Monthly Archives: October 2019

Diwali greetings!

Monday 28th October 2019, a message from Vijay Khurana:

Dear All,
Belated wishes for Diwali but they come with the same degree of warmth and sincerity had they been delivered yesterday. 
 
These wishes are accompanied by the one thing that we as aging adults will need most are good health accompanied by the capacity for a hearty laugh in the days ahead. I mention that the bit about laughter deliberately since old folks have been known to get grouchy !! So just dispense with that part and learn to smile and laugh a lot more in the new year.
 
I recall Mrs O. Advani narrating to us the story of the Ramayan when we migrated to Lower I in 1955. She assisted us in making Diwali greeting cards which were then posted to our parents. It was actually an imitation of what she drew on the black board. So about 30 sets of parents received almost identical Diwali greeting cards though each must have felt especially proud that their son had applied himself to the first few lessons of art and craft with a measure of discipline!! Besides, their son’s sense of colour, dimension and tradition were being given a bit of a boost. Some of us developed these skills more than the others and went ahead to become reasonably proficient in the subject to Art but the others never went beyond those crooked diyas that they drew for the rest of their lives !! 
 
I stray. I read an article that articulates the beginnings of Diwali which I am taking the liberty of sharing it with you only because it offers more interpretations from the version that Mrs Advani narrated to us. It does, however, include her narration as well with a victorious Ram coming home to the delight of the citizens of Ayodhya. It makes for an interesting read and will also educate you about the origins of the use of sulphur and crackers to a festival that originally was simply built around the use of light and not much about sound and, today, pollution !!
 
The Many Beginnings Of Diwali:-
https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/the-many-beginnings-of-diwali-11571977592367.html
 
Warmly
 
Vijay 
 Vijay Khurana
Director
DeVats (India) Private Limited
E-4, Sector 8, Noida – 201301, Uttar Pradesh, India
 

More messages, as replies to the email thread started by Vijay Khurana:

Diwali is the day when Rama and Sita arrive in Ayodhya after 14 years of exile.
 
There was a reason why they were exiled. Here then is the real story of Diwali

Jai Joshi MD
The Oncology Institute of Hope and Innovation
Tucson, AZ

Thanks Vijay for the simple and warm memories of Diwalies spent at school..
 
In my mind the vision of bursting crackers on the 1st flat stand out.
 
Greetings for Diwali and the coming festive season to all Cottonian kin.
 
Warmly

Akers

Message from Mr Goss:

Dear Vijay:
Thank you for enlightening me on the origins of the beautiful festival of Devali.  Although belated, may I take this opportunity to wish all my BCS friends in India and abroad a VERY HAPPY DIWALI.  May the spirit of celebration and joy live forever in your hearts and in your homes.
It is with love and gratitude that I cherish and recall my years in BCS.  Always carry our motto in your hearts and live it every day: “Overcome Evil with Good”.
Ronald Goss
(BCS 1956-64)

Gurmit S. Sehmbey’s 1950-61 BCS photo archive

Sending you some pics from 1950 something to 1961 my Dads pics [Gurmit Singh Sehmbey]… more will send later. I think one of them is a wedding at Woodville palace
Sukhminder S. Sehmbey

The photos are from a personal collection, sent by Sukhminder via Arun Sawhney but without details of the year in which taken or the people who appear in these photos. Anyone who can help identify, please leave a comment below [please indicate the photo number so we can add the details/caption to the appropriate pic. Many thanks! OCA Webmaster]. Click the photos below for a larger view. There are 8 separate “gallery” sections:

Punjab flood relief update

Fellow Old Cottonian’s

It gives me great pleasure to inform that in response to our appeal for contributions for the Punjab Flood Relief Fund a number of OC’s from India as well as abroad have sent in their most generous  and in-valuable contributions, details of which I will be mentioning below. Firstly I express my utmost gratitude to all those who have contributed financially as well as otherwise for their compassion  towards this extremely important cause as the victims of the recent floods in Punjab do not only need relief but rehabilitation as well. With the help of some of your invaluable contributions OCA INDIA has been able to provide much needed relief material like drinking water, medicines etc. through Mr. Daljit Singh Gill – Batch 1967 and his companions.

As you all are aware for projects like these any amount of contribution in any form is never enough also the entire relief work is being financed completely from funds contributed by OC’s voluntarily and not through the OCA corpus, so I appeal to all fellow Old Cottonians to please contribute to make this selfless cause a success. Also please be informed that we have decided that the total amount of funds collected by October 30th 2019 will be used for the final execution of this Relief Work.

Detail of funds collected in the OCA India Bank Account

NAME

AMOUNT

Mr.Vijay Khurana

Rs.10569/-

Mr.Sandeep Puri

Rs.10000/-

Mr.Pritinder Singh

Rs.5000/-

Mr.K.C.Anand

Rs.10000/-

Brig.H.S.Nagra

Rs.10000/-

Mr.G.S.Anand

Rs.15000/-

Mr.Dhiraj Berry

Rs.5000/-

Mr.Dhiraj Berry

Rs.5000/-

Mr.Ajay Thiara

Rs.10000/-

Mr.Davinder Singh Jaaj

Rs.10000/-

Mr.Rajmohinder Singh

Rs.10000/-

DGP Brar

Rs.10000/-

Mr.Surinder Singh Saron

Rs.10000/-

Mr.Anil Kumar- Victor

Rs.10000/-

Mr.Saranjit Singh (Bogie)

Rs.20000/-

Total-

1,50,569/-

For the optimum use of this fund we have appointed Brig. H.S. Nagra,9915322277  and Dheeraj Berry, 9814060426 as the Project in Charge to have consultations with the OC volunteers of Punjab to finalise the ideal relief work to be executed. One suggestion that is being considered as of now is to install Commercial RO Water Purifier Plants to provide a permanent solution for the drinking water problem that is going to exist for a long time.

Besides the above detailed contributions there were a few others that were sent directly to provide immediate needed relief material.

1)   Mr. Vijay Bhambri – Batch 1967 transferred an amount of Rs,49500/- directly in the bank account of a Manufacturer of Bottled Drinking Water in Jalandhar. Already this amount has been used to buy much needed drinking water and distributed in various flood affected villages in Punjab.

2)   Mr. Jemini Sharma- Batch 1967 transferred directly in the account of a Medicine supplier in Jalandhar an amount of Rs.5000/- which was used to distribute medicines.

3)   Mr. Daljit Singh Gill – Batch 1967 with his family has contributed an amount of Rs.28000/- which he has spent in purchasing and distributing relief material during his multiple visits to these affected areas. He has been able to get the NGO GOONJ to also send a truck load of relief material like clothes, sanitary napkins, utensils, blankets, school bags, stationery etc. which he has been distributing with other GOONJ volunteers.

Contributions can be deposited in OCA INDIA Bank account – details below:

Account Name:   OCA INDIA

Bank: UCO Bank, BCS Shimla

IFS Code: UCBA 0001971

Ac.Number: 1971 0100 001970

Cheques should be made out payable to “Old Cottonians Association (India)” & mailed to my  house address:

House no 1053 , Sector 27 B, Chandigarh 160019 India.

Note: All contributions to OCA INDIA for this purpose will be eligible for Income Tax Deduction U/s.80G.

 

Davinder Singh Jaaj

President OCA India & Executive Members

Gurdev Singh [BCS Teacher] passed away

As just seen at Mr Kabir Mutafi’s  Facebook post

Kamini said Rohit Singla has posted that Capt. Gurdev Singh passed away early this morning,. I have just spoken with Ranjit and he has confirmed. Details will be swirling soon but for the moment, I may dare hope that the flag is at half mast and a formal post be put on all Fb BCS pages. Jassi and family, including cousins and wives etc are in Australia. Ranjit, Ma’am Mrs Gurdev and other senior members of the family ar together in Ludhiana.

It was the heart. Gurdev had two stents put in at Fortis several weeks earlier and was in good form. But Last night complained of discomfort at about 1.00am. By the time they could get him back to Fortis from the local hospital, he had gone.

A memorial service in Chapel and then later a brass plaque would be a good way to acknowledge the special contribution and invaluable example that Gurdev was, to generation and generations of Cottonians.

OCA Mailing List – an update

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This community website links and brings together, globally, all Old Cottonians of Bishop Cotton School Simla. It is not specific to any one country or chapter of the OCA.