X Cathedralite 2014

www.catalumni.
com
The
2014
The Cathedral & John Connon Alumni Magazine
Class Notes
Where are your
batchmates now
Out of the box
Neha Choksi
Nostalgia
Khalid Mohamed
Spotlight
Rabi Ahuja,
Anuj Rakyan
My First
Alumni on their most
memorable firsts
Contents
11
Presidents Report 2014
Principals Message
Spotlight

Rabi Ahuja

Anuj Rakyan
11
13
Out of the Box

Neha Choksi
14
Nostalgia

Khalid Mohamed
17
First Citizen

Nihal Kaviratne
19
14
17
28
Special Programme
21
My First

Aditya Hurry

Mikhail R. Yawalkar

Reenita Malhotra Hora
22
Lighter Side
School Memories
25
Events

Summer School

Founders Day
27
28
Teacher Updates

Notes from the Staff Room
31
Class Notes
32
Editor
Udita Jhunjhunwala (ICSE 1984)
Editorial team
Shyla Boga Patel (ISC 1969)
Mitali Anand Kalra (ISC 1989)
Anushka Shivdasani Rovshen (ISC 1997)
Business
22
Rohita Chaganlal Doshi (ISC 1975)

Amit Advani (ISC 1994)
Editorial Support, Design and Printing

Spenta Multimedia
Anaita Vazifdar-Davar, Cyrus H. Merchant, Nikunj Parikh
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on all editorial content remains with the magazine editorial committee.
27
32
Published by The Cathedral and John Connon Alumni Association, 6, P.T. Marg,
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Do write in with your feedback and ideas to magazine@catalumni.com
Presidents Report 2014

To my fellow alumni,
pen this in optimistic ink, under the shadow

of welcome monsoon clouds arriving and,
Inshallah, Iraq clouds receding. The epic
election outcome and a positive 100-day report
have raised the bar of expectations and aspirations,
banishing inertia and paralysis. Closer to home,
the year-that-was finally saw some light at the end
of Mumbais infrastructural tunnel. We now have
a new Eastern Freeway, a Monorail and a Metro
service, albeit leaky.
Against this backdrop, I got to travel backwards
in time when I reconnected with our founder Arthur
T. Savages grandniece and nephew, now in their

nineties, in New Zealand. Sharing our Undefiled
Heritage with them was a proud privilege for them
and for me. Hearing Mrs. Isaacs announce the muchanticipated roll-out of the International Baccalaureate
curriculum in April 2015 made me appreciate how
necessary a global future has become. The SMAC
Stack or attack of social media, mobility, apps and
cloud is something we must all navigate and negotiate
to stay relevant and au courant.
Founders Week 2013 went off with its usual
flourish and reunions. Abundant fun and nostalgia.
Members of the Executive Committee 2014-15

Seated (L to R): Rohita Chaganlal Doshi, Chitra Rajkumar, Mukeeta Jhaveri, Shyla Boga Patel, Mitali Anand Kalra
Standing: Bibhash Asar, Sundeep Ahuja, Udita Jhunjhunwala, Shonar Lala Chinoy, Gautam Shewakramani
Missing from picture: Anushka Shivdasani Rovshen, Amit Advani, Pragni Kapadia, Prakash Thadani, Viral Doshi
4 The X-Cathedralite 2014
The monsoon havoc denied us a cricket pitch, but a basketball

tournament in the Middle School quad more than made up. The old
boys literally kicked ***. On the Willingdon Club greens, 36 golfers
battled it out with organiser Akshay Kilachand bagging many laurels.
Thank you, Meher Amersey and Pushpa Bhatia, for your continued
stewardship of this popular fixture. More than a hundred attended
the post-Church High Tea at the School. Cheval in Kala Ghoda was
the site of much multi-generational camaraderie and revelry at the
bi-annual association gala. It is always lovely to see many of our old
teachers, especially Miss Hallegua, let their hair down.
At the annual Manori Summer School, in addition to robotics,
astronomy, football, dance and environmental studies, some 70
children from Manori village and Cathedral School also enjoyed a
visit to the local East Indian Museum and made Christies-worthy
spider web sculptures. Meanwhile, the lotus-eaters Sundeep Ahuja,
Chitra Rajkumar and I savoured the summer breeze, curry and
homemade pickle. Thank you, Shyla Boga Patel, for bringing so much
joy to so many for 13 fun-fuelled fulfilling years.
The pilot Teachers Medical Benefit Scheme managed by Bibhash
Asar and Shyla is running well and currently serves 45 teachers
and staff. Please do continue to donate generously. As healthcare
costs escalate, even a small contribution from the Association is
embarrassingly well received and appreciated.
Our magazine under Udita Jhunjhunwalas eagle eye and the
website under Gautam Shewakramani and Anushka Shivdasani
Rovshen continue to flourish.
The Association has undertaken a mammoth Digital Archiving
project to help nostalgic alumni looking to reconnect with their
peers and others looking to learn something about beloved relatives
who were at Cathedral many years ago. If you have anything youd
like to contribute or share, please connect to the Project Archive box
on the catalumni.com website.
Thanks are due to my stellar Executive Committee for keeping the
now well-oiled wheels of our little Association running smoothly.
I look forward to your continued engagement with Catalumni.
~ Mukeeta Jhaveri ne Kataria
(ISC 1983)
Executive Committee
(2014 15)
President
Mukeeta Jhaveri
(ISC 83, Savage)
Vice-Presidents
Rohita Chaganlal Doshi
(ISC 75, Wilson)
Bibhash Asar
(ICSE '86, Palmer)
Co - Treasurers
Sundeep Ahuja
(ICSE 77, Palmer)
Shonar Lala Chinoy

(ISC 90, Palmer)
Secretary
Mitali Anand Kalra
(ISC 89, Wilson)
Committee Members (ex-officio)

Principal
Mrs. Meera Isaacs
Committee Members
Viral Doshi
(ISC '75, Palmer)
Shyla Boga Patel

(ISC 69, Savage)
Udita Jhunjhunwala
(ICSE 84, Barham)
Amit Advani
(ISC 94, Palmer)
Prakash Thadani
(ISC '69, Savage)
Pragni Kapadia
(ISC 94, Palmer)
Anushka Shivdasani Rovshen

(ISC 97, Barham)
Chitra Rajkumar
(ISC 56, Savage)
Gautam Shewakramani
(ISC 01, Savage)
Webmaster
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
6HWDPLGVWWKHV\ODQORFDOHVRI6DK\DGULKLOOV&DWKHGUDO9LG\D6FKRROLVDQDIILOLDWHRIWKHLOOXVWULRXV
Principals Message
r. and Mrs. Mariwala, Members of the Board

of Governors, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys
and Girls. I deem it a privilege to welcome
you to our 154th Annual Speech Day. We have come
together this morning to celebrate the achievements of
our children and to thank all those who have helped to
translate their dreams into reality.
No end-of-term summing-up is complete without
recording my appreciation to our Board of Governors
ably led by our Chairman, Mr. T. Thomas.
Cathedral is well known for imparting a holistic
educational experience so that every child can have his/
her own unique place in the sun. We give our children
opportunities to move along the path to excellence but
it is up to them to take them and use them. As a pithy
Chinese proverb succinctly puts it, Man who waits for
a roast duck to fly into his mouth must wait a very, very
long time.
I know that we harp on the fact that marks alone
are not the benchmark of excellence; yet, in the
contradictions of reality, we accept the fact that much
hinges on public exam scores. So here I go... The
At the lectern: Mrs. Meera Isaacs, Principal
Board results have, as usual, been absurdly though
exhilaratingly astounding. Out of the 151 candidates
who appeared for the ICSE Std. 10 examination, 99
were in the 90+ category.
We sent up 114 for the Std. 12 ISC examinations.
Sixty-four students got 90% and above. Moving to the
Advanced Placement Courses, of which we currently
offer 17, 93 students appeared in May 2013; 88.2% achieved scores above grade 3; 13
students were awarded AP Scholar and AP Scholar with Honours Certificates and nine
were awarded AP Scholar with Distinction.
Our College Board results continue to be excellent. Our candidates maintained a mean
SAT Reasoning Score of 2000 out of a best possible 2400, as compared to the worldwide
mean score of approximately 1488.
Of the class that will be graduating in May 2014, 42 students opted to apply to colleges
in India, 56 applied to the US, 12 to the UK, two to Canada and three to Singapore.
During the course of the year, besides the Annual Career Fair organised meticulously
by our Guidance Counsellor, approximately 160 College/University representatives
from USA, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore met our students, giving them
first-hand information as well as opportunities for interviews on home turf. Our Std. 12
students have much to thank the School, and especially Mrs. Shukla, for.
Only some of the achievements of our students are highlighted in this speech, as it
would be impossible to give a comprehensive overview of all five sections of the School.
Here are a few snippets: a detailed account on the Schools website does justice to the
controlled mayhem.
Students from the Senior School attended Reach Cambridge, an intellectually
stimulating summer school programme at the University of Cambridge; a cultural
exchange programme the Sunburst Youth Camp at Singapore; a Community Servicebased exchange programme with Phillips Academy, Andover, USA, and another exchange
programme, Eumind, with schools in the Netherlands.
At Melange, an Inter-School Festival organised by G.D. Somani School, approximately
70 of our students participated in 18 events. They won a number of prizes and our
School was placed third. They also participated in Odyssey, an Inter-School Festival at
Annual Speech Day

2013-14
Principals Message
St. Gregorios High School.
Here too our School came
third overall.
The students writing
skills and worldview have
been showcased in the Out
of Eden Project, an online
learning programme of
Project Zero of the Harvard
School of Education. The
14-week pilot project was
successfully completed in
July 2013.
The Ethical Leadership
Programme for Std. 8 to
10 is alive and well. The
selected group of Std. 11
leaders started various
initiatives focussed on
the safety of women in
Mumbai. The Community
Action Plan was presented
at the Annual Interact
Club Meet. The Know
Your Seniors Programme,
an initiative started last
year, continues to be
successful with students of
Std. 11 mentoring students
of Middle School on a
weekly basis.
Encore, the music
concert and fest, apart from
showcasing the soaring
talent of our youngsters,
raised 20 lakhs through
the initiative of the
students of Std. 11. The
money was divided among
three NGOs that the school
supports Muktangan,
The Foundation and
Apnalaya.
The Cathedral Model
United Nations Conference
is one of the highlights of
the year. Now in its 17th
year, 600 participants from
41 schools across India and
Nepal came together to
deliberate, debate, discuss
and dialogue on the worlds
most pressing issues both
real and imaginary in
Mrs. Mariwalla with members of Cock House, Wilson
the salutary and rarefied

atmosphere of the
Trident Hotel.
At the Brain and
Behaviour Camp, our School
team secured first place for
their research presentation
on Nutrition and the Brain.
While working on this
topic, the students had the
opportunity to interact with
many eminent scientists in
the field from TIFR.
At the annual InterSchool Science Quiz
organised by the Nehru
Science Centre, our
team of Std. 9 students
placed third.
On August 26, 2013,
26 students from Std. 11
and 12 participated in the
Annual Mathematics and
Statistics Fest conducted
by H.R. College. Our team
secured first place. The
International Mathematics
Olympiad for students
of Std. 8, 9 and 10 also
saw our students doing
us proud by winning
three golds and one

silver medal.
The Nirbhaya Case,
which forced society
to discard its blinkers,
was the catalyst for our
Sociology Seminar, aptly
named Towards an Equal
World. The brainchild of
a proactive HOD and her
enthusiastic department
hosted a workshop and
seminar discussing
womens issues ranging
from intimacy and
abuse to objectification
of women in Bollywood
and the dangers of
censorship. The seminar
that followed involved
speakers such as actor
Rahul Bose, activist Abha
Singh, journalist Geeta
Anand, academic Nilesh
Chatterjee and lawyer
Mrunalini Deshmukh.
To quote the great
Muhammad Ali,
Champions arent made in
the gyms. Champions are
made from something they
have deep inside them a

desire, a dream, a vision.
That desire, dream and
vision is what drives our
many champions on the
sports field and hence the
wide array of medals won
at both the School and
individual levels.
Rumis The only lasting
beauty is the beauty of the
heart runs like a refrain
through the School,
beginning with the PrePrimary and actively
working its way through
the Infant, Junior and
Middle Sections each
with its own carefully
orchestrated programme,
till it flows with intensity in
the Senior School through
the Interact Club, which is
ably helped by the Nature
Club and the IAYP. They
have striven tirelessly
through the year to make a
small but significant impact
on the world around them.
The students and
teachers contributed
50 lakhs for relief work

for Uttarakhand; a large
number of NGOs is hosted
and supported by them.
The most important part
is that the children give
of themselves their
time, effort and talent
in addition to generous
funding. Most recently,
they raised 2 lakhs,
which they used to help
build houses at Karjat
under the aegis of Habitat
for Humanity.
One of the most active
contributions of our
students has been writing
for the visually challenged
students at St. Xaviers
College. In December, the
club organised two events
that were undoubtedly
the highlights of the year.
One was Cathedrals first
ever 4C Conference. One
hundred delegates from
12 schools congregated
at Cathedral to engage in
discussions and form a
collaborative action plan
on various social issues.
I am truly proud of our
childrens generosity of
spirit, their sensitivity and
their endeavour to walk in
anothers shoes.
The Schools vision
was complemented and
enhanced tremendously
by a massive digitisation
exercise with each
classroom from the
Primary to the Senior
Section being fitted with
Interactive Smart Boards.
Needless to say, the
enjoyment of the learning
and teaching process for
pupils and teachers soared
substantially, together with
the knowledge of exciting
new possibilities in the
school education space.
Another important
change that we are
preparing for is the
introduction of the IB
Diploma Programme from
the year 2015. We have
been working diligently
towards this goal. The
teacher and administrator
initial training is over. We
have acquired the status
of a Candidate School.
Again, there is much
excitement within the
School community.
To our Vice-Principals,
Mrs. J. Mayadas and
Mrs. N. Samuel, our
Headmistresses, Mrs.
D. Bhattacharya, Mrs.
S. Ganguly, Mrs. R.
Talpade and Mrs. S.
Lele, our Bursar, Mrs.
Gehna Malkani, and our
administrative staff,
especially my long-suffering
personal assistant,
Sandra thank you for the
ability to carry out so many
onerous duties with such
lan and good humour.
My deep appreciation
to all members of the
PTA, who every year seem
to be getting enviably
younger and slimmer,
led by Mrs. Mrunalini
Munim (Chairperson),
Mrs. Khulood Noorani
(Hon. Secretary) and Mrs.
Jasma Kapadia (Treasurer).
Without their support, we
would find every event
of which we have dozens
a chore.
We owe a debt of
gratitude to all the
members of the Alumni
Association who support
the school in various
ways, to all my former
pupils who are always so
helpful and forthcoming.
To Shyla Boga for her
teenaged brainchild, the

successful Annual Manori
Summer Camp, now in
its thirteenth year, and
to Dr. Anand Gokani,
alumnus happily on
perpetual call for not only
medical emergencies but
for leadership programmes
which the Std. 12 students
find so inspirational.
At this point, I would
like to tell you about a
teenager who has made
an impact on many of us
and most certainly on
me. I salute her spirit,
which has refused to
accept anything less than
a yes for an answer;
who has shown that the
human will can survive
and conquer. Shes come
a long way from her
hospital bed where she lay
comatose two years ago to
the feisty young lady who
is determined not to be
confined to her wheelchair.
For her courage, her innate
strength of character and
her grit and determination

to beat all odds, and for
her parents, her sister
and extended family, who
continue to be the wind
beneath her wings, ladies
and gentlemen, I ask you
to put your hands together
for Rayna Arya.
I turn now to our
graduating class, which
was led with integrity,
poise and good humour by
Anam Alwani, our Head
Girl, and Raghav Mehrotra,
our Head Boy. On their
journey beyond the gates
of Cathedral and into the
real world, I trust that they
will remember some of the
deeper truths that they
experienced here.
However, while they
are on their quest, maybe
Ralph Waldo Emersons
definition of success will
steady and guide them.
To laugh
often and much,
to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch, or a
redeemed social condition;
to know even one life
has breathed easier
because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Spotlight
had a flash of insight when I

was with Commodore (SCC)
Rabi Ahuja. It felt like I was
talking to someone my own age.
This active septuagenarian runs
an organisation known as the
Sea Cadet Corps (SCC) with an
enviable vitality and enthusiasm.
I was fascinated by his life before
Partition, when he studied in an
English school in Karachi (Karachi
Grammar School), and then his
arrival at the Cathedral Boys
School, Fort, when he moved to
Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1948.
He nostalgically recounted his
daily commute from Andheri to
school and mucking around in the
quadrangle with his pals, rarely
ever going home clean.
A large focus in school
then was on sports cricket,
football, hockey and far less on
studies than it is these days, says
Commodore Ahuja. He would sail
on Saturdays and train in the SCC
every Sunday. He was initiated into
sailing by his father, who was the
founder of the Sea Scout Group
in Karachi, an offshoot of the Boy
Scout movement. In 1951, it was
renamed the Sea Cadet Corps. Since
1966, the headquarters reside in the
Training Ship Jawahar, named after
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who laid
the foundation stone (or keel) of
the ship in 1963. Commissioned in
1966 by Dr. Radhakrishnan (then
President of India), it is today an
organisation with more than 2,000
young boys and girls from all strata of
society in Mumbai and another 3,000
in Service Establishments across
India and an international school.
We impart practical nautical
and allied training to children,
says Commodore Ahuja. Many
kids dont have the same skill set
learnt in schools such as Cathedral.
We teach them how to march,
tie a knot, pull an oar and some
even sail a boat to inculcate the
Smooth sailing
Padma Shri Commodore (SCC) Rabi Ahuja (Wilson,

1953) tells us how sailing has been in his blood and
is his life.
correct way of doing things and
learn responsibility, teamwork
and leadership.
The organisation has had several
moments in the sun, first in 1976
when its Sea Cadets won Indias
first medal for sailing in a World
Championship; then in 1988, it won
the first Gold Medal in a world event
in yachting, and, in 1989, Indias first
Gold medal abroad in China.
A very small group of our kids
actually learns to sail, admits
Commodore Ahuja, explaining that
most are taught basic and practical
techniques and learn how to
understand the elements. He says
Indians arent very comfortable with
water, despite being surrounded by
it. The primary aim of SCC is to break
down those barriers. Commodore
Ahuja generously extended an
invitation to all those interested to
come aboard and see the training
facilities. Training Ship Jawahar

is affiliated with INS Viraat and
participates in an annual regatta
with more than 400 Cadets pulling,
canoeing, kayaking and sailing.
A number of Cathedralites
in the 50s and 60s joined the
Corps KSM Anees (1953), Sohrab
Kapadia (1956), Bejon Nadir (1956),
Dante Mody (1954) are just a few.
Gradually, many youngsters joined
and helped make the organisation
what it is today. Commodore Ahuja,
our feisty Head Boy of 1953, is
involved seven days of the week
and oversees the running of the
SCC. Despite his busy schedule,
he enthusiastically joined his
batchmates for their Golden Jubilee
reunion in 2003, and he remains a
true-blue Cathedralite at heart.
~ Dhanwanti Rajwade
(ICSE 2000)
Spotlight
Juicing a raw idea
After a decade in the jewellery business, Anuj Rakyan (ISC 1997) made a
radical shift to the health and nutrition space, launching a brand of coldpressed juices in India.
ealth, nutrition and fitness

have always been Anuj
Rakyans passions. Last
year, he realised that this passion
could also be a business opportunity.
When I started my career, I wasnt
doing what I wanted to do but what
was meant to be done. Like every
good Indian son, I studied Commerce
to become an investment banker in
the US, but I kept flitting; first, brand
consultancy in the US, and then the
jewellery business, he says.
Anuj quit the jewellery business
overnight, without knowing what he
wanted to do next. Thats when he
realised how important his friends
circle and networks were. There
are so many overachievers in the
Cathedral network, so you get great
professional advice.
Conceptualising to launching
Raw Pressery took six months and
Anujs biggest challenge was people
management. I started alone and
now, a year from the birth of the
idea, we are 65 people. I realised the
first 20 people will make or break
your company.
We talk about the health F&B
market in India and Anuj says that
people have started becoming aware
of whats good for them, but in the
organised market, there are few
products that are as good as the
raw produce. This is where he saw a
business opportunity. In the last 10
years, health has become cool. We
used to boast about how little we
slept and how much we drank, but
those same people now talk of being
vegetarian and waking early for yoga
before work.
However, the beverage segment
is still lacking. Theres unhealthy,
less healthy and more healthy. For
example, in an unhealthy Tetra Pak
of orange juice, theres less than five

per cent of the real fruit, he says.
How can anything in a cardboard
box with a shelf life of six months be
considered fresh?
Anything thats good for you can go
bad reads a sign on his factory walls.
Cold-pressed juices, such as those
from Raw Pressery, are 100 per
cent juice without any added water,
made under sanitary conditions with
machinery that preserves nutrients.
Doctors and dietitians have been
consulted for the percentages
of various vegetables used to
provide different benefits. Sensory
evaluation teams have helped deliver
on taste, resulting in a product that
arrives at your doorstep the same
morning it was made.
What is the Indian consumers
perception of health? Nutritionists,
fitness trainers, dermatologists
theres often conflicting advice
for the same objective and this
has led to confusion, which leads
to misconceptions, says Anuj.
According to him, calories, sugar
and fat have become bad words
because of incomplete or wrong
information about them.
What does the future hold? Anuj
wants to settle down before he loses
any more hair! On a serious note, his
mission is to scale up and be Indias
first honestly healthy food and
beverage company. He also intends
to move into the food sector with
unique products that do not require
added preservatives or chemicals.
Anuj has proved that anyone with a
new, genuine idea can juice it.
~ Anushka Shivdasani Rovshen

(ISC 1997)
Out of the Box
Choksi. Image
the artist Neha
g
in
ur
at
fe
,
at
Icebo
.
t and Project 88
courtesy the artis
The art of the matter
Contemporary artist Neha Choksi (ISC 1991) explores the relationship between
time and space, what is left out and what is left in. The work is sometimes
poetic and absurd, sometimes tragi-comic, but always perceptive and sensitive.
resented at the Utah Museum

of Contemporary Art, Frieze
Art Fairs Sculpture Park in
London, The Generali Foundation,
Vienna, The Enclave Gallery, London,
Neha Choksis works are in notable
public and private collections as well.
Excerpts from an interview:
What inspired you to enter the
world of contemporary art?
I always wanted to be an artist.
Besides being gifted at drawing as
a child, which is what leads many
people into art, I thought I should
learn other things. I wanted to
incorporate all sorts of liberal arts
into my education theatre and
poetry both excited me. I ended up

studying Greek and Latin at UCLA,
mainly for the poetry and theatrical
traditions, along with some Sanskrit
and Avestan. A few years later,
I transferred to the School of the
Arts to get a dual BA in Art. I was
lucky enough to attend a school
with distinguished artists teaching,
such as Paul McCarthy, Mary
Kelly, John Baldessari and Sharon
Lockhart. My formal art education
was already slanted towards the
very contemporary.
After UCLA, what?
After UCLA, I spent a year hanging
out with DJs spinning records in
Mumbai at various clubs. I studied

French and German as preparation
for my entry into the PhD
programme in Classics at Columbia
University. While there, I was trying
to make art at the same time. I had
a two-person collaborative show in
Australia over summer break and
I soon realised I wanted to make
art full-time. But doing art and
studying Classics was proving to be a
schizophrenic existence because few
in grad school really knew, or were
interested in, my other life. I had my
first solo art exhibition after grad
school, but full-time art came only
much later, in 2005, when I could
afford to.
What is your process and

inspiration?
The ideas that motivate me and lie
behind the work keep me challenged
daily. Works such as Minds to Lose,
2008-2010 (for which I anesthetised
myself and four farm animals) and
Leaf Fall, 2008 (for which a peepul
tree was denuded over the course
of a single day, leaving behind a
single autumnal sprig) came out
of a profound sense of emptiness
and absence and wanting to figure
out what that meant in a life that
is lived in a material fashion. You
have flesh and you need other
material things; yet, there is a
striving towards nothingness that is
apparent in my work.
How do you engage with all
the mixed media and various
craftspeople, experts, artisans?
Its more like Why? Its mechanical
and emotional and comes from
within me. How to put it all
together is my journey and where
I am coming from and where it
will lead me. I try to make a work
that takes it all in. As for technical
things, I usually try to teach myself
as much as I can about the medium.
Of course, for things like bronzes,
you rely on craftspeople because the
foundry is important. But there is
no path teaching you how to denude
a tree or make a boat out of ice.
I teach myself.
How do you deal with the market
and commercial aspects?
Although I am pragmatic about
the need to make a living, I am not
pragmatic about how I go about it.
I make work that comes to me and
hope that it does well. Sometimes,
it is not clear or meaningful to
buyers at that moment. Thats
when the despair comes in. But
you have to keep making work that
you believe in and trust its time
will come.
Any memorable moments?

A high point would definitely be
during the video performance work
Iceboat, 2013, when the boat melted
and I was dropped into the lake.
The work was many years in the
making. For it, I row a boat made
entirely out of ice in Lake Pavana.
I am dressed in a fully soluble
cellulose garment and am without
my glasses, so I am virtually blind
beyond five feet. It was just me, the
boat and the lake. Although I was
working very hard with my body,
that sense of freedom and liberation
sans cold, fatigue and fear was
exhilarating. The moment I slipped
into the water, when the boat could
no longer support my weight,
everything became clear.
In 2010, I exhibited a sculpture
of a gravity-defying bed, which
was a mattress held aloft by
flower-filled vases. A child found it
inviting, engaging and interactive
enough to actually sleep on,
knocking vases over in the process.
I was amused and charmed at
the fearless impulsiveness. The
piece was eventually bought by
a South American collector from
Frieze London.
How did your years at Cathedral fit
into the equation?
I did not take Art as a subject at
either of the school Board exams.

I outgrew very quickly both art
teachers and tutors, even though I
continued to paint. In 2006, at the
invitation of architect Kapil Gupta
and filmmaker Ashim Ahluwalia
(ICSE 1989), I collaborated on
Indias first-ever entry to the
Venice Architecture Biennale. It
was a collection of films within an
installation. I did a film based on
a 25-year-old illegal building at
Banganga that still does not exist
on Mumbais development plan
and another on designated green
spaces in Byculla that do not exist
in reality.
Any advice to young alumni
thinking of careers in art?
I urge anyone considering a career
in contemporary art to learn not
only about contemporary and
traditional art forms but also
other creative endeavours. Go to
the theatre, learn music, attend
musical events, participate in
poetry readings. Find ways to
engage with culture as it is being
produced. Humble yourself before
the vast cultural productions
of humanity.

(ISC 1983)
Neha Choksi, Poise II, Mattress, clear vases, colour-sequenced flowers, gravity, time, 2010, life-size.
Image courtesy the artist and Project 88.
Nostalgia
Cat o timeless tales
Khalid Mohamed (ISC 1965) reminisces about art,

essays and being cast as a tavern wench in Henry V.
et me attempt a spontaneous
take on the way we were. We
meaning the coolest Cats of
the swinging 60s. At the risk of
being heckled as snobs n toffs, the
Cathedral & John Connon School on
Outram Road, facing the somewhat
pedantically named Parsi Lying-in
Hospital, was a rarefied world. Want
magic realism? You got it!
The campus sprung surprises,
Gothic Anglo-Saxon arches giving
watercolour of a ship in a storm. It was

a stunner. Mr. Hazarnis, however, had
a taste for the obtusely abstract.
That attic was my art paradiso. And
down below, the commodious hall,
topped by a proscenium stage, was as
utilitarian for chanting morning hymns
(if late, you had to stand in a corner
for 20 minutes and count the cracks)
as it was for staging the annual school
play. Every year it was a riff on Oliver
Goldsmiths She Stoops to Conquer,
Khalid, seated on the ground, third from right.
way to restored post-Independence

classrooms atop a longish, winding
stairway. And if one wing looked
as if it was in sync with a medical
prescription, there was the attic
roomlet straight out of an Enid
Blyton illustration. There, the doting
Mr. Hazarnis presided, striving to
make us Picassos and Modiglianis.
Since my draughtsmanship was
wonky, that helped. The kind soul
liked my choice of colours, even if the
apples in my still-life renditions looked
like rotting squares and triangles. So
cubist! he would thump my quaking
back, rewarding me with the coveted
Powvalla Art Prize. Protests went up
from the other kids. The Indonesian
Consul Generals son, Agus Sutarjo,
had painted a grey-black-and-white
performed by professionals, till it was

decided the kids would have a go and
one of the teachers would direct.
Mr. Dexter, History-Geography
teacher, embarked on this project
to direct Shakespeares Henry V. A
Godrej scion was Falstaff. Because
of my papyrus-thin voice, I was the
tavern wench, Hostess Quickly.
Padded up, I was a wreck on the last
day of rehearsals. For what seemed
like an eternity, I was pinched,
particularly on my derrire. On
stage, I released all my pent-up anger
about the compulsory padding. I was
awarded the Best Actor trophy!
I find myself unable to compose
a structured ode to the school
where I learnt all that I have, other
degrees being a mere extension. The
Khalid Mohamed is an author, film critic,

scriptwriter and film and theatre director and is
pretty proud of his double promotions at school.
abundantly stacked library introduced

me to Jane Austen, Charles Dickens,
Ellery Queen, Daphne du Maurier and
Leo Tolstoy (I pretended Id completed
War and Peace; I still havent). It doubled
up as lunchroom for kids whose homes
couldnt send them hot lunches. The
Irish stew (nice), mutton cutlets (dry),
sultana pudding (delicious name, but
too custardy) were delivered from the
Bombay Gymkhana.
Im indebted to Miss Mordecai,
Miss Rahimtoola, Miss Sutermeister,
Mrs. Karat, Mr. Mehta, Mr. Joshi,
Mr. Lewis and Mr. Elisha. Mr. Elisha
is the Dr. Frankenstein who created
this monster, moi. In Std. 7, he asked
for an essay on My first flight. Never
having flown, I imagined this mildly
flirtatious conversation with a fantasy
airhostess. Mr. Elisha found the essay
interesting. He read it out to the
class, which was in splits, in a nice way.
He then looked me straight in the
eye to inquire, Do you know how
many marks you should get for this?
I beamed. Signing my essay with a
flourish, he announced, Zero!
So, to show Mr. Elisha he was
wrong, I swore Id write and be read
somewhere, sometime. If youve
reached this sentence, sweet revenge
is mine. Cats somehow always script
their own purrfect ending.
First Citizen
A helping hand
Nihal Kaviratne (ISC 1963), named

one of 25 leaders at the Forefront
of Change by Business Week in
2002, capped a 40-year career at
Unilever and now sits on a number of
eminent boards. He is Chairman of
TVS Indonesia and Akzo Nobel India
Limited and a champion of CSR.
Your pioneering role in corporate
social responsibility (CSR) was
recognised as early as 2004 when
you received a CBE for your work
in sustainable development.
Forty eight years of corporate life
in different parts of the world
taught me that you can only do
well by doing good. Today, brands
derive strength from how well their
companies are aligned to serve the
needs of the societies that sustain
them. This sort of enlightened
self-interest earns for corporates the
trust and loyalty of communities.
Many of us want to make a
difference but find it difficult to
make a start.
True. Our waking hours are
consumed by work, commuting,
family and personal needs. Joining
an existing organisation avoids the
huge time investment of your own
start-up. Look for one founded
on a big idea, run with efficiency
and integrity. Pick a cause you
are passionate about. Within
that organisation, take on a job
where you can personally make a
real difference.
How did you zero in on such a
neglected aspect of the cancer
story (care for children and
families undergoing long-term
cancer treatment) when you set up
St. Jude in 2006?
I have always had an abiding interest

in the welfare of children. Returning
to India after 22 years, I was looking
for a need gap. Providing physical
and emotional comfort to these
needy kids and their accompanying
parents from rural villages while
they were in large cities for traumatic
treatment and recovery would
complete a circle of holistic care and
move the needle on survival rates.
St. Jude has evolved into a case
study showcasing the success of
corporatising the NGO/not-forprofit model.
All the learning from my corporate
experience has been applied. Using
the proven recipe of Think big, start
small, move fast, the founding team
spent 20 months developing, with
creativity and rigour, a breakthrough
yet scalable business model in a
prototype centre. We are now in rapid
replication mode across the country
and plan to have 100 centres running
by 2021. But the learning never
stops. The manuals are continuously
updated without sacrificing one
iota of the unique quality that is the
hallmark of the St. Judes brand.
There are numerous NGOs doing
great work in India but scaling
seldom happens.
The secret is to retain the soul of
a small company in the body of a
Nihal Kaviratne with the little warriors
burgeoning one. Small specialist

teams are responsible for the design
work in each of the jobs to be
done and implementation is by all.
Successful scaling requires vision,
focus, drive, resources and, perhaps
most important, the suppression of
personal egos.
How do you juggle your schedule
between London, Singapore and
Mumbai while sitting on the boards
of eminent MNCs to consistently
commit to St. Jude?
Wherever I am, I devote half my time
to St. Jude. Today, there are many
great people on the team driving
the bus. My role as Non-Executive
Chairman/Director is to help pave
the road ahead and to mentor. It
keeps me refreshed and in touch
with a fast-changing world, as does
the time I spend with my daughter
and grandchildren. Each of us has so
much to be grateful for.
(ISC 1983)
St. Jude provides the physical
and emotional needs that will
give children undergoing cancer
treatment a better chance to beat
their disease. For more information,
visit http://www.stjudechild.org/
I am the first girl in

my family to go to an
engineering college. After
completing a degree in
Computer Engineering, I
will pursue my Masters
from a U.S. University.
The Vinod & Saryu Doshi
Foundation gave me a
chance to dream big.
Within 5 years, the Vinod

Doshi Theatre festival
has come to be recognised as
the litmus test for
first-grade theatre.
chitra watwani,
vinod doshi-coep merit scholar
dr. girish karnad, playwright
One day, I will

be a professional
basketball
player.
The Vinod Doshi Theatre

Festival has revived the
experimental theatre
movement in Maharashtra;
it is of great value to young
playwrights, directors and
other rangkarmis.
dr. mohan agashe, actor
mohammed shan,
5-year-old participant
at a chip summer camp
supported by the
vinod & saryu doshi
foundation
Presenters of
The Vinod & Saryu Doshi Foundation

is a non-profit, charity trust that
aims at promoting Art, Culture,
Education and Community.
To know more about the Foundation:
E-mail: vsdfoundation@gmail.com
Visit: www.vsdf.org
Presenters of
Special Programme
Shelfies are forever
Photographs by Dhiman Chatterjee
he Junior School library is a

large, airy room with streaming
sunlight and shelf-lined walls
crammed with books bearing the
most delightful titles. A wander
through the heritage building reveals
that each classroom not only has a
Smart Board system, complete with
an Internet connection and projector,
but also houses its own mini-library
of well-thumbed books. Clearly, this is
a place where adults are working hard
to get young minds excited about
reading.
The Junior School Headmistress,
Mrs. S. Ganguly, who started
the schools pioneering Reading
Programme (RP) in 2007, is a firm
believer in the lifelong benefits of
a reading habit. She envisioned
providing children a free space
without classroom-style agendas
or expectations of comprehension
where they view reading as play,
not work. The RP aims to promote
fluency, frequency and the enjoyment
of reading, while simultaneously
building literary confidence.
As with any initiative, the
programme encountered some early
stumbling blocks, including the
challenge of burdening teachers. A
viable solution presented itself in
the form of parents who are ardent
readers and are keen to share their
love of books with children. Through
a stringent application process that
includes an extensive questionnaire,
Mrs. Ganguly personally selects
a team of parents in sync with
the programmes philosophy.
Each volunteer parent mentors a
In an era of selfies, 140-character

communications and the article as a
slide show, heres how the Cathedral
Junior School is encouraging
little tablet-swiping fingers to
enthusiastically flip through the pages
of good, old-fashioned books.
group of six children, conducting

fortnightly Book Club sessions to
encourage active sharing of reading
experiences. Through the year, they
explore different genres including
fiction, non-fiction and verse, and
children are encouraged to choose
additional library books at their own
reading level. Hindi sessions, author
interactions and class activities
enhance the experience. While it is
difficult to measure tangible success,
parents have reported that previously
reluctant readers are enticed into
reading for pleasure and continue to
do so for years.
Ardent young readers benefit
too, since RP activities help focus
attention, an important skill
for fluent readers who may be
tempted to race through their
books. Concentration and increased
attention spans are important for
kids who will soon be immersed
in short posts, chat messages and
tweets. With multiple information
sources, tomorrows youth will
need to be intelligent consumers of
media, able to sift through reams of
material to discern authenticity in
the clamour of information overload.
It is heartening then that learning
to find your own voice starts early,
with the RP inviting children to share
observations, form personal opinions
and articulate their views.
Possibly one of the best outcomes
of reading books is the development
of rich imaginary worlds. The RP
encourages young readers to tap into
their creativity by drawing favourite
parts of stories, creating new book
covers, writing alternative endings

to stories or acting as they imagine a
particular character would.
Studies show that children and
teenagers who read for pleasure have
better academic results and larger
vocabularies; and books certainly
serve as entertainment, providing
tranquillity and stress relief. But
many reading enthusiasts point to
a deeper reason they cherish the
habit books can be wonderful
tools in a journey of self-discovery,
bridging time and geography to
connect with minds, enabling a
greater understanding of the world.
It is hoped that reading programmes
such as this one will gift the next
generation all those benefits, raising
voracious readers who live in a world
of shortform digital communication
but still have their social media feeds
peppered with shelfies of their
beloved book collections.

~ Miel Sahgal
(ISC 1989)
My First
Stepping out
Cathedralites love making the most of any

experience. Heres a look at three of them
and their memorable firsts.
My first year in college
pproximately a year and a

half ago, I was in the exact
same position on my bed,
headphones on, Kanye West playing,
churning out application essays
by the bucket-load. Today I sit
here, same bed, same headphones,
different music, different me.
My first year of college at Tufts
University in Boston, USA, has been
everything someones first year
should be. Its been tough, no doubt.
But thats what I love about it. Ive
my friend was when I referred to an

elevator as a lift. My first year of
college has been the most confusing
and most liberating thing possible!
This freshman year saw a number
of firsts first time living away from
home, first time having to make my
own money and live off it, first time
trying to survive a Boston winter. As
of now, Im majoring in International
Relations and Economics with
a minor in English. Tomorrow,
International Relations might become
Computer Science who knows?
This is the first time in my life
Ive been this confused and I love it.
And as this set of firsts comes to a
close, all I can think about is how I
want seconds.
~ Aditya Hurry
(ISC 2013)
My first Bollywood film
totally changed my roommates

perception of Indians by correcting
his grammar and Ive met people
who have more information about
Hinduism at their fingertips than I
could ever dream of having.
The me that sits here today, as
opposed to the one that sat here a
year and a half ago, is confused. Im
confused because of the knowledge
Ive acquired, the people Ive met and
the experiences Ive gained. Id say
Im just slightly more confused than
come from a family of artists

sculptors, to be precise. My father
was a third-generation sculptor
who never once told me I must follow
my familys line. He always advised
me to follow my dream and do what I
loveand so I did.
Having spent five years in the
U.S.A. pursuing a degree in Culinary
Arts and Hospitality Management
followed by a stint as Assistant F&B
Manager at The Peninsula, New York
City, I came back to India with no
real idea what I would do next. I had
dabbled in modelling and acting as a
child, but never pursued it. Someone
suggested I try my hand at it again,
so I decided to enroll at The Barry
John Acting Studio for a four-month

course in theatre and drama. I knew
I had a serious task at hand, coming
from a non-filmi background, but I
was beginning to love the craft, so I
kept at it.
I had begun auditioning, making
short films and also compring
at friends weddings. Then, at the
sangeet of one of my closest buddies
(and classmate), I got noticed and
had the opportunity to audition
for Yash Raj Films. Several rounds
of auditions later, I got that call
and I started my career with a
role in YRFs August 2014 release,
Mardaani (starring Rani Mukerji). It
was surreal.
Costume trials, readings with my
director, meetings with assistant
directors I had dreamt of this
and now I was actually feeling like
an actor at work. We worked on a
few things, including my look for
the film, for which I had to grow
out my beard and moustache. Since
my character was meant to ride
a motorbike something I had
never done before I signed up for
bike lessons. Prepping for my role
was exciting!
On my first day of shooting, I had
to be on set at 7:30 a.m. and didnt
sleep until 4 a.m. I wasnt nervous,
just super excited. When I got to the
set, I was thrilled to see my name
on the door of the vanity van, even
though I didnt spend much time in it.
I preferred mingling with everyone,
like on a first day at school. One of
the assistant directors commented
that once I become a star, I wont
venture out of the van. Time will tell.
I did well on my first day and got

applauded by the entire unit. They
termed it my debut. I went through
my share of trials, tribulations
and copious amounts of black
coffee while shooting. There was
chaos and I felt lost at times, but it
was beautiful.
I am now officially one film old
and a part of Bollywood. For me,
nothing in this world compares
to being on a film set. Its where I
belong and where Id like to spend
the rest of my life.
~ Mikhail R. Yawalkar
(ISC 2003)
Reflections of an
emerging novelist
s far as the world is

concerned, my young adult
crossover story, Operation
Mom How I got my mother a
lifeand a man, is my debut novel.
Entirely different from my previously
published non-fiction, this book
was huge amounts of fun to write,
something that I spat out over the
course of a summer two years ago.
When I embarked on a mission
to write a novel about being a
teen in Mumbai, I thought, how
hard could it be? But it was. My
nephew was quick to remind me
1
constantly reminded to shed my
structured non-fictional writing
style, to get out of the box and let my
story flow.
Anyone who knows me can attest
to my rather, er, uptight nature. I see
happiness as a function of my ability
to plan things; to see the pot of gold
at the end of the rainbow. Or so I
thought. On a karmic level, this must
be one reason I find myself writing
fiction and why my first piece of
fiction was developed in California,
the playground of the anti-uptight.
All of us have terrific stories
submerged within the depths of our
subconscious, but in writing my first
novel, I woke up to the realisation
that to birth those stories, I needed
to blur my vision; to shift my focus
from that pot of gold. Because
whether in fact it is attainable or not
is a journey of discovery...one that
can be made only if you acquiesce to
the currents of your subconscious
and see where they take you, rather
than fighting against them to stay
ashore where life is safe because
youve seen it before.
Aryas Chronicles is fantasy fiction,
about a 12-year-old boy in San
Francisco who falls though a crack
to find himself in Ramayana land. He
brings with him the very last copy of
the ancient epic, which Ravana, the
king of demons, wants to destroy
so he can rewrite history from his
own viewpoint.
My biggest problem was that
typical of first-time novelists: I
loved every character and was not
open to killing my darlings to
really bring the story to life. The
book took forever to write, edit
and bring to publishing, but in
the process, I went through my
own metamorphosis as a writer of
fiction. Now I have an entire garden
of stories to pollinate.
MY
that my lingo was out of date, and

my teen references, out of context.
Then followed a crash course in
contemporary Mumbai slang.
Between that and a slew of my own
young adult experiences, the story
unfolded. My characters and settings
are heavily inspired by my own life
scenes, so people who know me are
always looking to relate a particular
character to my family members or
friends. And while there is an overlap
with things that have been, as a
fiction writer you have the luxury of
twisting situations and characters
into what you want them to be.
Truth be told, although Operation
Mom is my debut novel, the yet-tobe-published Aryas Chronicles is the
story that marked my transition to
writing fiction.
To define the trauma you go
through from shifting writing
styles is to imagine the out-ofbody experience that a caterpillar
must face as it takes wing in its
reincarnation as a butterfly. Week
after week, I attended critique
groups in San Francisco, to be
~ Reenita Malhotra Hora

(ISC 1989)
Lighter Side
Those were
the days
One dozen memorable years
Everyone has a memory or an anecdote

about school they love recounting. Here
are flashbacks from a few ex-students.
A line to remember
Our Middle School

Headmistress, Mrs. Koshy,
was a force to reckon
with stiffly starched
cotton saris, grey hair
firmly tied in a neat bun at
the nape of her neck and
glasses that slipped down
her nose to just the right
angle to make the average
10-12-year-old want to
disappear. Fearfully, we
awaited our first Geometry
class with her.
Mrs. Koshy began with
a line that still thunders
through the years. She
speared us with her gaze,
rocked gently back and
forth on her heels and
said: Geometry is the
study of angles; not angels!
Anyone mixing up the two
can expect a zero in their
papers. Then with a grim
smile, she began the lesson.
Since that day, I have never
had the slightest inclination
to confuse the two.
~ Sweta Dugar
Fake it till you

make it!
School extracurricular
activities taught me the
art of faking it faking
a stomach ache, the flu,
nausea, a really (really!)
bad headache; the same
crinkled, crumpled
yellowing doctors
certificate in my pocket to
add authenticity and relief
from this torture.
After what was
becoming a weekly ritual
of absence, the House
Captain would see me
approaching and solemnly
nod at me to just carry
on. It was the success
of that experience that
emboldened me to use
the same art in my later
life when the thought
of going to work on a
Monday morning seemed
akin to hell. Like they
say...experience is the
best teacher.
~ Farhad J. Dadyburjor
(ICSE 1990)
(ICSE 1995)
My love affair with Cathedral began in Standard 1.

When Daddy dropped me to school, I didnt let go of the
doll in my hand. I was calmed by the sandpit and slide
right outside our classroom...and the cherry on top a
geriatric tortoise (who would come home with us on
school holidays), resident pet of 1M.
Our class teacher, Ms. Whitebread, had the neatest
handwriting. She was partial to a few cute kids, carrying
them around and pulling their cheeks at break time.
Others, whose writing was not clear, were joked at
Nxxxxxxx Cxxxxx is a mouse because his letters of the
alphabet are the size of a mouse.
Ms. Athaide, the music teacher, is unforgettable. In
her lovely flouncy dresses with matching beads (the size
of TT balls), playing the piano and teaching us Summer
Holiday and Jamaican Farewell, and Mrs. Menezes
booming voice singing Kumbaya.
There was never a time I didnt want to be at School...
although during the monsoons, I did hope for that
one rainy day when the city would be flooded beyond
recognition and school would close.
~ Farah Kohli ne Mistry

(ISC 1995)
Going the distance
Ill never forget this

Cross Country: all the
best runners were beaten
by someone in my class
who had never played a
sport before! Perplexed,
we gathered around him
at the finish line to ask
how he had managed to
achieve this without even
breaking a sweat. He smiled
conspiratorially and said,
Auto-rickshaw. Not only
did this kick up quite a stir
with the super competitive
House Captains, it also
resulted in him receiving a
pink card!
Such a long journey
During Cross Country one

year, a marker accidentally
gave wrong directions to
a whole bunch of runners,
sending them off the
charted course. Not only
were they untraceable for
quite a while, they were
eventually sent home in a
hearse! Imagine the shock
for their poor families!
~ Shiraz Mehta-Vaid
(ICSE 1996)
~ Dhimaan Shah
Colour coded
While second-generation or third-generation

Cathedralites talk proudly of inheriting their House, I
am different. Not sure which House to assign, Ms. Pruce
pointed to a balloon and asked, What colour? I blurted
out, Blue and was swiftly assigned Wilson.
~ Rustom Dadabhoy
(ISC 1964)
(ISC 2004)
~ Compiled by Anaita VazifdarDavar (ICSE 1996)

If you have an interesting anecdote to share, mail it to us at
magazine@catalumni.com
Events
Summer School Cathedral students tell us about their experience.
he 13th annual Summer

School at Manoribel was
held from April 28 to May 5,
2014. The camp is an integration
initiative and includes 25 children
from the local village.
This is the one week of the year that
I look forward to the most. The camp
has taught me how to do things I never
thought I was capable of theatre
skits, rappelling and much more.
- Devika Madgavkar 7D
These seven days just flew by. Today
is the last day but I feel like the camp
has just begun.
- Rae Billimoria 6D
The chefs made different cuisines
such as Chinese and Indian as well
as some yummy desserts. There was
brownie and chocolate ice cream and
jelly, which made my mouth sweet
and refreshed We also learnt how
to be more independent and do our
work ourselves.
- Muskan Betala 7B
We saw the moon and Jupiter, we
cracked insane PJs, we danced till the
floor shook and this has been the best
summer ever.
- Mehak Chadha 7C
The reason I come here every year
is because the Summer School just
has a different vibe to it. The lazy
afternoons sitting on the hammocks

and the sound of the calm waves
in your ears...whats not to love
about Manori!
- Urja Mehta 9C
Whats the first word you think of
when you hear Summer School? For
me, its FUN!
- Nikita Fernandes 7C
Playing on the beach, chilling in the
rooms, relaxing on the hammocks,
dancing with everybody...theyre
all memories I will never forget. I
had amazing fun with the Manori
children. I made such great friends in
such a short time. Saying goodbye to
them was hard.
- Varun Kapadia 9A
This camp will be a bookmark in my
childhood.
- Sanaya Havaldar 9
I loved survival skills, where I
overcame my fear of heights.
- Sam Vatcha 6
Ive been to Manori thrice and I
absolutely love the camp!
- Akshata Kapoor 7A
There were many activities
arranged for us such as Robotics,
Art, Theatre, Pottery and
Astronomy. We friends had
midnight feasts. We had fun with
the Manori children; they were very

friendly and kind.
- Ananya Agarwal 7A
The sessions we took part in taught
me a lot and Im sure this knowledge
will help me in life.
- Devansh Koppar 9B
We had a local home visit in which we
saw how others live their lives.
- Hansini Somaiya 5D
The first day we had survival skills
rappelling, river crossing and zipline.
While rappelling, I felt scared going
down, but I soon calmed down. In
Robotics, we had fun making different
models and remote controls. In
Astronomy, we saw interesting videos
and made a telescope. In Theatre, we did
some plays. In Art, we made a spider.
- Devina Mogha 5D
My favourite part of the camp was
beach games. We woke up every
morning and went to the beach to play
football.
- Samin Khimji 7B
My parents always ask me why I want
to keep going back to camp but they
dont understand that the camp is a
passage to better friendship between
the seniors and the juniors. We also
had a lot of fun with the Manori
children. They are really kind, sweet
and generous.
- Lianne Dhalla 7B
Events
November 14, 2013, better

known as Founders Day,
was celebrated with its usual
vigour and camaraderie.
After a serene morning at
St. Thomas Cathedral, the
alumni moved to the Middle
School, where there was
much chatter about old
teachers and friends, as they
browsed through the photos
on the walls. The tea and
snacks were also a huge
hit! Meanwhile, the old boys
thrammed the current class
in basketball. The evening
before, old friends reunited
over cocktails and dinner at
Cheval in Kala Ghoda. The
photos say it all.
Photographs by Umaid Kumar Choudhary
Founders
Day
Teacher Updates
From the staff room

Anna Philip
they liked best, they would
Anna Philip retired from
write about us. She recalls
Cathedral in 1991, but
meeting a former student
she visits it at every
at a restaurant many years
opportunity she gets. Now
after she had taught him.
living in Kerala, the former
He asked if she remembered
Mathematics teacher comes him, to which Mrs. Sharma
to Mumbai often and
replied, Yes, you are my
especially tries to make it to sweetheart. No, miss, she
the Founders Day service.
was promptly corrected,
Last year, I couldnt be
We are your shameless
present on November 14,
creatures. Mrs. Sharma
but Im looking forward
says it is heartening to see
to it this time,
her ex-students
she says. The
doing well in
mother of four
all walks of
proudly states
life. They have
that three of her
children schooled
in Cathedral.
Mrs. Philip is
enjoying retired
life, reading,
cooking (now
my family is very
diet-conscious; I
Anna Philip
cant cook with
so much oil!), knitting and
crocheting (I like giving
what I make as gifts) and
Mohini Sharma
keeping in touch with her
Cathedral acquaintances.
brought laurels to our great
Former students can contact institution. I feel so proud
her at annaphilip.is@gmail.
of their achievements.
com and 09847061208.
Is she enjoying retired
life? Not much, because I
Mohini Sharma
miss school. And I am not
If I lived closer to school,
interested in housework;
I would visit it every day!
I prefer to go out. My
exclaims Mohini Sharma
husband knows everything
with longing. When she
about the house, whereas I
retired in January 2008,
dont, she laughs.
the Junior School Hindi
teacher took with her some Manu Cariappa
wonderful memories.
Cathedral spoilt me!
The children were so
exclaims Manu Cariappa.
attached to school and us
After I left, I didnt want to
teachers, she reminisces.
work anywhere else. Armed
When they had to write
with a degree in Library
compositions about whom
Science, Mrs. Cariappa
took over as Middle School

Librarian for five years
in the 90s, a post she
thoroughly enjoyed. The
school allowed me to be
creative and I had a whale of
a time.
She insists she isnt
retired. Working on her
husbands coffee estate in
Coorg doesnt give her a
chance to live a retired life,
she
says.
passed away and he couldnt

attend. However, a few days
later, Cathedral called him
and I was selected on the
spot, says the octogenarian
who taught Sanskrit,
Marathi and Hindi. He was
also in charge of the buses,
no mean feat. School also
sent me for the Road Safety
Patrol course offered by the
Police department. This
enabled Mr. Kashikar to
ensure that the Cathedral
kids had a safe journey
wherever they went, be it
to the maidan
to practise for
Sports Day, to the
buses or from one
school building to
another.
Mr. Kashikar
left Cathedral in
1984 because
Manu Cariappa
Mr. Newton,
the Principal of
However, she
G. D. Somani
enjoys reading,
School, asked
gardening and
Ravindra Kashikar
me to join him
looking after her
there to implement all the
dogs. Her sons, Arjun and
Kartik, live abroad; when she programmes we had at
can get away from the estate, Cathedral but he enjoys
attending our Founders
she visits them. Although
she hasnt returned to
Day service. I can relive the
Mumbai, Mrs. Cariappa
good times and meet many
is still in touch with many
people, he says.
of her former colleagues.
Retired and living in
We were so close, she
Dahisar now, Mr. Kashikar
reminisces, but I could
says, In 1998, my brother
never go chat with them
offered me a job in his
in the staff room, because
company, Mika Engineering
at lunch time I had regular
India Pvt. Ltd. We have
students who wouldnt want good staff, so I dont need
to leave the library!
to be there, but I go to the
factory every day. It keeps
me active and I enjoy it.
Ravindra Kashikar
On the day of his interview
in 1972, Ravindra
~ Anaita Vazifdar-Davar
Kashikars grandfather
(ICSE 1996)
Class Notes
WHERE
ARE THEY
NOW?
Cathedral 1954 vintage
It was the early fifties. Times were
different; we were just emerging from
the influence of the British Raj. African
deserts and snows of the Rockies, wide
sweeping prairies with winds blowing
clean were our birthright Not yet
changed to Himalayan mountains
Girls and boys had separate schools.
They came together only for the annual
socials or in the school bus. Boys had
furious games in the quadrangle at
lunchtime. We slid down the corridors,
rushed to the tuck shop during break,
played Kitty Kitty and.
Out on the maidan, hockey/cricket/
football/athletics inter-House matches
were played with a fierce competitive
spirit.
Sixty years ago, in December, the
class of 1954 graduated with a Senior
Cambridge Diploma and went forth to
our lifework to earn for our school a fair
name.
Rahul Bajaj (Savage) is a Padma
Bhushan awardee and a former member
of the Rajya Sabha. He obtained a B.A.
(Hons.) from St. Stephens College, Delhi,
an L.L.B. from Mumbai and an M.B.A.
from Harvard University. He joined the
family business in 1965 and has since
built it into a vast industrial empire.
He now plays Parthasarathy (role of
adviser) to his sons, Rajiv and Sanjiv,
who manage the businesses. He will
NEVER retire!
(Late) Pamela Ballantine (Wilson)
was a topper and an inspirational
leader. An Economics graduate from
Bristol University
and a Diploma
holder in Social
Administration
from L.S.E., Pamela
devoted her time
to social service
in various fields
in and around
London and was
awarded an M.B.E.
in 2000 for her
services to race equality in the London
borough of Redbridge. She is, sadly, no
longer with us.
Armaity Mody Patel (Palmer)
studied Nursing
but did not
graduate. She
married Naval
(Wilson, Class of
1949) in 1960 and
was a homemaker,
residing in various
places, mostly in North India, and then
in Mumbai from 1990 to 2005. Having
played hockey, tennis, badminton and
basketball, she and Naval enjoy watching
sports on TV. They are now settled in
Mysore.
Arnavaz (Guzder) Wadia (Savage)
obtained a B.A.
(Hons.) from St.
Xaviers College,
Mumbai. She did
some secretarial
work for a few
years, but has been
a homemaker since
1985. Settled in Pune, she travels a lot,
visiting new places in Europe and Asia.
Gracie Hayeem Lerno (Barham)
did a Teachers
Training course
at Cathedral and
then migrated to
the U.K. and then
the U.S.A. She was
a flight attendant
for many years.
Recently widowed, she now devotes
time to teaching senior citizens how to
take care of arthritis. She practises yoga,
T.A.T. (Tapas Acupressure Technique),
Zumba and Tai Chi and lives in Simi

Valley, California.
Homa Shirazi (Palmer) did a
Diploma course
in Dressmaking
from Christian
Dior, Paris, and
had a successful
dressmaking career
in Mumbai before
returning to her
native Tehran, Iran. She keeps busy
teaching and tailoring her own clothes
in her spare time. She travels quite a
bit, especially to London, Rome and
the South of France, where she enjoys
swimming. In Tehran, she enjoys going
to the mountains, taking long walks and
being with friends.
Jer Masani Delvadavala (Wilson)
obtained a B.Com.
from Sydenham
College and
an L.L.B. from
Government Law
College, Mumbai.
She helped her
husband run his
construction firm
and now likes to travel and listen to
English pop music.
Mehroo Balsara Mistry (Savage)
attended a private
finishing school
in Mumbai. After
a brief marriage
that sadly ended
in divorce, she
joined the family
firm Balsara.
Based in Mumbai, she now works in
real estate.
Naju Vakil Dadrevala (Wilson)
was married and
widowed early, but
has successfully
raised her daughter
and son to achieve
eminent positions
in life.
Nalini
Chandran (Savage) obtained a B.A.
(Hons.) from Elphinstone College,
Mumbai. She forged a career as a teacher
Class Notes
in the various
towns in which
her Army-officer
husband was
posted. Widowed
early, she
devoted herself
to social work
and educational activity and has
founded the Hari Sri Vidya Nidhi School
in Thrissur.
Nergesh Mody Bharucha
(Palmer) did
some secretarial
work and was
homemaker to
an Army General.
Now retired, she
and her husband
read, play Scrabble
and bridge, walk, meditate and practise
yoga and aerobics.
(Late) Nilina Parker (Palmer)
obtained a B.A.
(Hons.) from
Elphinstone
College, Mumbai.
After marriage,
she moved to
the U.K. in 1963
and continued to
work in the airline industry till early
retirement in 1966, when she moved to
Pune. She passed away a few years ago.
She had an ear for music and a bright,
nonchalant attitude towards whatever
life threw at her. Some of it was cruel,
but she bore it stoically and always with
a smile.
Zarrin Lam Aga (Savage) obtained a
B.A. (Hons.) from
St Xaviers College,
a B.A. (Hons.) from
Leeds University,
U.K. and an M.A.
in Information
Management
from Thames
Valley University, London. After
working in Mumbai and London,
she settled to be a homemaker.
She is currently studying both The
Avesta and the Avestan language
in Mumbai.
Dr. Vijaya Hattiangadi Gupchup

(Palmer) is a Ph.D.
and an educationist
and historian. She
was Headmistress
of the Cathedral
Infant School
from 1991 to 98.
She has authored
several books, such as Bombay: Social
Change 1813-1857, St. Thomas Cathedral
A Witness to History and Sir George
Birdwood The Promoter of Goodwill
between East and West. Her children and
grandchildren are also Cathedralites.
Ratan Ramchandani Chawla
(Wilson) worked
at JWT for five
years and married
in 1962. She had
two children and
moved to London,
as her husband was
an international
trader. After living in the U.S.A. for three
years, she came back to India in 1992 and
is now settled in Bengaluru.
(Late) Sadhana Shah Madhusudan
(Wilson) was the
very essence of
a Cathedral girl.
She brought her
upbringing both at
home and at School
into every facet of
her life. Her sunny
attitude was infectious and it permeated
through to her friends who held her in
high esteem all her life. She passed away
in 2013.
Tahamtan Aresh migrated to the
U.S.A. in the early sixties and got a
degree in Electrical Engineering from
Cal. Poly., San Luis Obispo. In 1970, he
moved to Iran, where he was involved in
land development. He returned to the
U.S.A. in the mid-seventies and started
a real estate development company in
California.
Rumi Daruwala (Savage) obtained
a B.E. (Civil) from V.J.T.I., Mumbai.
He worked with the Tata Group, rising
from Trainee Engineer to Chief Civil
Engineer. He is now a consulting
Engineer, Architect and Valuer settled

in Mumbai.
Dara Dastur (Palmer) obtained an
undergraduate
degree in Chemical
Engineering and a
Masters degree in
Polymer Science,
both from U.D.C.T.,
Mumbai. He then
went to England
to the National College of Polymer
Technology, London, from where he
obtained his professional qualifications.
He worked in the plastic and rubber
fields in two small companies over a
period of 36 years, finally retiring in
2001. He now indulges in his hobby
walking.
Soli Davar (Barham) obtained a
B.Com. from
Sydenham College
and A.C.A. in 1963.
He then worked
in his fathers firm
as well as with P.C.
Hansotia, rising
to Partner in both
firms. P.C. Hansotia later merged with
Deloitte, where he continued as Partner
till he retired. His specialty being Tax,
he did some consultancy work before
retiring completely.
Darab Dubash (Barham) graduated
with a B.Com.
from Sydenham
College, Mumbai.
He immediately
joined the family
business (founded
in 1810) and has
been managing
that ever since. He now spends most of
his time abroad but keeps in touch with
his business from overseas.
Pratap Dundh (Barham) graduated
with a B.Com.
from Sydenham
College in 1959
and an L.L.B. from
Government Law
College in 1961.
He worked with
Mitsubishi in
Class Notes
Mumbai. Since retiring in 2001, he has a
textile consultancy business and spends
most of his time with his grandson, also
a Cathedralite.
Saleem Fazelbhoy (Wilson) spent
two years at St.
Xaviers College
and then joined the
family business,
selling auto parts
in Maharashtra and
Goa. Eight years
ago, he moved to
Pune, where he spends his time playing
golf and going to the horse races. The
business is now closed.
Prem Prakash Gupta (Palmer)
operated various hosiery units in
Mumbai and Ludhiana and founded
Indias first Angora rabbit farm in Kullu,
HP, in 1965, for the purpose of wool/hair
(not meat), which he made the largest in
the world.
Ravi Jaitly (Wilson) graduated as
a Mechanical
Engineer. He is
now a gentleman
farmer in the
Delhi suburbs,
where he lives in
one of those farm
houses!
Rumy Kapadia (Savage) obtained
an M.S. and FRCS
(E.N.T.) and has
lived and practised
in London since
1966, retiring
in 1999. A great
believer in
medicine, of all
varieties and ancillary allied professions,
he always aspired to the standard of a
concert pianist...without quite making it.
He loves to travel to different countries,
both for pleasure as well as to attend
music festivals.
Mohinder (Chubi) Lalwani
graduated with
a BE (Mech.)
from Benaras
Engineering
College after
finishing his Inter
Science from
K. C. College. He
has operated automobile workshops,

indulged in motor races and rallies and
has won numerous races. He continues to
be involved in the automobile field.
Sohrab Mehta (Barham) graduated
with a B.Com. from
Sydenham College
and qualified
as a Chartered
Accountant from
the U.K. After
a varied career
in Finance and
Management, he retired as Finance
Director of a textile and property
group in London in December 2003.
Now, computer pursuits, oil painting,
chess and philately keep him in
fine form.
Dante Mody (Palmer) worked in a
bank for a few
years and then
migrated to the
U.K., where he
works in the
photographic
industry in
retail, wholesale
distributing and manufacturing. He is
currently involved in manufacturing and
selling worldwide.
Caveh Munshi
graduated with an
M.A. from Mumbai
and an M.A. from
Oxford University
and taught English
at Elphinstone
College, Mumbai.
Suhas Phadke (Barham) graduated
with a B.Sc. (Hons.)
from St. Xaviers
College, Mumbai,
and a D.B.M.
from J.B.I.M.S.,
Mumbai. This
was followed by
a varied career
in sales and marketing for consumer
products and prescription medicines
until his retirement as General Manager,
Marketing, Beiersdorf India Ltd. in
1998. Now, computer surfing, following
sport on TV and generally bumming
around keep him busy.
Anthony Ramsinh (Savage)

graduated with
a B.A. from
St. Xaviers
College, Mumbai.
After stints in
copywriting,
advertising and
P.R., he emigrated
to the U.S.A. in 1976, where he worked
as a Purchasing Executive with IBM for
20 years. After retirement, he indulges
in travelling around the world, collecting
art, watching over his wine cellar, horse
racing and driving exotic cars, besides
caring for a variety of wildlife in his area.
Col. Perminder Singh Randhawa
graduated from
the National
Defence Academy
and joined the
Indian Army as
a Mechanical
Engineer, where
he served for 32
years, including in four major wars. He
is involved in spiritual activity on his
retirement.
Arun Shenoy (Palmer) qualified
as a Chartered
Accountant in the
U.K. and worked in
various European
companies in
Finance, Marketing
and General
Management
before moving to the U.S.A. as a
Consultant to the pharma industry.
He retired to Florida to indulge in his
passion for golf.
Jal Tata (Palmer) graduated with
a B.Com. from
Sydenham
College, Mumbai.
After qualifying
as a Chartered
Accountant, he
worked in various
Tata companies
in Financial and General Management,
retiring as C.E.O. of Tata Services Ltd.
- Compiled by Suhas Phadke
Class Notes
Class of 1964
Anand Desai
(Barham) has
worked in the I.T.
industry starting
with Compaq
Computers/H.P.
as a Computer
Systems Analyst,
where he designed information
systems solutions of large and medium
enterprises and set up new computer
systems, both hardware and software
applications, to increase productivity.
Married to Ishwari, he enjoys travel,
swimming and reading.
Dady Dadyburjor (Savage) received
50-year reunion
Reunion Class of 1963

The stage was set. After considering
everyone arrived on time. Soon, we
Chiplun, Alibaug and Khandala, the
were ushered into the area reserved
plans were final. There were to be two for the Class of 1963. The Service
get-togethers one hosted by Hiroo was beautifully rendered. Singing
Advani at his mansion in Khandala;
hymns and the school song brought
the other, by Rajkumar Seksaria at
back memories of yesteryears. Albert
the C.C.I.
Aboody, Head Boy of 1963, was
What about the rest of the
accorded the privilege of reading
programme? people asked. Well,
a Lesson.
there is the Church Service, where
The Middle School tea ceremony
weve been provided special seating
was fun, but it was the visit to the
since its our 50th
main school that
year. This will be
elicited oohs and
followed by a visit to
aahs from all of
the Middle School,
us. Remembering
the one that we all
what happened
remember so well.
where, who sat
eunion
R
h
The arrangements
next to whom in
t
F i ftie
were flawless. Those
which classeven
who requested hotel
tables and chairs
stays booked in
were recognised in
advance. Cars were aplenty. The takemany instances.
off was timed perfectly. We all arrived
The dinner at C.C.I. gave everyone
at Hiroos mansion together.
the opportunity to dress up according
It was a promising day, with plenty to the smart casual code. What a
of sunshine, lots of food and drink
lovely evening! Good food, lots to
and conversation galore. People were, drink and music from the 1950s
after all, catching up after many,
and 60s filled the air. It was difficult
many years! We were 36 in all
to believe we had spent three
classmates and a few spouses.
days together.
The Church Service followed the
~ Kishore Shivdasani
next day and, like obedient children,
his B.Tech. degree from I.I.T. Bombay

and, subsequently, Masters and
Ph.D. degrees from the University of
Delaware, all in Chemical Engineering.
He is currently a (full) Professor at
West Virginia University. He was in the
first group to receive the Distinguished
Alumnus award from I.I.T.-B., in 1983.
He is one of about 20 people worldwide
to be both a Fellow of the American
Institute of Chemical Engineers and
a Fellow of the American Chemical
Society. He has been married to Lou
since 1973.
Deepak Deshpande (Palmer) moved
to New Delhi in 1965 with his parents,

where he got a B.Com (Hons.) degree
and qualified as a Chartered Accountant
and Company Secretary. After working
with Price Waterhouse and Union
Special thanks to the following

donors for their generous contributions:
Bajaj Foundation
Nisha Khattau
Pereena Lamba
Sarita Bhalerao
A well-wisher
Our thanks to
Sammy Medora
Vishesh Agarwal
for their generous contribution to
our Retired Teachers and
Staff Medical Benefit Scheme
Class Notes
Carbide, he started his own Management
Consultancy firm, which over time
evolved into a trading and representation
business. He lives in Delhi with his wife,
Rajul, and they have two daughters and a
son. While my business keeps me busy,
I endeavour to give back to society what
this life has given to me.
Deena Thacker
(Palmer) is
presently Principal
of Davars College
of Commerce.
She has three
children, also
ex-Cathedralites.
Her grandson is a fourth-generation
Cathedralite. The words School first,
house next, self last have motivated her
all her life. She has worked closely with
the Association for the Blind. Fond of
gardening and animals, she has a house
in Goa and a farm in Boisar.
Dr. Rohinton K. Khambatta
(Barham) did his post-graduate studies in
Sydney, Australia, after which he started
his private practice in dentistry for nearly
30 years. He retired in 2004 and now
spends a few days every month in Goa.
He is married to Gooloo Chothia (Class
of 1969) and they have two daughters.
Dr. Nadir Eddie Bharucha (Savage)
is Professor and
Head, Department
of Neurology,
B.H.I.M.S.,
Consultant
Neurologist at
Bombay Hospital,
and Head of the
Department of Neuroepidemiology at
Bombay Hospital. He has more than
150 scientific publications in journals/
textbooks, has helped organise scientific
conferences and is on the editorial
board of medical journals. He initiated
community-based epidemiologic studies
for the prevalence of neurological
disorders. His committed work
has earned him numerous awards,
including the Wockhardt Medical
Excellence Award (Harvard Medical
International). Married, he has three
daughters. His interests include
reading, Western classical music
and travelling.
Hannah Behar (Barham) did six
months at Davars College of Commerce,

worked as a secretary at Bombay
University for a year, then moved to
Israel, where she studied Hebrew for
six months on a kibbutz and married
Moshe. She has two children and four
grandchildren, and is working as an
Executive Secretary, living 20 minutes
from Tel Aviv.
Homi B. Patel obtained an M.B.A.
from Columbia University and spent 35
years in the apparel industry. He retired
as Chairman and C.E.O. of Hartmarx
Corporation. He has served as Director of
Amalgamated Life Insurance, Mrs. Fields
Cookies, TCBY, Neways Corporation,
and Northwestern Memorial Hospital,
as Trustee of the National Retirement
Fund, President of the Clothing
Manufacturers Association of America
and Adjunct Professor at Kellogg School
of Management. He lives in Chicago with
his wife, Anne. They have three children.
Homi Mulla (Savage) has more
than 35 years of experience in the fields
of Human Resource Development,
Organisation Development and other
Behavioural Science Applications in
industry. He is a trainer and facilitator
and has conducted more than 900
workshops and done a lot of organisation
development work for a range of
corporate clients. He has also acted in
many theatre productions and advertising
films, including a role in a film with
Salman Rushdie and a cameo in Aamir
Khans Dhobi Ghat, besides being an
accomplished pianist and accordionist.
Jimmy P.
Billimoria
(Palmer) qualified
as F.C.A. in London
in 1975. He was
Group Finance
Director, Inlaks
Group, a private,
international group of companies

headquartered in Geneva, and Director
of Finance in several charities in London.
Married to Geeta, he is now retired and
lives in Pune.
Michael Isaacson completed his
schooling in London
and then obtained
his degrees from
the University
of Cambridge. In
1976, he moved to
Vancouver, Canada,
to join the faculty
at the University of British Columbia. He
served as Head of the Civil Engineering
Department for a five-year term and
then as Dean of the Faculty of Applied
Science for an 11-year term. Michaels
primary research interests relate to
coastal and ocean engineering. He has
served as a specialist consultant on many
engineering projects and has held various
positions with provincial, national and
international engineering societies and
associations. He is married to Sharon
and they have four children and six
grandchildren.
Mira Savara
(Palmer) obtained
a degree in Liberal
Arts from Reed
College, U.S.A., and
a Ph.D. in Sociology
from Mumbai
University.
Currently living in Pune and Mumbai,
she has a jungle hut in Karjat. She loves
to travel, is fond of music and also enjoys
watching documentaries, partying and
practising yoga and Pranic Healing. She
would like to go on an African safari,
write a book, put drip irrigation in, and
start a green house in her jungle hut
(now solar-charged).
Nowroze J.N. Vazifdar (Savage)
graduated with a
B.Com. (Hons.)
degree and
qualified as A.C.A.,
M.M.S. (Finance)
and F.C.S. and
was President of
the Institute of
Company Secretaries of India. He has
worked in the accounting, finance and
Welding Products, Services & Training
Digital and Power Electronics
Personal Care Products
Reclamation, Fusion & Surfacing Solutions

Flares & Project Engineering
New and Renewable Energy
Ador House, 6 K Dubash Marg, Fort, Mumbai - 400 001. INDIA | Tel. +91 22 22842525 | Fax +91 22 22873083
www.adorgroup.com
Class Notes
corporate secretarial and compliance
functions, in Godrej, Colour Chem,
Mahindra Ugine and Kotak Mahindra.
He left Kotak in 2003 as Executive Vice
President and Secretary. He serves on the
boards of various companies and writes
and consults on law, taxation, audits and
planning. He has also served as President
of the Rotary Club of Bombay. He is
married to Niloufer and they have two
children (both ex-Cathedralites) and two
grandchildren.
Paul Kurrien (Savage) obtained his
M.A. in Applied Psychology from the
University of Bombay and went to New
York to work/study marketing and media
research for four years. He then spent a
year in Manila to get a South East Asian
experience. He took over the family
businesses in 1976 and continued to
run them till 1992, when he relocated to
Bangalore.
Phiroz Bhagat
attended I.I.T.
Bombay and then
obtained a Ph.D.
from the University
of Michigan. He
was a Research
Fellow at Harvard
and a faculty member at Columbia
University. He spent more than 20 years
at Exxon, and founded Strategy Engines.
He has enjoyed working in many fields
ranging from petroleum and chemical
plant simulation and reactor inventions
to the development and deployment of
artificial intelligence in industry (he has
published a book, Pattern Recognition
in Industry, through Elsevier), and is
currently consultant to a financial hedge
fund. He is married to Patti and they
have two daughters.
Purnima Banswara married
in 1970 and has two children and

three grandchildren. After residing
in Jamshedpur, Mumbai and Delhi,
she presently lives in Jaipur. Owing

to her husbands abiding passion for
the environment and nature, she
has developed a keen observation of
wildlife, ornithology and gardening.
Her great passions have been painting,
art, film, music, fashion and style. She
has participated in several exhibitions.
School and its wonderful teachings made
her truly appreciate the beautiful and
simple things in life.
Roma Chandiramani Malkani
(Wilson) graduated with a B.Sc.
(Hons.) degree in Microbiology from
Sophia College, Mumbai. She married
Dr. Gulab Malkani in 1970 and has
two sons. Once they started attending
Jamnabai Narsee School, she did a B.Ed.
degree and subsequently taught there
for some years. She and her husband are
now enjoying being grandparents.
Shishir Bajaj
obtained an
M.B.A. in Finance
from New York
University in 1974
and attended the
Owner/President
Management
Program of Harvard Business School in
2000. He is C.M.D. of Bajaj Hindusthan
Ltd., Indias leading sugar producer and
the fifth largest in the world. He is also
Chairman of Bajaj Group, whose Bajaj
Almond Drops (manufactured by Bajaj
Corp) is the second largest hair oil brand
in India. Married to Minakshi, they
have two sons. He enjoys travelling,
reading and photography. e-mail: sbajaj@
bajajhindusthan.com
Rustom Dadabhoy (Wilson)
obtained a Masters degree in Civil

Engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic.
After returning to India, he married
Meher in 1976 and they have two sons.
He retired as C.E.O. and C.O.O. of a
large civil engineering firm, and has
designed and built several prizewinning projects, such as power

stations, ports, bridges and industrial,
residential and commercial structures,
besides creating a new city, Lavasa.
What you build is what you see; when
youre gone, your creations remain as
footprints in the sands of time.
Shabnum Malkani Jagtiani
(Barham) is
presently a
French translator
and tutor. After
obtaining her B.A.
degree with French
from Elphinstone
College and a
Masters degree in French from
Bombay University, she worked for
Banque Nationale de Paris, Mumbai.
She was then selected for a French
Government scholarship to Universit
de Montpellier (South of France) and
Universit Paris-Sorbonne, which was
a dream come true. Shabnum lives in
Mumbai with her husband, Kumar,
and they have two sons. She enjoys
reading, yoga, watching movies and
travelling.
Shahzadi (Advani) Kundanmal
(Savage) is
Director of Finance
with a yachting
company, Ocean
Crest Marine, at
Mandwa. She is also
a grandmother to
three. Both her sons
are also ex-Cathedralites. An ardent
painter, she travels extensively with
her entrepreneur husband, Ramesh,
who is in automobiles, yachting and
real estate development.
Sorab Pochkhanawala (Savage)
is settled in Toronto, Canada, and is a

Member of the Institute of Chartered
Professional Accountants of Ontario,
Class Notes
and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered
Accountants in England and Wales.
He has more than 40 years of senior
management experience with some of
the foremost multinational corporations
including the Tata Group, Johnson &
Johnson and the Emirates Group. He is
married to Sheroo and they have three
children.
Rajiv Ved
(Palmer) received
his B.Tech. degree
in Mechanical
Engineering from
I.I.T.-Bombay
and then went
to London for
his M.B.A. from the London Business
School. He worked for an international
photographic company for more than
20 years, and has a son and a married
daughter.
Tamim Tyebjee attended Sydenham
College, Mumbai,
and then joined his
family business. He
later branched out
on his own, doing
ship repairs for
the Indian Navy
and progressed
to becoming the sole British Admiralty
Chart Agent in India, a business which
still thrives. He now spends half his
semi-retired life with his wife, Durriya,
golfing in the Nilgiris. They have two
children.
Dr. Manek-Phiroz Eddie Bharucha
is a retired Psychoanalyst and Child
Psychotherapist, qualifying from the
Seth G.S. Medical College and K.E.M.
Hospital, Mumbai, and the Tavistock
Centre, Institute of Psychoanalysis,
and Willesden Centre for Psychological
Treatment, U.K. He teaches a small
group of students at the Psychoanalytic
Therapy and Research Centre on a parttime voluntary basis (psychoanalysismumbai.org).
Manohar
Godfrey Jesudian
(Barham)
immigrated to
Canada in 1966,
where he enrolled
in Ryerson
University, graduating in Engineering in

1970. Shortly thereafter, he joined the
largest Canadian telecommunications
company, Bell, and has since enjoyed a
successful career, mainly in the telecom
sector, having held senior managerial
positions with various public and
privately-held companies in Canada and
overseas. He is currently V.P. of Business
Development for a technology firm and
plans to officially retire end-2014. He
is married to Diana and their principal
residence is Toronto, with another
residence in Florida.
Rupendra Singh (Barham), F.C.A.,
trained with
Touche Ross & Co.
in London, where
he was part of the
team of partners
that established
KPMGs India
operations in
1993. He also led the firms Forensic and
Business Ethics practices and retired
as Chairman in September 2008. He
is currently Chairman of the KPMG
Foundation in India and has served on
the board of The Princes Youth Business
International in London.
Anil Kapur
obtained an M.B.A.
in Finance from
Wharton Business
School and then
worked with major
global corporations
such as the World
Bank, Citibank, McKinsey & Company,
Inc. and Ford Motor Company in South
America, Asia, Europe and Africa. He
is currently an Adjunct Professor at
the School of Business, George Mason
University, Virginia. He is married
to Martha and they have lived in
Washington, D.C. for more than 30 years.
Brinda Somaya
(Palmer) is an
architect and urban
conservationist
and the founder of
Somaya & Kalappa
Consultants,
Mumbai. In
1978, she was awarded an Honorary
Doctorate from her alma mater,
Smith College. Her commitment to

merging architecture, conservation and
social equity in projects (campuses,
St. Thomas Cathedral, quake-hit
towns) has won her prestigious awards,
including UNESCO recognition and
the peer-led Weinberger. Brinda is one
of 100 Global Public Interest Design
people working at the intersection of
design and service globally. Married to
Dr. Anand Somaya, a Cardiothoracic and
Vascular Surgeon, she has two children
and is a grandmother.
Basil Colacos
(Wilson) Stairway
to Heaven started
with the Cathedral
choir under
Mr. Velu, playing
a tea-chest bass
in the first school
band, The Hearthrobs, with Homi Mulla,
continued to a 1960s pop band, Country
& Western, folk choir, rock musicals,
disco work, teaching, and still continues
with singing in a classical choral choir.
Married to music and Christine, Basil
has had a successful career in Youth &
Community Project Development.
- Compiled by Rajiv Ved
Class of 1966
Ashok Kurien (Savage) has been
building brands for more than 35 years,

having a keen eye on driving start-ups.
These include advertising, TV, lottery,
PR and dotcoms, where he both invested
and mentored, successfully. Founder
of Ambience Advertising, which was
subsequently sold off to Publicis Groupe,
he is a founder-promoter/director of Zee
TV, Dish TV, Playwin Lottery, India.com
and Hanmer & Partners. He is currently
a promoter of Livinguard Technologies
(producing low-cost water filters for
below-the-poverty-line families).
Class Notes
George N. Chacko, MD, ABNM
was Chief of Nuclear Medicine at the

University Hospital in Oklahoma City. He
is currently Director of Midwest Medical
Isotopes - Medical Cyclotron Facility in
Oklahoma City, and in private practice at
the Oklahoma PET (Positron Emission
Tomography) Center at Deaconess
Hospital in Oklahoma City. After Senior
Cambridge, he went to Jai Hind College,
followed by medical school, from where
he graduated as a radiologist who dabbles
in making medical isotopes. He is married
to Christie and they have two children
and live in Edmond, Oklahoma. His
future plans include retiring in four years
and doing social service in rural India,
while based in the U.S.A. He has adopted
an orphanage in Badlapur, Maharastra.
Jehangir (John) Pestonjee (Wilson)
is retired in Tucson, Arizona, following
a 40-year career in engineering and
management at Texas Instruments
and Raytheon. He is married to Gayle
and they have two daughters and one
granddaughter (so far). He stays busy
with travel, woodworking, guitar lessons
and being a grandpa.
Monojit Chatterji left Cathedral
in 1963 and, after completing his
Senior Cambridge from St. Columbas,
Delhi, returned to Mumbai in 1967,
to Elphinstone College, from where he
graduated in 1970. He then went to
Cambridge and read for the Economics
Tripos degree and did his Ph.D. there.
He remained in academia as a Professor,
teaching at several universities in
Britain, U.S.A., India and Australia. He
is currently teaching at the University of
Cambridge, where he holds a Fellowship
at Sidney Sussex College. He holds a
number of public positions, recently
being appointed as an advisor to the
Speaker of the House of Commons. He
is married to Anjum Rahmatulla from

Karachi and they have three children and
a golden retriever and live in a rambling
old house in Scotland.
Rahul (Bunty) Sood joined good
friend Monojit Chatterji for a B.A. in
Economics at Elphinstone College. With
fellow classmates Anand Patwardhan
and Akeel Bilgrami he learnt a lot
and took their college to new sporting
heights while bunking classes. A chance
meeting with Ashok Advani pointed
him to Development Communications
at Stanford University, where he
earned an A.B. (Film) and, years later,
a Ph.D. Exciting stints in Hollywoods
documentary film production industry
and Indias development sector followed.
Married to fellow Elphinstonian, Meena
Lal, he went into academia, teaching
Communication at Stanford and other
universities in California, where he rose
to Full Professor. Returning to India
in the 1990s as a bachelor again, he
switched gears to run a T.V. production
company, Gudia Ghar Productions, which
produces pro-social and edutainment
programmes for children. He is also
Founding Trustee of the NGO Atma
Mumbai. His new joy is writing articles
on his first love, golf. He and his wife of
five years, Harinakshi Somaiya, travel
the world whenever possible to cover
big-ticket golf events and to play on
wonderful golf courses.
Ranjit Malkani (Wilson) retired as
C.E.O. of Kuoni (Asia). He is loving life in
Buddhist studies and Zen meditation and
supports various charities.
Roshan Danani ne Davierwalla
(Wilson) attended St. Xaviers College
and then obtained an L.L.B. degree from
Government Law College, Mumbai. She
is married to Nikhil Danani and they
have a son and a daughter and recently
became proud grandparents. They live in
Bandra, Mumbai.
Xerxes Rusi Colah, MD (Palmer)
is an orthopaedic surgeon practising
in Clinton, Iowa. He likes to walk by
the Mississippi River and bicycle on
bike trails.
- Compiled by Rahul Sood
Class of 1968
Ambika (Ambu) Morarka (Barham)
obtained a Ph.D. in Archaeology and
was Senior Advisor to UNDP (NY) for
Science, Technology and Sustainable
Human Development. From 1999 to
2007, he was Honorary Consul of the
Ivory Coast. He is active in socio-cultural,
business and educational institutions,
has received 10 awards and is a keynote
speaker in various historical fora. Ambika
lives in Mumbai with wife Rashmi, two
sons and three grandchildren.
Anand Mahajan (Savage) obtained
a B.A. from St. Xaviers College in 1974
and an M.A. from Mumbai University.
He worked with State Bank of India from
1975 to 81 and then obtained an M.B.A.
from Cornell University. He has been
with Grindwell Norton (M.D. since 1991)
and Saint-Gobain Group (South Asia
Head since 1996) for the past 31 years.
He is married to Vera and they have
two children.
Anil Hitkari (Barham) is no longer
with us. His memory lives on with his
family and friends.
Anita Jean Captain ne Cambata
(Palmer) designs luxury tours to India for
family company Greaves. Not forgetting
her theatre roots, she does voice-over
work and records books on tape in her
spare time. She also learnt to fly a plane!
She lives in Toronto and is married to
Rustom. She visits Mumbai often and is
looking forward to the 50th reunion.
Anjalie (Elizabeth) Gupta (Barham)
is an internationally reputed Kathak
dancer, who has delighted Indian
Presidents, Governors and the press.
She placed third among 168 countries
(second for choreography) at the World
Folk Dance Festival in Spain, and has
received a fellowship for dance at the
N.C.P.A. Anjalie heads the Kathak
Dance Academy of the Salaam Bombay
Foundation, where she teaches 120
underprivileged pupils. She has also
choreographed the 150th anniversary
dances for Cathedral School.
Anjla Singh (Savage) obtained a
Bachelors degree in English Literature
and a Masters degree in Medical and
Psychiatric Care. She spent 11 years
working in child and family therapy,
Class Notes
1968 Prefects
Front row (left to right): Yohan Jeffereis (Savage House Capt.), Shobhna Patel (Wilson House Capt.),
Bahadur Shroff (Palmer House Capt.), Urmila Banerjee (Barham House Capt.), Sammy Medora (Head Boy),
Mrs. Fernandes, Mrs. Jean Cabral (Principal), Mr. Trevor Barrow (Vice Principal), Antica Milos (Head Girl;
Palmer House Capt.), Dinsa Mehta (Deputy Head Boy; Barham House Capt.), Asha Nerurker (Savage House
Capt.), Jeevak Parpia (Wilson House Capt.)
Middle row (left to right): Nawal Seth, Perveez Merchant, Minal Melwani, Ravi Nangia, Gooloo Chothia,
Ruma Roy, Gautam Desiraju, Naila Kanthawala, Jean Bhavnagri, Cyrus Kharas, Meher Katgara, Gunita
Khera, Suresh Goel
Back row: Heena Kamte, Mohan Shivdasani, Dolly Grewal, Tingoo Khatau, Monica Chudasama, Jyoti
Chowdhry, Kapil Mathur, Debby Richardson, Shireen Jejeebhoy, Pheroze Madon, Bina Sanghavi,
Harish Utamsing
took a short break to dabble in furniture

and home accessory design, and reentered private practice more than a
decade ago. She has two daughters, also
from Cathedral.
Antica Polic ne Milos (Palmer)
lives in the village of Hreljin in Croatia
with her husband, Mladen. After retiring
in 2013 as Finance Manager of Navis
Consult (Rolls-Royce in Croatia), she
has finally slowed down her life. She
has two grown-up daughters and four
grandchildren.
Arun Hitkari (Barham) obtained
a B.Com. from H.R. College. An
industrialist, he runs a diversified family
business that manufactures cigarette
filters and specialty products for writing
instruments, exports tobacco-related
material across the world and trades
in paper products and machinery with
12 Fortune 500 companies. Married
to Debbie, he lives in Mumbai and has
a son.
Asha Pochkhanawala ne Nerurker
(Savage) was a stewardess with Air India
after St. Xaviers College. She worked in
London with Thomas Cook and in Dubai
as a primary school teacher for 15 years.

She now lives in Toronto with husband
Farhad (Class of 1968) and they have
two children, both lawyers.
Aspi Chubb (Wilson) lives in
Melbourne, Australia, where he is
currently Finance Manager at Seadan
International. He is also Trustee of
a charitable trust and participates in
the Cathedral Old Boys Association in
Melbourne. He is married to Arnavaz and
they have three daughters.
Avinash Naik (Savage) was a Member
of Legislative Council of Maharashtra
for seven years and Minister of State
for a couple of years. Semi-retired now,
he looks after his family business and
loves playing golf. He is married to
Nita. They have two daughters and live
in Mumbai.
Bahadur Shroff (Palmer) worked
for many years in Tata Share Registry
and thereafter at Tata Mutual Fund.
Having retired prematurely to look after
his wife, Prochi, who fell critically ill, he
now devotes his life to caring for her. He
lives in Mumbai and has a daughter and
two grandsons.
Beroze Mehta ne Ghadially

(Barham) obtained a B.A. from St.
Xaviers College and worked at President
Hotel as Front Office Receptionist and
at Air India as a stewardess from 1974
to 1996. She married Ronny in 1981 and
they have a daughter. The entire family
loves dogs, especially Lhasa Apsos, and
playing the piano.
Bina Sanghavi (Savage) studied
photography, practised law and has lived
on three continents. She tries to explore
and experience both inner and outer
worlds and continues on the mysterious,
sometimes perilous, but always aweinspiring journey. She is married to
Sylvio Leonardi and they live in Koeniz,
Switzerland.
Boman (Bomsie) Nicholson
(Palmer): A talented artist and actor (he
adored Liz Taylor!), fashionable, with
pointed shoes and skinny trousers, and
ahead of his time, he ultimately lived in
England doing his own thing. He was
swept away with the tide of life and is
missed by all who knew him.
Chetan Wagle (Savage) has been
in the U.K. for the past 41 years and
works in London as Finance Director
for Freshair Ltd. Single again, he has a
daughter and a son.
Chhaya Dwivedi ne Shukla
(Palmer) obtained a B.Sc. from Sophia
College and works as an accredited
part-time teacher in a special education
programme. She lives in California.
Her husband is an urologist in private
practice. She has three children.
Colin Clarke-Hill (Savage) went into
marketing research and became a business
academic, finishing off at the University of
Gloucestershire as a Reader. He retired in
2009 after a serious illness, but continued
his links with the University, where he
was appointed Emeritus Reader of the
University of Gloucestershire.
Cyrus Kharas (Wilson) has retired
from professional life and is now a
full-time bum! He was a Management
Consultant for almost 30 years, first as
a partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers
in Holland and later as C.E.O. of Atos
Consulting in London. He lives in the
Netherlands with his wife, Punnika, his
daughter and his wine collection, and
spends his summers in Noules, France.
Class Notes
Cyrus Meher-Homji (Wilson)
obtained a B.E. and went to the U.S.A.
in 1976 for an M.E. and M.B.A. He has
been working at Bechtel Corporation in
Houston, Texas, for the past 15 years,
currently as an Engineering Fellow. He is
married to Chinnu and they have twins.
Darius Shroff (Barham), Senior
Counsel by profession, practising in the
High Court, Mumbai, is also an actor
(stage and film, English and Bollywood)
by passion. Married to Sonja, he lives in
Juhu and has two children.
Debby Maneckji ne Richardson
(Savage) lives in her childhood home
in Mumbai and enjoys visits from her
daughters and two grandsons from
Singapore and the U.S.A. Sadly, she lost
her husband, Jean, a few years ago.
She still spends time in her beloved
Matheran and stays in touch with
old friends.
Dhanvir (Tingoo) Khatau (Barham)
obtained an M.B.A. from London
Business School. He participated in the
Asian Games in 1970, won the Arjuna
Award in 1973 and has participated four
times in the World Marathon Swimming
Championships at Capri-Naples. He met
his wife, Karin, in Capri and now lives in
Lausanne. They have two daughters, two
Beauceron dogs and three international
equestrian eventing horses.
Dilip Mirchandani (Wilson) did

his A Levels in London, followed by a
degree from the Gothe-Institut and
Karlsruhe University, Germany. After
apprenticeships in the U.S.A., Dulwich
College and France, he joined the family
business in 1979. He has been C.E.O. of
Rafano (Belgium), manufacturing for
European fashion labels, since 1990.
Married to Annie, he has two sons. He
has done humanitarian work through
Rotary and plans to retire in Altea, Spain.
Dinsa Mehta (Barham) managed
trading businesses at JP Morgan, New
York, for his whole career, where he was
Managing Director, Global Head, Foreign
Exchange Options and Commodities.
He lives in Bedford, NY. He is married to
Carole and they have two children and
two grandchildren. Although retired,
he is Partner at Pebblecreek Capital,
running Algorithmic Trading. He is also
an aspiring sculptor and avid gardener.
Elizabeth Virkar ne Alexander
(Barham) has taught at various schools
and currently lives in Mumbai, where she
teaches creative writing and art and craft.
Married to Jeevan, she is mother to one
and a happy grandma to two.
Farhad Pochkhanawala (Savage)
worked with Coopers & Lybrand in
London, then as Finance Manager for an
aluminum smelter in Dubai for 17 years.
2010 Mini Reunion

Front row: Shireen Jejeebhoy, Anjla Singh, Ritu Anand, Sammy Medora
Middle row: Kavas Dadabhoy is behind Ritu; Shabbir Anik is above Sammys left shoulder
Back row: Raju Shah in centre; Jeevak Parpia on extreme right
He is currently Chief Operating Officer

for a food manufacturing facility in
Canada. Settled in Toronto, he is married
to Asha (ne Nerurker). They have
two children.
Ferial Lenterna ne Irani (Palmer)
studied Chemistry and Microbiology at
St. Xaviers College (it was never her true
calling, though!). She married Massimo,
has a son and lives the sweet life (a.k.a.
la dolce vita) in Perugia, Italy. She has a
fashion company in Italy and supplies
embroidery to designers in the West.
Fashionista per sempre!
Gautam Desiraju (Palmer) is a highly
cited Indian chemist, working in the Solid
State & Structural Chemistry Unit of the
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore,
and is responsible for the acceptance of
weak hydrogen bonding in structural
and supramolecular chemistry. He has
authored books on Crystal Engineering
and Structural Chemistry and is the
recipient of Indian and international
awards, including the Alexander von
Humboldt Forschungspreis.
Gooloo Khambatta ne
Chothia (Wilson) remembers school
nostalgically...as happy, fun times. She
went to Art School, worked in a window
display firm and taught at Mrs. Shellims
nursery school. She is married to
Dr. Rohinton Khambatta, a dentist, and
they have two daughters. Her five-yearold grandson is the apple of her eye.
Gunita Singh ne Khera (Wilson)
is a dental surgeon, having qualified
from Government Dental College after
two years at St. Xaviers College. After
managing her own dental practice until a
few years ago, she now works part-time
at a charitable hospital and is happy with
this laid-back status. She is married to
Kiranjit and they have a daughter and a
son. They are settled in Delhi, where she
enjoys her three granddaughters.
Haren Mehta (Savage) obtained
a B.Com. from Sydenham College,
followed by an M.B.A. from California.
He is engaged in his familys business
(textile manufacturing, real estate
development) and enjoys yoga, tennis,
swimming, reading and travelling.
He lives in Mumbai. He and his wife
Nilima have a daughter, a son and two
grandchildren.
Class Notes
Harish Utamsing (Barham) moved
to the U.S.A. for an M.B.A. and has lived
in New York and Texas and, finally,
California. He worked in the hi-tech
industry until a few years ago and then
started his own businesses. Married
to Mala, he has three children. He has
travelled the world and loves playing golf
and watching cricket with buddies.
Heena Kamte ne Morarji (Palmer)
worked at Dharamsi Morarji Chemical
Co. from 1970 to 1990 and thereafter
in Goa for nine years. She then returned
to Mumbai, got involved in theatre and
(finally!) put up an animal rescue farm
(her dream come true!) near Pune, where
she spends most of her time.
Hemant Shah (Palmer) obtained a
B.Com. from H.R. College. He relocated
to Ahmedabad in 1987 to manage
his family business of textile trading
and manufacturing. Being fond of the
peaceful, laid-back life, he has settled
there. He gave up the textile business in
favour of marble supply and fixing. He
is married to Minal and they have two
daughters.
Homi Byramji (Palmer) spent
35 years in computers and financial
information, including a stint as Senior
V.P. for Thomson Reuters. He switched
careers to create Nezua, a resort and
residential community in Nicaragua
(www.nezua.com), which helps to
preserve the Rio Escalante Chacocente
Wildlife Refuge. Married to Ellen, he
has two sons and a daughter. He lives in
Boonton, NJ.
Ira Kapur ne Chopra (Barham)
obtained a B.A. in History from Delhi and
has worked part-time at the American
Embassy School as a secretary since 1982.
Married to Inder, she has two sons and a
granddaughter and lives in Delhi.
Jean Thomas ne Bhavnagri
(Barham) obtained an M.A. from
Christian Albrecht University,
Germany, and has lived in Casablanca
(in preparation for her M.A. thesis),
Cologne and Koenigstein, Germany
(where she experienced motherhood),
Taipei (working at the Taipei American
School), Hong Kong (working at Diamate
Impex, jewellery manufacturers), and
Erlangen, Germany (where she taught
early education and pre-school English).
Married to Christoph Hellwig, she

retired in Neunkirchen a. Br. and has
two children.
Jeevak Parpia (Wilson) joined
St. Xaviers College for a year, then
graduated in Physics at I.I.T., Chicago.
After getting a Ph.D. degree at Cornell,
he remained in academics and is now a
Department Chair at Cornell University
in Ithaca, New York. Married to Banoo,
he still does the things he loves.
Joanna Gentilli ne Tims (Savage)
graduated with a B.A. in Literature,
a Diploma in Teaching and an M.A.
preliminary degree in Classics. She
taught high school and technical college
and now teaches History of Theatre at
Academy of Performing Arts, Perth. She
is a theatre critic for The West Australian
newspaper and an occasional book
reviewer for The Australian. She has a
daughter and spends every Christmas
in Rome.
Jyoti Chowdhry (Wilson) obtained
a B.A. from St. Xaviers College and
thereafter worked in the travel business
for many years. Interested in reading
and swimming, she has also travelled
extensively, both in India and overseas.
She lives in Mumbai.
Kapil Mathur (Savage) graduated in
Kapil Mathur and Monica Chudasama
1972 from St. Stephens College, Delhi,

then did textile training in Germany,
returned to India and started his own
textiles export company. He is currently
a buying agent for some European
companies. He is married to Arati and
they have two children. He is also a
grandfather, but claims he doesnt look it!
Kavas Dadabhoy (Wilson), B.Com.,
A.C.A. (Eng & Wales), has worked two
years in Mumbai, nine years in the U.K.
and returned to desh for the next 24
years silver-smithing. He settled in

Canada in 2008, where he continues his
business remotely and volunteers time
for not for profit work. He married
Meher in 1991 and proudly witnessed his
sons graduation in 2014.
Khoorsheed (Kookie) Treasurywala
ne Batliwala (Wilson) obtained a B.A.
from St. Xaviers College. She re-started
giving tuitions in 2008 (after her husband,
Firoze, expired) to keep away the sounds
of silence and prevent the brain from
being addled. She tutors primary-senior
students in the Arts stream. She lives in
Pune and has a son and daughter.
Kiran Wagle (Savage) obtained
a B.Sc. from St. Xaviers College and
worked in hospitality with the Taj
Group of Hotels (Mumbai, Dubai and
Bengaluru), where he became Regional
Director of Sales. He resigned in 2006
and then worked as V.P. Sales &
Marketing with Concept Hospitality
for three years before retiring. Now
a Consultant to the Kohinoor Group
of Hotels in Mumbai, he is married to
Gauri. They have two daughters and are
expecting their fourth grandchild.
Lalit Bhuwalka (Savage) obtained
a B.Com. in Kolkata and owned an auto
ancillary business in Pune. Fed up of the
rat race, he cashed out in 2001 and now
works from home in the travel business,
pursuing the things he wants in life.
Married to Shobha, he has three children
and a two-year-old granddaughter.
Larry Peters (Palmer) attended
Wilson College, St. Xaviers College and
Elphinstone College. He lived in Bahrain
and Dubai before settling in Melbourne,
Australia, in 1988. Now married to
Andrea, he has 10 at-home kids and two
away kids (contributions from three
wives!), three grandchildren, a one-eyed
cat and a demented dog. He works as an
I.T. programmer in order to keep the wolf
from the door.
Loubnan Jumabhoy ne
Moloobhoy (Wilson) graduated from St.
Xaviers College and is interested in mass
media. Living first in Singapore, she is
now settled in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
where she is active in organising
cultural events for the expatriate Indian
community. Married to Rafiq, she has
two children.
THE SHADOW TRAPPERS ALMANAC
TANMOY SAMANTA
CURATED BY RANJT HOSKOTE
Opening on November 22nd 2014

on view until January 9th 2015 at TARQ
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed on Sundays
TARQ F35/36 Dhanraj Mahal, C.S.M. Marg,

Apoll Bunder, Colaba, Mumbai 400001
info@tarq.in | 022 66150424
Class Notes
Madhuri Moorjani (Barham)
graduated from Sophia College and is
now a homemaker, living in Mumbai
with her family.
Mallika Singh ne Dolly Grewal
Dolly Grewal and Heena Kamte
(Palmer) lives in Nanaimo on Vancouver

Island. She volunteers thrice a week at
an organic co-op. farm in Cedar. She has
a wholesale business of handicrafts that
she imports from India.
Mariam Ram ne Abraham
(Savage) is in the business of delivering
publishing services and developing
software for academic publishers. She
moved to Chennai after school and
has lived there since. Now married to
N. Ram, she has a son from an earlier
marriage, a stepdaughter and two
granddaughters.
Marise De Quadros (Palmer)
obtained a B.A., B.Ed (Bom), Dip of
Teaching and B.Ed (Melb). She taught
in Cathedral for a couple of years. After
40 wonderful years of teaching, she
is enjoying retirement by keeping fit,
volunteering and babysitting. She lives
in Melbourne and has two children and
three grandchildren.
Meher Bhandara ne Katgara
(Barham) worked with Travel
Corporation India for 25 years. She is
currently Director, WaterMaker (India),
and a Partner of Trail Blazer Tours in
Mumbai. Married to shipping consultant
Jehanbux, she has a daughter and a son.
She is also grandmother to a fourthgeneration Cathedralite.
Mohan Jacob (Savage) obtained a
B.Com. in Jaipur. He then worked with
Sharp & Tannan, Lakm and Greaves
Foseco, and in 1991, moved to Pune as
G.M. (I.T.) at Sesa Seat for four years.
He drifted into semi-retirement in
1995 and is now an active and dignified
senior citizen. Married to Anne, he has

two daughters.
Mohan Shivdasani (Wilson) went
to I.I.T. and the University of Michigan,
followed by a hectic consultants lifestyle
at Accenture, Deloitte, A.T. Kearney and
T.C.S., supported by an understanding
wife, Adele (since 1977). He has two
children. Now retired, he keeps busy
and young teaching at Georgia State
Universitys B-School.
Mona Jhuremalani ne Malani
(Savage) has been living in the U.S.A.
since 1980 and lives in Bowling Green,
Ohio, where she has made new friends,
a new life and built a career in personal
banking. Having worked with three
different banks, she is currently with
First Federal Bank of the Mid-West. She
always gets excited about news from
school buddies!
Monica Vaziralli ne Chudasama
(Savage) has been an interior designer
for 30 years and lives in Mumbai.
She has a son, a daughter and four
grandchildren. She is a personal shopper
and organises high-end vacations in
India. She has been written about both
in Europe and America.
Nadir Reporter (Barham) boxed
for the school team and was fondly
nicknamed Beta. He obtained a B.Com.
from H.R. College and was a Chartered
Accountant with his own established
practice. He was a well-respected
professional in business circles until
he was snatched away from us very
suddenly. He is survived by wife Niloufer
and son Hosner.
Naila Stremke ne Kanthawala
(Wilson) claims that her education
really began after school! She married
Gerd and settled in Germany, battled
with a new language, another mentality
and a myriad chores she had never
even dreamt of doing before! She has
two girls.
Nandkumar Seksaria (Barham)
completed three years of B.Com. from
Sydenham College and then joined the
family business. Now into real estate,
he deals mainly in suburban Mumbai
and enjoys reading. He married Reeta
in 1972, has three children and is a
grandfather to four little ones, three of
them in Cathedral.
Nawal Seth (Palmer) is semi-retired

after working 21 years in the shipping
and freight business. He now helps
young children gain admission to Prep
Schools in America. He is married to
Sneha and has three children.
Niloufer Singara ne Sethna
(Palmer) obtained Sociology and
Psychology degrees from St. Xaviers
College and then worked two years
with Oberoi Hotels as Front Office
Receptionist. She then worked for
Kuwait Airways as Sales Officer for
34 years. Now retired, she looks after
family properties. Married to Ratan,
an advertising copy director, she lives
in Mumbai and has two children and a
granddaughter.
Perveez Merchant (Palmer)
obtained a B.A. in Psychology from St.
Xaviers College and then managed her
familys oil company, specialising in
finance. She wrote for Inside Outside,
a design magazine, for 10 years and
continues her involvement with family
investments. She lives in Mumbai and
enjoys art, literature and travel.
Pheroze Madon (Palmer) is currently
with Entrac Inc., an engineering export
group in Englewood, NJ. He was
formerly in Dubai and then moved to the
U.S.A. (NYC / NJ). He was involved in
garment manufacturing. Having lived in
L.A. from 2005 to 2009, he was in China
from 2010 to 2013 and is now home in
New Jersey.
Poonam Chand ne Chaudhary
(Wilson) headed the East India
operations of South India Surgical
Company for 16 years before retiring to
a life of zen meditation and attempting
to make the world a better place via her
participation in various social outreach
and upliftment activities. Married to
Rajiv, she has two daughters and lives
in Kolkata.
Radhika Rajpal ne Rita Rajpal
(Savage) obtained a B.A. in Psychology
and Law. She moved to the U.S.A. in
1975 after marriage and returned to
Mumbai in 1982, forging a dance career
alongside being a single mom. She lives
a happy, meditative dancing life. Now
married to the man of her dreams,
Subhash, she has two granddaughters
and lives in California and Pune.
Class Notes
Raj Melville (Barham) is Executive
Director at Deshpande Foundation, where
he supports four centres that have helped
launch several start-ups. He has spent
more than 25 years among Microsoft,
Digital Equipment Corporation, Booz
Allen and some internet and mobile startups. He has a Masters degree from Sloan
School, a doctorate from M.I.T. and a
Bachelors degree from I.I.T. Bombay. He
lives in the U.S.A.
Rajendra (Raju) Shah (Barham)
spent a year at I.I.T. Bombay and six
years at M.I.T., studying Chemical
Engineering and Management. He was
thereafter involved in long-term stock
market investments and occasionally
raising monies for small and medium
listed companies. He lives in Mumbai, is
married to Shefali and has two daughters.
Rajiv Gupta (Barham) graduated
from S.R.C.C., Delhi, and started his
own business. He lives in Mumbai
and divides his time equally between
business and social work as a
Rotarian. He is married to Minakshi, a
scriptwriter, and they have a son.
Raju Chainani (Wilson) was a
unique squash journalist, ever ready
with a quip and humour. He had a deep
knowledge of the sport and global
players. He criticised Indias squash
authorities for the woeful way they
selected teams. Too late in cutting back
on alcohol and cigars, he succumbed to
heart failure at 49.
Ramesh Kapadia (Palmer) obtained
a B.S. (Hons.) from St. Xaviers
College and has been in the U.K. since
1974. After finishing postgraduate
studies at U.M.I.S.T. (Manchester), he
changed career paths. He is currently
a partner in a Chartered Accountancy
firm in the City of London, having
qualified as a Certified Accountant
(FCCA) and Chartered Accountant
(ACA). Married to Meera, he has a
daughter.
Ramgopal Rangaswamy (Barham)
joined Cathedral in Std. 10. From the
very beginning, he became one of us,
as if he had always been there. He
impacted us all and why he was snatched
away so suddenly and tragically remains
a mystery. He will always remain in
our hearts.
Ranjana Maliye (Palmer) loved

horses and was an amateur rider. She
spent early mornings at the racecourse
looking after a stable-owners horses
and invested seriously in the stock
markets. Gentle, soft-spoken and always
smiling, she was interested in chess,
animal rights and vegetarianism. She
passed away a few years ago and is
missed by her school friends.
Ravi Nangia (Palmer) obtained a B.A.
(Hons.) from St. Stephens College and
a double M.Sc. in Economics, and Public
Administration and Policy from L.S.E.
He worked for 17 years with I.C.I.C.I.,
then consulted with the World Bank,
I.F.C. and A.D.B. for more than 20 years.
Now retired in Delhi, he is looking for the
occasional consultancy work. Married to
Rita, he has a daughter and a son.
Rita Mehta ne Karanjia (Savage)
was formerly the owner of Cine Blitz and
Hi!Blitz magazines and is now Director,
Keynote Media (India) and Key Global
(U.A.E.), an international celebrity,
brand and event management agency.
Living in Dubai with her daughter, she
visits Mumbai regularly for business
and loves travelling to exotic places.
Her husband, Karl, passed away
in 2011.
Ritu Anand (Wilson) obtained B.A.
degrees from Wellesley College and
St. Xaviers College and an M.Sc. from
L.S.E. and then worked in India before
spending many years at the World Bank
with some stints in India. She returned
to her motherland end-2004 and
worked at S.B.I. and I.D.F.C. Recently
retired, she is ready for the next
phase in life.
Rohinton (Ronnie) Desai (Palmer)
is a musician, singer, copywriter,
composer of advertising jingles and
audio producer for radio, TV and
films. He is presently the proprietor
of audio production house Musica,
Studios Eardrum and Soundslap, and
is a Director in Musicard Productions,
Bandwagon Studios, Octavius Studios,
32nd Street, and a Partner in Sound Bar
and Hi Octane Studios. He is single and
lives in Mumbai.
Rohit Panchal (Savage) relocated
to Bengaluru from Australia in 1998.
Having formerly worked with K. Raheja
Group and Patel Engineering, he now

specialises in real estate, currently
consulting with M.N.C.s interested in
real estate deals. Married to Rita, he has
two sons and two grandchildren.
Rubeen Malkani (Palmer) is
currently Director, Percept Ltd, Director,
7 Peace Values and CSR Advisors. He
works with ECCO/CMS and Allstate
as an advisor/consultant and is also
legal facilitator to various lawyers and
solicitors. Married to Sunita, he has
two daughters and a granddaughter and
lives in Mumbai.
Ruiynton Dinshaw (Wilson)
has lived in the U.K. since 1972. He
qualified as a Chartered Accountant
before embarking on a banking career
and is currently Director, Capital
Markets, Citigroup London. Married to
Khorshed, he has a son and a daughter.
His interests are sailing, wine and travel.
Ruma Medora ne Roy (Palmer)
lives in Kolkata and has moved from
travel to tea to I.T. (Consulting).
Currently Director, Operations (India),
at A.M.I. Partners, a global I.T. &
Telecom consulting firm, Ruma is
waiting to sign off and take on G.M.
duties, but no luck yet.
Sammy Medora (Savage) obtained a
B.Com. from Sydenham College in 1973,
followed by a Chartered Accountancy
qualification in England in 1978. He
has worked with Arthur Andersen
(1979-1993) and KPMG (1994-2014) in
five countries and settled in Canada in
2012. He is semi-retired (enjoys home
gardening) and consults six months
a year with KPMG India. Married to
Havovi, he has a daughter.
Sanjay Nene (Wilson) worked as
a scientist for 29 years with National
Chemical Laboratory, Pune, and retired
in July 2014. He plans to keep sane with
minor consultancy and relaxing in a
shack built in Wai (with music, reading,
gardening and drink!). Wife Suvarna
is a dental implantologist and they
have two sons.
Shabbir Anik (Palmer) obtained
a B.S. in Pharmacy from Institute of
Chemical Technology (Mumbai) and a
Ph.D. from Wisconsin. He is Senior V.P.
at Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Chairman
of Valgenesis (a software company).
The Furniture Store
www.pinakin.in
2nd Floor, Raghuvanshi Mills Compd.,

S.Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai - 400 013
Class Notes
Married to Ashrafa, he has a son and a
daughter. Settled in the Bay Area since
1978, he has been doing good drugs.
Shireen Jejeebhoy (Barham)
obtained a Ph.D. from the University
of Pennsylvania following a B.A. from
Bryn Mawr College. She worked at
W.H.O. Geneva (1998-2002) and as an
independent researcher from Mumbai.
She has been a Senior Associate at the
Population Council since 2002, doing
policy-oriented research on the situation
and needs of young people in India, and
more generally on womens health and
rights. She lives in Delhi.
Shiv Mathur (Savage) studied
music (1975-80) and obtained ALCM
(Associate London College of Music)
and LTCL (Licentiate Trinity College
of London) qualifications. He then
returned to India and has done
advertising music (jingles and the
like) ever since. He enjoys chess and is
married to Elfin. He lives in Mumbai.
Shobhna Patel (Wilson) worked as a
credit manager for a travel company and
now works in Finance, being responsible
for several care homes in the U.K. She
is single once more and enjoys yoga,
power walking, charity walks for cancer
and gardening. Living in North London,
she makes annual trips to the U.S.A. to
babysit her sisters grandchildren.
Sohrab Davar (Palmer) obtained a
B.Com. from Sydenham College. He is
an advertising photographer in Digital
Fine Art Photography and is known for
the Silverpoint Calendar Series. He was
Hon. Secretary and Founder Member
of the Advertising and Industrial
Photographers Association and was on
the Committee of the Photographers
Guild of India. He is a member of Rotary
Club of Mumbai Midtown, a Freemason
and an officer at Grand Lodge of India.
Sorab Lawyer (Savage) left his
classmates a few years ago after a long
illness, but memories of him sneaking
fags outside class, his first dance at
the social, and stealing the famous
school bell will live on! He married
twice and has two children and four
grandchildren.
Soyam Chidakashi (Palmer) went
to Jai Hind College and then obtained
an M.B.B.S. from Seth G.S. Medical
College. Following two house posts in

Paediatrics and Nephrology, he worked
for a year on an oil rig at Bombay High
and as a K.E.M. medical officer for a
year, then in private practice as a G.P.
He has now stopped his practice, but
makes emergency house calls in his
own area.
Sudhanshu Ranade (Barham)
worked with State Bank of India until
1984 and then went to Princeton
mid-career and got a Ph.D. He never
thought he would become a journalist
but surprised himself by working with
The Hindu and writing several good
articles during his tenure there. He lives
in Chennai.
Sudhir Diwan (Barham) gallivanted
at I.I.T. Roorkee, worked, attended the
University of Toronto for Architecture,
practised, and from the age of 26 to 56
struggled, relearnt, earned 15 minutes
of fame, published, received awards
and authored books. Now gracefully
retired, he runs Sanskruti interior design
correspondence courses. He is awaiting
the next reunion, wherever it may be.
Sunil Morarka (Barham) joined his
family business in 1973 after attending
St. Xaviers College. He left Mumbai in
1989 and settled in Hospet, a small town
in Karnataka, running his own logistics
business. Married to Sumita, he has a
daughter and a son.
Suresh Goel (Wilson) obtained a
B.Com. from H.R. College and studied
in England to be a corporate trainer. He
returned to India and is now a corporate
trainer to a large number of companies
in India and abroad. He married Leela in
1977 and has a son.
Urmila (Mila) Banerjee (Barham)
graduated Phi Beta Kappa from
Wellesley College, where she studied
on a full scholarship. She has been a
teacher and has published short stories
in literary magazines such as The London
Magazine and Chicago Review. She is now
a (dancing!) Osho sanyasin.
Vanita Makhija ne Advani
(Palmer) studied interior decoration at
Sir J.J. School of Art for three years and
worked in her fathers plastics company
in Accounts. She married Micky
Makhija, an actor, in 1981 and has two
sons.
Veenal Vasvani ne Minal

Melwani (Palmer) lives in Kingston,
Jamaica, where she heads a foundation
for rape, domestic violence and abused
women. She still parties hard and
travels extensively. Married to Deepak
(in 1972), she has three children and
two grandchildren. Reggae singer Bob
Marleys sons are partners with her
second son in Marley Coffee.
Victor Sassoon (Savage) obtained
B.Com. and Chartered Accountancy
qualifications in India. He then worked
in finance with several companies such
as Larsen & Toubro, Escorts and Hertz.
He was General Manager, Response,
International Media Representation
with the Times of India Group, and
is now Vice President, Strategy, with
Osource India. He lives in Mumbai.
Vidya Virkar ne Shanbhag
(Palmer) studied Microbiology at St.
Xaviers College, followed by Mass
Communications at Sophia College. She
has done genetic research in Cambridge,
copywriting in London, newsletter
editing in Holland, and partnered
her father in setting up six Strand
bookstores in Bengaluru and elsewhere.
She subsequently closed many stores,
responding to global trends. Her
spiritual calling now predominates.
Married to Prakash, she has a daughter.
Yohan Jeffereis (Savage) left Bharat
in 1972 for the U.S.A. on a one-year
scholarship. He is still there, 42 years
later! He married Amy (his student
at Columbia University) and moved
to Wilton, CT, to raise three kids.
Corporate training pays the bills, while
he roars, Let it rip! Let it thunder!
Zarine Pavri ne Panthaky
(Wilson) obtained a B.A. from Xaviers
and studied Ancient Indian Culture
and English Literature. She is an avid
collector of coins and stamps. Married
to Nariman, she has one son. She
lives in Mumbai and takes full-time
care of her bachelor brother who lives
with her.
The following left our class shortly
before 1968:
Darius (Dolly) Kapadia (Palmer) is
a Chartered Management Accountant.
He worked in the U.K. and Kuwait in
financial management positions and
Class Notes
returned to India in 1992. He managed
Everest Advertising and its subsidiary,
Edge Communications, until recently,
when they were sold. He spends his
time in Mumbai and London. He has
two sons.
Jaishree Lachiram (Palmer)
attended Sophia College till the
intermediate examinations. She then
received a B.D.S. in Dentistry from
Government Dental College. She lived in
Jakarta for a few years and now lives in
Mumbai. She has a son, a daughter and
a two-year-old grandson.
Meenal Manning ne Nevasker
(Barham) is an advisory teacher for
hearing-impaired children in Ipswich.
After leaving India in May 1967, she
moved to Nairobi and then settled in
the U.K., where she got an M.Ed in
Audiology and Education of the Deaf
from Manchester University. She is
married to John and they enjoy playing
golf and other sporting activities.
Mukesh Munim (Palmer) spent
20 years in commercial photography
in Mumbai. He has been fulfilling his
dreams in Coonoor since 2006 and is
married to Anjali. Looking after home,
dog, five hens and a rooster keeps him
busy. He spends his spare time painting,
growing his own vegetables, teaching
photography, practising asanas/
pranayama, watching films and listening
to music.
Radhika Nath ne Mahindra
(Wilson) taught at nursery school
initially and now works at Mahindra &
Mahindra. Married to Kanwar, she has
a son and daughter. Living in Mumbai,
she keeps busy working and pursuing
her interests travelling, reading and
listening to music.
Sohrab Framjee (Wilson) left
Cathedral in 1967 for Bishop Cotton,
Simla, and settled in London after a
B.Com. from Sydenham College. He
served as an independent director on
various boards and was also Director of
Tata in the U.K. Married to Uttara, he
has a son. Now semi-retired, he shuttles
between the U.K. and India.
- Compiled by Sammy Medora,
Perveez Merchant, Anjla Singh,
Kavas Dadabhoy, Ambu Morarka
X-Cats in the news
Jeroo Mulla (ISC 1969)

Jeroo Mulla, associated with
the Sophia Institute of Social
Communications Media and
Sophia Polytechnic (Social
Communications Media
Department), Mumbai, in
leadership positions for more than
three decades as well as teacher
of Film Appreciation, Photography
and the Fundamentals of
Communications, received
the Prof. Satish Bahadur
Lifetime Achievement Award for
Outstanding Contribution to Film
Education in South Asia at the
Alpavirama Film Festival 2014.
The award is named after the
Professor of Film Appreciation at
the Film and Television Institute of
India (FTII).
Class of 1983/85
Anaita Udwadia Hegde (Palmer) is a
Paediatric Neurologist. Her patients are
surprised when they find their specialist
doctor to be tall, slim and wearing
high heels, or, as one of their mothers
recently remarked, Why didnt you tell
me Dr. Hegde was such a phataak?
Looks and brains aside, she was known
at school for her legendary hot lunches
and tuck packets, which half the class
counted on for sustenance. And, more
importantly, for being the best sprinter
the school has ever produced winning
medals in the Indian nationals. Anaita
still juggles a mind-boggling array of
activities, from fundraising for the Jai
Vakeel School to running medical camps
in rural areas and hiking in North India.

She is married to Hemant Hegde and
they have three children.
anaitahegde@hotmail.com
Rahul Bose (Savage) was best known
in school for his performance as the
prince in The Prince Who Wouldnt Talk
in Std. 7 and for the eponymous role
in The Little Man in Std. 12. He went
on to become a well-known stage actor
before embarking on a film career
as actor, screenwriter and director.
He also represented India in Rugby
from 1998 to 2009. In 2006, Rahul
started an NGO called The Foundation,
which sends underprivileged children
from the furthest corners of the
country to some of Indias top private
schools. He still lives in Mumbai, still
frequents the Bombay Gymkhana
and frequently shows up in school
at Mrs. Isaacs request to speak to
unsuspecting students forced to listen to
his speeches.
Renuka Lalwani Kirpalani
(Palmer): What would you do if your
daughter wanted to become a race car
driver? Renuka is proof that a woman
can go into the most male-dominated
profession, thrive at it, have a family
and do all this while looking like a
million bucks. Renuka followed her
father into race car driving, winning
her first race at the age of 18. She
pursued motor sports until 1993. She
has taken part in and organised multicountry rallies, including ASEAN, which
involved driving from Singapore to India
overland. She is a juror for the World Car
of the Year awards among myriad motor
competitions. She currently hosts The
Autocar Show on Bloomberg TV India.
She is married to Ravi Kirpalani and
they have two children.
renuka@haymarketsac.com
Sarita Saraiya Bhalerao (Barham)
can boast of being one of Bollywood
star Rahul Boses first leading ladies
and, quite likely, the most reluctant. In
Std. 7, she played the queen in the class
play, The Prince Who Wouldnt Talk. The
script called for Sarita to kiss Rahul on
the cheek, but demure Sarita steadfastly
refused, forcing the director to change
the script to allow her instead to tap
him on the cheek with a rose. Sarita is
WITH
BEST
COMPLIMENTS
FROM
VIVEK DUJODWALA
Class Notes
now a doctor, specialising in obstetrics
and gynaecology. She is married to
Abhay and they have two children.
saritabhalerao67@gmail.com
Nasir Khan (Wilson) was perhaps
best known for his lead roles in
the school plays, most memorably
Teahouse of the August Moon, where he
played Sakini. He studied in the U.S.
and has worked in banking and lived
in Manhattan ever since. He is now
Managing Director in infrastructure
deals at Bank of Tokyo in New York. He
is married to his childhood sweetheart
and former Cathedralite, Mona
Anand, and they have two daughters.
nasirkhan_66@yahoo.com
Sumana Ramanan Dixit (Savage)
was known for her passion for academics
and her avid basketball playing. She has
spent her 20-year career in journalism
playing a leadership role in Hindustan
Times as one of the top editors before
leaving recently to become a consulting
editor with Scroll.in, a digital daily, based
in Mumbai. She also focuses more now
on her own writing as a freelancer. She is
married to Jaikumar Radhakrishnan and
they have 14-year-old twins. The family
lives in the same TIFR compound where
Sumana herself was raised. She continues
her lifelong devotion to Indian classical
music. sumana.ramanan@gmail.com
Ramona Palia Maheshwari
(Barham) runs Montessori classes out of
her home in Bandra, where she focuses
on teaching Mathematics to young
children. This is a constant source of
amusement to her classmates because
Mathematics was her least favorite
subject! In school, she was best known
for being the naughtiest, boldest and
most fun of her classmates, introducing
them to Judy Blume in Std. 7, when
most of them had read only Enid Blyton.
She went on to study at St. Xaviers
College, then flew with Pan Am and
Air India to see more of her boyfriend,
Neeraj, who was studying in the U.S. She
later switched professions and taught for
five years at Besant Montessori School
before starting her own Montessori
classes. She and Neeraj have two
daughters. ramonamah@gmail.com
Maneesha Garware Shah (Palmer)
is perhaps best known for having the
Class of 1983/85, Std. 7
only Std. 10 romance that resulted in

marriage. She and Shatul Shah went
on to marry and have a daughter. They
live in Pune, where they frequently
play host to their classmates from
Mumbai. Geeta Anand claims credit for
introducing Maneesha to Shatul, whom
she knew from training together at the
Breach Candy pool. Maneesha had a
near monopoly over her classmates in
Marathi class, where they relied heavily
on one of the only Maharashtrian
students to save them from almost
certain failure during exams!
maneeshashah@gmail.com
Vinay Dube (Barham), the class
favourite all-rounder, who excelled in
both athletics and academics, heads
Delta Airlines Asia operations. He lives
in Hong Kong with his wife, Swati, and
their three sons. Vinay broke many
hearts when he left after Std. 10 to
study at the United World College in
Wales, followed by Knox College in
Illinois, U.S.A. Vinays only weakness has
been his questionable spelling ability.
Fortunately, heading an airline doesnt
require any special expertise in that area!
Vinay.Dube@delta.com
Geeta Anand (Palmer) is a senior
writer at The Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
in Mumbai, where she lives with her
husband, Greg Kroitzsh, and their
two daughters. She has been a fearless

journalist for 20 years, breaking several
stories, including two that were part of
WSJs Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage
of corporate corruption. In Std. 7, her
writing caused its first stir, when she
began ghostwriting scores of chits on
behalf of amorous suitors until one
got snagged by a teacher, resulting in
numerous counselling sessions with
Mrs. Bapat. She sobered up in Std. 11
and 12 and became Head Girl. Today, she
is an avid practitioner of yoga, which,
together with her unrelenting sense of
humour, keeps her sane amid deadlines
and juggling work and family.
Geeta.Anand@wsj.com
Hari Aiyar (Wilson) was best
known in school for being a champion
tennis player and swimmer, carted off
to competitions all over India by his
devoted grandfather. Being the youngest
in class, he was the object of amusement
for (read, bullying by) certain female
classmates and, perhaps, therefore
founded the Brahmachari Club (which
also counted PV Rao, Akhil Agrawal
and Shobhik Choudhary as members).
He studied in the U.S. and lived in New
York for almost two decades, working at
Morgan Stanley. In 2006, he returned to
India and surprised everyone by getting
married! He and Aparna have a three2014 The X-Cathedralite 57
Class Notes
Class of 1983/85, 25-year reunion
year-old daughter and a baby girl. Hari

runs an investment firm, First Finance.
hariaiyar@gmail.com
Cyrus Taraporevala (Barham): If
any Cathedralites life has panned out
exactly as he wanted it to, it has to be
Cyrus. Focused from Std. 9 on a career
in finance, Cyrus completed an M.B.A.
from Cornell University and then
worked at McKinsey & Company for
14 years in New York and Copenhagen.
He is currently at Fidelity Investments,
where he is Executive Vice President of
Investment Solutions and President of
Fidelity Investments Life Insurance. He
lives north of Boston with his wife, Fie,
and potters around as a country squire
with his sundry four-legged children
(horses, dogs, cats). cyrustara@gmail.com
Shatul Shah (Wilson) turned his Std.
10 romance with classmate Maneesha
into a devoted marriage. He was known
in school for his raw athletic ability,
most notably in swimming, diving
and gymnastics. He won medals in the
Nationals in swimming and diving.
Shatul is a champion of a friend. When
close friends have encountered personal
obstacles, they havent found a more
ardent supporter than Shatul. He and
Maneesha live in Pune, where he runs a
family-owned engineering firm.
Lakshman Charanjiva (Savage)
was known for his passion for tennis
and his kind, gentlemanly behaviour.
He lives in South Florida with his wife
and two children, after multiple-year
stints in New York and Washington,
D.C. He is Chief Information Officer at
NextEra Energy, North Americas leading

renewables power company. He is one
of the most devoted dads we have ever
encountered. No parent sang Do the
hokey pokey louder, spun around more
energetically or climbed higher on the
monkey bars than Lakshman! Hes been
spotted in Mumbai on occasion, visiting
his family.
lakshman.charanjiva@gmail.com
Anil Asher (Palmer) was known as
ODO in school. A jovial, easy-going
person from behind his thick-lensed
spectacles, and a friend to all, he runs his
own manufacturing company, Datawrx,
in Plano, Texas. He calls his family the
AAAA family wife Aneesha, daughter
Anika and son Akhil. anilasher@gmail.com
Gaurav Bhatia (Wilson) and brother,
Anuj, are best remembered as the
Bhatia Brothers who sang songs such as
Crocodile Rock. Gaurav lives in Bengaluru
with his wife, Rupali, and 14-year-old
son. He is Global Leader for Business
Excellence at leading business services
company Concentrix. After school, he
studied Economics at St. Stephens
College in Delhi and obtained an M.B.A.
from McGill University in Montreal.
Gbhatia_del@yahoo.com
Premal Pajwani (Barham) obtained
a B.Com. from Sydenham College,
then an M.B.A. from the University of
Cincinnati. He spent 10 years in New
York, working in various Wall Street
firms. He has been living in London since
2000. Hes married to Nisha and works
at J.P. Morgan Asset Management as a
global healthcare specialist. He visits
India frequently and almost always calls

his classmates to arrange a get-together.
premal.r.pajwani@jpmorgan.com
Jasmin Jagada (Wilson) was a
champion diver. She graduated from
Randolph-Macon, Virginia, with a B.A.
in Liberal Arts and spent a few joyful
years in San Francisco before returning
to India in 1991. She then worked with
The Bombay Environmental Action
Group for a couple of years before
starting Le Papillon, a clothing company
that specialises in nightwear. Her true
passion, however, is animal welfare and
activism. Perhaps that love for animals
was sparked by her pet Beagle, Rolly.
She currently lives between Pune and
Goa with her partner and their many
beautiful, furry critters.
jasminjagada@gmail.com
- Compiled by Geeta Anand
and Sarita Bhalerao
X-Cats in the news
Homi Adajania (ISC 1990)

After wandering the world overland
and underwater, Homi Adajania
set off on a new adventure as a
filmmaker. In 2006, without any
formal training or background in
the field, he made his directorial
debut with Being Cyrus, followed
by the Bollywood romance Cocktail.
His third film, Finding Fanny,
released in September this year.
Adajania says he sees life as a
series of shots The advantage of
not knowing what tools you have
around you is that nothing restricts
your imagination. His next feature
film is the Bollywood adaptation of
The Fault in Our Stars.
Class Notes
Reunion Class of 1994/96

On Founders Day in 2012, Anshuma
Shah (our very own Senior School
teacher) commented to her husband,
Runit Shah, and to me that our class
(1994/1996) didnt get together
at all. Perhaps to defend our class
pride, or simply to show her that two
Wilsonites (had to throw that in here!)
would prove her wrong, we boldly
stated that we would organise an
event shortly. So the wheels were set
in motion, and with Rohini Behls help
on our class Facebook page, Runit
and I started planning something for
December-January to accommodate
our N.R.I. classmates who would be
in town for the holidays. After much
polling, we decided on a brunch at
Busaba on January 6, 2013, and had

approximately 50 alumni and their
spouses show up.
Over five hours, we met old
friends, reminisced and had more
than enough to drink and eat.
Of course, any reunion would be
incomplete without a rendition of
the school song and some ad hoc
speeches that had us laughing. Its
been 20 years since we finished our
I.C.S.E. and over a decade since some
of us last met, but the brunch served
to remind us how school friendships
and bonds from the time we spent
together in school remain so close.
Class of 2001/03
business from USC. He is a full-time

semi-professional sportsperson (cricket)
and will create one of Indias greatest
business houses for sports infrastructure
by 2017. dsk@kathiwada.com
Mayank Kochhar (Savage) works
at DBS Bank in Singapore, focused on
the telecommunications, media and
technology space.
mayankkochhar@gmail.com
Mayank Sekhsaria (Palmer) cofounded Greenlight Planet, bringing
Abhijay Sandilya (Barham) lives

and works in Singapore for Whitbread
PLC, working on hotel development and
investments. abhijay@sandilya.eu
Chetan Gupta (Palmer) is now an
account strategist with Google Inc.
chetangupta@google.com
Digvijay Singh Kathiwada (Wilson)
has pursued fine arts as a career after
graduating in urban planning and
~ Aditya Dhawan
affordable solar-powered lights to rural

homes, after working at Google in
Silicon Valley. With Greenlight in the
hands of an amazing team, Mayank has
now become the seventh generation
to join his family business. He resides
in Mumbai with his wife, Tanvi.
mayanksekhsaria@gmail.com
Mihir Sheth (Wilson) is currently
working at Khosla Labs. After obtaining
an undergraduate degree from Harvard,
he has jumped between finance (Lehman
Brothers), government (Aadhaar) and
being an entrepreneur in the vocational
training sector. He lives in Mumbai with
his wife, Namrata.
mihir.sheth@post.harvard.edu
Natasha Sabharwal (Savage) is
based in Mumbai and is on the board of
Inventive Green Technology Solutions,
whose patented product, Nectair/Aakash
Amrit, creates drinking water from the
atmosphere. She is also the creator of
the brand Shimmer Shack, which deals
in costume jewellery.
natasha.sabharwal@gmail.com
Neha Arya Sethi (Barham) decided
after a year in investment banking that
finance wasnt her thing and chose to
go in the opposite direction by opening
her own bakery/cookie joint Sweetish
House Mafia.
nehagsethi@gmail.com
Paridhi Mittal Somani (Wilson)
obtained a B.Sc from Babson College,
after which she worked at Grant
Thornton LLP in Boston as an
investment banker. Switching gears,
she acquired an M.S. Ed in Educational
Leadership from University of
Pennsylvania. She has since been at
Walsingham House School as the Junior
School Coordinator.
paridhi.m.somani@gmail.com
Ranbir Batra (Wilson) is a chef who
has trained and worked in Chicago. He
is now back in India and expanding his
familys restaurants. He aims to have one
restaurant in every major Indian city in
the next five years.
ranbirbatra@gmail.com
Rustom Chowna (Wilson) is an
assistant vice president at Barclays
Wealth & Investment Management
in London, where he manages Client
Class Notes
Portfolio Analytics.
rustom.chowna@gmail.com
Shaila Pandole (Barham) is a
pre-primary teacher at Hill Spring
International School. shaila27@gmail.com
Vaibhav Maloo (Barham) is
Managing Director of Enso Group,
based out of London. He obtained an
undergraduate business administration
degree from Carnegie Mellon University,
a postgraduate diploma in global
business from Oxford University, and
joined the Executive MBA programme
at Cambridge University, which he left
midway to join business.
vaibhav.maloo@ensogroup.com
Varun Jalan (Wilson) and Neha
Hiranandani had a baby this January.
Varun has started a logistics company,
while Neha continues to grow her House
of Hiranandani. varun.jalan@gmail.com
Varun Parikh (Wilson) pursued
a Masters degree in Strategic
Management at Cass Business School,
London, after obtaining a degree
in Electronic Engineering from the
University of Mumbai. He works for
Jefferies in London and started his
career in investment banking with RBS.
varunaparikh@gmail.com
- Compiled by Mayank Sekhsaria
Class Notes
Class of 2006/08
Adwaita Nayar (Barham) went
to Yale University to study Applied
Mathematics after an I.B. from the
Dhirubhai Ambani International School.
After graduation, she joined Bain
Consulting in New York for a year. Since
then, she and her mother have started an
e-commerce company, Nykaa.com, which
focuses on beauty and wellness products
in India. Next year, she will be at Harvard
Business School for an M.B.A.
Alisha Sett (Savage) is an Edmond
J. Safra Network Fellow at Harvard
University, working on a project about
psychiatry in Kashmir and also works
as an analyst at Dasra, a strategic
philanthropy foundation. After school,
she studied English and Political Science
at Tufts University.
Anchit Desai (Palmer) is moving to
the United States to train with a New
York-based track and distance running
club. He is simultaneously pursuing
a Masters degree in cyber security.
He completed his undergraduate
engineering education at Imperial
College London.
Aneesha Shah (Palmer) graduated
with a B.A. in Psychology from
St. Xaviers College. To pursue her
childhood dream of acting, she
completed a year-long course from Stella
Adler Studio of Acting, Mumbai. She
has featured in multiple TV commercials
for brands such as Airtel, Fastrack,
McDonalds, Hyundai and Maybelline.
She has also acted in several theatre
productions.
Arati Venkatram (Wilson) has
been reaching for the stars since 2008.
After completing her B.Com., Chartered
Accountancy and L.L.B, she ventured
into the world of investment banking.
She now works in equity capital markets
at Kotak Investment Banking after a
three-year stint at Deloitte.
Arshan Vakil (Palmer) obtained a
B.Sc. in Economics from The Wharton
School and a B.Sc. in Engineering from
Penn Engineering and then moved
back to Mumbai to join Hopscotch, an

e-commerce start-up. He also founded
a mentorship and career guidance
initiative called Project Vahana. The
combination of the start-up and Project
Vahana convinced Arshan to start Kings
Learning, an education setup focused
on enhancing the employability of
Indias youth. Kings Learning is based
in Bengaluru with a second centre
in Chennai.
Avisha Shah (Savage) pursued her
childhood dream of becoming a dentist.
After finishing five gruelling years at
Y.M.T. Dental College, she now holds
a B.D.S degree. She is doing advanced
clinical training in Endodontics at the
University of California, Los Angeles.
Azhar Chougle was not Head Boy in
1979! After pursuing further studies in
monasteries, breweries and universities,
he spent four months on the Amazon
River as Brazils 49th poet-in-residence.
Four years and five-and-a-half days
later, he took up knitting and led
Cameroons national team to their first
ever ice hockey victory.
Dr. Deepak Bhushan (Palmer)
studied at D.G. Ruparel College. Upon
completing the H.S.C. exams in 2008,
he spent five and a half years studying
for the M.B.B.S. degree at Rajiv
Gandhi Medical College, Thane. He is
currently studying for his postgraduate
entrance examinations.
Dhvanil Sheth (Wilson) acquired
Bachelors and Masters degrees in
Commerce from H.R. College and
simultaneously qualified as a Chartered
Accountant. He works at The Boston
Consulting Group in Mumbai.
Diksha Ahuja (Palmer) pursued
undergraduate studies in Life Sciences
and Biochemistry at St. Xaviers College
after a two-year stint at Cathedral.
She then obtained a Masters degree
in Immunology from the University of
Oxford. She currently works at Kantar
Health, a healthcare marketing insights
company, in Mumbai.
Gitanjali Dusija (Palmer) graduated
with a B.Com. in Accounts and Finance
from H.R. College and spent two years

with Deloitte in the Risk Consulting
practice before deciding to transition
to the social sector. After working with
impact investment firm Elevar Equity
in Bengaluru, she is now with Edelweiss
in the Venture Philanthropy division.
She is also pursuing her L.L.B. from
K.C. Law College.
Ishita Advani (Barham) graduated
with a Bachelors degree in Management
Studies (B.M.S.) from H.R. College in
2011 and then worked at Deloitte in the
Enterprise Risk Services practice for two
years. While there, she simultaneously
pursued an L.L.B. at Government Law
College, Mumbai. After working on
several civil cases, she embarked on a
career in law. She graduated from law
school in 2014 and currently works at
M/s Desai & Diwanji, in Mumbai.
Jivesh De Sousa (Savage) is
pursuing a Ph.D. in Economics at Duke
University after graduating from the
University of Notre Dame.
Jyotika Udeshi (Wilson) obtained a
Bachelor of Pharmacy degree (B.Pharm)
from UDCT, Mumbai. She is currently
studying for a degree in Law from
Government Law College, Mumbai.
Kabir Barat (Savage) joined St.
Xaviers College after I.C.S.E. He then
spent the next five years at Symbiosis
Law School, Pune, where he received a
B.B.A.-L.L.B degree. In 2013, he joined
M/s Desai & Diwanji as an associate and
has been working in civil litigation and
commercial arbitration.
Kanika Khakhar (Palmer) obtained
a B.A. in Law and Business Studies
(Qualifying Degree) from the University
of Warwick, after which she completed
the Legal Practice Course (L.P.C.) from
B.P.P. Law School, London. In order to
practise in India, she completed the
Indian Bar Exams and currently works
as an associate lawyer with Desai Desai
Carrimjee & Mulla.
Krishna Shivdasani (Barham)
graduated from the Stern School of
Business at NYU in 2012 with a B.Sc.
in Finance and Accounting and is
Class Notes
currently a management consultant
in KPMGs Advisory Practice in New
York, working mainly with financial
services firms. Krishna and a friend
from college are also working on a
start-up that aims to change the way
luxury retailers deal with customer
relationship management.
Kunal Sajdeh (Wilson) pursued
C.A. along with a B.Com. degree at H.R.
College. He worked at Deloitte for two
years and at Credit Suisse for a year
while studying. He is now with Citi as an
assistant manager. The one constant in
his life, which helps de-stress the most,
is his first love football.
Leesha Tirodkar (Palmer)
graduated with a B.B.A. from N.M.I.M.S.
University, Mumbai. She then pursued a
X-Cats in the news
Justice Rohinton F. Nariman

(ISC 1972)
Harvard Law School graduate
Rohinton F. Nariman has practised
law for the past 35 years and
has more than 500 reported
Supreme Court Judgments to his
credit. An expert in Comparative
Constitutional Law and Civil Law, he
served as Solicitor General of India
from July 27, 2011 to February
4, 2013 and was elevated to the
position of Judge of the Supreme
Court of India in July 2014. He
balances his commitment to
legal practice with his passion
for Western classical music. He
is also an avid reader of history,
philosophy, literature and science
and a dedicated daily walker.
Masters in Finance from Cass Business

School, London. Returning to Mumbai
made her realise that her passion lies in
education. She is currently managing
The Scholar High School, Mumbai.
Lianne Ginwalla (Wilson) obtained
a B.Com. in Accounting and Finance
from H.R. College and an M.Sc. in
Accounting and Finance from the
London School of Economics and
Political Science. She works as an
analyst in institutional banking at DBS
Bank, Mumbai.
Malvika Sharma (Palmer)
graduated from St. Xaviers College,
Mumbai, with a double major in
Psychology and Sociology. Her keen
interest in organisational behaviour
led her to pursue a Masters degree in
International Employment Relations
and Human Resource Management from
the London School of Economics and
Political Science. After completing a year
in Human Resources at Godrej & Boyce,
she is currently working with Deloitte
as part of the human capital consulting
team in Mumbai.
Meghna Mehrotra (Wilson)
obtained a Bachelors degree from
Mumbai University and an M.Sc. in
Communications and Media Studies
from the London School of Economics.
She is now with the LOral Group in
India where she has worked on sales and
marketing projects across the country.
Based in Mumbai, she is part of the
marketing team for professional luxury
skin care brand Kraskin Esthetics.
Mihir Shah (Wilson) went to Purdue
University for undergraduate studies
in Computer Engineering. He now
works for Accenture as a management
consultant for the Accenture Digital
Division.
Mikhail Vaghani (Barham) obtained
a B.A. (Hons.) degree in Management
Studies from University of Nottingham
and an M.Sc. in Marketing Management
from the Aston Business School. His
dream was to work for his family
business. He is currently a marketing
executive in the digital marketing

division at Hamilton Housewares
Pvt. Ltd.
Mriganka Lulla (Palmer) graduated
from Bryn Mawr College, where she
completed an undergraduate degree
with Honors in Political Science,
Psychology and Human Rights.
Mriganka has worked with refugees,
migrants, high-risk populations,
women and children in Johannesburg,
Philadelphia, New York, New Delhi,
Kashmir, Assam and Mumbai. She
has dabbled in high-level policy and
advocacy as well as spent time on the
field with the United Nations and Save
the Children International (India). She
currently works at Dasra in Mumbai.
Radha Venkatraman (Savage)
obtained a B.A. in Anthropology and
Philosophy from Bryn Mawr College
and worked with Asia Society, a global
not-for-profit, for two years, focusing
on business and policy programming
and business development. Radha will
shortly be returning to the U.S. to pursue
a Masters degree in Communications at
Columbia University.
Radhika Tiwari (Palmer) left
Cathedral after I.C.S.E. and, after
graduating from the Stern School of
Business at NYU, has been working in
New York as an analyst for a venture
capital firm for the past two years.
Raghav Bubna (Wilson), a true-blue
Wilsonite, soon moved on to the blue
of Deloitte, where he trained in audit
for three years. After obtaining a B.Com
from H.R. College and qualifying as a
C.A., he switched to corporate finance.
He is now in London for a six-month
stint in M&A transaction services.
Rahul Krishnan (Barham) worked
at Microsoft and IBM and graduated
in 2013 with a degree in Electrical
and Computer Engineering from the
University of Toronto. He decided to
shirk his responsibilities to enter the
workforce and contribute to society, and
is presently pursuing a Ph.D. in Machine
Learning at N.Y.U.
Class Notes
Class Notes
Rebecca Phillips (Savage) graduated
from Boston College in 2012 with a
B.A. in Economics and did a stint at a
social media and publishing start-up
in New York. Rebecca currently works
at Dasra, Indias leading strategic
philanthropy foundation, where she
creates and designs content for training
programmes that build the capacity of
Indias social entrepreneurs.
Riah Kapashi (Wilson) pursued an
undergraduate degree at the University
of Pennsylvania, where she studied
Economics and Psychology. She has
been working with Deloitte Consulting
LLP in New York City for two years in
the strategy and operations service
area, focusing on clients in the financial
services space.
Dr. Rudra Sukhathankar (Wilson)
joined D. G. Ruparel College after I.C.S.E.
She then joined Nair Hospital to pursue
a career in medicine. She cleared the
MBBS exams this year and is preparing
for the postgraduate entrance in
November. She is to be married in 2015.
Rustam Sethna (Palmer) graduated
from University of Warwick with a Law
degree in 2012, after which he passed
the L.P.C. as part of solicitors training
in London in 2013. He returned to
India and qualified as a lawyer in
2014. He is now practising at AZB &
Partners, Mumbai, in their corporate
law division.
Sanjana Basu (Palmer) graduated
from Tufts University, where she
studied International Relations and
Economics. She is now pursuing an
M.B.A. from I.I.M. Bangalore. She
has interned at public policy think
tanks such as Center for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington,
D.C. and Gateway House in Mumbai,
conducted fieldwork with the
Tata Chemicals Society for Rural
Development in Gujarat and the
Institute of Development Studies
Kolkata (IDSK) and has worked in
investment banking at Barclays
in Mumbai.
Shamit Munjal (Barham): After

a Bachelors degree in Chemical
Engineering from Georgia Institute of
Technology, he took the non-traditional
route by pursuing a career in health care
risk advisory services with Deloitte.
He is based in Boston and hopes in
the near future to pursue an M.B.A.
following which a move back home is
a possibility.
Shanaya Mehta (Savage) acquired
a B.Com. from H.R. College followed
by a merit diploma in architectural
interior design from Inchbald School
of Design in London. She works as an
interior designer at Talati and Panthaky
Associated in Mumbai.
Simoni Bhansali (Barham)
obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in
Communication Design from Parsons,
New York, and then worked as a graphic
designer with Skarma for almost two
years in Mumbai. She is now testing the
waters as a freelance designer, cooking
and giving back to the community.
She hopes to be able to set up her own
communication design studio in the
near future.
Simonil Rustomji (Barham) was
just your average Cathedralite. After a
B.Com. in Accounts and Finance from
H.R. College, she took a gap year to
figure out her life. Travel, introspection
and a puppy named Muttin led her to
the social sector, where she started her
career at Swadhaar FinServe Pvt. Ltd.,
an urban microfinance institution.
She now works for Samhita Social
Ventures, a CSR consulting firm. She
also volunteers with the Welfare of
Stray Dogs (WSD) and her lifes goal is
to create world peace.
Tejasvee Prasad (Palmer) left
school after I.C.S.E. He completed
his higher education from Ramnivas
Ruia Junior College and obtained a
Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering
from the University of Pune. He is
now a graduate student at the Georgia
Institute of Technology, looking to
complete his Masters degree in Civil
Engineering by May 2015. Presently

interning as a structural engineering
consultant in San Francisco, he
absolutely adores the Golden Gate
Bridge and, in his free time, apart
from hiking and cycling, dreams of
being a part of a landmark structure
like that!
Udit Hinduja (Savage) obtained a
Bachelors degree in Economics and
Politics from New York University, after
which he was with KPMG for a year and
a half. He works in the social enterprise
space at Mumbai-based Micro Housing
Finance Corporation, which provides
housing finance solutions to lowincome families. Hi, mom. I am finally
in a magazine!
Uzra Khan (Savage): After a B.A. in
Psychology and Journalism from Yale
University, she worked in research for
Reuters in New York and has written
for Foreign Policy and The Huffington Post
on social and political issues in India.
She will be starting a Masters degree in
Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy
School of Government this year, as a
Shorenstein Center Scholar.
Visheshh Jatiaa (Barham) obtained
a B.Com. from H.R. College. After a
three-year stint with Ernst & Young and
qualifying as a Chartered Accountant
in 2012, he joined his family business.
After expanding the business in the
mining and realty sector, he started
his own digital printing business, VVH
Printing Solutions. He is currently
setting up a new chain of restaurantbars in the city.
Zahan Malkani (Wilson) lives and
works in the San Francisco Bay area. He
spends his weekdays helping Facebook
grow its user base in emerging markets.
The rest, he spends experiencing the
cultural and natural delights of the city
and exploring all he can on two wheels.
He welcomes any book suggestions you
may have on Indian history/politics.
Yes, hes at that stage now!
- Compiled by Uzra Khan
Ajit Hutheesing accepting the 2014

Giving Back Gala award from Phylicia Rashad
on behalf of Nimesh Kampani
Meera Gandhi,
General Chair
2014 Giving Back Gala
Barbara Tober,
2014 Giving Back Gala Honoree,
with Meera Gandhi
THE GIVING BACK FOUNDATION

We are to the universe only as much as we give back to it.
Meera Gandhi, CEO & Founder
We are excited to announce that
THE GIVING BACK FOUNDATION 2015 GALA

will be held
on Wednesday, April 15th 2015
at the Pierre Hotel,
with a star lineup of guests already conrmed.
Tickets are $1250 each
To book your tickets contact Ellen@TheGivingBackFoundation.net

X Cathedralite 2014

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www.catalumni.

The Cathedral & John Connon Alumni Magazine

Presidents Report 2014

Out of the Box

Rohita Chaganlal Doshi (ISC 1975)

Editorial Support, Design and Printing

Do write in with your feedback and ideas to magazine@catalumni.com

Presidents Report 2014

pen this in optimistic ink, under the shadow

T. Savages grandniece and nephew, now in their

Members of the Executive Committee 2014-15

4 The X-Cathedralite 2014

The monsoon havoc denied us a cricket pitch, but a basketball

(ICSE '86, Palmer)

(ICSE 77, Palmer)

Shonar Lala Chinoy

Committee Members (ex-officio)

(ISC '75, Palmer)

Shyla Boga Patel

(ISC 94, Palmer)

Anushka Shivdasani Rovshen

The Executive Committee looks forward to

2014 The X-Cathedralite 5

6 The X-Cathedralite 2014

r. and Mrs. Mariwala, Members of the Board

Annual Speech Day

2014 The X-Cathedralite 7

Mrs. Mariwalla with members of Cock House, Wilson

the salutary and rarefied

three golds and one

have deep inside them a

50 lakhs for relief work

teenaged brainchild, the

her grit and determination

2014 The X-Cathedralite 9

had a flash of insight when I

Padma Shri Commodore (SCC) Rabi Ahuja (Wilson,

facilities. Training Ship Jawahar

Juicing a raw idea

ealth, nutrition and fitness

of orange juice, theres less than five

~ Anushka Shivdasani Rovshen

Out of the Box

courtesy the artis

The art of the matter

resented at the Utah Museum

poetry both excited me. I ended up

Mumbai at various clubs. I studied

What is your process and

Any memorable moments?

either of the school Board exams.

~ Mukeeta Jhaveri ne Kataria

2014 The X-Cathedralite 15

16 The X-Cathedralite 2014

Cat o timeless tales

Khalid Mohamed (ISC 1965) reminisces about art,

watercolour of a ship in a storm. It was

Khalid, seated on the ground, third from right.

way to restored post-Independence

performed by professionals, till it was

Khalid Mohamed is an author, film critic,

abundantly stacked library introduced

Nihal Kaviratne (ISC 1963), named

I have always had an abiding interest