Monthly Archives: December 2018

Christmas letter from Vivek Bhasin

Christmas Letter 2018
“ the meaning of nothing “

From the artic circle running through Sweden…

I sit me down and attempt to rewind the year that went by..

Just for you and him and them excitement, happiness, elation and possibly even sadness made this year….

I have been shuttling between Scandinavia and India ( and my homeland Simla, Mashobra and Bishop Cotton School!)…. and as I write my last lines of this year with the winter solstice upon us I think back on 2018 with both splendid cheer … a year and a tear older. 

The Swedish winter is always cold and crispy blue and with some snow on the ground the swedes are running helter skelter to replenish their larders with Christmas fare… bountiful eating and drinking and merry making … the Christmas Ham is a speciality and the main course amongst a variety of herring, Jonsson’s Temptation ( a baked dish with shredded new potatoes, cream , cheese and anchovies ) that is accompanied by Akvavit ( in Latin the “water of life “potent shot made with fermented potatoes…

The Swedes have always performed with utmost precision having increased their forest cover by more than 60% over the last 30 years; they even control their population … ( since the last 38 years I have been residing in Sweden the population has increased from 8 million to 10 million ..and they are “worried” about over population .. taking proactive steps)….Guess Making Love not Babies … and skiing ⛷! As though nothing ever happened …

The Ministry of 
NOTHING
NO SUCH THING
Yes…isn’t it true when someone … an outsider … a non Cottonian, an outsider asks me about BCS .. I respond “ forget it… it’s nothing” as I really don’t need to explain nor clarify nor equate nor benchmark our Alma mater with others… you and I know what our School was all about .. what it is with it’s deodars, with its weeping willows, it’s grand chestnut tree and the riot of colours in the Head Master’s garden… and our dorms, our dining hall , our Irwin Hall and our Beautiful Chapel..

..cause when we lived in that cradle on the spur of that great mountain and looked at the Tara Devi gap and saw heat and steam and dust out yonder we became part of India’s greatest institution… each brick, mortar, white wash and our heartbeat makes that amazing citadel of ours precious, sacred and lofty .. with great humility… 

We may have both famous and infamous boys who walked our corridors into history; who stamped their impressions in our minds and souls but we have no need to boast nor shout … to others we express nothingness … to “each other” we simply nod and hug as brothers with green-red-dark blue and light blue blood running through our veins…we stand apart, always will.

The complicated world is where we live in…. but we are privileged to sit on the benches to look out over the second flat and beyond…. yes in our complicated world… our BCS is our shrine to return to and untangle our complicated lives for brief beautiful moments….
as Hard Rocker’s Metallica said “ nothing really matters”

Wishing all Cottonians, The Head Master and his staff of all sorts..
A Peaceful Christmas and a Blessed New Year🙏

Christmas 2018
Vivek Bhasin
Lefroy 1961-1970
.. having walked the Camino to Santiago de Campostela a distance of 550 Km so far…
with miles to go……

Applications for post of Vice-President OCA India

NOTICE

                                                                                                                                22ndDecember 2018

It is hereby informed to all OCs that OCA INDIA invites written Applications from eligible Old Cottonians for the Post of ‘Vice President’ of OCA India for a term of two(2) years commencing from 1st April 2019 and ending on 31st March 2021. Those willing to serve the Association selflessly may apply in Sealed Envelopes marked ‘Application for Post of Vice-President’ and send it on our registered office address to“The Secretary – Old Cottonians Association (India), 1- Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi 110016”, by Post/ Speed Post/ Courier only. Please note that this Post is honorary and no remuneration or Salary, of any kind whatsoever, shall be offered to the selected Candidate for his services during his entire tenure of two(2) years.

Eligibility criteria for Candidature are as below :-1. Applicant shall be a member of the Society and shall have cleared all his outstanding dues of its annual subscription fee of Rs.500/- towards their respective regional chapter he belongs to.2. The said application must be accompanied by/with a ‘Vision Statement’.3. He should have served at any one of the regional Chapters for at least One(1) year as President/Secretary or served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Society or its regional Chapters OR should be an OC of eminence.4. Must have studied in Bishop Cotton School, Shimla for at least two(2) years as a Boarder.

The cut-off date for receipt of applications is 31st January, 2019. Kindly note that no application on email shall be entertained and incomplete application/s shall be rejected.

Ashwani Singh Virk                                                                                  

Secretary OCA (India)

New Delhi

Friends, Romans, Countryman. Lend me your ears. . . Batch 1978!

“Friends, Romans, Countryman. Lend me your ears…”

Forty years ago, these lines, from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar dominated the minds of 20+ Cottonians as they prepared for their ICSE English Literature exams.
It was November 1978.

Now in November 2018, this same group gathered together as Friends, Brothers and Cottonians

The 40th reunion of the BCS batch of 78 was celebrated in Delhi over a period of 3 days. On the 27th, dinner hosted by Shiv Mehra. On the 28th, dinner hosted by Rajesh Mohan. On the 29th, dinner hosted by Kanad Sayal.

[click for full size photos]

Marshal Brar (R) from London, Shivi Pawa (R) from Texas, Vichai Srimanothip (R) from Bangkok, Narinder Pal Singh (C) from Canada – are some who travelled from overseas to grace the occasion. Raj Mahant (R) joined us from Manali, Nitin Malhotra (R) from Jammu, Kanwaljit Singh (R) from Shimla, Manvender Singh (L) from Mumbai.
Rajnish Bhatia (R) from Chandigarh, along with Ranjeet Mehta (L) and Harnam Chauhan (I) joined us from Himachal, on the 29th.
Also present were Ashim Kapoor (L), Hardayal Chauhan (C), Rajesh Dogra (I), Sanjeev Sood (L), Shiv Mehra (R), Robby Mohan (L), and Kanad Sayal (I) from Delhi.

It was a memorable three days.

Fondly remembering and retelling stories of the the good old days spent in BCS 40 years ago. Importantly, now reconnecting with each other. Some paths had never crossed – so some of us were literally meeting each other after 40 years!

We parted ways after dinner on the 29th. But just before we bid each other good bye, we all stood together and sang the school song – and that truly completed our reunion