topic, but retirement has caught up with me and it is a topic for others, especially the younger expats in Oulu and Finland, many of whom have stayed jobless (for no fault of theirs) for many a year. Did Ajeet's talk offer any solutions - yes, migrate to India which requires an enormous influx of trained cadre in every field!

One particular slide was of great interest to the entire audience. It has stuck in my mind. It was a picture of a monkey cleaning utensils at a roadside truck dabha somewhere in India. Ajeet pointed out that the wages given to the monkey for his work was 2 bananas a day.

Not even the lowest of lowest in India can afford to compete with the work of this monkey.

Ajeet added that one of the largest exports from India to the US was Monkeys where they are being researched to see what human tasks can be handed over to monkeys such as repetitive keyboard entry, etc.

Great reunion - going way past midnight!