Tag Archives: News

Vivek Bhasin [BCS Batch 1970] appointed to BCS Board of Governors

This message received from Vivek Bhasin, is quoted below:

The BCS Board of Governors meeting at India International Centre New Delhi, I was appointed as Governor.. this has been a colossal task, a frustrating and tiring journey with bends, hoops, boulders and obstacles but persistence and perseverance made it possible..I am very pleased, grateful..I wish to Thank and Hug everyone who supported me on this quest… however my work will begin immediately and this is only possible by your active contribution in assisting guiding and applying modern ways to regain the higher threshold of our BCS to where it was ..new modern, continuous old traditions ..
To mind comes excessive marketing ; improving the BCS website; audio visual interviews with OCs who can come forward and talk about their lives, achievements thanks to their rock solid foundations at BCS… the intake of boys has been dropping and the need to interact with prospective parents of students who look at various schools; their final choice must be BCS..
Of course there are many many factors that need to be implemented but soft skills etiquette first impressions is where I will start .. as a Governor I am there not to place another silken feather in my cap but chart a course for our alma mater with my USP, where my strength lies…
I need your full support..
Be it, when I am in Sweden, Europe or walking the Caminos to Santiago de Compostela…I will be focusing on BCS with a strong and determined commitment…I want you to reach out to me just as I will be reaching out to you…
We may have arrived at another junction in our lives … but we cannot and will not forget BCS
Warmest Wishes, Hugs and God’s Blessings,
Vivek ‘Bonnie’ Bhasin

Heartiest Congratulations Vivek Bhasin!

Old Cottonians’ Association United Kingdom President’s Newsletter Vijay Bhalaik MRCS FRCS / OCA UK annual luncheon


Old Cottonians’ Association United Kingdom

President’s Newsletter

Vijay Bhalaik MRCS FRCS

Dear Old Cottonians

I am delighted to take over the reigns of the Old Cottonians’ Association (UK) and hope that I will be

able to do justice to the office. The school is very dear to me and I feel privileged to be representing

the Old Boys in the United Kingdom. Thank you for your support.

I have been off and on attending the Old Cottonians’ lunch for over 30 years. During this time, the

association was brought together by Peter Stringer, Gay Niblett and Kuljinder Bahia. I must thank

Kuljinder for his spirited leadership of the UK chapter. He has very successfully kept the organisation

going and contributed significantly to the school, for which he must be congratulated. Kuljinder has

been supported by Gursant Sandhu who has, as the Secretary of the Association, kept contact with

the membership and Puneet Singh, Treasurer, who has kept the organisation financially afloat. I am

very grateful for their unrelenting contribution.

The last three years have been very challenging for everyone, and the OCA brotherhood was unable

to meet during this difficult time. As a healthcare professional myself, I was in the middle of the

action, but was able to arrange a Zoom meeting with my colleagues during the extreme lockdown in

the UK. Sukhminder Sehmbey, Iqroop Chopra, Raju Singh, Sundar Sidha, Gursant Sandhu and

Kuljinder were a great source of strength in those difficult times.

Since taking over the role of President in October last year, I have had regular meetings with the core

committee of the association, which includes Gursant and Puneet. We have been planning the year

ahead to strengthen the association. The main aim of the association is to support Old Cottonians

in the United Kingdom and liaise with our alma mater. Going forward there are some key areas of

development which we will be working on:

• Updating our membership directory. This will improve our communication with the

membership. I am keen to capture all Old Cottonians in the United Kingdom. My secretary,

Pam Palphreyman, has kindly agreed to support the organisation during my term as President

and has already started to work on this. I would be grateful if you could forward your details

or anyone new in the UK to Pam (pamelapalphreyman@nhs.net) so that the membership

directory can be updated. The organisation will be GDPR compliant, and your details will not

be passed on to anyone outside OCA UK.

• Financial stability of the Old Cottonians’ Association UK. It is important for an organisation to

be financially viable and there are a few models we are working on, and this is an area I am

familiar with due to my role at Health Education England and Charities Trust. We will discuss

this matter at the next AGM in London.

• Develop a framework and touchpoint for old boys in the UK. The thought behind this is that

the association has a link person for every school decade, e.g., 1950-1960 etc. This will

hopefully strengthen the organisation. If this is something that you would be interested in

helping with, then please get in contact. The OCA UK would love to have you onboard.

• Supporting our alma mater. As Old Cottonians, we are very proud of our parent school and

there are many ways we can support it. The OCA UK under Kuljinder supported many projects

at the school and I would hope that this can be strengthened. I am aware that our

membership has very successful businessman/financiers/bankers/doctors and writers. My

plan is to link up with the mentorship programme at the school, so that the headmaster,

Mr Simon Weale can approach you. If you are willing to mentor a young Cottonian, either

during his school time at Bishop Cotton School or after leaving school, please get in touch with

myself or Pam.

• Develop the OCA UK website. This work is ongoing, and we are looking for an enthusiastic

volunteer/volunteers who would be willing to take on the challenge of developing this. The

role would mainly be for content delivery. I am grateful to our last President, Kuljinder, who

is funding the website development. If you have an IT/journalism/content editor background,

please consider getting in touch with myself or Gursant.

• Supporting the Old Cottonians’ Association. I would hope to strengthen the relationship

between the various chapters in India and abroad.

• Annual lunch. We will continue with the tradition of our annual OCA UK lunch on the last

Saturday of June. This falls on the 24 June this year and will be held at Bombay Palace, 50

Connaught Street, London, W2 2AA. All Old Cottonians and their partners are invited, and

the cost will be £50 per head. This is a great social gathering when the younger members of

the Association can network with the senior members. I would encourage everyone to

attend if they are able to. Please RSVP to Puneet (puneetsingh932@hotmail.com or

07841590990).

Sadly, over last few years, we lost many of our older members. I thank Gay Niblett for his assistance

in collating the below information.

Peter Stringer (Lefroy 1941-1947). Peter was the most spirited Old Cottonian I have had the privilege

of meeting. He had great enthusiasm and reminisced his time in school, sharing his experiences with

the members. His leadership kept the association together for the last 20 years. He will be sadly

missed by all.

Dr Humayun Khan (Rivaz 1941-1947) used to regularly visit us from Pakistan. Humayun was one of

the old boys who left school on the 3 June 1947 during the partition of India and later joined the

Pakistan Superior Services. In 1984, he was appointed Pakistan High Commissioner to India.

Sanjiv Talwar (Rivaz 1968-1974). Sanjiv was a brilliant academic student. He topped the Delhi

University in Economics following which he came to the UK and studied chartered accountancy. He

subsequently did a PhD in International Finance, after which he worked in international banking for

many years and then became a very successful independent consultant and finance director of e

booker.com.

John Phillips (Curzon 1939-1944). John was a good sportsman and apparently had an eye for Joyce

Sinker, the Headmaster’s elder daughter, and was a friend when both were back in England. He was

by then a senior member of the Farmers Union in the UK. A stalwart of the OCA(UK)

Bob Myers (Ibbertson 1936-1944) Bob was House Captain of Ibbetson. He was a Prefect and boxed

for the school. He later got a Blue for boxing at Cambridge University. Bob was a great supporter of

OCA UK and regularly invited OCs to his home in Somerset to stay for a couple of nights before the

Annual Lunch, even inviting an Old Sanawarian to his dining table at the same time.

Allan Bapty (Rivaz 1936-1944). Allan was a doctor who did a lot of missionary work looking after

people suffering with leprosy, mainly in Nepal and Africa.

Clive Hardy (Lefroy 1940-1945). Clive was House Captain of Lefroy and an all-round sportsman. He

was a keen supporter of OCA UK

Arthur Jones (Lefroy 1942-1945). Arthur was a keen cricketer and played for BCS. He always attended

the Annual Lunches.

Lance Jones (Lefroy 1935-1939). Lance served in the Indian Police Force and when he returned to

London he was a fervent Arsenal supporter. Despite being rather frail in his last years, he was full of

spirit.

Douglas Reed (Rivaz 1940-1946). Doug (Dhumchu) was House Captain of Rivaz. He was a formidable

long-distance runner and unbeatable marathon performer.

Robert (Bobby) Reed (Rivaz 1940-1946). Bobby was an outstanding sportsman and academic. We

OCs, however, must thank him and his wife, Sheila, and their family for hosting many lunches at their

home. Sheila continues to attend and was present on an overseas trip to the school.

They are in our thoughts and the OCA UK fondly remembers their association with the membership.

I was fortunate last year to meet the Headmaster of Bishop Cottons School, Simon Weale, along with

his charming wife Rebecca, and the schoolboys on their cricket tour to the UK. The OCA UK, under

our President, Kuljinder, hosted the boys and staff during this visit and it was a delight to meet the

boys and watch them play cricket. Some of the old boys were able to follow and attend as the

Cottonians continued their tour. The school will be visiting the UK again this year for a cultural tour.

Again, this would be an ideal opportunity for the OCA UK membership to meet and support the school.

Cottonians plan to visit Strafford-upon-Avon, Rugby, Bath and London during this period. I am hopeful

that the headmaster and his wife will be able to attend the OCA UK lunch on the 24 June. Their

programme is as follows.

18th June – Arrive in London – transfer to Oxford.

19th June – Visit to Stratford Upon Avon and then Rugby School – visit Cotton House and meet the

Rugby archivist who will show us the archives on George Cotton.

20th June – Tour of Oxford and Oxford University – transfer to Bristol

21st June – Sightseeing in Bristol then interaction with pupils and staff at Bristol Grammar School.

22nd June – Morning in Bath with visit to Kingswood School. Evening tea/BBQ at Cotton House,

Marlborough

23rd June – Visit to Harry Potter World

24th June – Sightseeing in London

25th June – Sightseeing in London including production of Comedy of Errors at the Globe

26th June – Sightseeing in London including visit to Westminster School

27th June – Return

The school has appointed a resident teacher in charge of alumni affairs- Deepa Kennedy. She will be

the point of contact with Bishop Cotton School. She can be contacted by emailaluminibishopcotton@

gmail.com. Please contact her for any help required. This is a welcome step

for old cottonians all over the world who can now keep in touch with their alma matar.

I look forward to seeing you all on the 24 June.

Kindest regards, Vijay


All OC’s and their family members are invited to attend OCA (UK) annual lunch, which is to be held on Saturday 24th June 2023 (12 noon onwards) at Bombay Palace, 50 Connaught Street, London W2 2AA.
1. Bombay Palace will charge us £50.00 per person for food. Please therefore pay in advance by telegraphic transfer (preferred method) or by cheque.
Telegraphic Transfer Lloyds TSB Bank Sort Code
Account Number Reference
30 93 84
00126972
Please insert your name (plus number of guests)
Cheque
Please make your cheque payable to OCA (UK) and send it to our treasurer Mr Puneet Singh, Flat 1, 1 Frognal, London NW3 6AL. Please write your name on the reverse of your cheque. OC’s can also contact Puneet on 07841590990 or puneetsingh932@hotmail.com
** Any donations to OCA (UK) would be greatly appreciated.
2. Soft drinks are inclusive. You will need to pay for any drinks (beers, wines, spirits).
3. If you have any questions about the reunion, then please get in touch with Mr Puneet Singh using the details shown above or Mr Gursant Sandhu on 07788716525 or gs@notarypublicgs.co.uk.

Annual OCA India Reunion Lunch, postponement

Dear OCs,
As per the meeting of the executive of OCA India convened on 14.01.2022, it was unanimously decided to postpone the Annual Reunion Lunch that would have been held on 06.02.2022 at Delhi, until further notice due to current COVID guidelines issued by the Government. A  fresh date and venue of the said event shall be communicated to all later. 
Best Wishes and enjoy a wonderful season ahead!
Best regards
Jaspal Singh Sawhney

Bishop Cotton School — how Asia’s oldest boarding school is coping with the pandemic

From The Indian Express:

Football season, a mountaineering expedition, a cricket tournament, an inter-school debate competition – these are some of the events which have been canceled or postponed due to the pandemic at the Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, one of Asia’s oldest boarding schools for boys.

Though students are attending regular virtual classes from home, they are missing out on a number of sports and other activities, apart from the experience of community-living in the residential school, said Simon David Weale [MA Oxon] the school’s director.

“We’re eager for the campus to fill up with students again. They are attending 44 hours of virtual classes every week, and our teachers have improvised well and come up with innovative, teaching methods. But students are not obliged to attend all these classes as too much screen time could be unhealthy. Besides, the essence of holistic education provided here is the residential environment. That’s why even local students from Shimla live inside the campus,” said Weale.

A typical day at school begins at 6 in the morning and lasts till 10 at night, during which boarders are engaged in physical training, classes, organised games, prep and co-curricular activities such as public speaking, art and drama.

In summer, the school also organises outward-bound activities such as treks and adventure sports, and a month-long mountaineering training course for the outgoing batch, which have all been delayed this year. “The mountaineering course is usually followed by an expedition, and so far, there have been seven successful expeditions to Himalayan peaks above the altitude of 20,000 feet. For those who have missed the course this year, we are planning to rearrange it for them next year,” said Weale.

The school has a strength of about 450 students and 160 staff members. Though a majority of the students are from Himachal and neighbouring states of Haryana, Punjab and Delhi, there are students from all corners of the country, including Mizoram and Odisha, and some foreign students as well.
When the state government ordered closure of schools on March 14, around 70 per cent of the students left for their homes. Those appearing for their board examinations stayed back but left soon after the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CICSE) canceled the exams. Three boys from Thailand stayed back till as late as May but left as restoration of normalcy seemed distant.

Not the first disruption in school’s history

For many institutions, the pandemic crisis is unprecedented, but BCS has survived several such disruptions since it first opened for students in March 1863. On a Sunday in May 1905, when the boys were away for an outing, most of the school was destroyed in a fire. The students were shifted to other lodgings in town, and the school was rebuilt and occupied two years later in July 1907.

An outbreak of influenza in 1922 also affected the school, and the then headmaster FR Gillespy’s wife died while treating the children, said Weale.

After partition and independence, an exodus of Muslim, British and European boys led to the closure of the prep school in Chhota Shimla.

“We have also heard of some other disease outbreaks such as that of yellow fever during the school’s long history. And there was no internet back then to impart distance learning to the students, as is happening now,” said the director.

Legacy

BCS was founded as the first ‘public school’ in India (along the lines of the British ‘public school’ system, which incorporates a house system, a prefectorial body and a system of organised games) by George Edward Lynch Cotton, the then Bishop of Calcutta, in July 1859. First established at Jutogh, it opened for students in March 1863 with Frederick Naylor as the first student. The school moved to its present site at the south end of the Knollswood Spur in September 1868. Suren Tagore was the first Indian boy admitted to the school in 1881.

BCS has a long list of distinguished alumni such as writer Ruskin Bond, six-time Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh and Major Roy Farran (Curzon), a decorated officer in the British Army. The school also has an infamous alumnus, Reginald Dyer, a British general remembered for his role in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919. The motto of the school is:Overcome Evil with Good”.

Thank you Mr. Praveen Dharma for sending this in.

Best wishes,
OCA WEbmaster

Mission Aconcagua Completed / Karma Tenzing Nyangmi

Completed. Here’s me at the summit of #Aconcagua (6,962 meters or 22,840 feet above sea level) after an intense 13 hours of climbing where we started our climb directly from Camp 2 with no acclimatisation. Due to weather conditions we had to change and complete our entire climb from Base Camp to Summit and back to Base Camp in a shortened 5 days (in Everest it was 21 days and in Manaslu I did it in 10 days – Usually it takes double or even three times for most climbers).

With this summit of Aconcagua, I’m now closer to my goals of being a true Explorer. If summiting an 8,000 meter peak is equivalent to a Masters degree and summiting Everest is a PhD, then the below are the lifetime Emeritus titles offered. So far, below are my membership journey into the various clubs I’ve always wanted to be a part of:

  • Completed 1/3rd of the Three Poles Challenge
  • Completed 2/7th of the Seven Summits Challenge
  • Completed 2/9th of the Explorers Grand Slam
  • Completed 2/14th of the 14 8,000+ Meters Challenge

About an Old Cottonian – Lt. Sharif Khan aka Sharifo

J. S. Grewal [1970 Batch] sent in this very interesting excerpt from a book he is reading “The Frontier Scouts” by Charles Chenevix Trench, in which he came across a reference to an Old Cottonian – Lt. Sharif Khan aka Sharifo . There was an incident [1942] where he [Sharifo] was burying a fellow officer Andrew McKenzie, he mentions the Lord’s Prayer and  how  remembered  the prayer from  his days  at Bishop Cotton School Simla:

Additional reading: Quoted from THIS webpage

In 1944, Khojak Brigade on Baluchistan frontier was disbanded.  In March 1945 Tal Brigade was disbanded and some of its units were assigned to Kohat Brigade.  In April 1946, Indian army Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Claude Auckinleck presided a high-level conference at Peshawar.  It was attended by Governor NWFP, Agent to the Governor General Baluchistan, British counsel at Kabul and senior military and civil officers.  A unanimous decision was reached to replace regular troops in tribal areas with scouts and khassadars.  It was to be gradual withdrawal in five phases and to be completed in two years.  It was with this background that Pishin Scouts were raised and decision was made to raise Central Waziristan Scouts and retrain Malakand battalion.  Khyber Rifles was re-raised on 26 April 1946.  The nucleus was from war time raised Afridi battalion.  Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Sharif Khan ‘Sharifo’ (5/10 Baluch Regiment) was appointed commandant of Khyber Rifles.  Khassadars were to be trained and disciplined to make it a reliable partner of scouts.  To achieve this objective, in 1946, a new position called district officer in charge of Khassadars was created.  In 1946, in North Waziristan about two thousand khassadars were put under the command of Frank Leeson.


Passing of Mary [Ramani] Varughese

Dear Anna,

Thank you for your message which has come as a shock and a surprise.
Emotions overwhelm you on such occasions.

My earliest memories of Ramani, which is the name we knew her by until she
changed to Mary, is of a little girl immaculately turned out playing in the
garden just above the basketball court which is where your parents first
resided when they moved to Simla. Your parents did not hesitate to display
their affection for this little girl who always seemed shy. She found it
easy to constantly attach herself to her mother and then peer at you from
behind her mother’s sari. She would then smile with hesitation. Small and
casual images but they remain such clear memories etched in my mind. Trivial
and insignificant as these are, they take you back to the happy days of
places, people and events that happened so long ago.

There is now a graphic contrast from that little happy girl to a grown woman
who just past on in life. Two starkly different events more than 50 years
apart strike you as collective memory and you say to yourself, “What
happened ? Did this passage of time move so quickly ?” Disbelief.

I just called and spoke with Sara a few minutes ago. This is another hard
blow after the passing away of your mother in June this year. Ramani’s
photograph bears such a close resemblance of your father, Mr P M Varughese.
Suddenly this family comes back and we can only think of them with affection
and gratitude for the fact that they touched our lives.

On behalf of all those who remember and knew her, The Old Cottonian
Association, we offer our deepest condolences to your families and you. May
her soul rest in peace.

With kind regards

Sincerely,

Vijay

—–Original Message—–
From: A. Siromoney
Sent: 28 December 2017 12:07
To: Vijay Khurana
Subject: Death of Mary d/o PM Varughese

Dear Mr Khurana
I know that my older sister Mary (Ramani) Varughese kept in touch with the
old Cottonians. She was suffering from terminal lung cancer diagnosed in
July 2016. Thanks to the efforts of the doctors at CMC Vellore she enjoyed
fairly good health for nearly 16 months; but the cancer eventually overtook
the available therapies by September. I regret to inform you that she passed
away on 20th November in Delhi at my other sister Sara’s home.

The funeral and burial was conducted in at her church in Coonoor, Nilgris
Dist, Tamil Nadu on 24 Nov.

She studied up till Std VI in BCS, VII -IX at Convent of Jesus and Mary,
before my father moved to the Nilgris where she completed her schooling in
1969.

I am attaching the PDF of the obituary in the Hindu (all editions).

Yours sincerely
Anna Siromoney

(nee Varughese)

Welcome message from OCA India President

TO ALL MY FELLOW OLD COTTONIANS:
‘It is with great honour and privilege, I wish to inform you that I, Justice Rupinder Singh Sodhi (Retd.) of BCS Batch – 1962, House – Curzon, have taken over as President of the ‘Old Cottonians Association – India’ w.e.f. 1st April 2017 alongwith my new team members as below :-
S.NO.
NAME
1. Mr. Ashwani Singh Virk – Secretary, Mob. 9810194724
2. Neel Kamal Mehra – Treasurer, Mob. 9810784441
3. Mr. Vivek Bhasin – Jt. Secretary, Mob. 9899561236
4. Mr. Himmat Singh, Mob. 9828383183
5. Col. Uppi Gill, Mob. 9417801853
6. Dr. Ravi Toor, Mob. 9888890788
7. Mr. K.Vijay Singh, Mob. 9811056361
8. Mr. Suneel Bandhu, Mob. 9223349090
9. Mr. Mohnish Sharma, Mob. 9930992094

I also hereby appeal to all of you to enthusiastically take part in activities organised by any chapter of OCA(India) and show your true Cottonian spirit to support our fraternity worldwide.
Sincerely looking forward to a healthy co-operation and association from all old cottonians.
R.S.Sodhi

Dr. Mathew Zachariah passes away

Dear All,

It is with great sadness I wish to inform all about the passing away of Dr Mathew Zachariah. I received information from his friend in Delhi, George Mathew (see messages below)

While I will share more details about this interesting man, it would appear, or so I speculate, that it was his kidneys that gave way. He had been on dialysis for some years now.

Dr Zachariah had an impact on so many of us. Some of what he taught us then 11 years old has stuck like glue for the rest of our lives. I even today live by the value system that he and some of the others inculcated in us. I am glad he touched my life and owe him a big thanks.

May his soul rest in peace. He was a good man, nay a wonderful man!!

Warm regards

Sincerely,

Vijay (Khurana)

Dear Vijay,
I am sending below the message received from my friend in Ohio. Very sad indeed.
George

—– Forwarded Message —–
From: oommen thomas 
To: George Mathew 
Sent: Tuesday, 25 October 2016 5:48 PM
Subject:

Dear G. Mathew
Very sorry to inform you that Dr. Mathew Z passed away 25th early morning 12.30 their time. All the children wife Saro and his brother Dr.Alex was also there with him. May his soul rest in peace.
Take care. Ani and Leela

img_2601

Dear All,

Here is an obit for Dr Mathew Zachariah that appeared The Calgary Herald.

Mathew Zachariah May 24, 1935-October 25, 2016 Mathew Zachariah passed away on October 25, 2016. He was born in Tiruvalla, Kerala, India in 1935. He spent part of his childhood in Miri, Borneo where his father was an accountant with an oil company, returning to India with his mother in the early 1940’s when a Japanese invasion was imminent. He had and older and younger brother. His father suffered much during the war years in Borneo and died in 1946 on his return to India. In 1942, he was informally adopted by his mother’s older sister and husband, a childless couple, and raised as their son. In the early 1960s he moved to the U.S. as a Fulbright scholar to advance his post-secondary education, and in 1966 accepted the position of assistant professor with the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary. He became an associate professor in 1969 and full professor in 1973.

Dr. Zachariah holds several degrees, including a BA in economics from University of Madras (1956), B.Ed from University of Delhi (1960), MS in Education, English and Social Sciences from State University of New York (New Paltz, 1962) and a PhD in Social Sciences and Education from University of Colorado at Boulder (1965). A comparative sociologist of education, he made significant contributions to academic services at University of Calgary as department head and associate dean in the Faculty of Education. He retired from the U of C in 2000 after more than three decades of service and was honoured as an Emeritus Professor of Education. He continued his community service activities, despite failing health.

He is the recipient of numerous awards and honours, including a U of C Students’ Union Award for excellence in undergraduate teaching in 1985 and in 1999, a national award from the Canadian Committee of Students in Education for mentoring masters and doctoral students. He received the Alberta Human Rights Award in 1989, as well as the Internationalization Lifetime Achievement Award by the U of C in 2002. In 2004, Dr. Zachariah was named one of 114 leaders in the university community recognized for outstanding achievement. After his retirement, he was distinguished visiting professor at the University of Pittsburgh and Menno Simons College in Winnipeg.

He was a prolific author and published many books, articles and essays to his credit. He has also published short stories and poems. The leitmotif of his life was to be a promote justice and fairness to people denied their dignity and were oppressed by the dominant economic and cultural institutions.

He was the first Canadian to receive the Honourary Fellow designation from the Comparative and International Education Society, USA (CIES). This honour recognized the contribution Dr. Zachariah has made to the development of comparative and international education throughout his teaching career, as well as the impact he has had on various academic and professional organizations.

He was an Anglican all his life and became more active in the life of his church after retirement.

For details go to

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/calgaryherald/obituary.aspx?n=mathew-zachariah&pid=182160485

You can sign in and leave condolence messages on this site

Vijay Khurana

OCA Nepal Official Inception

Dear Old Cottonians

I am writing to you all today with pleasure and pride as our long-pursued aim has now turned into achievement. OCA Nepal is finally official!

On 27 May 2016, Mr. Sukhinder Singh, President, OCA, accompanied by his wife and Col. R. Dewan, visited us here in Kathmandu and witnessed the official inception OCA Nepal.

Lead by Mr. Prabal SJB Rana, batch of 1954, the first President of OCA Nepal, 24 other Nepalese OCs and their wives attended this event. Although small in number, with 47 registered Nepalese OCs, we all Nepalese OCs are very happy to have established OCA Nepal and we look forward to taking our association to greater heights.

I have attached a few pictures of the event along with this email.

We would also like to encourage Nepalese OCs around the world to join us. They may inquire by emailing: ocanepal@gmail.com

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Ayush Rajbhandari

[click for larger view of the photos]

Here are the names of the ones present in the group photograph from Left to Right and from Bottom to Top:
Bottom Row (Seated):
1. Silika Shakya-Rajbhandari / 2. Saloni Rajbhandari-Pradhan / 3. Mrs. Sukhinder Singh / 4. Puja Chitlangia-Kabra / 5. Shivani Jajodia / 6. Yumena Shrestha-Pradhan / 7. Palija Shrestha-Rajbhandari.
Middle Row:
1. Rohit Man Pradhan / 2. Ayush Rajbhandari / 3. Amish Man Pradhan / 4. Bishal Rana / 5. Nanda SBJ Rana / 6. Prem Gurung / 7.  Sukhinder Singh / 8. Pundrik Kabra / 9. Prabal SJB Rana / 10. Deewaker Piya / 11. R. Diwan / 12. Robin Rana / 13. Sabin Rana / 14. Siddhartha Jajodia / 15. Ashish Rajbhandari / 16. Anmol P. Singh / 17. Sailesh Shrestha / 18. Subodh Das Shrestha.
Top Row:
1. Nuraj Batajoo / 2. Pulkit Kabra / 3. Shreyans Shethia / 4. Sobit Aggarwal.