There appears to be a discussion going on in Oulu about who are Annikki and Jacob. This question appears to be troubling some people!
I do not understand why, as we consider ourselves to be Findians, a term we coined in 1967.
My first book, which is a science fiction novel but based on real life experiences in India and Finland was written during our visit to Finland in 1975.
As we did not especially like non-fiction, we have held back publication of this book for almost 50 years.
Maybe there will be a time for this as it covers an interesting polymer science phenomena which has practical significance.
We have in our three blog entries covered our close association the the Findians culture.
1967-1975
Findians Part 1 -
1975-1984
1984-2024
However we have a very traditional history of association with Finland and India which is not covered by these blog enrries.
In Annikki’s case her stand against corruption in India has been most dramatically covered in her book “…for the hour of his judgement is come;…”.
Although Annikki was brought up as a Christian, she was never a part of the church in Finland as she had a strong belief that she was not ready to commit herself to life in the church.
It was only after her episode in Bangalore in 1984 that she joined a church.
When she returned to Finlandv in 1984 she had to visit by the Magistrate’s Office to officially take her name off the Finnish church register where she was added when she was born in Finland in 1944!
It shows how strong her faith is, not something that a normal Lutheran Finn would follow.
Similarly, I too left the church and took to my own version of Christianity after a sharp reaction to certain church practices in 1969.
This behaviour related to the prilncipes that we adhere to in our personal life.
We are not concerned by what people think as we must abide by our principles.
One of the first questions that people from the Indian community in Finland ask on meeting me is where I am from.
My answer is always the same - "I am an Indian.”
I relate a story from 1970 when S. M. Krishna, then Indistrues Minister inKarnataka, made the famous “Sons of the Soil" Policy in the Karnataka Assembly.
Shortly after that he visited Madras and he was staying at the Surgicak Insttumrnts Factory Guest House in St. Thomas Mount. We were staying in Defence Officer's Colony, about 500 metres from where he was put up.
We had a common friends, Gaythri and Raghunath Reddy and Raghu was with S. M . Krishna on that visit.
During that visit I asked Mr. Krishna which son of the soil I belonged to. All my grandparents were from Kerala. My maternal grandfather, K. C. Mammen Mappillai, was a doyen of Kerala. My paternal grandfather joined the Mysore Administration of the MysoreMaharja and became the First Member of the Privy Counvil of the Maharaja as was titled Raja Matra Praveena Dewan Bahadur Kuriyan Matthan.
In fact, his name was held in the highest respect in Mr. Krishna’s constituency, Mandya District because it was he who challenged Dewan Vishveshraya on the building of the Kishmsagar Dam and changed the face of districtt to become the food bowl of the state.
Many tens of years later I was being held in the highest respect in Mandya Disttict, not of my own doing, but because of the respect to Mysore Matthan.
All the sons ofv Mysore held high positions in their subsequent lives and they all associated with being Kannadiugas.
I was born in Vani Vilas Hospital near City Market in Bsngalore.
My father stood on his principles and resigned from the Mysore Electricity Board because a difference of opinion with the Chief Minister, Hanumanthaiya and moved to Bombay, to become Chief Engineer of the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport.
We children moved ftom Bishop Cotton's School in Bangalore and joined the Cathedral and John Connon School. But our roots in Karnataka did not vanish as even today I am proud to stand behind cricketer Mayank Agarwsl who is fron Bishop Cotton'ss School.
But living 7 years in Bombay we watched the bifurication of Bombay to Mahashtra and Gujarat, living directly opposite the Bombsy Sachivaliya and with the bullets flying from the building to our house on Cooperage Rosd with thousands of protesters taking refuge in our compound!
We became Maharashtrians in thought word and deed and even today our web pages and blogs about Cathedral School are references for hundreds of my alumni who recognise us as their fellow Maharashtrians.
I was then fortunate to get admission to St. Stephen’s College of Delhi Univrrsity. I was the first and only 2nd year student to be elected as President of the rrsidents of the College.
I became a Delhi-ite in thought word and deed with my bad Delhi Hindi, which I even speak today.
I was fortunate to share this sopace in Delhi with such personalities as former Indian reprsentative to the UN, later High coimmissioner 5to the UK ands later Cimmonweaqlth Secretary, Kamlesh SAharma, former Planning Commissioner Chairperson, Montek Singh Alhuwalia, brothers Mani Shankar Aiyar and economist and journalist Swaminathan Aiyar, brother Ambassadfor Aftab Seth and Roshan Seth of "Gandhi" movie fame, Late Rahul Bajaj and Ashok (Tony) Jaitly, Magsaysay award winner journalist Arun Shourie wo was my hockey captain, Ambassador Sidarth Singh, and many hundreds of Sterphanians who even tyoday visit ther Kooler Talk wreb page which was glue which held them together for many years. Many policians of later day as 68er Kapil Sibal - Minister ofTelecom, 72er Ashwani Kumar - Minister of Law & Justice, Rajya Sabha (Parliamentary Affairs), 73er Salman Khurshid - Minister of External Affairs, 74er R. P. N. Singh - Minister of State Home, 76er Shashi Tharoor - Minister of State of Human Resources, 97er Sachin Pilot - Minister of State of Corporate Affairs and 90er Joyti Scindia Minister of State for Power were my juniors as also the present Minister of ExternalAffairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankars.
I have never minced my words in criticising these alumni!
