Celebrating our 50th year: Cathedral School Class of 1959 Reunion, November 2009 - link to Asia

Mumbai, 11-18 November 2009

Robert Tyabji

The class of 1959 - my class - celebrated our Golden Reunion in a week packed with events, the emotional renewing of old friendships, the sadness of missing friends departed, and, coincidentally, the School's 149’th Founders Day commemoration.

Wow! what a week! A rollercoaster kaleidocope of dinners, dancing to Chubby Checker and Elvis, parties in Alibaug and classmate's homes, gardens and terraces. In the middle of it all, a poignant Founder's Day service at St. Paul's Cathedral with the crescendo of 500 voices roaring those unforgettable lines of our song "Play up School! Let it RIP, let it THUNDER!" indelibly burned into my memory.

Photo: Capt. Vijay Shivdasani, our C-in-C, readying the troops for boarding at Gateway of India

Friend Ratan Singara wrote these lines which say it all:

CLASS ACT - THE FIFTYNINERS

Few things in life could be finer<

Than being known as a Cathedral fifty-niner.

Of belonging to a very very select band

In India and many an international land.

We can never forget the times gone by

Even though so many decades did fly.

Indeed those were the days, my friend

But for sure the memories will never end.

Our teachers ranked among the very best

Pop Pharoah, Nix James, Lady Temple and the rest.

Oh that we were young, all over again

Remember the fun, laughter, even a little pain.

Some of us joked and played the fool

Both overall there was an unwritten rule

That we BELONGED for better or for worse

Regardless of caste, or condition of our purse.

We've all gone our separate trails

Some even are grandparents, girls and males

But whether we've made it big, or small

We're proud to be fifty-niners, one and all.

We've made mistakes along the way,

But one thing we can proudly say

That's the lesson we were taught above all,

Be it in the class, playground or school hall.

We've always tried to put in our best

Do well on our part, to hell with the rest.

To those who've gone to the Classroom in the Sky

Your faces will not fade from our mind's eye

And there are those for years out of sight

We often remember with feelings so right.

It's always a joy to meet even after years

To look back fondly and say heartfelt 'cheers'

And for that little while, all’s very fine

For after all, we're the class of 59.

Our school days do play a special part

Forever fixed in the Cathedral of our heart

And yes, wherever our lot has been cast

We cherish forever those school days past.

Indeed few things in life could be finer

Than being known as a Cathedral fifty-niner.

Of belonging to a very very select band

In India and many an international land.

Who attended?

(needs updating)

Armeane and Mrs. Choksi

Husnain C

Vijay and Meera Nayar

Elijah and Rivka Elias

Vikram Savara

David and Jane Colaco

Arvind and Gita Thadani

Parvin Surti

Anjula and Kishu Mansukhani

Piloo Tata

Farhana

Vinay and Sulabha Dabholkar

Peter and Monica Miovich

Ramesh Mirchandani

Rani (Harmohina) Malik

Viney and Purnima Sethi

Ratan and Niloufer Singara

Venkat and Anuradha Kurma

Robert and Hootoksi Tyabji

Madhu Kapur

Mark and Mrs. Sopher

Noel and Fleur Ezekiel

Shirin Mulla

Gita Simoes

Adi and Feroza Cooper

Vikram and Nandini Kamdar

Inderjit and Mrs. S

Asha G

Renuka and Mr.

Jacob and Annikki Mathan

Veena Singh J

Jangoo Moos

Zarine B and Mr.

Zenobia (Masani) and Keiki

Ellis Hayeem

Ashok and Amla Ruia

Atul and Mrs. Kapadia

Anil Ruia

Kitty K

Sita Singh (Nayyar)

Percy and Mrs. M

Naubir and Mrs. Mohindar

Vijay and Suchita Shivdasani

Bashir C

Khurshed and Dinaz Bulsara

Class Teachers

William and Pushpa Shiri

Mr. Billington

Programme

Wednesday 11 Nov:

Breaking the Ice - Middle School Hall
Cocktails & dinner - Bombay Gymkhana (hosts: Viney Sethi and Elijah Elias)

Thursday 12 Nov:

Dinner/Dance - St. James Court (host: Vijay Nayar)

Friday 13 Nov:

Elephanta Caves
Dinner: An Evening with Findians - 11 Chitrakoot (hosts: Findian community worldwide)

Saturday 14 Nov:

Cricket Match - Bombay Gym (organized by School)
Founders Day Church Service, High Tea and group photo op
Alumni Dinner/Dance - Blue Sea, Worli Sea Face

Sunday 15 Nov:

Ferry to Alibaug, from Gateway of India
Lunch at the Kapur residence (host: Madhu Kapur)
Open House and Dinner/Dance at Ruia House (hosts: Ashok and Amla Ruia)

Tuesday 17 Nov:

Parsi Dinner at Sea Side (hosts: Piloo Tata and Armeane Choksi)

When it was all over, Hootoksi and I took off for a highly anticipated reunion with our friends from Tanzania, DK and Latha Shetty, first on the magical backwaters of Kerala and then in their Bangalore home. But that's another story!

Click <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/69751997@N00/sets/72157623042197048/with/4218212346/\" target=\"new\">HERE</a> to see the photos.