Reconnect with Friends
School and Campus days belonged to another millennium, yet as a paradox, they seem like yesterday. Promises were made in being ‘Friends Forever’, true, they were made in all sincerity with a ‘cross my heart and hope to die’. But break our promises we did, as most of us lost touch with each other by and by. Moving addresses, antiquated land-lines, marriage and life all conspired in our drift apart theory, but a promise is a promise, and we did not hope to die, so we all came together again after 50 years.
For a few years, I had been daydreaming and loud thinking, in a kind of internal monologue… ’What would I do to get those childhood faces back in my life! Would it not be nice to bump into my old friends again!
And perhaps, angels were passing by and they heard my thoughts.
Social Media- Both a Boon and a Bane
Mark Zuckerberg was a student at Harvard. The University in those days had an online directory with pictures of all the students. It was known as "Facebook". Mark hacked the servers and downloaded all the photos and developed an online fun-contest and named it "FACEMESH".
His next idea after Facemesh was to create such a networking site where undergrads could connect, chat and upload photos and give students the power to share and make the campus more open and connected. Dorm Facebook was launched on February 4 2004.
Over the decade, however, the social media has grown up, bringing to fore both its pro and cons. In all fairness as a tool, the networking platform in many ways opened the worldview for us, both local and global. Truth be told, it does give us a voice, an ability to share and express our opinions freely. However, this freedom is easily being misappropriated to be intrusive and abusive. The distortion of truth created its own version of spin on facts especially in the political domain, becoming what it has been called'The Fake News' Thus in this real world, many people tend to make out Facebook as vacuous and untrustworthy as well, maybe as a hollow as claims of politician.
All said and done the idea of connecting people is an exquisite one at heart. And if it can bring the world to be more open, more connected and perhaps closer. It would be lovely.
What a delight it was for me to get connected with my old school and college mates. Finding a friend on FB was like a ‘Lucky dip’, suddenly a somewhat familiar face pops up or we were able to pull out a name from a dusty shelf of memories. We were all older now, and most of us were married with changed family names, and quite akin to flotsam on rough seas we had drifted to many shores.
Thus for me in in the second decade of the millennium, Facebook became a primary networking detective tool, to play Watson as in Sherlock Holmes, to search and recover my friendships. It was fun and an excitingly adventurous to gather my nest egg of school friends College mates, and others.
Sometimes it is the unexpected and the unknown that surprise us.
It was a year or so after our Class Golden Jubilee at MGD that I put up a post on Facebook MGD Alumni group and other on Miss Lutter’s Facebook Page. It was a picture of Rani Vidhya Devi and me at the Ceremonial Presentation of the portrait of Miss LG Lutter, our founder Principal. MGDian’s as always were ever responsive with ‘Likes’ and ‘Comments’.
It was a year or so after our Class Golden Jubilee at MGD that I put up a post on Facebook MGD Alumni group and other on Miss Lutter’s Facebook Page. It was a picture of Rani Vidhya Devi and me at the Ceremonial Presentation of the portrait of Miss LG Lutter, our founder Principal. MGDian’s as always were ever responsive with ‘Likes’ and ‘Comments’.
Andrew Fforde-Lutter
Weeks and months later, an unexpected visitor posted an unexpected comment.
My Goodness! Looking at this portrait I see such a strong resemblance to my grandfather, Dr Frank Fforde-Lutter. He was Lillian's brother. Lillian was my great aunt. I wonder what they would make of Facebook and what would Lillian say if she saw her portrait flashing around the world.
This Comment was from Andrew Fforde-Lutter, who was the grand-nephew of our Miss Lutter. Any missive that unites the past to present is always rife with memories and nostalgia, even more so if that forges a bond to a much-loved dear departed soul.
HI again.
How are you? The story (very briefly) as I recall is that Lillan was in Burma when WW2 started. All my father's family were in (and from) Burma. She was teaching when the Japanese invaded and she was forced to flee with her young school children. She was hunted by the Japanese whilst she and the children fled on foot all the way to India.
One of the long marches. At that time the Japanese were raping the women in front of their children and then killing the children in front of the mothers (the fathers already away at war) before killing the mothers. Most were unaware of the shocking atrocities until much later. That's how Lillian came to be in India. As an educationalist, she worked in India and then helped the new independent government establish an education department.
Regards, Andrew Fforde-Lutter
One of the long marches. At that time the Japanese were raping the women in front of their children and then killing the children in front of the mothers (the fathers already away at war) before killing the mothers. Most were unaware of the shocking atrocities until much later. That's how Lillian came to be in India. As an educationalist, she worked in India and then helped the new independent government establish an education department.
Regards, Andrew Fforde-Lutter
On and off, my chat with Andrew continued and later spoke about him with Jane jija. We thought that it would be greatly appropriate to invite Miss Lutter’s family for the 75th. Andrew said that he would love to visit, but perhaps another time. However, sent him an invite, proposed if I could share his memories on my blog, that is if he had no objections.
Hello. Obviously an amazing woman. My father remembers her well (he's 89) and her companion Emma as well. Let's chat some more soon about this. Best wishes,
Andrew Fforde-Lutter
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| Miss Emma & Miss Lutter |
Hi Indu. Not really my memories, as I wasn't yet born. I made an arrival in 1955. My father Michael, now just about to be 89 years old, and Uncle Peter were young during World War Two. My grandfather Frank (Lilian's brother), fought the Japanese in Burmah, so these are family histories really. I think it's amazing that Lilian's has a Facebook page! I'll look up the telegrams the family got from the great and the good when Lilian died. Indira Gandhi and the DUKE of Edinburgh sent messages of condolence. I'll send them to you if you wish for your school archive.
Hi Indu. Do let me have an email address and I'll send the file to you as a pdf attachment. Regards Andrew.
And came to us she did, in a blitz and bombardment of the WW2 invasion of Burma by the Japanese Army. It seems that Miss Lutter and her Burmese charges were still living in Burma at the time of the Second World War.
Rembering Miss Lutter - The Class of 65 with Jane Jija
Delving amidst the long-forgotten moth-eaten memories Andrew and I tried to piece together bits and bobs of Miss Lutter's story. Andrew's grandfather Dr Frank Ffiorde-Lutter and our Miss Lutter were sister and brother. His father Michael and his Uncle Peter were her nephews and they were both young boys who fought in World War 2. They helped Andrew with the memories of the time before she came to us and before he was born.
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| Miss Lutter's Grand Nephew |
And came to us she did, in a blitz and bombardment of the WW2 invasion of Burma by the Japanese Army. It seems that Miss Lutter and her Burmese charges were still living in Burma at the time of the Second World War.
My father was a teen evacuee from Burma as well fleeing across the land route hence we knew of the register of European, Indian, Anglo-Burman, Anglo-Indian and other non-Indian evacuees that have been preserved among the India Office Records. This rather dry official register does not convey the terrifying circumstances of the evacuees’ flight from Burma in the face of the Japanese invasion.
The flow of refugees began soon after the bombing of Rangoon in late December 1941 and increased to a "mass exodus" in February 1942 as the British, Indian and Anglo-Indian and Anglo-Burmese population of Burma fled to India, fearing both the Japanese and hostile Burmese.
Thousands managed to escape by sea and plane, to get their children safely to India, perhaps they were among those lucky ones, or maybe they were particularly tough and resourceful and survived far worse. In wartime conditions, the journey by sea or air must have been terrifying and some evacuees faced truly terrible experiences.
Once Rangoon had fallen in January 1942, sea routes were closed, and when the Myitinka aerodrome was bombed out, struggling to trek overland to India was the only option left for many. Miss Lutter and her proteges were trekking their way across the mountains and rivers and through the North-East / Burma jungles to reach India and railhead in Assam
Indians, Anglo-Burmans, Anglo-Indians and British fled from Burma, often in such haste that they were ill-prepared to face the gruelling ordeal, and for thousands, it was the futile attempt, and they died of snake bites, Malaria and Dysentery.
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Her Highness Jaipur & Miss Lutter
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Providence brought 'Her Highness Gayatri Devi' and Miss LG Lutter together, and they went on to make the MGD dream team, One the Founder and other the Founder Principal. One a celebrated Educationalist, with an 'Order of the British Empire' and the 'Padma Shree'. and the other not only one of the most beautiful women in the world but a feted and distinguished...Royal Reformer
Not only did they change the focus of our individual journeys, but with a gentle soul connect they touched the lives and styles of hundreds of us MGD girls with education. Giving us equality, emancipation and confidence.
Rembering Miss Lutter - The Class of 65 with Jane Jija
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