X cathedralite 2011

The 2011

The Cathedral & John Connon Alumni Magazine

SPOTLIGHT

Malavika Sarukkai David Sopher THE BIG BOOK

An Undefiled Heritage

ALUMNI EVENTS

Celebrating Together THE BIG IDEA

Medical Benefit Scheme

CLASS NOTES • REUNIONS • IN MEMORIAM • TEACHER UPDATES

Contents 4

Presidents’ Messages

2

School Update

4

Celebrating 150 Years

8

The Big Idea

10

The Big Book

12

Spotlight

David Sopher

15

Malavika Sarukkai

17

Pioneers

8

Fleur Ezekiel

19

Changing Tracks

Rajeev Samant

21

Off the Shelf

19

Ashwin Sanghi

23

Teacher Updates

25

In Memoriam

28

Reunions

32

Class Notes

34

Editorial Team

12

Miel Sahgal (ISC 1989) Udita Jhunjhunwala (ICSE 1984) Shyla Boga Patel (ISC 1969) Mukeeta Jhaveri (ISC 1983) Mitali Anand Kalra (ISC 1989)

Business Rohita Chaganlal Doshi (ISC 1975)

Design and Printing Rishita Chandra, Nikunj Parikh

Spenta Multimedia This magazine is not for sale and is intended for internal circulation only. Any material from this magazine may not be reproduced in part or whole without written consent. Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the individual authors and not necessarily those of the Publishers.

Published by The Cathedral and John Connon Alumni Association, 6, P.T. Marg, Mumbai 400 001 and printed at Spenta Multimedia, Peninsula Spenta, Mathuradas Mill Compound, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013. www.spentamultimedia.com Our thanks to Mitali and Pankaj Kalra for their support.

21

23

Cover picture: History is captured through the lens of Raja Deen Dayal, circa 1901.

The girls of the new Cathedral Girls School are congregated outside the school building with the Sisters of the All Saints Community who ‘superintended’ from 1883. Photograph from ‘An Undefiled Heritage’

Presidents’ Messages Dear Alumni,

A

s Co-Presidents, we have had the privilege to head this Association at a memorable time. The 150th year meant different things to different people, but what came shining through was the amazing camaraderie and affection that this institution has instilled in all of us. We came from Tokyo and Toronto, Nairobi and Nagpur; alumni and teachers, bonded like never before. Generations of Cathedralites came together; grandchildren stood next to grandparents and sang the School song. The Cathedral spirit has left us overwhelmed. And we believe it will never die.

We have had many events during this year: we started off on November 14, 2009, with a huge crowd and a wonderful dinner at Blue Sea. The night had all the ingredients of a bash of this kind; noise, some mayhem, great music and food, and many excited peals of “youuuuuuuuuu, I can’t believe it”. Of course, you can’t, I’m 40 years older!

That evening we also felicitated 20 retired teachers, who had taught in the School for 25 years or more by presenting them with a salver. We believe this gesture was really appreciated and it gave us a feeling that apart from the camaraderie generated that night by the alumni, many wonderful teachers felt recognised for their dedication, and the love we had received from them.

In keeping with this sentiment we decided to focus on something lasting and enduring to commemorate 150 years: we launched a Retired Teachers’ and Staff Medical Benefit Scheme (see page 10). Our aim was to collect R150 lakhs (one lakh for each year of the School).

Towards this Scheme, we had a fund-raiser: a very elegant and extremely well-attended evening, at the

To my fellow alumni, Crystal Room, Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, with our most eloquent alumnus, Fareed Zakaria, as speaker. We are very grateful to Fareed for being with us and helping us to swell our coffers for this cause.

We also had a really great evening at Olive, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai where spirits were high and the music sublime.

It was such fun! Thank you A.D. We had a day-night cricket match against the School team, which they won; but our day will come! This was followed by the golf tournament and then the big evening at the Turf Club which over 1,500 alumni attended on November 13, 2010.

The 150th year celebrations ended on November 14, 2010, with a truly moving and magical evening Church Service, followed by high tea at the Senior School.

We are especially deeply grateful to Chitra, Rohita, Miel, Bibhash and Rama for their warmth and unstinting hard work and also to the entire Executive Committee for working so harmoniously and propping us up whenever needed, making our tenure as Co-Presidents a pleasure.

We sincerely hope that more and more young alumni will join us and take the Association to a new high. This Association is but an extension of the finest day-school in the country, and needs new blood to make it the finest Alumni Association in India.

We have indeed been fortunate in having received the warmth and appreciation of all those alumni who have touched our lives over the decades.

Thank you.

- Shyla Boga Patel and Viral Doshi Co-Presidents (2008 - 2010)

Executive Committee Members 2011, from left to right: Viral Doshi, Bibhash Asar, Miel Sahgal, Prakash Thadani, Shyla Boga Patel, Vikram Kothari, Mukeeta Jhaveri, Gautam Shewakramani, Udita Jhunjhunwala. Missing from the picture are Committee Members Rohita Chaganlal Doshi, Chitra Rajkumar, Amit Advani and Pragni Kapadia

2 The X-Cathedralite 2011

M

ay I begin by introducing myself: Mukeeta Jhaveri nee Kataria, Savageite and Head Girl (ISC ’83), married to Pramit Jhaveri (HSC ’81). Our kids, Nynika (Standard 11) and Prithvir (Standard 9) keep us connected with our alma mater.

The great thing about Cathedral is the more it changes the more it stays the same. I get a ringside seat of how the School respects history, tradition and values. Speech Day and Founders’ Day always bring back tears of pride and nostalgia. Yet the School recognises the benefits of a contemporary global learning experience. Cathedralites today have access to science camps in NUS Singapore, Model UN Programs at Harvard, MIT, Chicago and Beijing, Summer School at Stanford and Cambridge and scuba diving in Lakshadweep, among others.

Catalumni supports the Annual Cathedral Summer School at Manori.

The 10th edition this year saw record participation with 50 children from the Middle School engaging with 25 children from Manori village over a week. Activities included astronomy, pottery, robotics, music, dance, football, kite-making, art and farming with top-quality resources including The Shiamak Davar Dance Academy and Anish Andheria from Sanctuary magazine, amongst a host of others. The camp provides extraordinary reciprocal learning opportunities for both sets of kids. While the Association subsidises the participation of the island children, it is really the untiring enthusiasm and meticulous planning by Shyla for over a decade that has made the Summer School an eagerly anticipated event on the school calendar.

The coffee morning for retired teachers was well attended as they welcomed the pilot Retired Teachers’ Medical Benefit Scheme and the opportunity of reconnecting with colleagues.

We had a fun get-together at Olive over cocktails on September 14 when alumni enjoyed A.D. Singh’s unique brand of generous hospitality to the fullest. After a hiatus of a year, the annual Alumni bash was held at Blue Sea on Sunday, November 13 over Brunch.

Last year was an action-packed, event-filled year as we marked the 150th year celebrations. This year we would like to consolidate and build our network by creating vibrant chapters around the world, based on your registrations on the catalumni.com website. Suggestions and volunteers for chapter champions are very welcome.

You can also look forward to a new upgraded website where you can network better with fellow alums. We are optimistic that we can establish a payment gateway to enable those of you who are still Indian citizens to donate generously with the click of a button.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Viral and Shyla for their stewardship and look forward to their continued mentorship. In establishing the Teachers’ Medical Benefit Scheme at extraordinary effort, Shyla and Bibhash have provided us with an avenue to repay, in a small way, the huge debt of gratitude we owe our teachers. As for the rest of the committee, a zealous band of committed folks, I have great expectations from you in scaling up the scope and functioning of Catalumni.

Mukeeta Jhaveri President (2010-11)

Executive Committee 2010 - 2011 Office Bearers President Mukeeta Jhaveri (ISC 1983, Savage)

Vice-Presidents Rohita Chaganlal Doshi (ISC 1975, Wilson)

Miel Sahgal

(ISC 1989, Palmer)

Treasurer Chitra Rajkumar (1956, Savage)

Secretary Udita Jhunjhunwala (ICSE 1984, Barham)

Committee Members (ex-officio) Principal Mrs. Meera Isaacs Shyla Boga Patel (ISC 1969, Savage)

Viral Doshi

(ISC 1975, Palmer)

Committee Members Amit Advani (ISC 1994, Palmer)

Bibhash Asar

(ICSE 1986, Palmer)

Gautam Shewakramani (ISC 2001, Savage)

Pragni Kapadia

(ISC 1994, Palmer)

Prakash Thadani (ISC 1969, Savage)

Vikram Kothari

(ISC 1974, Palmer) The Executive Committee looks forward to your active involvement with the Association.

Please do contact us on the Cathedral Alumni Helpline (99305 77120) or through our website www.catalumni.com

2011 The X-Cathedralite 3

School Update

School Update

Looking Back Mrs. Meera Isaacs, Principal, shares the highlights of Cathedral’s 150th year

W

e are in the process of recovering from the year’s whirlwind celebrations and are finally able to draw a collective breath of relief. The past year has truly been a blitzkrieg of events — month after exciting month. Apart from the parents, teachers and students who contributed in every way possible, the group of people who deserve our unstinted appreciation and gratitude is our Board of Governors — each member a stalwart in his field, under the able leadership of our Chairman, Mr. T. Thomas. The School has been able to retain its impeccable reputation largely because of their wisdom and vision.

The fact that Cathedral is an enriching and happy place, is borne out by the fact that a good number of its teaching faculty choose to retire

from the School rather than search for supposedly greener pastures.

This year, we bade farewell to five such committed members of staff.

Our Senior School Headmistress — Mrs. Rekha Khanduri retired after a 21-year stint, the gracious Mrs. Ketaki Mazumdar, the Pre-Primary Headmistress and President’s awardee was with us for 24 years, Mrs. Monica Sarin, teacher of the Infant School, worked for 28 years, and Mrs. Neeta Kumar and Mrs. Sudha Chopra of the Middle School put in 21 and 18 years respectively.

All these dedicated ladies gave themselves wholeheartedly to their calling.

I also take this opportunity to welcome, among others, our two Vice-Principals, Mrs. Jyotsna Mayadas and Mrs. Nalini Samuel who

The President of India, Shrimati Pratibha Patil, releasing a commemorative postage stamp of the school 4 The X-Cathedralite 2011

have joined us from other schools.

Both have impeccable credentials and have already begun to feel at home in their new environment; while Mrs. Rekha Talpade who is a Cathedral veteran of 13 years’ standing was groomed by Mrs. Mazumdar to be her worthy successor.

Over the past year four former faculty members passed away — Mrs. Cabral who was Head Mistress of the Girls’ School in the mid-60s, Mrs. Dev and Mrs. Vasantha Subramanian — both Headmistresses of the Middle School and Mr. Pande – Housemaster of Palmer House. Mr. Anand our photographer for almost half a century also succumbed to failing health. With their passing another page in the history of our School has been turned.

Each section of the School, from the Pre-Primary and Infant through the Junior and Middle School, works towards the final Cathedral School ‘product’ — if one may label it so! Each has its own flavour and colour, each contributes with verve and panache to the greater Cathedral experience: whether it be the relatively mundane but essential 3Rs, or the more exciting espousal of drama, dance, music, art, environmental studies, educational trips and camps, science and maths Olympiads or community service programmes. The efforts of each section especially this year, have been phenomenal.

At the ICSE 2010-2011 Examinations, we sent up 146 candidates of whom 76 placed in the 90+ category, 51 in the 80s, 14 in the 70s and five in the 60s. Raahil Shah won the coveted honour of being the highest scoring candidate with the

unbelievable score of 98.63 per cent.

At the ISC 2010-11 Examination of the 106 candidates, 53 placed in the 90s, 45 in the 80s and the remaining eight in the 70s. After School hours, a number of students take the Advanced Placement Programme which has a separate cachet for US universities, the figures for which have grown to 102 this year, from the 2010 number of 80.

Out of a batch of 106 students, 70 school leavers applied to institutions of higher education overseas. As usual, the US is the lodestar, with the UK, Canada and Singapore taking second place. At the College Board our students have continued to maintain high scores with a mean SAT Reasoning score of 2,000 out of a maximum of 2,400, as compared to the world-wide score of approximate 1,500.

A hundred and six bright-eyed youngsters stand on the threshold of new and exciting challenges. They are part of India’s golden brigade; I trust they will return to their homeland as leaders in their respective fields to become agents of major social change and to give back to society some measure of what they received in such abundance.

Despite the time spent on the 150th year celebrations, the children gave an excellent account of themselves in practising and playing hard and bagging a variety of trophies along the way in the sports arena..

Incidentally, in a Frontline survey, the Cathedral School at Lonavala which is in its infancy, was adjudged one of the three best residential schools in

Ms. Vaz, Mrs. Ganguly, Mrs. Isaacs, Mrs. Khanduri and Mrs. Shroff with Homi Khushrukhan, alumnus and Governor on the Board

the country and the Number One boarding school in the western region.

The first Fulbright Teacher Exchange was well appreciated by both schools.

Mr. Jason Cervenec from the Worthington School, Ohio was like a breath of fresh air with his innovative

Mrs. Isaacs releasing the landmark book on the history of the school at the gala dinner at the Turf Club

teaching methods, while our teacher, Mrs. Vatsala Kaul awed her American counterparts into sending her back with the prestigious Impact Award from the Board of Education, Worthington Schools, Ohio.

A fortnight in August was earmarked for students of Standard 11 to attend the ‘Reach Cambridge’ Summer School programme conducted at Cambridge University. The Sunburst Youth Camp in Singapore continues to be inspirational for our students of Standard 11. Nineteen of our 21 student entries from Standards 9 and 10 were selected by Warwick to participate in the Warwick International Gateway for Gifted Youth – the highest number of representatives from one school from international participants. A diversity of imaginative courses were on offer — ‘Philosophical Problems in Law’, and ‘Medical Sciences and Shakespeare’ being just two examples.

The Eumind (Europe meets India) programme got off to a fabulous start. Over the year, six Standard 11 students worked through E-Journals with their counterparts in a school in Brussels which culminated in a threeweek visit to the Netherlands during the summer.

2011 The X-Cathedralite 5

School Update

Dinesh Vazirani at the fund-raising art auction

At the prestigious London International Youth Science Forum 2010, Arzav Jain and Vivek Merchant of Standard 12 were the only two representing India from among 300 participants from 46 countries.

Despite the heavy pressures on the School year, we simply could not pass up the chance to send our students and an accompanying teacher for a week to the Andaman Islands to study the diverse and unique eco-systems, to undergo a rigorous scuba-diving course and successfully complete their practical and theoretical assessments to qualify as internationally-certified one-star divers.

Another new venture was to send a group to Cape Canaveral, USA to experience the thrill of space flight through motion-based simulators, multimedia shows and numerous hands-on displays.

The Cathedral Model United Nations, an entirely student-run affair and the oldest conference of its kind in the Indian subcontinent came of age, as it were, in its 14th year. About 400 students from both national and international schools participated. A few months later, a Cathedral delegation of 21 students and two teachers made its annual journey to Harvard for the Harvard Model United Nations where our team was adjudged the Best International Delegation.

Another group of students had the opportunity to attend one more 6 The X-Cathedralite 2011

School Update

‘Gifted’, the school play showcasing school life through song and dance

MUN in the States, this time the one at MIT. They too returned in triumph with 14 awards.

December 2010 saw the culmination of student enthusiasm at the annual music concert, ‘Encore’.

The event, organized and hosted entirely by the students of Standard 11, gives the School’s aspiring musicians, singers and dancers a chance to showcase their talents while notching up their all-too evident selfconfidence. Traditionally, the concert raises funds for two NGOs that the School supports — VOICE and YUVA, the latter which had its genesis in the Mumbai floods of 2003 and continues to be largely run by young ex-students of the School. This year was no different. R 11 lakhs raised solely by student effort was divided between the two organisations.

I must mention four highlights of the year’s festivities. First, we were privileged as an institution of learning to have no less than the Hon’ble President of India, Shrimati Pratibha Patil release a commemorative postage stamp of the School designed by Mrs. Ayesha Soonawalla, in the presence of political luminaries, a galaxy of Cathedral well-wishers and stakeholders. Secondly, Dinesh Vazirani - Head Boy of 1985 and his team from Saffron Art curated an art auction at The Taj Mahal Hotel.

Months of planning culminated in a scintillating evening where parents,

alumni and friends of the School outdid themselves in lightening their pockets for a new school building.

Third, I would like to make special mention of the Founders’ Week and the School Play which brought under the arclights talent that had been hidden under the proverbial bushel.

Written and directed by Roshan Abbas — the play, ‘Gifted’ showcased in song and dance, the essence of School life. Our current Standard 12 students, deserve plaudits for their passion, commitment and loyalty to the School. I congratulate them on upholding the standards of Cathedral by living the credo of the School song ‘School first… self last’. And fourthly, the official History of the School, ‘An Undefiled Heritage’ written by former students Mridula Maluste – Class of ’73 and Viral Doshi – Class of ’75, designed by Gita Simoes – Class of ’59 and released in the presence of over 2,000 well-wishers of the School at a gala dinner at the Turf Club on November 13, 2010. The tome is a marvel of meticulous and painstaking research and documentation. We congratulate them on transforming a labour of love into reality and giving the School a collector’s item. While the majority of us were at the Turf Club, our Headmistress, Mrs. K. Mazumdar was in Delhi to accept the four Education World-C Fore Awards that the School won for the year 2010 – The Best Day School, Best Faculty, Best Management and Best Alumni.

She flew back in time to be part of the Founders’ Day Service on the 14th.

With the Founders’ Day Service, the firework display and the illuminated splendour of the five school buildings, the curtain finally came down on the festivities but the afterglow still remains, incandescent and magical.

It is my privilege and immense honour to express on behalf of the School, deep appreciation and gratitude for the way you all supported with enthusiasm and élan the 150th year celebrations. The mammoth scale of the festivities would have been impossible if so many spirited and caring people had not contributed generously from a spectrum of resources.

I must pay tribute to our teachers and administrators, who give so much of themselves to our children and to this great institution. The year was particularly gruelling, but the camaraderie and whole-hearted giving of their time and energy, emphasised again why I feel so truly blest to have the opportunity to work with colleagues of this calibre.

As for our parent body, I cannot say enough! Our PTA was absolutely sterling. If it weren’t for their invaluable talent, grace and emotional strength, the various mega-events of the year would have been impossible.

I wish to mention Rangita Bhatnagar, parent and alumna and Chairperson of the Steering Committee for the 150th year who worked like a veritable Trojan.

The Alumni Association came up trumps as usual. Apart from the many ways in which they have always supported their alma mater, their regard for their teachers has taken the form of a Medical Policy for all retired faculty members.

‘Celebrating the Spirit of Excellence’ was the over-arching theme of the 150th year. Excellence has always been the hallmark of

the School. I quote Srikant Datar ’69, a tenured professor at Harvard Business School. He says of his years at Cathedral: “The teaching was superb, the education outstanding, the friendships deep and the opportunities immense. We were challenged to do more, think differently, play harder and go the extra mile. The school educated me at three levels. The first, knowledge – humanities, mathematics and science. This was the foundation. The second was thinking skills: how to think critically, communicate clearly, and be imaginative, creative and independent. The third was leadership and teamwork – how to listen, influence others, contribute to a common goal and do the right thing.

We developed these skills in class, on playing fields and in interactions with our peers and our amazing teachers.

I learnt at Cathedral, and through the words ‘school first, house next, self last’ that in the ultimate analysis, the true measure of a life well-led is what we do for others, not what we do for ourselves.”

He has aptly summarised what is even today, the essence of the Cathedral experience.

An excerpt from the Principal’s speech at the Annual Prize Distribution ceremony

Looking Forward Q&A with Mrs. Isaacs Looking forward, what are the most significant changes in store for the School?

As most of you know, we want to upgrade the Infant School building, and also start an international curriculum apart from the Advanced Placements that are available at the moment. God willing, all this will come to pass. It will be my pleasure to share the good news with our alumni and parents as and when I can give some definite answer.

Which new educational programmes are being introduced, and how would that affect the teaching philosophy and learning styles?

Would like to introduce the IGCSE and IB as options to the ICSE and ISC. There would be a shift in learning styles.

Which classes will have the IB progamme? Will the ISC be retained?

What about the lower classes?

We are looking at the Diploma Programme at the moment i.e. for Standards 11 and 12.

Yes, ISC would be retained unless it becomes unviable. We already have an extremely rich curriculum for the lower classes. We would continue with it.

Will this be different from the experience that most of us (who went through the ISC/ICSE system) had at school?

I don’t envisage any difference. The extracurricular life is extremely rich and varied and it would continue to be so.

What changes can we expect to see in the existing school buildings and will there be any new premises?

The Infant School is in need of a thorough facelift – The Middle School will have a floor-and-a-half added in order to use up all the FSI that is available. I am also scouting around for new premises.

Viral Doshi and Shyla Boga Patel, then Presidents of the Alumni Assocation, representing ex-students at the 150th Founders’ Day Church Service

Would most students move on to colleges overseas, or would there be a seamless integration into Indian colleges as well?

I can’t imagine any change in the usual migration to colleges overseas unless of course Indian colleges can offer more than they do now.

2011 The X-Cathedralite 7

Celebrating er rs’ Day Dinn

2009 Founde Blue Sea

er and ders’ Day dinn The 149 Foun cking ro cked house, a dance saw a pa cked to us MC, a well-s band, a gorgeo ghlight hi e us buffet. Th bar and a delicio n of io at was the felicit of the evening . rs he al School teac retired Cathedr th

Fareed Zakaria ,

Marking the 15 th Taj Mahal Hotel 0 anniversary of our School, the Alumni Associa tion organised a fund -raising evening with alumnus Fareed Zakaria (ISC, 19 82). The author, TV show host, editor-atlarge Time Magazine delivered an info rmative talk on ‘Globalis ation: The Next Phase’.

e Frog Retro nite, Blu200 people

er In April 2010 ov ion ear alumni reun -y id m a attended e at umbai, to celebr ic, at Blue Frog, M us m athedral. Retro d 150 years of C an s, and beverage delicious snacks s de e different deca alumni from fiv evening. ensured a fun

150 Years Back to Schoo l,

Olive On November 10 , we had an incr edibly warm and won derful evening at Olive. It was very specia l as spirits were high and the air really elec tric. The evenin g had ex-students from every generation and era. We are so gr ateful to A.D. Si ngh for making this po ssible.

Gymkhana Cricket, Police atch against the

icket m This year the cr -20 different — a 20 school team was ay pl ed at The match was day-night one. ol won khana. The scho the Police Gym delicious g ended with a and the evenin h d dosas and muc spread of idlis an s. am tween the two te camaraderie be

Olive 2011

Alumni from fiv e decades were represented at a sultry October evening get-together at Olive, Mahalax m i. A.D. Singh and his te am had added lit tl e touches of scho ol to decorate th e venue which came aliv e with laughter , chatter and the clinking of glasses.

the big idea

thank you

Teachers’ and Staff Medical Benefit Scheme

Bibhash Asar and Shyla Boga Patel with some insured teachers at a tea held at the School on August 6, 2011

C

athedralites are all over the globe, and many of us at the top of our chosen professions: doctors, lawyers, bankers, writers, actors, all giving off our best. We are sought-after in universities, hospitals, MNCs, banks, just about everywhere.

Let’s spare a moment to retrospect on how we got there.

It was the education we received.

And, another moment for those who gave it to us: our teachers.

So it only seemed befitting that in the 150th year of this outstanding institution we endeavour to give back to them.

Therein was sowed the seed for our focus for this historic year.

We wanted to start something meaningful and enduring; something that would stay long after we are gone. We also wanted to have a plan where donors could contribute to a centralised fund. These contributions will be channelised and used in an equitable and dignified manner.

These sentiments took shape in the form of the Retired Teachers’ and

10 The X-Cathedralite 2011

The Lala sisters with Mrs. Khullar and Mrs. Saldanha

Retired teachers listening intently to details of the scheme

Staff Medical Benefit Scheme.

Firstly, the funds collected will form a corpus, the interest from which will pay the premium to give the staff individual medical insurance policies. Of course, this corpus will have to be topped up on a continuing basis. However, this is not about ‘asking’ but about ‘thanking’.

Secondly, we also have a medical emergency fund for those staff who may not fall within the purview of the insurance, or might need urgent aid. Each application will be individually scrutinised by the committee along with Dr. Sharukh Golwalla and/or Dr. Anand Gokani, and assistance provided on the basis of certain criteria being fulfilled.

Thirdly, we have a group of over 80 alumni/parent doctors who constitute our doctors’ panel which will give free or partially-free treatment to eligible retired staff. We are indeed grateful to them.

We are deeply indebted to so many of you for helping us to not only reach our target of R150 lakhs, but

are delighted to inform you that we have exceeded it! But we will not rest on our laurels.

Thank you all for your overwhelming support. On April 1, 2011, 44 teachers and staff received an insurance cover of R3 lakhs each. The first year of this insurance scheme will be a ‘pilot project’.

We have already covered Mr. D. Mazumdar’s expenses of R2,93,000 for his cardiac surgery.

A governance plan has been set in place and the fund is monitored and managed by a separate committee consisting of Chitra Rajkumar, Shyla Boga Patel, Viral Doshi, Bibhash Asar and Pranay Shah.

The scheme is up and running and our dream for the 150th year fulfilled.

Lest we forget…

Behram Badhniwalla (Wilson, 1957) had also mooted a similar scheme. Sadly, he passed away on April 13, 2007 before he could see it become a reality.

- Shyla Boga Patel (1969) Co-Chairperson, Medical Benefit Scheme

List of Donors ABD Adhyanthaya, Surekha Advani, Dinesh Advani, Meena Advani, Moleen Parsram Advani, Prathibha Khandelwal Agarwala, Sanjay & Nisheeta Aggarwal, Rishi Ajmera, Dhaval Anand, Jyotsna Nevatia Anonymous (2) Arora, Nikhil Ashokkumar, Chitra Assomull, Anita Bahadur, Indira Bamboat, Sheri Batheja, Vanita Mansukhani Batliwalla, Zarine Bendre, Ratnakar & Sanjeev Bharucha, Hoshang, Homi & Nargesh Bhat, Rahul Bhatia, Sundeep Bhimbhat, Namit Bhogilal, Nirmal Bieri, Freyan Crishna Billimoria, Jimmy Bulchandani, Shonali Chacko, Anna Thomas Chainani, Kiran Chand, Shivani Chatterjee, Pamela Chatterjee, Pria Chawla, Divesh Chinai, Darshana Ogale Chinoy, Shonar Lala Chowdhury, Martina Esberger Chyla, Joanna Class of 1984 Cooper, Daryush Crishna, Nyrika Currimjee, Saeeda D’Lima, David Dadachanji, Behram Daftary, Bharat Vinod Daftary, Manu Damani, Rakesh Dastur, Kavsy D., Dara D.

Phiroze D. Dastur, Shahin Adi Davar, Sorab D. Dempo, Nita Deshpande, Deepak Desiraju, Keshav Dhanak, Mira Sagar Dhanak, Sanjiv Dinshaw, Kate & Kaikhushru Doshi, Rohita & Maitreya Doshi, Suketu Dubash, Arvind Dubash, Jehangir Phiroz Dubash, Simone Dubash, Tanya Dujodwalla, Vivek Fazulabhoy, Mehlam Gannon Dunkerley & Co. Ghose, Ragini Godrej, Burgis, Nadir, Sohrab & Hormuzd Godrej, Jamshyd Godrej, Navroze Godrej, Nisa Godrej, Pheroza Godrej, Pirojsha Godrej, Raika Goel, Mahesh Gokuldas, Dilip Goyal, Rakhee Grewal, Alekh Gupta, Aditya Gupta, Atul Gupta, Ravi Haidery, Niloufer Kurwa Harendra, Sandhya Hemchand, Kuber Inoue, Michiyo Jacob, Rohan Jaggia, Ritu Jain, Girish & Aditi Jain, Indu Jain, Mudit Jain, Renuka Calil Jain, Tarang Jaisingh, Indira Jassawalla, Cyrus Jejeebhoy, Jehangir R. Jejeebhoy, Rustom J. Jha, Rohan Jhangiani, Namrita Jhaveri, Anand

Jhaveri, Nikunj Jhaveri, Saloni Jog, Sunita Rajwade Jolly, Arjun Kachwala, Shiraz Kahlon, Gurtaj Singh Kaka, Porus Kalpataru Trust Kalra, Pankaj & Mitali Anand Kapadia, Capt. Sohrab S. Kapadia, Ketan Kapadia, Pragni Kapadia, Rajesh Kapadia, Rajesh M. Kapadia, Surin Kapur, Rajiv Kar, Pradeep Karanjavala, Shireen Karodkar, Atish Kataria, Tarun Katgara Family Kavi, Jyotika Row Kazi, Dr. Khurshid Parkar Kewalram Chanrai Foundation Trust Khan, Akbar Khanna, Anupam Anand Khosla, Shantanu Khullar, Shalini Khumana, Rustam Kochar, Anjani Kochar, Mrinalini Kothapa, Vinod Kumar Kothari, Monisha Kothari, Suneet Kothari, Vikram Kumar, Anjolie Kunjur, Sandhya Lalkaka, Ratan Lamba, Dev & Pareena Lamba, Sanjeet Lalvani, Mohit Lamech, Mariam Latif, Zahra M.K. Tata Trust Mahadevia, Nisha Khattau Mahindra, Anand Gopal Mahindra, Anuradha Malkani, Falguni Mansukhani, Anjula K. Mathew, Amrita Mehra, Manoj

Mehra, Sunit Mehta, Russa F. Mehta, Tina Menon, Madhavani Menon, Radha Merchant, Aditya Mirchandani, Anjali Mirchandani, Deepak Mirchandaney, Harish A. (Harry) Mirza, Imran Mistry, Cyrus Mistry, Dinshaw Mistry, Hormuzd Mitra, Achinta Mody, Feroza J. Mody, Mohammed Iqbal Mohinder, Madhuri Moochhala, Sophie Mukhi, Vaidehi Mulla, Jeroo Murarka, Manoj Nanavati, Ajay Vipin Nanavati, Anil Naoroji, Nadish Narielwala, Jimmy Nayak, Sujir Ananth Nayyar, Vivek Pandole, Farokh Pardiwala, Dinshaw Parekh, Siddharth Deepak Parikh, Rajul Parsram, Jagdeep Patel, Geeta Patel, Naushad Patel, Sanjay Patel, Shyla Boga Patel, Sunil Phatak, Vinit Piparaiya, Rishi Pohoomul, Gauri Prakash, Kavita Mitter Press, Rashna Puri, Rajnish Rai, Sanjay Ramalingam, Harsha Ravindra Rohatgi, Rajeev Sabnis, Rashmi Kharbanda Sahgal, Miel Sahney, Rajiv & Jasjiv Sahni, Sunil

Sanghrajka, Darshana Sampat, Swaroop Raval Sanghvi, Chetna Thanawala Saran, Aarti Sarin, Ramesh Chander Screwvala, Ronnie Shah, Ajay Shah, Amita Shah, Bhowli Shah, Sudha Shahani, Neel Moti Sheth, Ghanshyam Sheth, Hemant Shetty, Behroze Oomrigar Shivdasani, Anushka Shivdasani, Moina Shivdasani, Pramila Shroff, Cyrus Shroff, Kunal K. Singh, Sanjiv Paul Singhania, Nawaz Modi Sinha, Neel Sopher, Simone Hillman Srinivasan, Venkatraman Subrahmanyam, Anila Suri, Radhika Tafti, Pheroza Talwar Kapur, Priya Talwar, Gaurav Taneja, Priya Taneja, Gayatri Thadani, Vinay C. Thirani, A.K. Thakker,Sonali Thomas, Sheba Tolani, Rohet N. Unvala, Farokh Uttamsingh, Vikram Vaidya, Laxman Deepak Vakil, Firoze A. Vakil, Dr. Farokh J. Vakil, Dr. Meher J. Vakil, Pheroza J. Vandrevala, Jerxis & Shireen Vaswani, Ashok Venkatrao, Anil Venkatrao, Rishma Wadhwa, Vivek Waney, Arjun Yoddha, Jyoti

Our very special thanks to the Mathrani family for their contribution in memory of Rajesh Mathrani 2011 The X-Cathedralite 11

The Big Book

The Big Book

Authors Mridula Sood Maluste and Viral Doshi and art director Gita Simoes speak with fervour, fond nostalgia and even sheer relief as they reflect on the mammoth task of producing the first exhaustive documentation of the school’s history

S

ifting through the 350 pages of ‘An Undefiled Heritage’ is like sifting through the history of Mumbai, seen through the lens of the institution that is the Cathedral & John Connon School and those who have learned, taught and grown there. As the team talks about the making of the book, their deep personal connection with the subject is apparent. The exhilarating and sometimes arduous journey has taken them through high teas engaged in lively conversations with alumni, trudging through school archives, brisk afternoons huddled together in the British Library in London and many nights burning the proverbial midnight oil.

It all started off quite by chance.

“The accidental discovery of Thomas Arthur Savage’s logbook during the Senior School renovations proved to be the seed,” says education consultant Viral Doshi (ISC 1975).

Viral accepted the book from Mr. Shaw for safekeeping with no idea that this would lead to a tome arguably more extensive than those on other world-famous prestigious schools. He did, however, express

12 The X-Cathedralite 2011

his dream of writing a history of the school someday.

This dream was supported by Mrs. Isaacs, who put him in touch with writer Mridula Sood Maluste (ISC 1973), co-author of the book.

Predictably, the tide of personal and professional commitments swept them along for several years while the project went into cold storage, until Mrs. Isaacs revived it in time for the 150th year celebrations.

She introduced them to art director Gita Simoes (1959), and the team was complete. With an excellent support crew including several from the Cathedral family — editor Mandira Banerji, Niyati Mehta and Nishita Mehta (ISC 2000) — the painstakingly put together treasure took four years to complete.

Mridula describes Viral as a repository of information on the school, adding, “He’s actually a historian.” The authors, with their distinctive and complementary approaches to the process, were both in school in the ’60s and early ’70s — a vantage point in time straddling several generations. Early in the project they noticed that

Photo: Vikram Kothari

An Undefiled HERITAGE Gita, Mridula and Viral

the culture, focus and ethos of the school shifted with each individual at the helm, and segregated chapters by Principals’ tenures.

Mridula calls the book “almost a fictional biography”, sharing how they “decided to make it a human story, with players and actors taking centre-stage and the authors sitting apart a little, watching from the periphery as the plot developed.”

As they eked out the story, detailed discussions and dialogues ensued over every facet of the book, between themselves as well as with veterans from each period.

Gita noticed how the story kept evolving as threads from one person’s narrative were picked up and joined with others to weave the final tale.

She says, “It was wonderful to actually meet the people, putting faces to pictures, names and anecdotes.”

The book snowballed, picking up bits of dusted-off journals, faded photographs and hidden memories along the way. It became a larger project than originally envisioned, a self-propelled blending of archival historical data with personal stories and school legends.

Gita’s real joy came from collecting beautiful images and Viral highlights her role in one of the more meaningful outcomes of the book. “Our place in history has been captured by the famous photographer Raja Deen Dayal and it was Gita who, through his daughter, sourced two previously unseen photographs of Cathedral.”

Viral expresses gratitude that everyone was so forthcoming.

Mrs. Isaacs, who set them off on the journey, gave them complete freedom besides being “very supportive and involved, even sitting through eight or nine hours of interviews. The support from alumni was amazing, from Jehangir Sabavala sharing his photographs and Salman Rushdie responding to us in 30 minutes to the scores of alumni who took time out of their busy schedules to reminisce with us.”

He adds, “The Board of Governors granted us access to all the minutes of meetings dating as far back as the 1920s — including sensitive information about each Principal and reviews of teachers’ misbehaviour!”

The clearly collaborative process involved countless hours of meticulous research and as Gita succinctly puts it, “From all over the world, it came together.”

Coming off the four-year rollercoaster ride, the trio behind the book seems calmly satiated with the joy of a job well done. As for the rest of us, as we shut the book (whether skimmed, read cover to cover, or something in between) we should be deeply grateful to them for bringing alive our shared history.

- Miel Sahgal (ISC 1989)

Snapshots from HISTORY

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II

III

IV

V VI

I Headmaster TA Savage and the winning Old Boys’ Hockey Team in front of the newly-opened boys’ school building on Outram Road, photographed by Raja Deen Dayal in 1901.

IIThe Macdonald Medal for Leadership (Boys), instituted in memory of James Macdonald, Headmaster of the Scottish Schools from 1867 to 1902.

III Artist Jehangir Sabavala (back row, second from left) with his peers on ‘Poppy Day’, 1936.

IV Headmaster James Macdonald (2nd from left), with Sir Jacob Sassoon (2nd from right), and one of the early recipients of the Jardine Medal, Hannah Nissim, in 1899.

V Old Boys’ fund-raising dinners were formal, black-tie affairs.

VI During the Second World War, The Borderer magazine was published annually. Due to a shortage of paper, limited type-written copies with hand painted covers were distributed.

Photographs from ‘An Undefiled Heritage’ .

2011 The X-Cathedralite 13

Spotlight

14 The X-Cathedralite 2011

His earliest memories I was in the first standard and before the end of every day our teacher would give a sweet to the boy who was outstanding on that day. The boy either behaved well or tried hard so it was not always the brightest boy.

We all looked forward to this.

His time at Cathedral I enjoyed my time at Cathedral.

Colonel Hammond was generally kindly. His successor, Headmaster Major Bruce, however, never hesitated to use the cane in his office or slap one in class. No one dared complain. Assistant Head Nix-James was an excellent and knowledgeable teacher. He never had to raise his voice. We had a lot of ‘temps’ as most of the masters went to the Forces during World War II. I think this must have affected our enthusiasm for study. Although we had an annual inter-house gala and water polo and swimming tournament, we never had any other school sessions.

A L e g a c y

o f

L a n d ma r k s

C or por ate O ffice : SP C entr e 41/44 Minoo D esai Mar g, C olaba, Mumbai 400 005, India Tel + 91 22 6749 0000 w w w.shapoor ji.in

In 1952, the biggest news was that the Soviets were coming. After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, the USSR had not competed in the Olympics until the Helsinki Games. It was a big year for Cathedral too as alumnus Dr. David Sopher (Barham, 1944) represented India in water polo

S hapoorji Pallonji & C o. Ltd.

Interiors of The Imperial, Mumbai

Birla Residential School, Bangalore

Brabourne Cricket Stadium, Mumbai Sterling Heritage, Mumbai

Palace of His Majesty Sultan Q aboos Bin Said Al Said, Muscat

From interiors to edifices, our creations are benchmarked as works of art.

The Imperial, Mumbai

Interiors of The Imperial, Mumbai

David Sopher

Isaac Mansoor (left) and David Sopher were together in school and also represented India in the 1952 Olympics

We had a regular evening swimming session at the Maccabi Club, which is where we got the incentive to play water polo.

Special friends and mentors Isaac Mansoor and I were together at Cathedral, in Barham, in Grant Medical College, in JJ Hospital and left for the UK at about the same time. Isaac was my inspiration and he was, till he passed away two years ago, always ahead of me in water polo, swimming and also in studies.

Sunday mornings we played matches in leagues and tournaments on the same teams — Golwalla Baths (Parsis), Mafatlal Baths (Hindus), Maccabi (Jews) and Breach Candy (Europeans).

The Olympic experience In 1950 we went to the Maccabi Games in Israel and then to the Asian Games in Delhi. In 1952, we were both chosen for the Olympic Games in Helsinki. The Italians and Russians trounced us, as we were puny in comparison. Water polo was (perhaps it still is) a dirty game — a lot of it under the surface — and those big guys did not change their game against us little folk. As a contingent, India did not do much (except in hockey). For us it was a great social event. A feature reported in the Indian papers (one does remember odd things!) said that the

swimming changing room was open plan and one’s clothes had to be handed to a young girl in the middle of the room. Some of the Indian team memberes, who had never as much as exposed themselves even to other men, found it disconcerting at first, but had to get used to it.

Overall the experience was good.

And we did win against Mexico!

Doing swimmingly well At the age of 62, still thinking I was a strong swimmer, I had to be rescued from a rough sea off Long Island and realised that I had been neglecting my fitness. When I returned to London, I joined a training club and later took part in the World Medical Games, in the 55-65 age group. I won seven gold medals. I induced Isaac to join the following year. He had kept up his training after having a mild heart attack and he swept the board with seven golds.

The present At 82, now retired from my practice of medicine, I live in Central London and still swim four times a week, do a bit of wood-turning and travel to meet family.

- As told to Mukeeta Jhaveri (ISC 1983) 2011 The X-Cathedralite 15

Spotlight

Malavika Sarukkai Alumna Malavika Sarukkai is a world-renowned, award-winning Bharata Natyam dancer and teacher who has performed at major arts festivals from Khajuraho to Edinburgh gained much by way of relationships (she’s still in touch with school friend Yasmine Stafford and often meets her other school friends at dance concerts and school reunions).

She remembers herself as being an “average student” whose mind “was not contoured by academic studies, but rather by the world outside.” Yet, she doesn’t recall feeling like a misfit in the classroom.

“There were always students who were competitive, but one didn’t feel the pressure too much… it was possible to be left alone.”

But if, say, a geography or science lesson got too dull, this Savageite wasn’t above taking some liberties.

“Sometimes, on the pretext of going to drink water, one left the classroom. It gave one a sense of ‘bunking’ a bit of class!” she confesses.

She has come a long way since her Standard 2 days when she would “wait for the silver bus, which would pick me up at Nepean Sea Road to take me to school on Malabar Hill.”

So who was her favourite teacher at Cathedral? “I remember Mr. Wagh who so painstakingly taught us Hindi. He was patient and tried very hard to ensure that we passed the exams.” www.malavikasarukkai.com

“A

s a performer, Sarukkai is phenomenally precise…

As an actress, she is a chameleon… She is also a master of coordinating movement and music,” raved Pamela Squires in The Washington Post after watching Malavika Sarukkai, (ISC 1974) perform at the Kennedy Center earlier this year.

Sarukkai, perhaps the most celebrated Bharata Natyam exponent in the country today, and the recipient of several awards — including the Padmashree in 2003 — has delivered inspirational performances across the globe, from London to Japan, France, Brazil and Spain.

Over the years, Sarukkai’s body of work has included exciting collaborations with a range of artists, musicians, writers and painters. Her dance interpretation of S.H. Raza’s painting ‘Bindu’, in particular, was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. When we caught up with the ex-Cathedralite she said that her mother had influenced her decision to take up dancing. “She was instrumental in sending me to Chennai to further study the art of dance… By the time I was 16, I knew the thing I loved to do most was dance… It has been a splendid journey with great moments

of achievement, ecstasy and also introspection.”

And while Sarukkai, who started dancing at the age of seven, doesn’t remember performing in school, she learnt a number of important lessons during her time there. “The Indian classical arts of dance and music were not emphasised by the school. I guess the emphasis was on a more western outlook. In life, one needs to find people with whom one can relate and be comfortable.

Status, power and money are not the defining attributes in making friends,” she says. Sarukkai has

- Shikha Sethi (Standard 9, 1998) 2011 The X-Cathedralite 17

Pioneers

Crowning GLORY At the age of 18, Miss India, Fleur Ezekiel became the first Indian to compete in the Miss World beauty pageant

I

(Above) Fleur Ezekiel in 1959 when she won the Miss India crown. (Right) Fleur Madnani still has her winner’s trophy at her home in Pune

n 1959 another ex-Cathedralite created history. Fleur Ezekiel (1957) became the first Miss India to represent her country on the Miss World stage. Unlike the heavily sponsored, ticket-to-Bollywood events these beauty pageants are today, in those days, Miss India was a fledgling endeavour.

After leaving Cathedral School, Fleur became a part-time model and full-time secretary at an advertising agency. It was then that Eve’s Weekly, the organisers of Miss India, came to a show in which she was participating. “At that time we modelled for fun as there was virtually no payment; you might just be given the clothes you modelled,” recalls Fleur who is now Fleur Madnani and lives in Pune. “When I won the Miss India title the crown was made of cardboard.” The crown may have been cardboard, but the cup endures and is displayed in her bedroom in Pune.

Fleur had never left Mumbai, let alone India, when she was required to fly to London and compete against the most beautiful women from around the world. “I had never left my city and here I was going to London. I had to look after myself and even wore many of my own clothes. We were staying at the Savoy. It was cold and rainy and I was so green I didn’t even know that you cannot wear trousers to certain restaurants. I was nervous, but I just accepted it,” says the Barhamite whose mother, Sophia

Ezekiel, taught French at Cathedral.

Her brother Noel, also an alumnus, joined the Royal Air Force and lives in the USA. When she returned from the contest, Fleur slipped back into her job as secretary and model.

In 1998, she retired as Manager - Administration at a pharma company and moved to Pune some years ago. Fleur’s two daughters did not go to Cathedral, something, she says, “They hold against me.”

Looking back at her time in school, she feels the general knowledge, education and sports exposure made her more confident and helped her on a public platform. “I was shy in school, but can now talk 19 to a dozen. I became more confident after school. I now look forward to our reunions and especially enjoyed our 50th reunion in 2007.”

Interestingly, whenever Fleur applied for jobs, she omitted mention of Miss India or Miss World from her resume. She says, “Often the employers found out and would ask why I didn’t mention it. I would say why should I? How is it relevant?

If I had said so, you might have thought I was a floozy!”

And how does she feel when she thinks back to that momentous year now? “It’s like a dream. Sometimes I wonder did it really happen, but then the cup is there to remind me.”

- Udita Jhunjhunwala (ICSE 1984) 2011 The X-Cathedralite 19

Changing Tracks

Grape Expectations Rajeev Samant, gave up a finance job in Silicon Valley to lead a more balanced life and to be closer to nature

R

© 2009 Swagelok Company

ajeev Samant (ISC 1985, Wilson), Founder and CEO of Sula Vineyards, has very fond memories of his time in school.

Boxing was his favourite sport till he had his nose knocked out and his competitive edge is revealed when he recalls the thrill of being in the ring with three floors of students shouting down and cheering him on.

In addition to tube fittings, we also make valves, regulators, filters, and happier customers.

Contrary to what you may think, we’re much more than a tube fitting company.

And we have our obsession with Customer Focus to thank for that. Yes, we’re known throughout the world for our tube fittings. And yes, we’ve been at it for over 60 years. But when companies are looking harder than ever for greater value, it’s our broad range of products including orbital welders, modular systems, and a complete line of hose, that helps us offer more than you expect. See for yourself at swagelok.com/moreproducts.

As we sit in his office in Lower Parel, Mumbai, eating a meal made out of the produce grown at his farm, I try to recreate for myself the mind-space of a Stanford graduate with a Master’s degree in Engineering Management and a stint at Oracle’s Finance Division, California who transitioned to entrepreneurship.

He gave up Silicon Valley’s heyday to move to a fairly undeveloped sector that meant both a geographical change and spending time in rural India.

Very simply, he says, he realised that the job was not what he was meant to do with his life.

“Though it was great for so many reasons, including the money, it was, at the end of the day, a bit boring.”

His guiding influences during his college years had been the musings of philosophers Leo Tolstoy, Henry David Thoreau and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, all of whom said that in order to ensure a fulfilling and balanced life, one’s time should be

divided equally between the city and nature.

He came to a personal realisation that it was time to go back to India, develop the family’s farming interests, and allow himself to be more aligned towards these philosophies.

The thought eventually manifested as the creation of Sula Wines, now a household name for wine-drinking Indians and for some years now, a globally-recognised winery.

Today, he gets lauded for being a visionary entrepreneur. To him, these decisions are part of a series of choices made by a process of elimination and fortunate timing.

“In 1993, when I returned to India, most of the traffic was going in the other direction. Maybe it was easier to do something different then, than it would be now, because there were less of us and no one knew what to expect out of it.”

Recollecting his time in school he says, “I was a very good student academically and I loved all the extra-curricular activities.” He represented the school in tennis and badminton, and took a stab at inter-school chess. He was Music Secretary, loved Debates, squirmed over Elocution but accredits it with giving him the valuable opportunity of overcoming the fear of public speaking and leaving him with a lifelong skill.

He reminisces about being editor of his class magazine and finding pieces of writing by Salman Rushdie in the school archives. It was the first time Samant realised that the awardwinning writer is an alumnus. “I don’t feel that students are exposed enough to the school’s heritage whilst they are in it,” he says, “and that’s a very important part of the institution.”

- Aliya Curmally (ISC 1998) 2011 The X-Cathedralite 21

Off the Shelf

Off the SHELF Businessman Ashwin Sanghi (ICSE 1985) embarked on a parallel career as a writer when his first novel, The Rozabal Line, reached bestseller lists. His second novel, Chanakya’s Chant, will soon be made into a film What have you been doing since you graduated from Cathedral?

After completing my ICSE I went on to St. Xavier’s College to get a BA in Economics followed by an MBA from Yale. I then joined my family business — in automobiles, engineering, real estate and manufacturing — where I continue to work full time. I also got married and I have an eight-year-old son Raghuvir, who goes to Cathedral.

Were there any teachers or other specific people during your Cathedral years that influenced your interest in writing?

My primary interest in reading was from my grandfather who would give me a book each week to read.

However, in Senior School Mr. David Elisha, an incredibly fine human being, was my English teacher.

He pulled me up for “sprinkling commas like salt and pepper!” Ms. Hallegua taught me Mathematics, but she was the only teacher who corrected my spelling mistakes in my Algebra answers. Finally, there was Dr. Krishnan. He had a chance to read the manuscript of my first novel before it was published and predicted that it would do well.

How did you embark upon your writing career?

During my MBA at Yale, I wrote a column for our newspaper. Many readers came up to me and told me that they liked my style of writing — short, crisp sentences devoid of big words; self-deprecating humour; sarcastic but witty observations and sincere insincerity.

22 The X-Cathedralite 2011

persona and am entirely businessoriented. Evenings are mostly centred around family. I work Monday through Friday, but Saturdays are reserved entirely for my writing. I am also completing a PhD. in creative writing.

When I returned to Mumbai, I continued to contribute a few articles to newspapers and magazines but I realised that it wasn’t exciting me anymore. Between 2003 and 2005 I read over 30 books in order to research Rozabal and in 2006 I ended up writing The Rozabal Line. I couldn’t find a publisher for over 18 months but when Tata-Westland published it in 2008, it became a national bestseller.

At that moment, I knew I was hooked to my parallel career as a writer.

Does your career have a rhythm of alternating between writing and running your family business? Or is there an overlap?

I have constructed Chinese walls between my entrepreneurial life and my literary one. I usually write early in the mornings. By the time I get into work, I’ve discarded the author

What triggered an interest in UTV purchasing the rights to your second book?

When I wrote Chanakya’s Chant I didn’t realise that the fast-paced story was ideally suited to developing a screenplay. The novel was released in January 2011 and by April it had reached #1 on India Today’s bestseller list. From May onwards I began to receive enquiries for the film rights. Siddharth Roy Kapur, the CEO of UTV Software Communications, gave me confidence that UTV would do justice to the story. Inking an agreement was quick and painless given the fact that both parties to the agreement wanted the very same thing.

What is your next novel about?

Although I can’t share details of the subject, what I can say is that my third novel shall be a thriller with liberal doses of my usual ingredients — history, mystery, mythology, conspiracy and theology. I hope that this book will be available by mid-2012.

- Reenita Malhotra Hora (ISC 1989) 2011 The X-Cathedralite 23

Teacher Updates

From the STAFF ROOM Mrs. Chitre Mrs. Chitre taught Hindi and Marathi in the Middle School for 15 years until retiring in 2002.

She spends her retirement pursuing hobbies such as making cloth handbags and cushion covers and visiting the USA to look after her grandchildren. In the evenings, she teaches almost all subjects including Maths, which is her first love, to the underprivileged children at the YWCA. Does she find it different teaching children at the YWCA versus Cathedralites?

Mrs. Chitre’s answer is a resounding ‘no’ — children are children and very affectionate whatever their circumstances. Warm as ever, she sends her love to all her ex-students.

Mrs. Nina Dandekar “Yamuna, Ganga, Gomti, Ghagra, Gandak, Kosi, Som, and JCRS to the power of B!” Generations of Cathedralites learned the rivers of India with the help of the elegant Mrs. Dandekar’s rhymes and acronyms. Mrs Dandekar, Head of Geography and Economics at the Senior School, retired in June 2003.

She has four grandchildren from her two children. Mrs. Dandekar still gives some lucky children group tuitions. She looks back on her teaching years very fondly and considers Cathedral to be her second home, a place of warmth and love.

Her greatest happiness in life is to meet her ex-students.

24 The X-Cathedralite 2011

Mrs. S. Kapoor Mrs. Kapoor, who was also the Barham House Mistress, taught Geography for 20 years at Cathedral, first from 1973 to 1980, and then again seven years later, until she retired in 2000. In between, she was the first, and only, female teacher at La Martiniere Boys’ College, Lucknow. After Cathedral, Mrs. Kapoor taught at Marble Arch, an ICSE school in Andheri, and also coached children in Geography.

This year is her first year of full retirement. She has two sons and a daughter. She no longer plays the tabla due to her arthritis, but still manages to beat the building kids at table tennis every once in a while!

Ms. Ashwina Mullan Ms. Mullan taught at Cathedral for three years.

She was the Standard 5 class teacher for the first year and then taught English, History and Geography to her Standard 7 class.

In 1985, she moved to Pune to become Mrs. Madraswala. In Pune, she soon joined Primrose Nursery School. Today, Mrs. Madraswala is Principal of Primrose. An athlete and swimmer in her youth, she has no time for much else, except reading, which she still does with a passion.

Mr. P. X. Swami Mr. Swami taught Hindi and Geography in the Senior School for close to two decades, retiring

in 1991. In his post-retirement avatar, he’s an author, lyricist and translator. Author of two books (one on Mother Teresa and the other about a man from Vasai who ended up at Nagasaki), translator of nine books and a writer of bhakti songs, several of which have been released on CD, Mr. Swami lives in Thane.

An ex-student called Jerry, who Mr. Swami had encouraged to take up the tabla, went on to become an assistant to a music director in the USA. He helped Mr. Swami release his first LP ‘Atma ki Awaaz’. Mr Swami’s books and CDs can be found at the Examiner Press, a shop behind the Share Bazaar, Fort.

Mrs. Vilma Heredia

Mr. and Mrs. Heredia in Baltimore, Maryland

Mrs. Heredia dedicated 32 years of her life to teaching in the Middle School, retiring in 1996.

Mrs. Heredia lives in Andheri but commutes almost every day to Worli where her son, Nigel (a Commander in the Indian Navy) lives, to look after her grandchildren. Every other year, she travels to the US to visit her daughter Rael who is married to a professor from Johns Hopkins University. Mrs. Heredia is enjoying life as much as she enjoyed teaching.

- Compiled by Shonar Lala (ISC 1990) 2011 The X-Cathedralite 25

In Memoriam Mrs. Jean Cabral

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cting Principal and Headmistress passed away on December 27, 2010 in Newcastle, UK aged 81 years.

I was sad to read about the demise of our beloved Headmistress Mrs. Jean Cabral, a great favourite of mine. A soft-spoken but strict lady, who knew every child in school, always lent a ear and tried to help in any way she could. Fair, just and caring, with a heart of gold.

I will always remember the days of the strikes in Mumbai. We were in the Standard 1 classroom when during one strike several men rushed in. Mrs. Downey closed the doors and asked us to be quiet and sit under the desks. We peeped through the slatted doors when we heard Mrs. Cabral’s soft but stern

Mr. J. N. Pande

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hen I joined school in January 1960 in Standard 3, Mr. J.N. Pande who hailed from Dharwar, Karnataka, was a teacher in the lower classes for Hindi and Marathi.

Therefore, I had the opportunity of being taught by him. He had an excellent physique in those days and used to be our coach for Hockey and Football. The school’s performance in Hockey was the best in Mumbai. As students went to higher classes, Mr. Pande’s career also rose. Later, he became the Head of the Department of Hindi. In those days, the School used to have one English play performed by the students and this encouraged Mr. Pande to start Hindi and Marathi plays.

Mr. Pande later became Palmer House Master and his students loved him because of his friendly nature.

He lived in an apartment allotted

28 The X-Cathedralite 2011

In Memoriam voice as she told the men, “Get out you hooligans and leave my school children alone.” She stood with her arms held out wide against the door with Mrs. Downey by her side. No other teacher came out to help. They stayed put in the staff room.

The men left as she walked towards them, pushing them back till they left our school. We were so proud of her. Mrs. Downey and Mrs. Cabral came into the classroom and spoke to each of us, calming us. They gave us all a small hug or a squeeze on the shoulder and told us never be afraid, stand up tall, do your best, keep alert and no one will touch you.

After that we had a gate put at the inner entrance of our school.

Another time, owing to an appendix operation I was not allowed

to use the stairs and had to be in class all alone during the breaks.

Mrs. Cabral would regularly come to see if I was okay.

Many years later, I was at the airport going to Udaipur for my honeymoon when I heard a voice saying, ‘Gooloo Chothia.’ I looked around to see Jean Cabral giving me a big smile and then a hug, asking about my family, classmates and what I was up to. She was down from the UK and was on her way to Goa to meet her late husband’s family. That was the last time I saw her, 36 years ago.

In our time, she was the best Headmistress we had. May her soul rest in eternal peace and happiness wherever she is.

by the School, in what is now the Middle School, and therefore he was easily accessible to students who wanted extra help in Hindi and Marathi.

His wife Jaya used to always accompany him to School and Alumni Association functions.

Born in July 1930 in Mumbai, he passed away on November 20, 2010 at the age of 80. He was a very friendly and sporting teacher. He had two sons, Sanjay and Sangam, both of whom had graduated from the Cathedral School and then got admission into American universities, after which they never returned to India.

When Mr. Pande retired from school, his sons sponsored their parents, who then migrated to the United States. Mr. Pande used to visit India once a year to take care of his ancestral properties in Dharwar

and other assets. He was never dependent on his sons and even in America he used to teach yoga to sustain himself.

I am proud to have been his student and the credit for what I know in Hindi, Marathi, Hockey and Football goes to him alone. During the last six months of his life, he was hospitalised and taken good care of by Dr. Anand Gokani of Bombay Hospital, who was also an exstudent. His end came on November 20, 2010. But before his death, his younger son Sangam had passed away in America. Sanjay his elder son, completed the funeral rites of his father on November 22, 2010.

Mr. Pande will surely be remembered with gratitude by all his students for his support and guidance.

May his soul rest in peace.

- Ambika Morarka (ISC 1968)

- Gooloo Khambatta (ISC 1968)

Christopher Charles Velu (1920 – 2004) A Tribute to an Inspiring Teacher he doorbell rang one hot and sultry Mumbai afternoon in 1958. I was 11 and in Standard 6.

Standing in the hallway was Mr. Velu, the Cathedral choir master, organist and the school’s head of music. My life was changed forever. As an Anglican, a student at Cathedral School and a boy, I was in along with my brother with no audition.

Poor Velu had the almost impossible task of forging a choir which produced beautiful music on Sundays, high days, weddings, recitals and other celebrations with limited raw material. The perfectionist would want to squeeze the best out of us while we just wanted to get through the list of hymns, psalms and anthems as quickly as we could. One could sense a collective but silent groan when he said, “Once more from the top”.

Eventually, there was a growing

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Joan Dev (1930 – 2011) Middle School Head Mistress orn Joan Margaret Parkinson in Lancaster England, the young lady who was School Prefect, Hockey Captain, House Captain and an accomplished seamstress to boot, had an early calling to the teaching profession. From playing ‘school’ in her backyard to Teacher Training College in Leeds she always knew what she wanted.

Unable to resist the dashing Punjabi charms of Dharam Dev Khattar who she met while he was at Leeds University, she married him at the young age of 21 and sailed off to India. The clan not only embraced her very quickly but encouraged her to hold school and homework sessions

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appreciation of what we were doing and the heights Mr. Velu was trying to get us to scale. This appreciation of choral music, grudging at first, helped develop an interest in more complex forms other than the popular and bland Bernadine of Pat Boone. Bach, Shankar, Ellington, Hendrix, Haydn, The Stones or The Steve Miller Band are all the same to me: good music is good music and I owe my catholic tastes to the door he opened for me.

He had a tough job made tougher by the standards he had set himself and us, but I never ever saw him lose his temper or resort to violence in a time when both corporal and capital punishment were the norm at school. His restraint, when compared to the behaviour of some other teachers, was remarkable.

Yes, he was a gentleman, but also a gentle man.

As head of music for both schools Mr. Velu was also a keen and competitive choir master with his eyes set on winning the Victor

Paranjoti Cup which we did win a couple of times. No insignificant bauble this, but the equivalent of the Olympics or the World Cup. Mr. Velu’s love of music was shared by his son Romesh who sang in several choirs in the UK, including Ex Cathedra, which I would recommend to anyone interested in beautiful choral music. Unfortunately, Romesh passed away tragically a few years ago and our lives lost the joy he brought to them.

For good teachers such as Mr. Velu, it was not a job but a vocation.

They generously shared their knowledge and experience, hoping that their charges would fly higher than they could and rejoiced in that thought. They are the true heroes and their worth is priceless to any society.

This is written in gratitude for all his unflinching efforts to turn this sow’s ear into a silk purse. It is also written in memory of his son, our friend, Romesh Velu (1950 - 2006).

- Owen Berkeley-Hill (1963)

on their veranda in Delhi making her the first working woman in the family.

Her career in Mumbai took off immediately upon arrival when Mrs. Adcock, the Principal of a private school hired her unseen. This school was to later become Walsingham.

The Angrez lady from Leeds had no trouble commuting from Andheri by train, bus and taxi to reach her Malabar Hill school often wading through floods.

When she went to see Mrs. Jean Cabral of the even then famous ‘Cathedral & John Connon School’ for the admission of five-year-old Vijay not only was he admitted but she too was hired on the spot as a Standard 5 teacher.

She worked at Cathedral School for over 30 years and became Head

Mistress. By her own admission “I enjoyed my teaching profession and continued to stay engaged even after retirement by giving private tuitions”.

She received the MBE Medal (Member of the British Empire) from Queen Elizabeth II in 1961 for her contribution to the field of education and social work in India.

Post-retirement and the loss of her husband, Mrs. Dev moved to Canada via Texas and Singapore where she continued to teach English. Mrs. Dev (pronounced as ‘dev’ as in devil and not as in ‘thav’) will always be remembered

by Middlers in the ’70s for her firm hand, her supreme English efficiency, her love for her adopted home and her memorable accent.

- Mukeeta Jhaveri (ISC 1983) 2011 The X-Cathedralite 29

In Memoriam Mrs. Ammon

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rs. Ammon joined Cathedral in June 1980. She is remembered fondly by the teachers with whom she shared hours on ‘The Verandah.’ She taught Home Science and Cookery, as a sixth subject, for the ICSE till it was no longer offered, after which she taught Hindi.

She was a perfectionist and strict disciplinarian in most aspects of her life and always sought to raise the bar of her students’ work. Her brutal honesty resulted in her coming across as a bit harsh. “She had a good heart and meant well,” says Mrs. Neena Dandekar who joined the

Mr. Anand

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ho doesn’t remember Mr. Anand, the school photographer, a familiar face at every sporting meet and event from the time we joined school till the time we passed out? That’s right; Mr. Anand was associated with the Cathedral School for over 50 years. You can still see Mr. Anand’s familiar stamp, even today after all these years. And strangely, while we may think of Mr. Anand as our own - as the Cathedral School photographer, the one entrusted with capturing so many of our memories, my wife points out that he was the photographer for her school as well.

So it’s really saddening to know

Hemant Watsa

Class of ’70, Barham emant was diagnosed with a terminal disease in March 2011 and passed away on April 17, 2011.

He is survived by his wife Glenda and daughter Yaamini and mother and brothers Uday and Rohit. Hemant lived in Australia for many years and came to India four years ago.

His life is one to celebrate. We know this both from the way he lived, and his thoughts about others who had left this world.

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30 The X-Cathedralite 2011

In Memoriam Cathedral family on the same day as her and shared scrumptious lunches with her for the 18 - 20 years they spent teaching at school. Bhagwan, apart from his peon’s duties, ensured that their lunch was heated in the Home Science lab oven and laid out on a tablecloth. That stopped when he retired but Mrs. Ammon would personally warm up everyone’s lunch in the oven so that they could continue to enjoy their meals in five-star fashion. Friends and family unanimously declared her ‘the perfect hostess.’ Her recipes were legendary.

Even the lazy boys were able to produce edible brownies and fried rice.

The death of her son, Donald, in April due to jaundice was a tremendous source of shock and grief to her which many of her friends believe was the cause of her sudden death in early August.

Mrs. Ammon’s Home Science class was the highlight of my week. I still use her recipes and they formed the backbone of my culinary talent. I just wish I hadn’t taken almost 20 years to tell her that she was one of my inspirations for my Hotel Management degree, as she passed away a few days before I was to meet her at the tea for the retired teachers.

that Mr. Anand is no more. But he will be remembered by generations through his photographs, every time we pull them out to show them to our friends and our children.

He named Simran Mulchandani, Ashutosh Phatak and Rohan Sippy, “The Three Idiots.” He flirted and proposed marriage to Tina Kapur, Sangeeta Gokhale and myself. He spent hours questioning the entire batch why the three most beautiful girls of their batch were still single in their late 30s. We promised him that if we’d been older or him younger he’d be married to one of us.

He was the official school photographer for many South Mumbai schools and had an archive of photographs at home that we must not lose. For with him and his work would die memories of thousands of students.

- Mehboob Quasim (ISC 1989)

Mr. Anand fascinated me the first time I met him when he took our 5A class photograph. I got to know him well after I tracked him down to record our batch’s 20-year reunion at Blue Frog in Mumbai in January 2010. We became extremely close.

He was a wonderful person, a gifted photographer and had a joie de vivre that I shall never forget.

He was the life of our reunion and had most of us in splits with his wisecracks and jokes last January.

We knew Hemant as full of life with positive energy and everyone he met, however fleetingly, thought of him as jovial. He was generous, thoughtful and always had an open house. He had more depth than was apparent, and an important part of his life was as an activist with a constant effort to help those that were less privileged.

He was a gourmet cook and had even dreamt about starting a restaurant!

Hemant wrote the following

- Maleeka Rafiq Lala (ISC 1989)

- Maleeka Rafiq Lala (ISC 1989)

when a Cathedralite, a year older, passed away. It sheds light on who Hemant was. “It came as a shock to hear of his passing away. No doubt he is pursuing a higher academia and wondering what the hell we are all feeling so morose about. I have just poured a glass of outstanding Aussie red wine in his memory. I toast his success and his reaching a higher level than any of us have yet achieved, but no doubt we all will sooner or later. Enjoy!”

By Class of 1970 friends of Hemant

Jehangir Sabavala

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ehangir Sabavala, a great artist, friend and supporter, was a man of impeccable taste and comportment, of etiquette and letters. Sabavala will be remembered not only for his art, but also for his uncompromising commitment to beauty, and the dignity, integrity and generosity of spirit that he always stood for.

Cutting an elegant figure, Sabavala touched several lives during the course of his own, both within and beyond Mumbai’s art fraternity, of which he was an integral part.

Apart from mentoring young artists, encouraging gallerists and supporting several charities, Sabavala always had

Tribute to Mrs. Subramanian from her 4M (1980-81) students

Rohit Poddar: Mrs. Subramanian was a big influence in my life as my class teacher in 4M. Incidentally, she was also my mother’s teacher in high school in Calcutta whom she also influenced greatly. When we moved from Bangalore to Mumbai mid-term I struggled initially. Mrs. Subramanian was the one who imparted a high level of confidence in me during this transition that helped me not just in Cathedral but also in life. She remained a tremendous support through the years. I take note of her comparatively early demise with a great sense of sadness.

Her husband, I believe held a senior position with TIFR and the Atomic Research Institute and her brilliant sons Ajay and Arvind have made successes of themselves too. God bless their family.

Shima Mehta-Dholakia: She was the best teacher I ever had and was more of a mother figure than a teacher! She was extremely warm, loving and approachable and I so looked forward to going to school in 4M. I was thrilled when she was there

time to lend his ear and offer a few words of advice to anyone who sought them, making it a point to nurture every relationship he was a part of, whether personal or professional.

Born into a well-known Parsi philanthropic family in 1922, Sabavala attended Cathedral (1939) before joining the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai, and then studying at the best schools and ateliers in London and Paris. Over the course of his artistic career, which spanned more than 60 years, Sabavala never paused to survey the past, but always pushed forward, constantly challenging himself and his boundaries of his unique modern idiom.

Since his first solo exhibition held in a hired room of the Taj Mahal Hotel, the artist’s work has been featured in over 30 solo shows held across India and several other countries. Sabavala was honoured with the Padmashree by the Government of India in 1977, and the Lalit Kala Ratna by the President of India in 2007.

Jehangir Sabavala’s passing marks the loss of a true gentleman, a respected mentor and one of the most important pioneers of Indian modernism. He will be missed deeply and remembered with great fondness by all of us.

to bless us on our wedding day. That was the last time we met but I can never forget her influence on my life.

Tina Kapur: She was a happy, jolly soul with her big red bindi, a ready smile and those impeccable sarees. She was a huge source of encouragement and inspiration to me. Having been an Honours student, I remember when my grades started slacking, no doubt thanks to the sudden discovery that boys existed and weren’t as bad as we’d thought, she took me aside and had a frank heart to heart with me about her belief in me and how much she would not like me to let down this faith. That resonated with me and I did indeed pull up my socks! Thank you, Mrs. Subramanian. May you rest in peace.

to cycle in the long passages of her building, Kenilworth on Peddar Road, or that I was the class ‘fish tank’ monitor.

She was plain fond of me and looked out for me in class. I always listened to her and loved her. Why so I do not know, it just was that way.

Shivas Nath: All through a child’s school life there are very few teachers that leave an indelible mark. You remember them your entire life.

Mrs. Subramanian most certainly did. It was not because she made me the ‘king’ in our class play, or that I raised my game and almost bagged the ‘progress’ prize; neither was it because her sons Ajay and Arvind were my friends, or that I learnt how

- Dinesh Vazirani (ISC 1985)

Maleeka Rafiq Lala: Her large heartedness, love, joyfulness and genuine warmth towards every one of us made my move from Dubai to Mumbai almost easy. I was one of five who she privately tutored after school to get us up to speed and I built a bond with her that helped me be the confident and loving person I am today. She taught me how to love unconditionally, built my self-esteem and was truly a second mother to me, as my parents were still away. I’ll never forget her beautiful sarees and how she helped me befriend those who today are my closest friends.

God bless you ‘Mummy’ and may you find joy and peace wherever you’ve moved on to and I hope our paths cross again sometime as I never, in recent years, had a chance to thank you for your love, encouragement and support.

2011 The X-Cathedralite 31

Reunions

Class of '59

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Reunions the Class of ’59 was unveiled by Annikki Matthan — each copy signed by all the classmates present!

The midpoint of our reunion was the Founders’ Day Church Service at St. Thomas’ Cathedral. The service was followed by the Alumni Dinner Dance at Blue Sea, Worli and an opportunity to meet 700 other schoolmates and (perhaps) old flames!

ork on our reunion began two years earlier, given the time-consuming task of locating classmates, many who had not been seen for almost 50 years. Cathedral provided sketchy records; however our popular blog, ‘Seventh Heaven’, named after a newsletter from our Standard 7, helped. The The next day we headed to Alibaug for an overnight energy Jacob Matthan put in was amazing — seeking trip. Cocktails and brunch were hosted at the out our teachers and classmates the world over. By ‘Kapur Bungalow’ perched atop a hill. Planned and mid-2009, we had 73 confirmed as attending — commissioned by our late classmate, Ashok Kapur, coming from as far as the US, UK, Israel, Mauritius, it was completed just in time for our reunion. The Malaysia and Canada and of course, those in India. evening was spent at the regal Ruia House where hosts Our next task was to plan the events for our sevenAshok and Anil had day bash. Having agreed a band playing ’60s that the reunion would music, dancing, party straddle Founders’ games and an amazing Day, the events were 48 mouth-watering meticulously planned dishes, each named — all unique for after one of us! their generous hosts, The class of ’59 locations, menus and rested on day six and Left to right: Husnain Chinwala, Shivi, Jacob, Bill Shiri, Ramesh Mirchandani, Viney Sethi (at back), other ‘bandobasts’. These Noel Ezekiel (front), Ooky Elias and David. on day seven Piloo Tata included a ‘Breaking The ladies: Gita Simoes, Anjula Mansukhani, Asha Agarwal, Harmo Malik, Sheryn Mulla, Parvin Surti, and Armeane Choksey the Ice’ ceremony held Seeta Nayyar, Saroj Malkani.

The men behind the ladies: Anil Ruia, Vikram Savara, Naubir Mohindar, Peter Miovic, Adi Cooper, brought the curtain at Middle School over Arvind Thadhani, Atul Kapadia, Venkat, Ratan, Khurshed Balsara, Vinay Dabholkar, Robert Tyabji, down with a lavish ‘samosas and chai’ Arun Sethi and Jangoo Moos. dinner at Piloo’s Breach followed by a curtainCandy home.

The sit-down Parsi feast was a fitting raiser at cocktails and dinner hosted jointly by Elijah finale to the Mother of Reunions.

(Ooky) Elias and Viney Sethi at the Bombay Gymkhana.

A DVD and a CD of photographs were prepared by On day two we had an‘Elvis Evening’ dinner and Gita Simoes and Husnain Chinwala respectively, to dance hosted by Vijay Nayar at his penthouse at help recall those wonderful moments, moments that Marine Drive, while on day three the ‘Findian Evening’ took our breath away! was hosted by our Finnish settler, Jacob Matthan.

Dinner was a traditional, delectable South Indian feast - Vijay Shivdasani and during the evening an elegant coffee-table book on

Class of '84

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hey came from USA, Hyderabad, Delhi, New Zealand, Chennai, UK, Holland etc, reuniting after 25 years to celebrate the Class of ’84. Blue Frog in Mumbai had pulled out all stops to make sure the reunion was unforgettable. Given the number of empty bottles, loud laughter, squeals of delight, photo sessions and unabashed dancing that followed, we suspect Blue Frog won’t forget that night in a hurry either. It was a wonderful evening shared not just with long-lost classmates but also with several of their spouses or significant others. As the night wound up, we parted ways with a promise to do this again for our 30th reunion (which is not far now guys!).

- Udita Jhunjhunwala 32 The X-Cathedralite 2011

Class of '60

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lanning for this event began a year earlier, not because we were disorganised but because we were so excited and to give classmates from around the world enough lead time to firm up their travel plans. So it was decided that a week of celebrations, with a trip to Mahabaleshwar thrown in, would give everyone adequate time to catch up and go home with a host of happy memories.

Our festivities began with an evening reception hosted by Meher Amersey and Rashida Anees for almost 90 people. It was set in Rashida’s beautiful house. It was an enchanting evening where old ties were renewed, gentle handshakes and warm hugs were accompanied by loud ‘oohhs’ and ‘ahhs’ as we looked at each other in awe and amazement! Some of us had not met for 50 years while others were reliving earlier get-togethers. Schoolgirl tunics and boys’ shorts had given way to exquisite saris, high-fashioned pants and immaculate suits; some heads were without locks, and just a few displayed the effects of the ‘good life.’

The celebrations continued as we left for the Mahabaleshwar Club early the next morning. During the bus journey we recounted stories and sang songs.

The Secretary of the Club, together with his staff,

Class of '85

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he night of January 2, 2010 was simply magical!

The Class of 1985 met for its 25th reunion, in a celebration that lasted almost 12 hours. Cyrus Mistry and his wife Rohiqa most graciously hosted this get-together at their home and this will remain one of the most memorable evenings in all our lives.

arranged delicious meals and even set up a gala dinner in the garden for the final evening of the three days that we spent there. During the day, we went around some local sights. There were walks and shopping, and lots of bridge, billiards and table tennis. The final evening was outstanding as the Secretary, a wizard on his guitar, belted out all the popular songs of the ’60s and we sang along with him. Aching muscles and stiff joints were ignored as we jived and became kids again!

We returned to Mumbai to an elegant dinner at Tote hosted by the Four Musketeers — Ajit Mehra, David Keidan, Meraj Manal and Pratap Gidvani. Everyone was touched by their generous hospitality and warm affection which allowed us to renew our friendships in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. The weekend began with a successful class Golf tournament but clearly, it was the Founders’ Day Celebrations that brought back emotion-loaded nostalgia, particularly the Church Service which allowed us to relive an important event of each schoolday.

Our final bash was a sumptuous dinner at Ross Deas’ home. Many ballads were sung, the goodbyes were tearful and promises were made to remain connected electronically. It was a fitting finale to a week of renewals, reflections and remembrances.

- Jyotsna Singh Almost 100 ex-students and six teachers participated in this evening. In addition to the Mumbai crowd, classmates from Dubai, the US, London, Delhi and Panchgani attended. Given that some still resembled how they looked whilst in school and some, very different, someone put it very well when they said, “It was surreal and awesome to meet familiar strangers.”

It was a real pleasure to have Ms. Hallegua, Mrs. Mahableshwarwala, Mr. and Mrs. Kochar and Mr. Swami join us that evening. Talking to them brought back wonderful memories from school and even though 25 years had flown by, it seemed like just yesterday.

We sang the School Song and cheered for our School Houses, as if we were still in school. At about 3 a.m., when some of us were losing steam, we were joined by our friends from the Class of 1984 who also had their 25th reunion the same evening and we partied on. Thank you Cyrus, Neel and Anand for your help in arranging such a memorable reunion.

I left at 4 a.m., thinking of all the good times school represented for us, and how even though we have come a long way, our school bonds will never leave us.

- Priya Khubchandani Lambah 2011 The X-Cathedralite 33

Class Notes

Class of 1947 Ratan Lalkaka (Palmer) did his graduation from Wilson College and then joined Air India for one year.

Then moved to Burmah Shell, where he worked for 35 years. After retiring, joined the Petit Trust as their CEO for 10 years and is now involved in trust work after his retirement from there.

Married to Perveen Gazdar (also from Cathedral), and he lives in Mumbai with his two children and two grandchildren.

Alyque Padamsee (Savage) Ad-guru, actor, playwright, producer and director.

Was the Chief Executive Officer of Lintas and is still very active in the theatre world.

Jangoo Dubash (Wilson) former owner of Rogers and Co. Retired, he lives with his family in Mumbai.

Habib Datoobhoy (Wilson) joined the legal profession and used to represent the Aga Khan’s interests in Mumbai.

Farokh Bharucha (Savage) living in Miami, worked for the US Coast Guard.

Ian Brown (Savage) was a Captain in India Steamships, he is now living in Toronto, Canada.

Bobby Jones (Barham) was an excellent athlete, now living in Australia.

Fali Kumana (Barham) joined his family business after school, now living in Pune.

Farrokh Mehta (Wilson) formerly in advertising, now an avid producer of plays. He is married to Vijaya Mehta who is very active in Marathi Theatre.

Foy Nissen (Palmer) anthropologist, worked and retired from the British Council. Is living in Mumbai.

Robin Omer is living in London.

And those who are, sadly, no longer with us: Solu Batliboi (Wilson); Soli Dastur Coover Guzdar (Palmer); Jal Jalnawalla (Savage); Zal Lalkaka (Wilson); Trevor Miller (Palmer); Jimmy Khatau (Savage) and Nari Malani (Wilson).

- By Ratan Lalkaka as told to Mitali Anand Kalra (ISC ’89) 34 The X-Cathedralite 2011

Class Notes

Class of 1956 Pradeep Anand (Wilson) after school, graduated in Engineering and later did his Management Studies.

Worked with large corporates such as Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd.,Videocon Group etc., in diverse assignments and locations in India — though was mainly based in Mumbai. Now retired, settled in New Delhi. His interests are playing bridge, reading and travelling.

Ruma Pal, nee Ghosh (Palmer) finished her schooling from St. Mary’s Convent, Nainital, graduated with honours in Philosophy from Visva Bharati University, got a law degree from the University College of Law, Nagpur, and a post graduate degree in Law from Oxford. Married to Samaraditya Pal, a Barrister, in 1971, she practised as a lawyer for 22 years in various courts in India particularly the Calcutta High Court. Became a High Court Judge in Calcutta in 1990 and a Supreme Court Judge in 2000 from where she retired in 2006. At present she is on the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR) of the ILO and on the Executive Council of various NGOs. Thrity Saraf, nee Vazifdar (Savage) is looking forward to becoming a grandmother second time around and helping her daughter Sabrina after her delivery. She left for Maine in July after experiencing the squelching heat in decades, which made her think of her friends in Mumbai who cope with it every year! She met Rima in New York last month and happily chatted away.

One of the topics discussed was her visit to China a couple of weeks earlier. Had the pleasure of talking to Dina via the phone from California. She sends her best wishes to the Class of ’56.

Suguna Ramanathan, nee Iyer (Savage) takes care of her husband who is bedridden and seldom leaves Ahmedabad. Does a little freelance editing and delivers the occasional lecture when invited. Life is very quiet.

Rishad Talyarkhan (Savage) lives in London though he does try to visit Mumbai every year. Now retired, is recovering from a by-pass operation and

is on dialysis for renal failure which does not sound like fun, but still believes that life is most agreeable. Set up QISS – Quality International Software and Services – an IT consultancy after taking the ‘leaden handshake’ following 27 years in End User software with IBM. Those living in Mumbai - Michael Tahseen, Jimmy Tata, Pheroza Lally, Zarir Adajania (Barham), Navroz Badhniwala (Wilson), Sohrab Kapadia (Palmer), Silloo Captain (Barham), Rajni Anand (Savage), Patsy Mistry (Palmer), Koshu Jain (Palmer), Khadija Ismail (Wilson), Iqbal Chaiwala (Wilson), H.S. Uberoi (Savage), Dina Davar (Wilson), Chitra Ashok Kumar (Savage), Meena Bhat (Palmer) - all now lead very active ‘retired’ lives mostly giving of themselves to education and the community. Muku Hamied (Barham) still has a very active and busy working life.

Those living in Delhi and Chandigarh - Primla Madhok (Savage), Ruby Bhagwagar (Savage), Razia Grover (Palmer) edits books, Amarjit Kulwant Singh (Palmer) and Sheela Mathrani (Wilson) is an active journalist. The others work with NGOs and give of their time to helping others.

Those living in Chennai/ Bangalore Ranjit Matthan (Savage) is very active in his rubber chemical consultancy, travels the world almost unceasingly, yet finds time to work for Leprosy patients’ rehabilitation. Nirmala Sundaram (Wilson) is now planning to divide her time between Mumbai and the US where her daughters live. Rima Kashyap (Palmer) continues to run an NGO magazine, is an inveterate traveller and is now relocating from Mumbai to Bangalore.

Those living in Goa - Habiba Miranda (Wilson) lives in a beautiful Portuguese built villa and enjoys the beauty of the surroundings in the company of her husband, Mario Miranda.

Those living in Dubai - Deena Motiwala (Barham) is impossible to move out of Dubai where she has made her name as the finest support for any charity to do with those less advantaged.

Those living in England - Alaknanda Samarth Duriaud (Barham) continues

her association with the theatre.

Joan Densham (Barham), Jane Bigg (Palmer) are active in music and intellectual pursuits respectively. Both are now retired and more active than ever. Yvonne Gill (Wilson) and Joan Austen (Wilson) keep in close touch with the class.

Those living in the US/Canada Waseem Brelvi (Savage) works for the community in his retirement.

Ernest Haskell (Barham) retired from Pfizer. Doreen Heimlich (Barham) retired from Clemson University.

Padma Abichandani lives a retired life on the East Coast as does Jaya Narayanmurthi (Palmer). Aneeta Masand (Wilson) more recognisable as Nirmala Moolchand shuttles between Gurgaon and the US. Paulette Harte (Savage) is an active interior entrepreneur in British Columbia, Canada.

Those living in Australia - Sherna Kotwal (Palmer) has made a profession of her hobby, painting and still holds regular exhibitions of her work.

Mary Henery (Savage) retired from nursing and is an active lawn bowling enthusiast.

Those living in Israel – Isaac Hyam And those who are, sadly, no longer with us: Amin Jaffer, Shyam Chainani and Ravi Varma Dandekar.

- Compiled by Meena Bhat

Class of 1959 Elijah (Ooky) Elias (Bahram) has recently successfully concluded the sale of the company he promoted, APW President to Schneider Electric. We suspect he will be doing a little more than occupying that rocking chair which he has recently purchased!

Viney (Vins) Sethi (Palmer) has sold his palatial Mango House at Alibaug. The grapevine reports having last seen him in his hammock at Malibu Beach!

Ashok Ruia (Barham) is the promoter of Phoenix Mills. After opening The Palladium in Mumbai with son Atul, he has recently opened a new mall, Phoenix Market City at Vimannagar, Pune and has big plans to open malls and develop properties in a number of cities in India.

List of girls of Class of ’59 Sigrun Warmuth - Germany; Zenobia Masani - Mumbai; Najma Khalid; Mithili Acharya; Asha Gupta - Mumbai; Anne Sopher; Parvin Surti - NY and Mumbai; Gita Vaswani Mumbai; Nergish Karim - Italy; Delbar Munsiff - Mumbai; Annie Pailamatan; Zarine Taraporewala - Mumbai; Jaishree Kirpalani - Mumbai; Renuka Dhanrajgir - Mumbai; Gayatri Dasgupta; Anjula Lakhani - Pune/ Mumbai; Narsys Irani - Toronto; Kitty Kapadia - Mumbai; Farhana Kably Pune; Saroj Kimatrai - Miami; Kamal Batliboi - RIP; Piloo Dastur - Mumbai; Sita Singh - Mumbai; Renu Singh HK/Mumbai; Veena Singh - Delhi/ Mumbai; Matilda Moses - NY; Shirin Mulla - Mumbai; Harmohina Uberoi - Delhi; Jill Bedwell; Pamela Shellim; Armaity Daruwala – Mumbai.

- Compiled by Vijay Shivdasani

Class of 1971 Joey Cohen (Barham) is married and has a daughter, Melissa who is 14 years old. Lives in London and works for a French Bank as an Accountant.

Sarojini Linda Nambiar mother of Arjun and Mrinalini Nair, both in the U.S. Manufactures electronic components, thermisters, temperature ‘sensing’ diodes in three factories in Electronic City, Bangalore and exports them to GE etc.

Fernando Menezes works for JWT in Mumbai as a System Manager. He has specialized in Information Security and has Certifications of Practice as an Information System Auditor, an ISO27001 Lead Implementer and an ISO27001 Lead Auditor. Is the proud father of two delightful twin girls, Lia and Raquel, who also passed out of Cathedral.

Shaila Khubchandani, nee Gokhale is a Consultant Histopathologist at the Jaslok, Bhatia and Parsee General Hospitals in Mumbai. Has a special interest in Renal, GI and CNS Pathology. Husband, Raju, is a Pediatric Rhematologist. Proud mother of Namrata — going back to HBS after six years of working with Goldman Sachs and Sotheby’s — and Rohan — studying in Denmark to be a Wind Engineer.

Radha Matthai (Barham) studied, lives and works in Mumbai since leaving school, and has been working with the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce since 1982. Plays golf and bridge.

Mehra Dalton, nee Cambata (Palmer) is the Managing Director of Greaves Travel, UK and a Co-founder and Chairman of Jaisalmer in Jeopardy, a UK based charity that raises funds for architectural conservation in Jaisalmer.

Married and living in London, she is the proud mother of two daughters.

Raksha Mehta a Physiotherapist, settled in Chennai, she loves to play bridge.

Jaimala (Dimpi) Singh (Barham) lives in Mumbai and volunteers in Natural Hygiene with The Health Awareness Centre. Loves travelling and helping people with their health through natural means.

Priya Sarukkai Chabria poet and novelist. Recipient of the Senior Fellowship to Outstanding Artists for Literature from the Indian government, she edits the Talking Poetry website and has collaborated with artists on several productions. Her work is published in India, Europe and the US, is on numerous websites and she participated in Worlds 2009: The Creative Writer held at the Writers’ Centre, U.K. She is at www.priyawriting. com.

Dinaz Cooper (Palmer) did her BSc from St. Xavier’s College. Worked with a software consultant firm till 1989 when she left to become a full-time mom. Now lives in Pune.

Koserali Najmuddin (Barham) chemical engineer from the Cairo University. At present, living in Mombasa, Kenya. Married to Yakuta, he has three kids and five grandchildren. The beard is still there — though grey now.

Cyrus Taraporewala (Savage) settled in Hyderabad since 1983. Is the Managing Director of Zensoft Solutions Ltd., and a Director of Atlas Builders Ltd., Liberty Travels Pvt. Ltd. and Atlas 2011 The X-Cathedralite 35

Class Notes Constructions Ltd. At present, is leading a retired life and doing honorary work with an Aids Foundation. A happy bachelor!

Adi Bilimoria (Wilson) started his career with IBM in Sales and Marketing and, later established and developed an auto service franchise.

Currently invests in rental real estate and trade derivatives and futures. Is married with two children and lives in the USA. Rajesh Desai is a Director of Desai Consulting Pvt. Ltd., in Hyderabad, whose activities include Investment Banking, Private Equity Funding and Proprietary Investments. Can be reached at rgdesai05@yahoo.com.

Arvind Somany (Wilson) is the Managing Director of Soma Textiles & Industries Ltd., Ahmedabad. Would love to retire in a few years and travel the world.

Bipin Gopalkrishnan entered the Indian Police Service in 1982. Has held various senior positions in Karnataka State. At present, he is the Additional Director General of Police and heads the Prisons Department. Can be reached at gkbipin@msn.com.

Sudhir Kulkarni is a chemical engineer and has oscillated between working in the USA and India. Currently, lives near Philadelphia. His e-mail is sudhir19810@yahoo.com.

Rajen N. Parikh went on to a BSc in Mathematics from Mumbai University, an MA in Economics from Cambridge University and finally Chartered Accountancy from India. His academic excursions having been completed, he now runs a proprietary accountancy practice in Mumbai, R.N. Parikh & Co. Harsh Nevatia after passing through IIT and IIM, Harsh Nevatia was involved in chemical manufacturing. He now writes content for online casino websites.

Navneet Rungta, completed a BSc at St. Xavier’s, Mumbai and is, at present, associated with the steel processing industry. Contact details: 022-32579396.

E-mail id: bbmc@vsnl.com.

36 The X-Cathedralite 2011

Class Notes Kiran Rane after completing a BSc at St. Xavier’s, Mumbai, he went on to do Management Studies in the UK. He was involved in the chemical manufacturing industry.

Front row seated next to Mr. Jacob: Head Girl - Shirin Ghasvala Second row standing left to right: Pauline Vieyra, Rita Arora, Radha Matthai, Carmen Dorcic, Vijaylaxmi Jannah, Rhea Jefferies, Mehra Cambata, Czaee Daftary, Khushnam Bhavnagiri, Shabera Kachwala and Pervin Kavarana Third row standing left to right: Hilla Katgara, Kunti Andhare, Madhavi Tongaonkar, Aditi Merchant, Radhika Swaminathan, Sakina Tyebjee, Roxanne Ardeshir, Rishma Venkatrao, Tina Mehta, Sherna Chothia and Mehroo Nargolvala Third row standing left to right: Husain Chaiwala, Jaidev Merchant, Slobodan Popovic, Ripujit Lal and Homi Bhabha.

Teachers in Standard 11B photo are as followsL - R: Mr. Patki - Biology, Ms. Hallegua - English, Mrs. Cherian - Biology, Mr. Sharma - Chemistry, Mr. Kuruvila Jacob Principal, Mrs. Gupta, Mrs. Patruni and Mr.Lobo - Physics.

L - R: Top row Ravi Patil, Fernando Menezes, Rakseh Bhansali, Jameel Tyabjee, Mohan Bangera, Pryam Jhaveri, Jal Medora and Rajesh Jhaveri.

Mid-row: Rashmi Jamdhar, Minoo Antia, Jimmy Meher-Homji, Aun Fazalbhoy, Rajesh Chinoy, Ajay Bhushan, Meherangiz Karanjia and Shaila Gokhale.

First row: Meena Shah, Shernaz Dadyburjor, Raksha Mehta, Sunita Pophale, Sanjog Batra, Durriyah Dawoodbhoy, Vasima Adenwala, Sarojini Nambiar, Priya Sarukkai, Gita Philip and Vinita Bhavani

Standard 11C: Last row left to right: Koserali Najmuddin, Navneet Rugta, Gautam Thor, Cyrus Taraporewala, Adi Bilimoria and Raman Kaicker Middle row left to right: Manmohan Melville, Tushar Mehta, Nalin Parikh, Mohijit Saha, Rajesh Desai, Arvind Somany, Bipin Gopalkrishnan, Kiran Rane and Rajiv Krishnan Bottom row left to right: Sanjay Rai, Sudhir Kulkarni, Arvind Ruia, Rajan Parikh, Dinaz Cooper, Anita Gore, Harsh Nevatia, Anil Maroo, Rajesh Anand, Rajiv Godiwala and Sanjay Shah Seated: Arup Basu

Anil Maroo moved to Dubai for six years and traded with China, which was, in those times, less frequented

by Indians. Then moved to the UK. At present, is based in London and involved in trading activities. Mobile number in the UK is 0044-75540 24999.

Rajesh Anand heads a firm which is a processor, packer and exporter of walnuts, kernels, dried morels and also manufactures medically recommended ‘posture perfect’ chairs and seating systems, under the name Krishna Produce Exports in Jammu. Mobile number 09419192903, phone and fax: (0191) 2480483, 2480662.

Rajiv Godiwala studied Accounting and Law, worked the corporate scene, ducked out and is now a long time freelance deal-maker. A hardcore Mumbaiite (when not travelling).

Married, he has two boys, both Cathedral School alumni. His e-mail id is godiwala@ gmail.com Arup Basu (Wilson) has been living in Ahmedabad since 1982. Is the Managing Director of a specialty polymers company. Married to Manisha, has two sons, Arnab and Abhik.

Sanjay Shah (Savage) is the Executive Director of Garden Silk Mills which is currently engaged in design and management of woven fabrics manufacture. Married to Shyama, they have two children Parthiv and Ragini.

Dog crazy and into music, he enjoys gardening and partying.

Gautam Thor received his ‘higher’ education after he passed out of Cathedral, IIT and then TIFR in Mumbai and eventually settled in the late 1980s in San Diego. His major goal consists of trying to ‘wake up’ in a manner that his namesake Gautama preached and he maintains professional

interests pertaining to the study of vision, neurodiagnostics and a recent foray in a start-up security company.

Manmohan Melville did his MBBS from Nair Hospital, Mumbai and then worked in rural areas in North India, till he returned to Mumbai city and his first love — writing.

Raman Kaicker an avid golfer, he is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in the UK and is presently practicing as a Business Consultant.

Rajiv Krishnan after doing his BSc from Elphinstone College and CA from the UK, Rajiv travelled and worked with Unilever and Citibank in Asia and Latin America. He now lives with his wife and two daughters in Miami, USA. Sanjay Rai studied at IIT, Mumbai and then at the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management. At present, he is associated with the Oil and Gas industry.

E-mail: sanjayrai55@yahoo.com

Rakesh Bhansali (Barham) graduated from Jai Hind College and did his Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery at Seth GS Medical College (KEM Hospital, Mumbai) and his Speciality Training in England ending with a MCh.Orth. degree at Liverpool, UK in 1986. Currently an Orthopaedic Surgeon at Hurkissandas Hospital and Children’s Orthopaedic Hospital in Mumbai. Wife, Sheeraz is an anaesthetist; they have a daughter Aditi and a son Varun. Photography is a passion; also loves travelling regularly.

And those who are, sadly, no longer with us...

Mohijit Saha did his higher studies in the US. Tushar Mehta was a brilliant academician, who went to Cambridge for his A levels.

Nalin Parikh was involved in his family business.

- Compiled by Arup Basu

Class of 1977/ 1980

Philip Meckoni lives in Mumbai and is an Investment Analyst.

Arvind Ruia (Barham) did his BCom from Sydenham College after which he joined the family business i.e. The Kolhapur Sugar Mills Ltd. Presently is the Executive Director of the company.

Sunil Sanghavi has been in California since 1975 and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Vaishali and his 10-year-old daughter Maya. He currently heads his own strategic advisory services firm.

Rajveer Chinoy (Barham) did Medicine and Orthopaedics from JJ between 1973 to 1981. Was in England from 1983 to 1993, where he did his higher training and qualifications.

Came back to India in 1993 and works as a daily wage carpenter (sawing bones!) at the Hinduja Hospital. Lives in Khar and later plans to move back to Colaba. Married to Jyoti, he has two daughters, Prerna and Kadambari. Likes swimming, music, bridge, scrabble, mixology and quaffing.

Ayesha (Singh) Kumar after teaching in a nursery school, working as a journalist and writing sight reading books for children, she currently owns a store in South Mumbai designing clothes for plus sized women.

Sundeep Ahuja is a successful entrepreneur dealing with plywood laminates, wood and veneers in Mumbai.

Married to Rohini, their elder daughter, Diksha, is doing a Master’s Programme at Oxford University, UK. Their younger children, Akhil and Ishita, are both in Cathedral.

Jatin Sheth has been with Microsoft India since 2004 and lives in Mumbai with his wife and two daughters.

Mihir Doshi after working at Morgan Stanley for 22 years, he joined Credit Suisse to establish their India business where he is presently the Country Head.

Married to Amishi, both his daughters are studying at Barnard College, New York.

Rajiv Sahney is a partner at New Vernon, an India-Focused Multi Strategy Fund.

Arshad Zakaria after a long Wall Street career, he founded New Vernon, an India Focused Multi Strategy Fund.

Tarang Jain is a successful entrepreneur in the Auto Ancillary industry, based in Aurangabad.

2011 The X-Cathedralite 37

Class Notes Kerman Wadia (Palmer) is a housewife, married to Darius Khambata (Palmer, ICSE 1975). They have two children, Leah, 18 and Jehangir, 11.

Pesi Modi (Savage) is a practicing lawyer. Married to Elaine, a former professor in H.R. College, they have an 18-year-old son.

Sanjay Dube is the Vice-President (Finance) of Tata Power - he has been with the Tata Group for over 15 years.

- Compiled by Sundeep and Rohini Ahuja

Class of 1982/ 1984

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Deepika Bulchandani (Savage) is married to Gautam (Smallie) Mehra (Savage). They live in Delhi with their three children Raoul, Siddharth and Diya, and are in the business of women’s shoe manufacture, export and retail.

Divya Mohta (Barham) went to Sophia College, Mumbai, followed by St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai for a BA, and then studied fashion in London for a year. She got married and moved to NYC where she worked in fashion. Divya returned to Mumbai with her daughter Aalia in 1994 and has launched a new fashion and home accessories label, ‘Tambourine’.

Homi F. Kaka (Wilson) completed his LLB but is currently not practising law. Homi runs Bentleys Hotel (Mumbai), Bed & Breakfast (Mumbai) and Woodlands Hotel (Matheran). He lives in Colaba, Mumbai with his wife Anahita and two daughters Ava, 15 and Meher, 12.

Jaideep Desai (Barham) completed a degree in Electronics Engineering from Pune University and an MBA (Finance) before moving into the financial services sector in New York. He is currently at Citigroup and lives in the Metro NYC area with his wife Susann and their eight-year-old daughter, Karina. He also serves as a volunteer treasurer for the Earth Center Conservancy, a non-profit organisation supporting environmental projects.

Khushnum Gill, nee Anklesaria (Barham) Graduated from NSU in 1988 with a BS in Marketing & Management.

Married in 1990 and has a 19-year-old son Ryhaan. She co-owns a commercial, residential RE & investment related business since 1999 and currently lives between NYC and Newport Coast, CA.

Roxanne P. Panthakee, nee Sethna (Palmer) completed her BA at Mumbai University, got married in 1992 and lived in Mumbai till 1995. She currently lives in London with her two sons Xerxes, 15 and Yohann, 12 and works as a swimming teacher.

Dr. Rushitum K. Mistry (Wilson) is an Orthodontist and Implantologist.

He completed his education at BDS (Government Dental College and Hospital, Mumbai) and MDS (University of Pittsburgh) and is currently Director, Dr. Mistry’s Centers for Advanced Dentistry. Rushitum has been in private practice for the last 20 years. He lives in Mumbai with his wife Hutoxi and 12year-old daughter, Kaiyomi.

Shaheen Varawalla, nee Kachwalla (Palmer) did her BSc from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. She married Hasnen Varawalla in 1991 and has been living in London since 1995. They have two children, Shariq and daughter, SophieNoor.

Sunita Shah (Barham) is a solicitor in India and the UK. Having worked as a solicitor/in–house counsel with Indian law firms (Kanga, Gagrat) and MNCs (Great Eastern Shipping & TCS), and spearheading operations for a US based legal outsourcing company in India, she is now a consultant (representative/ procurer) to US law firms which intend to outsource their clients’ legal work to India. In her spare time Sunita teaches yoga to kids.

Shan Fazelbhoy (Palmer) lives in Dubai where he freelances as an event manager and writes fiction, mainly short stories. He maintains a blog, www. homeflair.wordpress.com, relating to food, films, a few other things and his personal opinions. Is passionate about reading, biking and fitness.

- Compiled by Divya Mohta

Class of 1990/ 1992 Aditya Daftary (Palmer) is a musculoskeletal radiologist who has started a sub-specialty medical imaging and interpretation company (Innovision Imaging) and spends his spare time yelling at cabbies while cycling around Mumbai. For updates on his exciting existence, Anya’s development and Teleradiology, check out http://www. wanderingradiologist.wordpress. com. To see how they are trying to

impact healthcare, see http://www. innovisionimaging.com.

Shariq Kajiji (Palmer) having lived in and around New York for 12 years, he is now based in Beijing, China on a two-year assignment with Thomson Reuters to strengthen their business with China. Outside of work, he is learning to speak Mandarin, which is a struggle he thoroughly enjoys.

Jehangir Damkevala (Barham) completed a Commerce degree from HR College and worked at Arthur Andersen (Tax) and Darashaw (Retirement Benefits). Gained an MBA Finance from Nottingham, UK. Had a stint of six years with ICICI Pru Life Insurance and is now back at Darashaw, heading the consulting wing of Retirement Benefits.

Kailash Bafna is currently heading a recruitment firm and a huge real estate business at Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

Radhika Singhal (Palmer) is an investment banker in New York and loves to travel in her spare time, including heading home to Mumbai whenever possible.

Diane Bilimoria (Wilson) has lived in London for 24 years and works in the commercial sector of a large property company, Consensus Business Group.

Vandana Sagar Ganguly (Barham) currently works as a Pre-school Teacher and also runs an Art and Craft studio, Colours Kids and Craft for Kids.

Rustom Mody (Palmer) is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon in Mumbai. He has spent the last few years living in Scotland and Dubai.

Sharad Nanda (Barham) currently runs his own real estate company, Tansha Properties which is into land development in the Panvel to Pune region.

Kunal Khanna (Barham) graduated from Bentley University USA. Residing in Mumbai, he is currently working on expanding his own business of food processing across India.

2011 The X-Cathedralite 39

Class Notes

Zirak Marker (Barham) is a child psychiatrist and psychotherapist consulting at the Breach Candy Hospital and also has a private clinic.

Is also founder and director of JBCN PAN ACADEMY, a school and early intervention centre for children with learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, developmental delays and behavioural or psychological problems. It’s their seventh year and going strong!

Rohit Behl (Savage) is currently ensuring that Asians are represented at the world’s largest chemical company as a Senior Consultant, Diversity & Inclusion. Has spent the last 14 years marketing, strategising, and playing with chemicals in Hong Kong, Malaysia and now Germany. Still sails whenever he gets the chance and is planning to retire in Alibaug as soon as it is financially possible.

Chirag Doshi (Palmer) after graduating from the University of Michigan, started a restaurant in New York called ‘Pondicherry’. Returned to Mumbai in 1998 and started restaurants in Mumbai. Went for his MBA to INSEAD in 2004 and since then has been heading his family’s engineering business, Walchandnagar Industries Ltd., as Managing Director.

Farhad J. Dadyburjor (Savage) after being a journalist with various publications in Mumbai and the former Editor of the men’s magazine FHM, he is now working full-time on a novel. Like it’s said, watch this space for more!

Vinay Jayaram (Wilson) after leaving Cathedral, some claim Vinay attended high school and university in the USA. Others say he gained a practical education as a farmhand at a cornfield in Decatur, Illinois, and this helped him enter Wall Street. Disillusioned at the misuse of paper in the financial services

industry, it is widely believed that he fled, and was last seen on a mountainside in the Mont Blanc Massif talking to marmots.

Shona Mehta (Savage) studied at the Academy of Architecture, Mumbai; then pursued an M.Arch. in Architectural Design at the UCL, London and has been with UCJ Architecture & Environment since 1998. A partner at the firm, she is primarily involved in the design of Educational and Institutional Projects across the country.

Sreeja Nedungadi (Barham) is a Strategy Consultant at The Akanksha Foundation in Mumbai, which aims to provide high-quality education to children from low-income communities.

She completed her MBA at Harvard, worked in operations at Tesco Stores in London and finally turned to the nonprofit world.

Sunil Chainani (Palmer) after stints in Advertising and Television at Ogilvy & Mather and Star TV, (Channel [V] – Head of Programming) respectively, he set up his own production house, ‘Horseshoe’ in 2004, which specialises in producing large-scale, commercial Hindi feature films. As co-founder and Director (read movie producer, who would’ve thought!), they have produced three feature films so far with the likes of Ram Gopal Verma and Vikram Bhatt. Their current production, titled Hum Tum Shabana, was released in September 2011 in theatres worldwide.

Rohit Gupta (Barham) did his BCom from Sydenham College, joined the family business, opened a multi-cuisine restaurant in 2006 and is currently concentrating on building and growing a steel trading business.

Tara Deshpande Tennebaum (Palmer) an actress and writer, she is happy to be back in Mumbai.

Rohit Pursram (Savage) is CEO of a New York-based interactive media venture, Activation Media. He is also an operating executive at media investment firm Compass Partners. He got his BA from Wesleyan University and his MBA from Harvard.

Rahul Nathwani (Palmer) after Junior College in Jai Hind and medical school in Mumbai University, he pursued his post-graduate training in the United States. Completed his residency and fellowship in Gastroenterology at University of Southern California in Los Angeles and Advanced Endoscopy fellowship in Philadelphia. Is currently practicing in Dubai.

Ashish Tripathi after Cathedral, he went on to do his BA Hons. (Economics) at St. Xavier’s, Mumbai and a MBA from Melbourne Business School (Australia), post which he worked in Investment Banking/ Corporate Finance in Australia, USA and UK for 12 years. He came back to India a couple of years ago, and currently heads Lead Advisory for M&E and Technology at E&Y. Aakash Aggarwal (Savage) based in Dubai, he manages investments in the real estate industry.

Amish Tripathi after Cathedral, he went on to do his BSc (Maths) at St. Xavier’s, Mumbai and an MBA from IIM (Kolkata), post which he worked in Financial Services (his last job was as National Head - Marketing & Product Management at IDBI Federal Life Insurance). He is also an author — his first book, The Immortals of Meluha, released in 2010, and has sold over 1,25,000 copies. He has resigned recently to become a full-time author and his second book The Secret of the Nagas released in August, 2011.

Pankaj Gupta (Barham) currently heads a family-owned chemical manufacturing business in Mumbai.

Did his BCom and MBA Finance from Mumbai and worked with leading banks in India and the Middle East for over 10 years before taking the entrepreneurial plunge. His daughter is a young Cathedralite.

Shaan Shahani (Wilson) graduated with a degree in Commerce. After partly qualifying as a Chartered Accountant from PricewaterhouseCoopers, he switched paths to become a Graphic Designer. Is currently the Deputy Art Director of the Indian edition of Elle Decor, an international style and home 2011 The X-Cathedralite 41

Class Notes decoration magazine. Has never left Mumbai!

Anu Munshi (Barham) lives in London with her husband, Johann Mulla-Feroze (ISC 1990). After eight years at JPMorgan, she started her own company, B&B Structured Finance Ltd., which provides training and consulting in financial markets and derivatives.

Yash Kapur-Ghienne (Barham) graduated from Grinnell College in the US, she is currently in charge of the Asian sales division of the Gabriel Meffre Winery in the South of France.

Living near Avignon, she spends her time between wine launches, business trips and trying to find new reasons to visit India more often.

Priya Kapur (Barham) was House Captain in 1992. After graduating from Wellesley College, USA she joined her family business CAC Pvt. Ltd., which specialises in the manufacture of laminating adhesives for the flexible packaging industry. In 2004 she took time off from work to be a full-time mother to her daughter Mahi and son Dev who are now both part of the Cathedral family. She is now working as a Director in a family-owned finance and investment company.

- Compiled by Sreeja Nedungadi

Class of 1993/ 1995

Aditya Salvi (Palmer) is a graduate in Communication Arts from the New York Institute of Technology, he worked at several leading media houses. His most notable stint was as Asia head of Putumayo World Music. Aditya currently leads a team at timescity.com, a part of the Times of India Group.

Kim Verma Modi (Palmer) left Cathedral in Standard 8. After spending many years abroad and running her own communications company, she is now the Director of Marketing for Six Senses 42 The X-Cathedralite 2011

Resorts & Spas and consults for other luxury travel groups. She is married to Nosh Modi (Savage 1989-91), who is a partner at the law firm, JSA. Farah Oomerbhoy, nee Lawyer (Savage ) studied at St Xavier’s College, Mumbai after her ICSE, and then went on to Babson College in Boston. She returned to India, did an MA in English, and is now an aspiring author. She is happily married with two little boys, and says she spends more time on school projects now than she did when she was at school!

Larissa Maris, nee Desai (Palmer) got her MFA at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. She is a Group Account Director in Los Angeles, working on interactive marketing initiatives for major movie studios including Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, Paramount, and Universal. You might have seen her recent work: The Hangover Part II theatrical site.

Devika Mahadevan (Savage) did her Bachelor’s from Brandeis University, USA and Master’s from the London School of Economics. She worked with NGOs in Zimbabwe, China and the US before returning to Mumbai. Until recently, she was the CEO of Mumbai Mobile Creches, an NGO working with children living on construction sites and currently serves on its Board.

Aditya Doshi (Palmer) spent over a decade and a half searching for his own path and learning a number of different trades around the world, before finding his calling in London, where he is busy investing in renewable energy companies with the hope that we will have a better future and a cleaner world.

Sumera Peerbhoy (Wilson) is currently Assistant Beverage Manager and Restaurant Manager for the four restaurants at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. She is working on becoming a certified sommelier.

Anirudh Baheti (Savage) is currently Managing Director of the Focus Group, present in Education, Financial Services and Healthcare. After Cathedral, he attended UWC, Singapore and the McCombs Business School at University of Texas, Austin. After graduation, he co-founded Focus Infomatics Inc, a healthcare BPO and ran it for eight years.

Anirudh is married, with a daughter and living in Mumbai.

Ashish Antia-Mody (Wilson) retired indefinitely from slaving away as an

aviation lawyer, fending off certain death from overwork and self-neglect three years ago. Since then she converted her hobby — yoga and energy and holistic healing into a proper job. She spends her days working with others to enable them to live happy, healthy, stress-free lives and enjoying her two children and three dogs.

Vivek Bohra (Savage) completed his Commercial Pilot’s Training at Purdue, and then joined the family business.

Having been involved in the production/ distribution/direction of numerous feature films, TV shows and ad films, he is also contributing to various publications (Outlook, Jetwings etc.) as a freelance writer and is also a columnist with Mumbai Mirror and writes poetry for them.

Kanika Doshi Sanger (Palmer) left Cathedral in 1993 and then did two years at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, after which she did her Bachelor’s at the University of Michigan. Came back and opened her three family-run restaurants in Mumbai. She is now settled in London with her husband and two kids.

Lavina Godhwani Lalji (Barham) studied at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai after completing her ICSE. She then attended the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York where she got an associates degree in Jewellery Design.

Currently married to Devendra Lalji, lives in New York, and runs a jewellery business LAVINA G INC. Insiya Rasiwala-Finn (Savage) attended Mount Holyoke College did International Relations/ French, worked at Leo Burnett, Chicago, re-discovered yoga, moved to Vancouver, Canada and became the Marketing Director for yogachic apparel brand Lululemon Athletica.

Now a freelance writer, yoga teacher and green-living expert, she co-founded Blissology Yoga with her husband. Blogs at YOGUE. Dipanwita Sarkar (Barham) left Catherdral after ICSE in 1993. She studied Computer Engineering in Mumbai University for one year and completed the rest of her Bachelor’s from Knox College, Illinois. Graduated with dual degrees in Physics and Computer Science. Thereafter, got a PhD. in Computer Science from Indiana University. Now living in Seattle and working at Microsoft Corporation since 2004. Married and mother of a 13month-old daughter.

2011 The X-Cathedralite 43

Class Notes Aliya Mody, nee Patel (Palmer) left Cathedral in Standard 6. She did her A Levels at Hebron, Ooty ’94.

After her BA she went onto XIC for her Post-graduation in Advertising. And then spent five years in Advertising in Mumbai at Ambiance Publicis. Moved to the Bay Area, USA in 2004; she is married and works as the Director of Admissions at DeVry University.

Aditya Kuruganti (Savage) did his undergraduation at Northwestern University and then worked at Ernst & Young for a little over four years.

Completed his MBA at Kellogg in 2006.

He is currently a Director at Salesforce. com, and is married with a son who just turned six months.

Gaurav Agarwal (Wilson) potential Head Boy, left after ICSE in 1993.

Graduated with a B.Engineering from University of Mumbai, and then did a Master’s in Engineering from UC Santa Barbara. Joined Sun Microsystems in Silicon Valley and then moved on to Oracle Corp., at Redwood Shores, to research microprocessor design methods using nanotechnology. Is currently pursuing a part-time MBA at the Haas School of Business, UC, Berkeley. Married, with the stork expected in November.

Kshitij Morarka (Wilson) after completing his ICSE from Cathedral and a BCom from Sydenham College, Mumbai, he went onto to pursue a degree in Hotel Management from Ecole Les Roches, Switzerland. Since returning to Mumbai in 2003, he has worked in various capacities across the hospitality sector. Currently, he owns and operates ‘Mumbai Deli’, a cafe located at Lower Parel, Mumbai and is also involved in real estate development across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Fali J. Hodiwalla (Barham) left school in 1993 after completing his ICSE. Currently lives in Mumbai, working as a Strategy Consultant.

Jehangir Pocha (Wilson) after completing a BA (Hons.) in International Relations & Business Management at the University of Western Ontario and a BAS (Hons.) in Accounting at York University, he went on to become a Chartered Accountant.

He is currently a Senior Manager at Deloitte & Touche in Canada and has worked with them for more than 10 years. He lives with his wife in Toronto.

44 The X-Cathedralite 2011

Class Notes Shivalik Prasad (Savage) after Cathedral, he went to the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, did a Bachelor’s in Engineering and then moved to Texas A&M for a Master’s in Operations Research Mathematics. He worked for IBM New York and now runs MapmyIndia, India’s first navigation company (GPS, Maps) as an Executive Director in Mumbai.

Zina Mody (Palmer ) after 13 glorious years at Cathedral (ISC 1995), she read for a BSc Economics degree at QMW University, London, returned to Mumbai and worked with HSBC for five years. Zina then quit to start ‘Flowers by Zina’, a business that caters to everything you would expect from couture floral design and gift packaging.

Shivani Munshi Dahanukar (Wilson) attended Sydenham College, Sophia Polytechnic, University of San Francisco (MBA) and completed her LLB at the Government Law College.

Currently works in the IMFL segment with Tilaknagar Industries Ltd., as the ED. Hormazd N. Sethna (Palmer) is a medical anthropologist and public health professional. He is a contractor to the United States Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP) to provide technical assistance and programme management expertise in HIV prevention. Married and father to an adorable and adoring 10-monthold daughter.

Arnab Ganguly (Wilson) after Cathedral, he got a scholarship with Singapore Airlines and did his undergrad in Singapore, joined Autodesk (makers of AutoCAD, and special effects software that you see in Hollywood movies and video games) and has been with them for the last 10 years. Is currently a Senior Marketing Manager at Autodesk based in the Bay Area, California.

Pia Deshpande (Palmer) is currently an Associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, a US law firm in London. She lives in the hope of winning the lottery one day (though she really does need to buy a ticket first!).

Saahil Sethi (Palmer) is a BCom from H.R. College, an MBA from Sydenham College and a Certified Financial Planner. Worked with HDFC Bank for the last few years in their Retail and Investment Advisory team and is currently CFO of family-owned

Archilogics Group, an architecture and interior design company.

Saniyya Noorani (Palmer) did her MA in English Literature, Mumbai University. Married, lives in Chennai, and is a full-time mom.

Payal Mehta (Savage) did her IATA Certification (Geneva) along with a degree in Website & Graphic Design Communication with a specialisation in User Interface Design. Is currently a Design Consultant and runs a company Leo Designs (leodesigns.in). She has recently started a company providing personalised gift ideas for children (toontowels.com), and is looking forward to many exciting ventures in the future!

Kanika Mehra (Savage) went on to get Diplomas in Textile Designing and Fashion Designing from Sophia Polytechnic College and SNDT College respectively. Worked with designer Hemant Trivedi in Sheetal Design studio as Assistant Designer for four years. She started her own women’s wear clothing line in 2005, under the label ‘Kanika Mehra’ and opened a fashion studio in Raghuvanshi Mills, Mumbai in 2009.

Mehul Gokal (Savage) moved to Porto, Portugal after ICSE in 1993, did his IB at the Oporto British School and then studied Construction Management.

Worked in property development (family business) and recently shifted to Southampton, UK. Married with 20 month-old-twin boys.

Vivek Bajaj (Wilson) did his ICSE, spent many years with AIESEC (the largest student organisation in the world) heading it in India and representing the nation in conferences across all the globe. Has been based in Europe for the past 12 years - first out of Amsterdam (working with IBM) and then in Brussels (Microsoft and IBM once more). He is responsible for a business unit for Southwest Europe and is constantly travelling. Would be happy to connect with Cathedral alumni on his travels.

Sholeen Carrimjee, nee Vahanvati (Wilson) completed her Undergraduation in Business Management from Kings College, London and then did her Masters at the London School of Economics. She worked as an analyst at Credit Suisse for two years and as a consultant for five years at KPMG. Continues to live in London and is a fulltime mom to Sanaa, 6 and Zain, 4.

Dhruv Moondhra (Barham) is currently managing a diverse set

of downstream steel distribution businesses including Steelmart India and Arcelormittal Dhamm Processing. After a Bachelor’s in Economics from Cornell University, he worked at Bain & Co., in Boston, before moving back to live and work in Mumbai.

Mala Bhavnani Advani (Palmer) went to Jai Hind College for her junior college and graduated from Mumbai University with a BPharm degree in 1995. She joined her family business for two years and then went to the London School of Economics for a short course in Marketing. Married to Nikhil Advani in 2005, she moved to Singapore for four years. Did a Diploma in Montessori Education and taught in a pre-school there till her son, Krish was born in 2007. She moved back to Mumbai in 2009, where her daughter Liana was born in 2010.

Biyash Vasa Choksey (Barham) was Barham House Captain in 1994. After studying Industrial Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, she joined Deloitte Consulting in Chicago.

After working there for three years she moved back to Mumbai in 2002 and joined Universal Consulting. Married to Abhiraj Choksey in 2004, she has two daughters Alekha and Tarika.

Kunal Thakkar (Palmer) left Cathedral in Standard 9, he went to Wayzatta High, Minneapolis, came back and studied in Jai Hind College, Mumbai. Left again to study at SAE London. Is a Certified Hypnotherapist, he currently working on music, metaphysics, thought power and its manifestations.

Shamsher Sachdeva (Wilson) graduated from Cathedral in 1993 after his ICSE, after which he went to St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. He then studied Computer Science at Stevens Institute of Technology. Currently living in Hoboken, he works as a Practice Director for a medium-sized consulting firm called Prolifics.

Samar Shivdasani (Wilson) was House Captain and graduated after ISC in 1995. Went to Georgia Institute of Technology for a Bachelor’s in Engineering and University of Texas for a Master’s in Business. He came back to India in 2007 with GE Money as Risk Manager for their consumer portfolio.

Left GE in 2010 to join a local company in Gurgaon called Oxigen to lead their Financial Inclusion business, which

offers mainstream financial services to rural India by leveraging technology.

Simone Meher Assomull (Barham) left school after Standard 10 to join St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai to earn a degree in Psychology and Sociology, followed by a Diploma in Interior Design from the Inchbald School in London. She moved with her husband to Spain and London and worked in the real estate industry in the UK. She moved back to the motherland three years ago, and is currently a full-time mum with various interests and has her fingers in different pies.

Ritu Bohra Malik (Wilson) was Vice Captain of Wilson House, after which she went to St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai and then pursued jewellery design and manufacturing from SNDT, Mumbai.

She then shifted to education as CEO of Silversmith India Ltd., in 2006. Resigned last year and started a small venture to design and create jewelled accessories under the name ‘Jewel Thieves’. Ritu currently lives in Gurgaon, Delhi NCR. Gev Satarawalla (Savage) pursued vocational Computer Science for his 12th, followed by a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering. He started his first two companies while still in Engineering College. He held a groupwide position of Head-Enterprise Solutions for the Future Group in India. He is currently working as Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President for Criti, a mid-sized IT company with offices in Washington DC and Mumbai. Married to a dancer and performing artiste in November 2009, he shuttles between DC and Mumbai.

Jamsheed Mehta (Barham) got his engineering degree from Virginia Tech University and has been in Mumbai since, working in his family’s 96-yearold business. He is most likely to be found on a golf course on Saturdays. He married classmate Lyla Mehta, nee Patel (Savage), who after graduating from Sydenham College, became a Chartered Accountant. Lyla lived in the UK for seven years, returned to Mumbai in 2006, now works part-time and loves travelling whenever she gets the chance.

They have one daughter, and another baby is on the way.

Ashvin Bhatia (Kuruvilla) left Cathedral after a year with Mr. D’Souza in 5C, went on to Doon School and then Bristol University in the UK. Worked with Citigroup in London before doing

an MBA at Insead and then came back to London in 2007 to start working with American Express.

Abhishek Saraf (Palmer) was a School Prefect and Palmer House Captain. Recipient of the Gandhi Medal for Leadership, he completed his BCom at Sydenham in Mumbai and MBA, Marketing and Finance at IIM, Kozhikode. Had a brief stint at HSBC, he is now a Director at Square Foot in Mumbai - a specialist floorings company.

Married, with two children.

Pia Sharma Pauro (Barham) left in Standard 5 and moved to Dubai, then to Switzerland where she completed her high school. She went on to university and graduated in Fashion Management from the London College of Fashion.

After completing her education she got married, moved back to India, had two children and started her clothing label Pia Pauro.

Narendra Chokshi (Barham) currently an investment banker at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York.

Narendra is an avid reader of financial history and is currently listening to a re-mastered catalogue of Led Zeppelin albums.

Basanti Daulet-Singh (Palmer) went to Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi with a degree in English Literature. She did a brief stint in Graphic Design in England for a year, and went on to do a Master’s in English Literature from Mumbai University. She married Anuj Didwania (Savage), a classmate, who graduated with a degree in Commerce from Sydenham College, Mumbai. He went on to do a Master’s in business from Manchester Business School in the UK, worked with HSBC and Merrill Lynch (Hong Kong), and is currently running the family business and managing money for friends and family in Mumbai. They are currently raising two children, Pia who goes to Cathedral Infant School and Jiya who is still at nursery.

Aditya Mathur (Savage) graduated in Chemical Engineering from Stanford.

Lived in Europe (Italy was the most fun!) for a while, before doing stints in various parts of Asia and California. Is married and has settled in Singapore a few years ago where he is Director of Global Strategy for a semi-conductor company called IRF. - Compiled by Kim Verma Modi 2011 The X-Cathedralite 45

Class Notes

Class of 1999/ 2001 Aarati Rajwade (Palmer) finished her MBA in 2010 at Harvard Business School and moved back to Mumbai. She currently works at Johnson & Johnson, in their surgical products group.

Aditya Bhatia (Barham) lives in New York, where he continues to battle his slow descent into corporate servitude.

He received a BA from Cornell University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Aditya Vazirani (Barham) is currently studying at Bordeaux Ecole de Management, pursuing an MSc in Global Supply Chain Management. Previously he was a director at Robinsons Cargo & Logistics focusing on third party logistics and cold chain in India.

Akanksha Sanghi (Barham) is currently working with DSP Merrill Lynch as a Financial Advisor.

Akhila Khanna (Barham) currently works as the Digital Media & Business Development Manager at the History Channel in London.

Akshay Berera (Savage) after a BCom from Sydenham College, Akshay spent a year with the Times of India group before moving on to KPMG consulting for a few years. In 2008 he moved to Melbourne and did a brief stint with a local consulting firm. He has just finished an MBA in Strategic Management from Monash University.

Akshay Kohli (Wilson) is currently a second-year MBA student at the Harvard Business School. After graduating from Cathedral, Akshay attended the University of Pennsylvania, followed by a stint in investment banking with Citigroup, New York. He then spent more than three years as VP Strategy for Yash Raj Films in the motion picture space in Mumbai. He married Saipriya Sen (Barham) in January 2008. He spends his free time unabashedly posting pro-Roger Federer comments on Facebook and Twitter.

Alisha Patel (Savage) graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a BA in Psychology and Global Studies. She is currently a freelance journalist and copywriter in Mumbai. Alisha also works with Carega, a company representing Italian brands in the interior and construction space, in India.

Ami Bhansali (Savage) is a cofounder of RpH, consultant to local and international brands on their image 46 The X-Cathedralite 2011

Class Notes and maintaining their brand equity through strategic PR functions. Her next entrepreneurial venture is ‘Chai Diaries’, speciality teas from around the world.

Aneesh Daga (Barham) is currently working in London. After Cathedral, Aneesh went to Jai Hind and then to Columbia in New York.

Animesh Kejriwal (Palmer) went to Carnegie Mellon for his Bachelor’s in Computer Science. He worked for Google in Mountain View, California thereafter. In 2006 he moved back to India and was working for Google India from Hyderabad. He is married and now runs Parksons Graphics, a printing press in Mumbai.

Anirudh Damani (Palmer) graduated with a double major in Economics and Business Administration from Austin College in 2005. He is currently the President of Pioneer Energy Resources in Dallas and has recently joined his family business in India, involved in construction, hotels and capital markets.

Arindam Ganguly (Wilson) pursued a degree in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California, San Diego. Currently serving as Senior Web and Application Developer at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology in San Diego, California.

Ashumi Sanghvi (Barham) Creative Fashion Director of POA Style, a fashion styling, personal shopping, image consulting, luxury brand consulting company in London. Previously worked at Conde Nast International, Italian Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and consulted for British Fashion Council, Maxmara, The Creative Archives. Associate and Bachelor of Science Degree from Fashion Institute of Tech, NY and International Fashion Management Degree from Polimoda, Italy.

Ashwin Jolly (Wilson) has completed a BA at Northwestern in Chicago and an MSc at Cass Business School in London.

He has worked at Deutsche Bank, HSBC Global Asset Management and is currently working in the Institutional Client-Investment Solutions Division at AXA Investment Managers in London.

Cyrus Framjee (Savage) is currently a USD Interest Rate Swaps trader at HSBC London. Did an MSc in Finance and Economics from the London School of Economics and before that a BA in Economics and Statistics from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.

Esha Soni (Savage) is currently living in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, Ketan Seetha. She is the Design Director at Michael Kors for all runway and collection handbags and accessories. She also designs jewellery for her own namesake brand, catering to a niche clientele in New York. So far Esha has designed two jewellery collections and hopes to spend more time on her jewellery line.

Gautam Shewakramani (Savage) lives in Mumbai and founded AudioCompass, a cultural interpretation company that provides audio guides at tourist attractions, such as the Taj Mahal.

When he’s not building his company, Gautam still argues with Aditya Bhatia (Barham) about irrelevant issues that came up in Standard 9. Gautam received a BS in Computer Science and Film from the University of Notre Dame, and an MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jamshed Guzder (Palmer) left Cathedral in 1999 and joined UWC Singapore, where he completed his IB and then went on to Boston University.

He then shifted to Dubai where he worked for ABN Amro, subsequently joining his family business in the field of construction and logistics. On moving back to Mumbai he ventured into a new business dealing with improving efficiency for thermal power plants. In 2011 he joined IMD in Switzerland for a one year MBA. He is currently Director of BDS Projects India & N.S. Guzder & Co. Jiten Sanghai (Barham) graduated from UT-Austin and has worked in Finance in New York since then. He is currently a VP at JLL Partners, and spends most of his free time planning his upcoming wedding to classmate Zahra Assur (Wilson).

Kairus Kavarana (Palmer) has spent the last six years in management consulting and is currently getting his MBA at Columbia Business School, after which he plans to return to Mumbai and work in private equity/ investment management.

Karan Maheshwari (Savage) graduated from Duke University in 2005 and then worked with McKinsey and Co., largely in the Public Sector practice in Health Care Education in infrastructure working with governments of countries such as Bhutan, Japan, Saudi Arabia and India. Has currently invested in several start ups in education and runs Ignite

Education, a consulting firm focused on the education sector.

Miloni Mehta (Wilson) completed her Master’s in Interior and Living Design from Domus Academy, Milan, Italy and is currently freelancing as an Interior Designer in Mumbai.

Mohit Jain (Savage) is just chillin’ and in his free time looks to open miniplexes (smaller format multiplexes) across tier two and tier three towns.

Nandini Naik (Savage) after getting her Master’s at NYU she went on to become a public school teacher in NY City. She teaches English and Theatre to extremely enthusiastic immigrants and loves her job. Nandini is also in a teacher’s training programme with the Interdependance Project, NYC after which she will be ready to teach meditation and Buddhism.

Nandita Hazari (Wilson) left school after ICSE and pursued her MBBS in KEM Hospital, Mumbai. She is currently based in New Delhi pursuing her MD in Psychiatry at AIIMS, but hopes to return and practice in Mumbai once she qualifies.

Navneet Kumar (Barham) completed his electrical engineering from Delhi College of Engineering followed by an MBA from IIM, Indore. He is currently working with Deutsche Bank as Asst.

Vice President in Corporate Treasury Sales based out of Gurgaon.

Neil Gupte (Barham) is based in Mumbai and currently works at JP Morgan, on the equities desk.

Nihal Doshi (Palmer) attempted a liberal arts education for a year at a formerly all-girls college — Vassar College, but turned around and followed the herd to an undergraduate business degree — the University of Pennsylvania.

Without the necessary gumption to step off the beaten path and tempted by false glory, he moved on to banking and private equity in New York. He recently gave it all up and joined his father’s candy business (Ravalgaon) in Mumbai.

As twisted heroes go, Willy Wonka was always more compelling to him than either Gordon Gekko or Patrick Bateman.

Nikhil Kalanjee (Wilson) went on to do a BA at St. Xavier’s College and should have received a second one for virtually sitting Cyrus Framjee’s exams too.

Successful parts of life after Cathedral include working as a creative writer for a group of new media start-ups, an MA at Warwick and a short stint of

living and working in Argentina which was precipitated by work related-stress from managing a small web production company. The not so successful bits — working at a record label, two (maybe three) start-up attempts and mastering Marathi.

Nikita Anand (Savage) pursued a diploma cum degree in Fashion Designing and IT from NIFT, Delhi. in 2003, she won the Femina Miss India Universe title and represented India at the Miss Universe pageant. Being a student of Trinity School of Speech & Drama, London, she has been anchoring sports shows on TV and is now an actor in Bollywood.

Niyati Arya, nee Mody (Palmer) is currently CEO of Puro Body & Soul — a harmful chemical-free and cruelty-free range of bath and body care products.

Nupur Parikh (Wilson) studied economics at Smith College, USA. After a couple of years at Ernst & Young she went on to graduate school at Harvard University, where she studied public policy and international development.

She currently lives — and works — in Rwanda, with her husband and three-year-old son. Nupur works with

TechnoServe, a non-profit that supports smallholder coffee farmers in Rwanda to earn better livelihoods.

Pinakin Thakkar (Savage) did an Advance Diploma in Advertising and Marketing, after a short stint in Ogilvy, Mumbai; did leading edge trend tracking for Ogilvy London; set up Mobile Media and Digizen in 2005 and Nirvana Digital in 2010.

Poorna Mehta, nee Sonawala

(Savage) after a BA from St. Xavier’s College, worked at Sadhna School for the mentally challenged, taught at the Children’s Nook Nursery School and also did an ECCED course for elementary teaching. Currently on a sabbatical as she is busy with her baby girl.

Priyanka Khatri (Wilson) is currently handling PR and Marketing for Yash Raj Films in Mumbai. Prior to this she did Corporate Communications for Ogilvy & Mather in New York City.

Priyanka graduated from Northwestern and is also actively involved with the Northwestern Alumni Network.

Radhika Tanna Shah (Barham) received a Bachelor’s of Science in Management at Babson College with a focus in Entrepreneurship after which she worked in New York for a couple of years and returned to Mumbai in 2007 to join Silicon Valley Bank.

Ratan Ginwalla (Savage) attended HR College doing his BCom and a vocational course in Advertising and Marketing till 2005. He worked with a few freelance ad filmmakers followed by a short stint at Euro RSCG in client servicing. Spent four years with Rediffusion DYR and worked on its biggest accounts during his tenure there.

Post that he started Digit 9.0 a digital marketing firm. Subtle Scream Studios, an advertising agency, was incepted early this year doing work for commercial brands and communication related to entertainment such as PR, posters and trailers. And he’s just getting started.

Rohan Gidvani (Savage) is currently completing his PhD. in molecular biology at the University of Waterloo, working on eukaryotic cell division. He has written a one-man Broadway show using a novel technology causing audiences to have their memories of it erased.

You will thoroughly enjoy having seen it and forgotten it. Having perfected this technology he is still extremely forgettable.

Rohini Sen (Barham) set off to Bryn Mawr, PA to pursue her undergraduate career. She has been studying ever since and is now in the last year of a PhD. programme in Psychometrics. She hopes to eventually start her own psychometric consulting services in India to help improve the quality of standardised testing.

Ruchi Kedia (Wilson) is currently self-employed with Hop, Skip and a Party! — an event management company 2011 The X-Cathedralite 47

Class Notes in Mumbai started by her and her sisters.

Sameer Singhvi (Wilson) is currently working with Salesforce.com as a sales engineer.

Shalini Khemlani (Palmer) graduated from HR College with a BMS degree in Marketing and then became a Graduate Gemologist from GIA, New York. She now runs her own jewellery store at Hughes Road under the name of K. Arjan Jewellers.

Sharnita Nandwana (Wilson) did a BA in Economics at St. Xavier’s College, followed by a second BA in Fashion Design Technology at the London College of Fashion. She was presented with the London College of Fashion’s prestigious ‘Fashion and Textiles Award’, was named one of ‘fashion’s names of the future’ by Vogue UK and worked with British fashion houses Burberry, Preen and Giles Deacon. She then decided to venture into the area of sustainable fashion, and after a brief project in Thailand and a life-changing road trip through South-East Asia, she moved to Bangkok in 2011, and is now designing textiles and clothing for the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, an NGO specialising in ethically produced clothing from hand-woven textiles. She currently lives in Bangkok, where apart from working, she is unsuccessfully trying to get into seafood and failing miserably at speaking Thai.

Shefali Mathur Christopher (Savage) is a senior physical therapist at the Duke University Sports Medicine Clinic in North Carolina. She finished her first Ironman triathlon in August 2010 and works with several pro triathletes. She is currently involved in sports performance research. Shefali and her husband are expecting their first child this November.

Shivani Saraf (Palmer) joined HR College and went to St. Xavier’s College for her Bachelor’s in Management Studies, after which she lived in Pune for two years during her post graduation in communication management at Symbiosis. A branding/communication specialist, she currently works with the Piramal Group. The craziest career decision she ever made was to quit her job in Mumbai and take one up in Goa where she lived for 10 months.

Shweta Diwan (Palmer) After completing her HSC from St. Xavier’s 48 The X-Cathedralite 2011

Class Notes College, she pursued law from Government Law College, Mumbai and then joined the law firm Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe and went on to qualify as a solicitor in Mumbai as also England & Wales. She continues to practise corporate law at Mulla & Mulla. She recently married her college sweetheart.

Sumat Chopra (Wilson) graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, after which he worked as a Senior Associate at Goldman Sachs, New York for five years and in private equity in India. He is now doing his MBA from INSEAD in Singapore, USA and France.

Sunaina Hemrajani, nee Singhvi (Wilson) completed her BA in Psychology from Sophia College, Mumbai and then went on to pursue an MSc in Developmental Psychology from Lancaster University, UK. Returned to Mumbai and did a course in Special Education training from the Spastics Society of India and then worked for about eight months with Sol’s Arc (a therapeutic centre for children with multiple disabilities), Mumbai. Got married and has been living in Virginia, USA for the last three years. Sunaina is currently employed as a special education teacher at a private school in Washington DC and would love to catch up with anyone from school in the area.

Sunny Gandhi (Savage) is a Director of Sunraj Diamonds and is currently manufacturing and trading cut and polished diamonds. Sourcing of rough diamonds takes him to Russia and South Africa frequently. Manufacturing jewellery for his friends is always welcome!

Tarun Thadani (Savage) is the cofounder of Cool Chef Cafe (pub and grill) and is always down to party.

Trilok Mahadevia (Palmer) completed his BE (Electronics) from Mumbai University after which he worked for two years in consulting at Ernst & Young and then as a Business Development Manager for his family business involved in energy and utilities in Bangalore. He is now pursuing his MBA at Rice University, Houston.

Tushad Dubash (Barham) completed his schooling at Eton and then obtained a Bachelor’s in Economics and Politics from the University of Bath and a Master’s in law from the University of

Bristol. He is now working with the family business in Mumbai.

Udit Parekh (Wilson) studied Engineering Physics at IIT Mumbai and Rice University. He then donned bunny suits and ran amok with microscopes at Intel before moving back to India. He is currently re-visiting long-forgotten biology and trying to develop affordable medical diagnostic devices for resource poor areas and patients with a start-up called Sabio in Bangalore.

Vanjul Agarwal (Barham) was a nerd, continues to be one as she finishes her residency in Internal Medicine and embarks on yet another three years of fellow(nerd)ship in Pulmonary and Critical Care at Thomas Jefferson University. In her free time, she continues to pursue her hobbies such as painting, reading and going to happy hours.

Varun Bubber (Palmer) received his BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and then caught the next flight home.

He’s since worked as a freelance writer, political editor and currently runs a men’s lifestyle website Guylife.com for the Times Group.

Varun Pardiwalla (Barham) is now an Investment Banker and Director Global Banking and Markets at RBS in Mumbai. Previously worked at UBS, DB, Macquarie and Reliance Capital.

Vishal Mathur (Palmer) a.k.a.

Crash was the track and field runner for Palmer and was also known in school for his excessive amounts of hair product and for his highly desired lunch boxes.

After his ICSE, he pursued track and field at Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts. To his disappointment, he never really became the next Ben Johnson (minus the scandals, of course), but instead became an External Auditor for Deloitte & Touche LLP in Boston after graduating from Boston University.

He is currently pursuing his MBA at the Rotman School of Management in Toronto, Canada.

Zahra Assur (Wilson) is currently finishing her PhD. in Biochemistry at Columbia University in New York; and will soon be tying the knot with fellow classmate, Jiten Sanghai (Barham).

- Compiled by Gautam Shewakramani and Priyanka Khatri

ICSE 2002 and ISC 2004

Akanksha Mittal (Wilson) after graduating from the London School of Economics, has worked in finance and real estate consulting at Yes Bank and E&Y and now works in her family’s real estate business in the acquisitions team.

Heeral Gandhi (Wilson) after a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media, worked at JWT in advertising and then as an associate producer at Bloomberg-UTV. Went on to pursue an MA in Creative Writing from Goldsmiths University, London and has been working as a freelance filmmaker since.

Mili Shivjiani (Wilson) after graduating from college, worked in advertising, fashion and as a brand manager in an interior designing firm. Is now happily married and co-owns a PR and Marketing company called Sparkle.

Radhika Pendse (Barham) did a Bachelor’s in Mass Media from St. Xavier’s College and a Master’s in Marketing Management from the University of Surrey, England, worked in the creative department at Digit 9.0 Web Marketing in India and now works in marketing communications at John Guest, London.

Zeena Golwalla (Savage) studied Law after graduating from HR College of Commerce & Economics, Mumbai with a Bachelor of Commerce and is now a Solicitor in Sydney, Australia.

Shail Dudhia (Palmer) did his HSC in Mumbai, graduated from Ohio State University in the field of Marketing and Logistics. Worked at Cadbury and Voltas and is currently looking for a full-time job.

Aanchal Talreja (Barham) studied Commerce at H.R. College and then completed her Bachelor’s in Mass Media from Jai Hind College. After college, she has been working with Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., in event management.

Radhika Parekh (Barham) graduated from Jai Hind College, completed a Bachelors in Dental Surgery from D.Y. Patil Dental College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai, and went on to work as an associate with Dr. Porus Turner at his speciality clinics. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Dental Surgery in Oral and Maxillofacial Prosthodontics and Implantology.

Rohiny Belani (Barham) studied at Government Law College, Mumbai and went on to do a Masters in Intellectual Property Rights and Competition Law from King’s College, London. Currently based in London, she is a trainee lawyer at Cromwells.

Nriti Shah (Barham) graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. Is currently based in Mumbai and works as a fashion designer for her premium clothes brand ‘Sapphire’.

Trishya Screwvala (Barham) graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s in Film and was thereafter admitted for her Master’s into the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California. After moving back to Mumbai, she has been working as a filmmaker and producer on various documentaries, with a special focus on social justice films and alternative cinema.

Varun Bhagat (Wilson) graduated from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia with a BCom in Marketing. After that, he completed a Graduate Gemologist Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America. He is currently based in Mumbai as a jeweller, designing and manufacturing jewellry at Bhagat.

Rohitashwa Bhotica (Palmer) graduated from IIT, Mumbai with a BTech in Computer Science and Engineering. Is now working at a Private Equity fund Everstone Capital, based out of Mumbai.

Rohan Dalal (Wilson) graduated from Haverford College and worked at Cedar Management Consulting in Mumbai. Recently turned entrepreneur and is in the process of setting up a restaurant.

Saatvik Jain (Savage) graduated from Babson College and then worked at a consulting firm based out of Mumbai and Dubai. He is currently working in the family business of manufacturing heavy and speciality chemicals.

Raunak Kumar (Barham) after graduating from Jai Hind College in 2004, completed his Bachelor’s in Computer Science from the National Institute of Technology, Allahabad and followed that with a Master’s in Computer Science from the State University of New York. Currently working as an analyst at Nomura Securities in New York.

Akshay Mittal (Wilson) after graduating from UCL, London, is now happily married and working with Mittal Builders in Mumbai.

Hrishikesh Pendse (Barham) graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Management Studies from Jai Hind College and a Master’s degree thereafter in Sport Management from Loughborough University, now spends eight months of the year in Japan playing rugby professionally.

Sinhaar Rodrigues (Palmer) graduated from Penn State University, worked with CRISIL and now works as a brand manager with Barella in Mumbai.

Nishant Shah (Savage) completed his BCom and MCom from Mumbai University, is currently pursuing a Chartered Accountancy degree.

Rushabh Vora (Barham) graduated from Trinity College, USA, worked in Finance in Singapore and has now founded a real estate and infrastructure services company called SILA, based in Mumbai.

Tanya Khubchandani (Barham) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, went on to get a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University in New York. Currently lives in New York with her husband and is working as the Director of Business Development for Khubchandani Healthcare.

Eisha Maskara (Barham) studied Graphic Design at Central Saint Martins in London, has currently set up her own design studio in Mumbai called ‘Design Concentrate.’

2011 The X-Cathedralite 49

Class Notes Adhiraj Harish (Wilson) graduted from HR College with a BMS degree, went on study at Government Law College and is currently practising as a lawyer at D.M. Harish & Co. Aniruddh Narvekar (Savage) graduated from HR College he joined Dr. D.Y. Patil Dental College and is currently based in Philadelphia pursuing a Master’s in Periodontics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Anshul Doshi (Palmer) graduated from HR College with a BMS, went on to pursue an MSc in Marketing at The University of Manchester (Manchester Business School). Currently in Mumbai working in his family business of manufacturing and exporting garments.

Anshul Sonawala (Savage) graduated from HR College with a BMS, has been working in his family business of bullion trading.

Arjun Sanghvi (Barham) completed his Bachelor’s in Commerce, worked with The Poonawallas as a business development manager and simultaneously completed a Diploma in Business Finance and Investment Studies followed by a Master’s in Science in Risk Management from the Cass Business School, London. Worked in the London property market till 2010 and recently returned to Mumbai to join the family business.

Aditi Doshi (Barham) graduated with a BA in Economics and Statistics from St. Xavier’s College, went on to do an MSc in Marketing and Strategy in The University of Warwick, UK. Currently works as an Assistant Brand Manager (Marketing) at Kraft Foods, UK. Mohit Bajaj (Savage) studied Science at Jai Hind College followed by Engineering from TSEC, Mumbai, he worked with Infosys for a couple of years and is currently in the last year of an MBA degree from MDI, Gurgaon.

Aditya Jhaveri (Savage) studied Law and now works with AZB & Partners, Mumbai, a corporate law firm.

Abheek Bhattacharya (Barham) completed his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Yale University in 2008 and has been working for newspapers since then. Currently based in Hong Kong with The Wall Street Journal where he writes opinion articles and editorials.

Ameeka Pannu (Palmer) graduated with a BSc in Neuroscience from Brandeis University, USA and is currently in her fourth year of the 50 The X-Cathedralite 2011

Class Notes MD program at George Washington University, Washington, DC. Anant Goenka (Barham) graduated in Business Administration with an emphasis in Brand Management from the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California.

After an inspiring summer course in basic journalism at Harvard University, he pursued a Master’s degree in Print Journalism as a Dean’s Scholar at Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, USC followed by a stint at Bloomberg in London. He is now working in business development at Spenta Multimedia, Mumbai.

Anant Mehta (Palmer) completed his graduation at Indiana University, Bloomington, he tried working in Mumbai at an ad agency (saw a movie a day at work) and then at a finance firm (did the same there). Thereafter was shipped to Surat to learn the diamond trade and is currently in Mumbai working with his father in the family business.

Anjali Mody (Barham) after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, she returned to Mumbai to start a speciality furniture studio called Josmo and has also recently co-founded a communications and consultancy firm called Skarma, for which she is spearheading the design house of the company.

Arjun Rastogi (Wilson) after graduating from Drexel University in Finance and Accounting, he worked at Blackrock and Ernst & Young in the US. In Mumbai, he worked with The Freedom Of Expression Movement (TFOEM), a non-profit organisation and has recently started a communications and consulting company Skarma along with fellow-classmate Anjali Mody.

Danesh Narang (Savage) completed his MSc in Economics and Finance from Warwick Business School and moved

back to Mumbai in 2009. Started a non-profit organisation (Section 25 Company) called The Freedom Of Expression Movement to improve communication levels, accountability and transparency within and amongst the social sector across India. More recently, started a communication and consultancy hub, Skarma with school friends Anjali Mody and Arjun Rastogi, catering to a mix of social sector organisations and corporate clients. Looking at diving deep into the world of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India.

Arundhati De (Barham) after studying BCom and Marketing at HR College, she proceeded to higher studies in Paris. She did her MBA with a specialisation in Luxury Brands Management from ESSEC Business School, Paris and is currently engaged in the diamond retail business.

Ashmita Randhawa (Wilson) after graduating with a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, she started working as a Scientist at Procter & Gamble’s R&D site in Brussels, Belgium. After spending two years there, she moved to Newcastle with the company and will now be based in Cincinnati, Ohio for the next two years.

Ashima Singh (Savage) after graduating from Mount Holyoke College, she worked in investment banking at UBS, New York and then as a Financial Analyst with Direct Energy’s M&A group in Toronto. She is happily married and currently based in Singapore.

Ashni Parekh (Wilson) after graduating from Duke University in 2008 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Public Policy Studies, she worked as a Management Consultant for Deloitte Consulting in the US. Is currently pursuing her MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Ashok Damani (Barham) graduated from the University of Southern California in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing. Back in Mumbai, working in the financial markets as a proprietary investor.

Avanti Maluste (Savage) graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience.

Currently based in Mumbai working as a consultant with A.T. Kearney.

Devang Bhimjyani (Palmer) after graduating from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor’s

degree in Finance and Operations Management, decided to follow his passion for the business of sports and is currently working with the Mumbai Indians cricket team.

Dhimaan Shah (Savage) graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Worked in investment banking at HSBC, New York. Is currently based in Mumbai, spearheading his HR and Learning & Development businesses.

Divya Mahadevia (Palmer) graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor’s in Psychology followed by a Master’s in Social Work at Columbia University, NY. Currently works with adults and adolescents in acute psychiatric units at the Bourbon Community Hospital in Kentucky.

Divya Mahindra (Barham) graduated with a Bachelor’s in Communication Design after a gruelling five years at Parsons School of Design. Interned and freelanced at various companies and design firms. As of now, is unemployed during a US government-granted break in New York City. Is learning how to cook and speak Spanish while waiting for an H1-B work visa. Hasta pronto todos.

Janhvi Maheshwari (Savage) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and worked in consulting with Monitor Group followed by a Master’s in Education at Harvard University. Currently works in the education services space and is heading Noesis|369 solutions, which designs custom education technology solutions for schools. She is happily married and lives in Dubai.

Janmejai Bagrodia (Savage) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently based in Mumbai and has founded India’s first skill-based online cash games company, Viva Games Ltd. Jehangir Jejeebhoy (Wilson) after graduating from Columbia University,

NY, the former Head Boy returned to Mumbai and completed his LLB. He has been working at a law firm (Bharucha & Partners) since 2008 and spends most of his free time with old school friends.

Krish Mirchandani (Wilson) studied Finance and Economics at Boston University, USA, then pursued an MSc in Shipping, Trade and Finance at Cass Business School, London and is currently working in the international ship-finance division at Deutsche Bank, Hamburg, Germany.

Kunal Dwarkadas (Savage) did his Bachelor’s in Management Studies from HR College then earned his LLB degree from Government Law College while simultaneously working as an Articled Clerk at a law firm (Wadia Ghandy & Co.). Recently switched over to counsel practice and joined the chambers of Mr. Zal Andhyarujina. Primarily practices in the Bombay High Court and is presently in NYC to pursue his LLM from Columbia Law School.

Malvika Khatri (Wilson) graduated from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and thereafter worked in investment banking at Deutsche Bank in New York and Yash Raj Films in Mumbai. Currently based in Mumbai is working with The Walt Disney Company India in Corporate Strategy & Business Development.

Manali Parekh (Barham) graduated from Emory University and has been working with JP Morgan in New York since.

Mansi Choksi (Wilson) graduated with a Bachelor’s of Mass Media from Jai Hind College and is now working as a Principal Correspondent at The Times of India.

Mitali Merchant (Barham) graduated from HR College of Commerce and Economics with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce - Banking and Insurance.

Thereafter obtained an LLB from Government Law College and worked as an articled clerk at Wadia Ghandy & Co from 2008-2011. Currently studying for the Solicitors’ exam.

Mrinal Todi (Wilson) graduated with a degree in Finance and Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Currently based in Mumbai, working at India Alternatives, a private equity fund.

Namita Johri (Barham) studied Economics at Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania. For the past three years,

she has been working at a boutique investment bank called DC Advisory Partners in London. In January 2012, she will start her MBA at INSEAD business school in Singapore.

Neerja Gupta (Palmer) completed her BA in Mathematics and Philosophy from Connecticut College in 2008. Since then she has been working at Barclays Capital in London.

Neha Grover (Wilson) completed her BA in Economics and Statistics from St. Xavier’s College followed by a Master’s in Economics from the University of Warwick. Currently working in Mumbai as a consultant with Booz and Company.

Puja Shah (Palmer) graduated from the University of Warwick with an LLB followed by an LPC from the College of Law. Since then, has been working with a corporate law firm, based in Mumbai.

Raakhe Kapoor (Barham) studied Finance and Management at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania. Stayed on at Wharton to do her MBA with a Major in Entrepreneurial Management. Currently based in Mumbai working in the Strategic Initiatives division at Yes Bank.

Raghav Gupta (Palmer) graduated from the University of Toronto, Canada with a degree in Finance and Economics in 2008, after which he joined the family business of chemical manufacturing for rubber and ceramic industries.

Rahul Dalal (Savage) graduated from University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign with a Master’s in Civil Engineering - Transportation. Currently working for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) as a Deputy Transport Planner on their various Metro projects.

Rahul Shewakramani (Savage) graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2008, after which he worked in finance in New York and at a political think-tank in Mumbai. Currently based in Mumbai working for a start-up in the cultural interpretation space (Audio 2011 The X-Cathedralite 51

Class Notes Compass) and will be commencing an MBA at MIT Sloan School of Management in 2012.

Rithika Merchant (Barham) graduated from the Parsons School of Design in New York worked across Europe as a freelance artist.

Rohan Harris (Savage) graduated from the University of Warwick in 2008 with a degree in Economics. Moved back to Mumbai and spent the last three years with HDFC Bank Treasury. Has recently quit and is re-evaluating his life.

Sahil Sheth (Savage) graduated from the University of Southern California.

Has since been working out of Germany and Mumbai. Currently based in Mumbai, he has started a company, Bleses Trading, which deals in high-end automobiles.

Sharlene Chichgar (Savage) graduated from the University of Nottingham. Continued to pursue her Master’s degree whilst working with E.ON in the UK and Germany. Is now based in Mumbai working in the field of international relations and development.

Sonakshi Khaitan (Barham) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Currently based in Mumbai, happily married and working as a Corporate Social Responsibility consultant.

Suhail Rajpal (Barham) completed his Chartered Accountancy and Bachelor of Law (General). Currently working in the investment banking department at the Royal Bank of Scotland in Mumbai.

Prior to that, was working with Ernst & Young as a consultant in the tax advisory department.

Taha Nabee (Palmer) graduated from Franklin & Marshall College in 2009 and returned to Mumbai soon after. For the last two and a half years, he has been working at Aromatan Cosmetics on a start-up dealing with beauty care retail.

Tanushree Hegde (Wilson) graduated from HR College and joined Cyberdyne Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. Took a sabbatical to follow her passion, completing a one year programme in film production at The New York Film Academy. Currently working at Fouress Engg India Pvt. Ltd.; actively involved in its corporate responsibility initiative, The One India One People Foundation, which was started by her grandfather, the promoter and owner of the Fouress Group. Also serves as a member of 52 The X-Cathedralite 2011

the Board of Directors of Cyberdyne Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. Tushya Jatia (Wilson) did his Bachelor’s in Finance and Accounting from HR College followed by a Master’s in Finance from Nottingham University, UK. Has since been working at Associated Stone Industries Ltd., as Executive Director.

Umehani Dalal (Savage) graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a BS in Electrical Engineering. Then worked with an Asset Management firm in Atlanta before returning to Mumbai in 2010. Currently working for Milestone Capital Advisors, a private equity fund based out of Mumbai.

Varun Jhangiani (Palmer) after graduating from Pune University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he spent a year with Tata Motors at their Pune facility. Moved back to Mumbai in 2009 to join the family business which has interests in shipping (clearing and forwarding) and manufacturing of writing tips for ball point pens.

Varun Rajan (Wilson) joined A.P. Moller-Maersk in 2004 as a cadet.

Completed his studies in Marine Engineering and Nautical Studies from the Singapore Maritime Academy in 2008 and earned his Certificate of Competency as both a Deck Officer and a Marine Engineer. He now sails onboard the large crude carriers and spends a majority of his time out at sea.

Rahul Shroff (Palmer) graduated from MIT in 2008 with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Stayed on to get a Master’s in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and also a Bachelor’s in Management Science (2010).

Currently based in Mumbai working in his family business.

Samarth Hegde (Wilson) graduated from Denison University and is now based in Mumbai, working as a Director at Octamec, an infrastructure company.

Dhruv Uday Singh (Barham) studied creative writing and screenwriting at the University of Southern California, and worked in production at Hyde Park Entertainment. He is currently writing features for two production companies.

Rima Jhaveri (Wilson) graduated from H.R. College with a Bachelor of Management Studies followed by a Master’s in Finance from Manchester Business School. Currently based in Mumbai, running a fashion jewellery and accessories business, Rhea Jewellery.

Rithika Merchant (Barham) graduated from Parsons’ The New School for Design, New York in 2008. Has since been working as an artist and has displayed her works in exhibitions across New York, Mumbai, Portugal, Belgium, Italy and Spain.

Ali Khan (Savage) graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Amherst College in 2008 and has since been working in finance in Boston.

Avantika Poddar (Palmer) graduated from KC College with a BMM degree and went on to study at the Shristi School of Art and Design. Currently happily married and based in Bangalore, working as a graphic designer.

Rushoti Chatterjee (Barham) graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Engineering in 2011. Currently based in Chicago working at Strata Decision Technology.

Sarvil Bhansali (Barham) graduated with a BBA from Carnegie Mellon University followed by a Masters from Imperial College, London. Currently based in Mumbai working in the family business, Bhansali Diamonds.

Vidula Menon (Palmer) graduated with a Bachelor’s in Economics from Denison University. Lives in Cleveland Ohio and is currently working with Deloitte.

Tarana Shivdasani (Savage) the former Head Girl graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in History from Yale University and is currently based in London working with Goldman Sachs.

Natasha Lall (Barham) graduated from Yale University in 2009 and currently lives in Calgary, Alberta.

- Compiled by Malvika Khatri and Trishya Screwvala 2011 The X-Cathedralite 53