Monthly Archives: October 2010

OCA Centenary Celebrations – message from OCA UK

The Old Cottonians Association (United Kingdom)  conveys All Good Wishes for the Centenary Celebrations of our august association that kicked-off  in Chandigarh, India.T he love and the sense of belonging we have for our Great and Wonderful School will always remain throughout our lives.

The Old Cottonians Associations spread over all continents of the world are harbours to which arrive the younger generations of Cottonians; a congregation, a mecca where the Association must instill a feeling of security and comfort for these youngsters. With our Founding Father Bishop Cotton always in our midst the Associations encompass the spirit of brotherhood and every Cottonian is a Life Member. Arriving in a new place can be worrying, stressful and for some of us the need to have contact with someone who has come from the same background, shared the same classroom, the dormitory, the dining hall, cheered in unison for his house and for BCS.  The OCA hovers over the entire country where it has been associated; all it takes is an emanating signal from a young Cottonian who needs some help, some advice or just wishing to trace another Cottonian who may have drifted away in the mists of time.
Let the World know: The OCA is a Force of Power; its is there for Cottonians to Remember…Never Forget.

The OCA (United Kingdom)
Captain Vivek C.Bhasin
Chairman
4, Southlands, 40, Queens Road, Weybridge KT13 0AR, Surrey. UK
Tel: + 44 (0)1932 841614 / Mobile: + 44 (0)7887 983333
E: vivek.bhasin@dole.com

Mr Gursant Singh Sandhu
Secretary
86 Cranbrook Rise, Ilford  London IG1 3QH, UK
Tel: + 44 (0)7956 186648
E: Gursant@yahoo.com

Mr Puneet Singh
Treasurer
34 Pursewardens Close, Ealing , London W13 9PN, UK
Tel: + 44 (0)7841 590990

Mr Vinod Nanda
37, Melbury Avenue, Norwood Green, Southall, Middlesex UB2 4HS, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7235 8282
E: vinod@tata.com

Mr Raj Lamba
12 Western Court, Huntley Drive, London N3 1NX
Tel: + 44-(0)20 8349 1041

Obituary – Meera Batra

 Obituary

We regret to announce the sad passing away of Mrs. Meera Batra, W/o Late Vice Admiral R N Batra (C 1920 -37) on 15 October 2010. One of our First Lady, most Charming, gracious and courageous.  She will be missed at all our functions.

Col. R Dewan
OCA India

 

Centennial Celebration – special memorabilia

oca-india-north

Dear OCs,

On the occasion of the Centennial Celebration of the Old Cottonians Association, some special memorabilia are being prepared: such as Watches, T-Shirts, Jackets and Ties.

As a special initiative of the OCA (India) Northern Chapter, the contribution of Rs. 1000.00 per OC to participate in the Centennial Drive would include lunch at the Taj Hotel Chandigarh along with a special OCA Centennial Celebration Watch.

Please send in your confirmations via the link below. Payment / participation details were already posted HERE.

Ajay Thiara
Member Executive
OCA (India), Northern Chapter
Phone: 0172-5071931, 4009932.

James [Jimmy] Gideon – passed away

Jimmy Gideon – BCS 1954-1964 Rivaz house, School Captain in 1964:  

Passed away on the 8th Oct 2010 at Hyderabad India.

We send our heartfelt condolences to his family.

UPDATE:
The family is holding a memorial service for Jimmy on 16th Oct 2010 at 5 pm at:

The Sacred Heart Cathedral,
Gole Dakhana Post Office
New Delhi

Messages from Sarah Gideon [Jimmy’s daughter] as posted on FaceBook:

This is a message to all of Jimmy Gideon’s friends and relatives. On the 6th of this month , dad complained of a severe neck pain, and as time passed by he said he couldnt feel any kind of sensation in his legs, he said it felt as if they were “detached”. His condition had worsened by 3.30pm in the afternoon when he was losing his speech, and so by now he was just whispering. Within 20mins and before we could call the ambulance he had become unconcious.
—-
Dad was admitted in the apollo hospital at 4.35 PM. A CT Scan explained to us by the doctors proved that it was a massive hemorrahage in the brain that occured in the respiratory area, therefore this made the situation a bad one because he had to be on the ventilator as he wasnt breathing on his own. A surgery wasnt recommended as he was in deep coma by then. The next day , ie; 7th, the doctors performed some clinical tests to check his sensorymotor responses, which he failed. But what gave us hope is that he had made the effort to breathe on his own for a whie.
—-
Throughout the doctors couldnt give us any hope, they said the chances were even less than a percent. As a family we wanted to think and believe otherwise. Friends and family were supportive, the church stepped in for prayers.

On the 8th early morning at 5 am we were called to the hospital. Dad had passed away. At 4.45 am that morning, he had a cardiac arrest while he was in coma. He passed away peacefully.

We as a family ask you all to keep us in your prayers in this grieving time on the loss of our beloved.

OCs in Western Australia

A small group of OC’s and their wives often meet up in Perth Western Australia. On these occasions we usually gather at one another’s homes to talk about our old school days. Though it has been over many years since we were there, the memories come flooding back and we all have a good laugh. A few months ago we were visited by Peter Johans and his wife from Switzerland. He was a bit younger than us, but we enjoyed his company as we would any OC’c that come to Perth W.A. The photo was taken at Peter Rollo’s home in Dianella.

I also enjoyed a trip to Sydney to meet up with Peter Maidment and his wife Hanna. Peter was House Captain of Rivaz House in 1943, while I was with Curzon House. It was great meeting up, as the last time I saw Peter was in Perth in the early 50 ties. We enjoyed a lovely Chinese meal while we recalled our time in BCS. Photo was taken in Chatswood Sydney..
Best wishes to all Cottonians and Old Cottonians…
Dick D’Abreu.

Centennial celebration of the OCA 2010

THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS OF THE OLD COTTONIAN’S ASSOCIATION

Dear OC,

Bishop Cotton has left behind a tremendous legacy. Last year we celebrated 150 years of Bishop Cotton having founded our ‘Great School’. The celebrations were a resounding success.

This year we have occasion to celebrate 100 years of the Old Cottonians Association. As successive generations of Cottonians passed beyond the portals of our Great School, they scattered around the world but never once , it would seem, did they forget Bishop Cotton or the School where all of us spent some of the most delightful and formative years of our life.

To keep the flame burning of Bishop Cotton and our Great School, Cottonians decided to form the Old Cottonians Association.

Today, as we celebrate 100 years of the O.C.A. there will be dozens of Associations around the world, with thousands of Old Cottonians who will stand shoulder to shoulder, sing the School Song and thank our Founding Fathers for our motto, “ Overcome evil with Good”. This has been a guiding light for Cottonians through out their lives.

Other than having imparted lessons in humility, social etiquette, punctuality, discipline, respect for elders Bishop Cotton wanted us to go out into the world to do good and have a good time!

It is with the last point in mind that OCA (India) Northern Chapter has decided to honour Bishop Cotton, Our Great School and the Association of Old Boys who, young at heart will carry the Cottonian Flag high and with pride.

We hope that you along with your spouse / partners and fellow OC’s will be able to attend the function in large numbers. You are requested to confirm your participation at the earliest as it will help us plan for our catering etc. Through you, we would like to have details of latest contact numbers of your OC friends, so that we can communicate directly with them. Kindly note that children are not allowed at the OC meet.

Please find enclosed as an attachment a program for the Centennial Celebration of the Old Cottonians Association.

Best Regards,

Ajay Thiara
Member Executive
OCA (India), Northern Chapter
Phone: 0172-5071931, 4009932.

PROGRAM FOR THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE OLD COTTONIANS ASSOCIATION

Friday, 22nd October, 2010: Golf Tournament and Dinner
(Organized by OCA (India) Northern Chapter)

  • Golf Tournament between Old Cottonians and Old Sanawarians The tournament would be conducted at the Chandigarh Golf Club. The participation fee would be Rs. 500/- per head and would be collected at the Golf Club on the day of the tournament itself. All OC’s desirous of taking part in the Golf Tournament may kindly send the following details to OCA Northern Chapter by Monday, 18th October, 2010 :
    a) Full Name b) House c) Batch d) Handicap e) Mobile no. f) Email id.
  • The dinner would be conducted at CGA Golf Range, Sector-6, Chandigarh at 7:30 p.m. The contribution amount for all OC’s playing in the Golf Tournament as well as for non playing OC’s who are desirous of attending the OCA Centennial Celebration dinner would be Rs. 1000/- per OC and Rs. 1500/- per couple. The contribution amount may kindly be sent in the form of a Demand Draft or cheque drawn in favour of OCA (India) Northern Chapter payable at Chandigarh. The payment should be accompanied with the OC’s a) Full Name b) House c) Batch d) Mobile no. e) Email id. The payment and the information may be sent or handed over to Mr. Arun Rana at Jamboree, SCO-99-100, Top Floor, Above Sindhi Pastry Shop, Sector-17-B, Chandigarh. Phone: 0172-5071931, 4009932.
    Dress Code: Smart evening casuals

Saturday, 23rd October, 2010: Centennial Drive
(Organized by OCA (India) Northern Chapter

  • A Centennial Drive would be conducted from Chandigarh to Bishop Cotton School Simla with an overnight halt at Barog. All OC’s taking part in the Centennial Drive would assemble at the Taj Hotel, Sector-17, Chandigarh at 12:00 noon.
  • At Barog a camp fire and barbeque would be held, alongwith a sing song. All participating OC’s are requested to carry along with them the song books from last year’s celebrations. Charges for taking part in the Centennial Drive would cover the expenses for lunch at the Taj Hotel and other peripheral expenses and would be Rs. 1000/- per OC and Rs. 2000/- per couple.
    Accommodation cost and facilities at Barog would be as follows:
    At a camp: Rs. 2000/- per couple which would include evening tea, camp dinner, morning tea and camp breakfast.
    Hotel Pinewood & Hotel Barog Heights: Room charges would vary between Rs. 1700/- to Rs. 3200/- on twin sharing basis. A discount of approximately 30% on only room charges would be given at Hotel Pinewood.
    For all those OC’s not staying at the camp, Dinner at the camp would cost Rs. 250/- per head and breakfast at the camp would be at Rs. 100/- per head. Since only limited accommodation is available, therefore entries to participate in the Centennial Drive would be accepted on first come first serve basis only. All those OC’s desirous of taking part in the Centennial Drive, may kindly send the payment to cover the participation fee of the centennial drive and cost of accommodation in the form of a Demand Draft or cheque drawn in favour of OCA (India) Northern Chapter payable at Chandigarh. The payment should be accompanied with the OC’s a) Full Name b) House c) Batch d) Mobile no. e) Email id. The payment and the information may be sent or handed over to Mr. Arun Rana at Jamboree, SCO-99-100, Top Floor, Above Sindhi Pastry Shop, Sector-17-B, Chandigarh. Phone: 0172-5071931, 4009932.

Sunday, 24th October, 2010:

  • Blood Donation Camp / Lunch / Basket Ball and or Football match / Dinner
  • a) The Centennial Drive would leave Barog at 9:30 a.m. to reach Bishop Cotton School, Simla by11:30 a.m.
  • b) At school a Blood Donation Camp would be conducted (Courtesy OCA (India) Northern Chapter & OCA (India) Himachal Chapter)
  • c) At 1:30 p.m. a Centennial Celebration lunch would be served at school for the visiting OC’s. (Courtesy The Head Master, Bishop Cotton School)
    Dress Code for a,b,c: Smart Casuals
  • d) Post lunch a Basketball / Football match would take place between the OC’s and the school team.
  • e) At 7:30 p.m. a Centennial Celebration Dinner has been organized in Simla at Hotel Woodville Palace adjacent to the Raj Bhawan. (Courtesy OCA (India) Himachal Chapter). The contributory amount to attend this dinner would be Rs. 750/- per OC and Rs. 1500/- per couple. All OC’s desirous of attending this Dinner may kindly contact OC D.M. Sud 9418057500, OC Anil Walia 9816017100 or OC Arun Sawhney 9816064890.
    Dress Code: Formal preferably Blazer and OC Tie
  • f) Accommodation is available in Simla at Hotel Woodville Palace which is a heritage property from Rs. 5000/- till Rs. 12000/- per room per night. OC Uday Singh who is the owner of the hotel has very graciously offered a 30% discount on the room tariff for visiting OC’s. Should any OC require more reasonably priced accommodation, he may contact OC DM Sud or OC Anil Walia.

 

Note: Whilst it shall be our endeavour to follow this program, there could be some minor changes.

CONTACT :
OCA Northern Chapter