viva! east africa

Where's Wawa?

2012-03-04T10:06:00.000+03:00

Vali Jamal, PhD, Facebook entry

Where's Waldo Singh!
What do we notice?
1. Age group 18-22
2. Identical turban style
3. Beards optional
Posing for a Guinness record? I just love the colours. Hats, umm, off.

Rumi Verjee Foundation

2012-03-03T12:13:00.001+03:00

The book’s being noticed. This is from Rumi Jimmy RKS Verjee, CBE, Honorary Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge, Chairman of Thomas Goode and Ipanema Corp (Brazil), founder of Rumi Foundation.
He's "in the book" (to bait the nony), as also his father Jimmy and uncle BKS for their pioneering roles in Uganda Ismaili/Asian education. Pages on all Uganda Indian schools are in the book.

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Rumi Verjee
To: vali jamal
Sent: Tuesday, 21 February 2012, 9:30
Subject: Re: Book news @ 21/02/2012 - spread the word
Hi Vali,
It looks great! Thank you for all your hard work. This is a great record and testament to our history.
Sincerely
Rumi

Sent from my iPad

The RUMI FOUNDATION
As an immigrant from East Africa I arrived in the UK with little more than a good education and a desire to succeed. Twenty years on as a self-made entrepreneur, I feel very fortunate to be in a position where I can give something back to my adopted country and give expression to the philanthropic spirit that has shaped my family’s cultural DNA for many generations.
Giving back has always been an essential expression of my family’s ethos, and I was raised with the understanding that, with success, comes the responsibility to act with compassion and generosity.
The Rumi Foundation is a natural continuation of my family’s tradition of charitable giving in India, East Africa and now in the United Kingdom – and I look forward to seeing it evolve in the years and generations to come.

Rumi Verjee

pre-pubs

2012-03-02T19:59:00.000+03:00

With the book now nearing launch - well, still July - I am beginning to collect pre-launch quotes. The below is by Professor Krishna Somers. He was physician to Obote and the Baganda royal family. He's loved the book and contributed sidebar profiles of several people in the book. For that and for always looking for ways to promote the book he is credited as a "producer" of the book, along with the late Engineer Yashwant Sidpra and Presidential Senior Media Adviser Mukulu John Nagenda.

VALI JAMAL - Uganda Asians:
Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute
This magnificent study has been more than a labour of love. The author's interest in Uganda dating from the time of his earliest schooling, translating to a PhD dissertation on the Ugandan economy presented to Stanford University, forms the background of this magnum opus, presented with the dedicated vision of an economist. Given his passionate interest in the fate of South Asians expelled from Uganda by the Amin regimen, Jamal has painstakingly collated and collected the times and life stories of the exiles into a social history of people and places. His commendable work deserves recognition as a poignant record of Africana that will for years to come be regarded as a work of reference of archival importance. No words can be adequate to describe the ardour with which Vali Jamal has pursued this study, a fitting contribution to his extensive role as economist to international aid organisations in Eastern Africa.

Professor Krishna Somers
MB BCh (Rand) FRCP (Lond & Edin) FRACP FACC FCSANZ DCH
Kirkman House
10 Murray Street
Perth 6000 Western Australia
Ph: +61 (0) 8 9221 3323
Fax: +61 (0) 8 9221 3323
Email: krishna.somers@health.wa.gov.au

Things in my multi-furcated life - blog, book, facebook, Africana-Orientalia, Nony froth!

2012-03-02T01:28:00.000+03:00

This is from Africana-Orientalia site. Around 300 people belong, intellectuals. I belong. The following exchange is self-serving, but nobody ever accused me of being a shyster. Nony is brought in now and again, subtly, for his unsubtle views. Nony is by now known (!) for his amazing high birth, almost immaculate, haha, on several East African oriented sites. I always sign off with my full signature - you know the degree stuff. Nobody questioned me. If Nony would like me to post his denunciation of my creds, he could write me and I'd FW to the site managers - Bennie Pereira and Dinesh Bhegani.

Vali

With apology to you, let me hasten to correct the record. Your flyer was in my pack after all. And let me also say that your leaflet (A4 doubled up into an A5 size) giving advance notice of your book is full of information and does whet the appetite of the reader. Your description of it as a labour of love does fit in with its genesis and long gestation. The pre-publication messages and reviews penned by an impressive collection of names, many of whom are familiar to us personally, too are a telling testament of your endeavour. So now all that awaits is the thing itself! So now we await the day.

Once again, sorry about my earlier faux pas and good luck.

RAMNIK SHAH

Ramnik:
I was so pleased to learn the flyer was indeed distributed at the conference and even more that you got a good impression about the contents of the forthcoming book from it. It's indeed a labour of love, in the context that I wrote 250+ people's stories on 1200 pages, when the total market for the book is no more than a couple of thousands. Yet, as I say in the flyer, I'd still do it from today had I not done it, because it was there in me and if I didn't do it, that part of our history - the 1972 Uganda Asian expulsion - would be gone forever, as is that of most of the East African Asian saga, because our ancestors didn't write about it. Luckily from the recollections I have of the stories told by my father of his father and grandfather I manage even to look at the start of that saga.
The book took long, because it's long and it's long because I had to be inclusive of all Uganda Asian communities. I did succeed. It (the draft) is being very well received by Uganda high-ups and I have every hope that it will win some national awards. It's bound to make our own people proud and by that I'll have paid my debt to my disabled daughter and my son for my long absence from them. The Anonymouse (sic) poster on my blog that I have now and again exposed here will no doubt look for angles to run down the book, but where? On my own blog? Not many other blogs allow anonym posts!

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,111 pp; $71.11), forthcoming June 2012. Guaranteed to put you to sleep, except just don't read it in bed at the risk of abdominal hernia. visit ww.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

The origin of the Nony Asian species researched on Galapagos

2012-03-02T00:30:00.001+03:00

From: Yash Tandon
To: vali jamal
Sent: Thursday, 1 March 2012, 18:17
Subject: Re: piece in the book/peace to the world

Dear Vali,
You have done an amazing job on my paper. It looks good. Here are a few small things.
1. On the first page instead of "That was then - 2009, but still relevant", it might be better simply to say: "Yash Tandon at the South Centre: 2005-2009"
2.Photo with Firoze. Delete "with some"
3. You had asked me to say something on our role in the restitution of Uganda properties. Yes, this is true, we did come out strongly in favour of it. So here is an addition you might consider provided it does not upset your layout, etc. So on p.625 replace the para beginning "The next six months were a nightmare. I was then part of a group called the "gang of four”....

with

The next six months were a nightmare. As the "Gang of Four" we used to meet nightly to discuss how to hold together the collapsing UNLF. These matters were then discussed with our comrades in the Political and Diplomatic Commission of the UNLF, and with other members of the NCC. Nabudere was the key link with the President, first Lule and then Binaisa. But this is not the place to evaluate the role of the UNLF in Uganda's history. In relation to the question of the restitution of the property of the Asians expelled from Uganda, it is important to record that the UNLF and its leadership, especially Nabudere, Rugumayo and Omwony Ojwok took a principled position that the Uganda Custodian Board be made accountable to government on the Asian properties and action to taken to welcome Ugandan Asians, especially industrialists and business people, back to Uganda, and their properties restored to them.
Of course, not all our dreams could be realized in that fragile political environment. Obote was manipulating his forces from Dar es Salaam. We were effectively under Tanzanian occupation troops. These were closer to Obote and Museveni than to the "G4". On May 10 1980, the UNLF government was toppled by its own Military Council, led by Paulo Muwanga and Yoweri Museveni, and backed by the Tanzanian troops. Later, we learnt that Obote had instructed Muwanga to arrest the "Gang".

With all my best wishes for the challenging task you have undertaken for love of labour.

Yash

(Guess where I am now? Mary and I are celebrating our golden anniversary in the Galapagos Islands, looking at the work done by Charles Darwin on the origin of the various biological species)

Yash Tandon
Ending Aid Dependence is available on Pambazuka.org

Thank you Yash, for those kind words about the book project. With the blessings of the up above we shall close it by June/July and earn lots of plaudits.
Will make the changes.
In looking for the origin of the species on Galapagos, see if you can trace where this Anonymous blob on my blog we digussed (sic) shot off from the post-Neanderthal East African Asians! He is a jewel in that special species.

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,111 pp; $71.11), forthcoming June 2012. Guaranteed to put you to sleep, except just don't read it in bed at the risk of abdominal hernia. visit ww.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

House-keeping and Nony's posts

2012-03-01T23:21:00.001+03:00

Hello all:
I have resisted to DEL the Anonymous poster, because, well, let him have his 2-shilling worth of rants. There's nothing new there - my book is a homage to the AGA Khan and his uncle; my degrees are bogus; and I was born in Bakuli - and nothing that bothers me. I let him carry on at the beginning just to see what kind of reactions my book might face. That was 3 years ago, when I was at 222 pages. He heaped the 3 allegations at me from Day 1. It worries me even less now, as I near The End of the writing phase. Why I let him carry on was to see the depths of depravity to which one individual'd stoop, because clearly he’s a minority of one. To brag about one's high-birth and to step over people less fortunate than one is considered bad form among any people. I have taken many of his post-boasts to other sites where I belong - Africana-Orientalia, East African Yahoo Group and Facebook - just for people to see the sampling of the human genome that my book will have to confront. I expect Nony reads on those sites. It's not been pretty for him, because most of our East African Asians keep a sense of decency. In denigrating my posts Nony trampled on most of the present-day high-ups of the Uganda Asian society I mentioned for being “in my book” – Karim Dembe (kitsch statues in his hotels), Alykhan Mukwano (truck driver), Honourable Rajni Tailor (what Hon?), Dr Sudhir Ruparelia, Ramesh Masrani (just a Chatrabhuj Nagji). What pleasure did he derive from that? He ran down the presidential senior media adviser, he practically dissed the Uganda president (who cares a hoot for his birthday message?). Those are not East African Asian ways, whether you expect to ever return here or not. His genuine friend in the 1960s Sadru Ahmed Nelsadry he ran down as a mere small-time grocer in Kisementi. Why such lack of loyalty, lack of sensitivity?
So, where do I go from here in doing this blog and writing my book? Just carry on. The blog is Ok and the book of course has to be finished, printed and published. He can post his rants here and even bring in his conversations with airline attendants and Med-cruisers on the shame of a Bakuli birth, the different ways to cook a trifle, and how silly are Ismaili women for wearing western clothes. He so far quoted the names of five people who share his views on my book and myself. They are welcome to post. Just do it in English. A smattering of the patronizing Arey and Yaar is OK by me. Ask to see my degrees – and that’s also OK by me. When the book comes out take out an ad in the New Vision to out my “degrees.”

Hey Nony, oh Nony, something's lost in translation

2012-03-01T22:21:00.000+03:00

This is what Nony frothed on one of my posts. If he'd be so kind enough to translate into English since this is a public site?

Aarey Y'Ali madat kuro khapeto Bakuli key bacche. Tarif kaartey hei purey din AGA ki, majaak uthaatey hei Gandhiji kii, biryani banaani aaty naahin, trifle ko pakaatey hei chule paar, aur aab baan gaayey hei sub lok ko Angrezi siikhaney waaley masterji. Aakal hei kaamty aur bak bak hey jaasty. Yeh hey Rita Hayworth key bhatijey ji !! Aapne ek hi akad waaley Bakuli ji.

From the Buzz words this is what I make of it:
Ismaili greetings to you, Bakuli Boy. You praise the AGA (Khan) everyday, but make fun of the Gandhi, don't know how to cook the biryani, make/cook trifle on a brazier, and yet you have become the teacher of English to all. You lack intelligence but go on yakity-yak. (Laughter track)
The insult to Rita Hayworth (in relation to her marriage to Prince Aly Khan - son of Aga Khan III and father of Aga Khan IV)I could not get.
Neither could I his sign-off insult to Bakuli. Akad = intelligence?

That's about the extent of his froth. No mention of my degrees! No mention of my so-called book!
Keep 'em coming, Nony, I opened a whole new post for you.

2012-03-01T21:56:00.002+03:00

Looking for the miracle fat-reducer/life-enhancer? Try chapattis of 30% ragi (finger millet), 20% bran, 20% soya. It won't hold, so use 30% brown flour as a binder. Nutritious as well as tasty. Eat the left-over next morning crumbled in yogurt. Tell your friends where you learnt it, haha. Plus it's a Uganda grain, how can you go wrong!

Ragi

www.slurrpy.com

Millet has various names from all across the globe. This small food grain popularly known as Finger millet is also known as bulo (Uganda), nachini

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Entebbe government archives - Leap Day, 2012: Leap of faith stories

2012-02-29T22:33:00.001+03:00

Drove down to Entebbe to meet up with Jen Lee Johnson and Jack Tayor, US doctoral candidates, who are cataloguing the government archives since a whole year and more now. There were two others before - one Anneeth Kaur Hundle, who's actually writing her PhD at Michigan on Uganda Asians. You just have to admire: No one comes to visit and no one gives feedback, yet based on their painstaking work 12s of dissertations could be written. I went looking for material to go in my book. Those files still remain to be catalogued. I looked at one file that Jack was working on. One minute was from Minister of Information Nekyon to Minister of State, Obote I government. Nekyon: "Lately you have been taking lots of interest in the activities in my ministry. Had I the same amount of free time I doubt that I'd want to reciprocate." Well, I spiced it up a bit. Then looking at the civil service section and 1966 I came across my own CONFIDENTIAL file! Here's me looking at my file

and here's what the summation said - "indifferent" as his application for Ugandan citizenship wasn't getting anywhere [based on which I had been taken on], he had lost confidence in his future in Uganda and was going abroad for his PhD.

I was just lucky they employed me for two years when I was not a citizen (Kenyan; still) and had no hopes of ever being granted Uganda citizenship 3 years after independence. I was disappointed after 11/2 years that I wasn't going to be confirmed, but at the same time knew my future lay elsewhere and further studies had to be a part of it.

John Nagenda heart Uganda Asians book, part II

2012-02-27T22:28:00.002+03:00

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: John Nagenda
To: vali jamal
Sent: Monday, 27 February 2012, 15:09
Subject: Fwd: Re: sponsorships and past debt clarification again

Dear Vali,

In the course of this great book of yours, I have come to know you well. Hitherto I had met you a few times watching cricket.

Having seen you at work, I know that this is a book you were meant to bring out. You are absolutely part of it (or it, part of you). I like the way you are producing it, what elsewhere I have called a Jazzy style, an improvisational look, one that will be read in sections down the years.

To get somebody like me, who played with Ugandan Asians from the middle '50s, and got to know some very well, and who has Ugandan Asians to this day, but who felt (and I say this with no bitterness) that a great many looked down on Africans, to get me to believe so much in your undertaking, means believing in you & this wonderful gift of yours.

You have also, from the very beginning, told me what happened to the botched Magazine in 2007. I believe you. More particularly I think your coming out in the way you've done does you great credit. It would be a terrible thing for some to denigrate you, perhaps hoping thereby to sink this Project.

THIS BOOK MUST COME OUT! I have offered my help in hunting for people to help with this. We have enough if they are ready to do it. Most of them I know, some very well. I have never been ashamed of begging for worthy causes (Cricket, Tennis, Modern Dancing, People who need help, young & old, the handicapped, etc, etc, and, without boasting, I have done my best to help.)

What I would like to do here is to ask whoever can help to do so. Not a shilling will be lost. At the time when this splendid creation hits the street all concerned will feel a great glow of satisfaction and achievement.

H.E the President is extremely busy. But we are in touch, and if the book were to appear without a message of support, I know what his reaction would be. Because, of all people he has been 100% behind the return of the Uganda Asians. H.H the Aga Khan likewise. And all of you out there.

My begging hand is signalled today, with pride. Muhammad Ali said, "You can run but you can't hide!" From me too! Vali and your helpers, thank you. And take heart.

John Nagenda, HMON
Senior Presidential Adviser, Media & Public Relations,
i/c Media & Public Relations, State House,
Heroes Medal, Order of Nalubale (HMON)

Dear John,

You brought tears to my eyes - of gratitude, compared to some I shed now and again of the bitter variety. We are now at a point that you could take the disks away to a printer to get this book out with my son, who's now returned to Geneva very senior with the UNHCR. He brought me access to HCR archives, from which, as you saw, I extracted 8 pages. Before that I have 8 pages from the diary of the chief of the Canadian mission. With these two we nail down the role of the Aga Khan family in the saga - Prince Sadruddin, mind you, in his capacity as the head of the refugee agency. That year he had to attend to 10 (ten) million refugees from Bangladesh, 0.5 million displaced persons in South Sudan (the Addis Ababa Agreement) and a sudden influx of 50k refugees from Rwanda into Uganda, about the same time as the expulsion was happening. As you see, I make the wry point that despite this how much attention the 60k Uganda Asians got! And you see how the last page is - after giving tribute to my disabled daughter I remember that 0.4 million people were slaughtered in a frenzy in just 90 days in Rwanda. From the Roofings and Picfare families we even get some first-hand accounts of living through the genocide.

To the person who trashed my education I say: You don’t need degrees to do a book like this, just a clear mind and a clean heart and a belief that your family pray for you all the time.

We – you (HMON) and people of goodwill – will bring it out and if we work hard enough we shall get recognition in the whole wide world.

Enclosed are pages on Arthur de Mello's daughter and Mr Gomes who devised the Gomesi. Look at the designer-designed pages: How can we miss not getting a prize for that alone! "100% Made in Uganda" - researched, written, designed, printed, produced - and funded. 1/2 of the people in the book are in the diaspora: they are welcome to contribute too!

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,111 pp; $71.11), forthcoming June 2012. Guaranteed to put you to sleep, except just don't read it in bed at the risk of abdominal hernia. visit ww.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

The old new and the new on Kampala-Lugazi Road

2012-02-25T00:31:00.000+03:00

The first photo is of the tea estate of the Mehta Group. When they repossessed it, the tea bushes had become practically trees. The second photo is of a private school/college. Sure, as Ramesh Masrani (Chatrabhuj Nagji) said Uganda's economy is n times better than in 1972 and most of it owes to African enterprise. Nony frothed/will froth.

With Hemnabh Khatau - Mehta Group: Eton and Trinity/Trinity and Stanford

2012-02-24T23:29:00.000+03:00

I went over to say hello to the one who's going to succeed Mahendra Mehta at Lugazi and show him my book. He's MM's nephew, sister's son. Very affable person. He somehow knew I was at Trinity College, ahem, Cambridge - and so was he! So we talked about how the rules were at dinner and going about town after dark *then* and *now*. He studied Economics, too, 1979-81, but before that he was at Eton - the public school. He was impressed that after Cambridge I went to Stanford. He didn't ask for my certificates! He turned his nose at the nonym's antics.

John Nagenda heart Uganda Asian book

2012-02-24T23:07:00.000+03:00

I went over to his home (on Tank Hill) today (24/02/2012) to at last deliver to him the first-off off-print of my book. At last meaning that when Premji came here 3-4 months ago I had taken him to John's home, as cricket buddies, carrying my 950-pp draft along. John had just loved the book and said could he keep the copy to show around? I said I'd print him a new version, with lots of articles waiting to be inputted in it. Well, it took a while on account of lack of electricity since Jan. I decided to print in 3 parts of 400/400/310 pages. John was beyond thrilled. He said good things will come to the book.
The photos show, well, John looking at pages in one part of the book. The other two are lying around. It's all photoshop, yaar!
John Nagenda. Wanderers, Uganda and East and Central Africa XI, Senior Media Advisor to HE President Museveni.

Hey Venus/Hey Nony. Wasn't Frankie Avalon great/isn't Nony Angle (sic/sick) vile?

2012-02-23T23:11:00.005+03:00

Hey, Venus, oh, Venus //// Hey Nony, oh Nony
Venus, if you will //// Nony if you will
Please send a little girl for me to thrill //// Please write a hate-mail to make me cringe
A girl who wants my kisses and my arms //// A hate-mail writ with froth on your arms
A girl with all the charms of you //// A hate-mail with all the viles of you

Venus, make her fair //// Nony make it vile
A lovely girl with sunlight in her hair //// A hate mail with spittle in the air
And take the brightest stars up in the skies //// And take the vultures in the sky
And place them in her eyes for me //// And make them puke on this site of mine

Venus, goddess of love that you are //// Nony, godlet of hatred that you are
Surely the things I ask //// Surely the things I ask
Can't be too great a task //// Can’t be too great a task

Venus, if you do //// Nony if you do
I promise that I always will be true //// And promise that you will always be crude
I'll give her all the love I have to give //// I’ll give you all the space I have to give
As long as we both shall live //// As long as you shall live

Hey, Venus, oh, Venus //// Hey Nony, oh Nony
Make my wish come true //// Make my wish come true

Effusion over the book. Just get me the Oscars, ya hear? Random pages.

2012-02-23T22:35:00.002+03:00

These few bullet-points about my book are by an erstwhile (1994-97) ILO colleague of mine from Bangkok, Katrien Meersman, now the Development Co-operation Attache at the Belgium Embassy in Kigali. She passed by here last week and I gave her my book to look at overnight. She left early next morning so I never managed to talk to her. Evidently she's impressed and of course I am very pleased to collect her plaudits as the book needs to be publicized in case it sinks from its own weight! Let's hear more!

Katie was here for a week attending a workshop on climate change. On Saturday I took her to the 90th b'day party of Mrs Shirin Lalani, mother of Sikander and siblings, Mr Roofings. +- 200 people were there. The HE sent a message. It was inarguably the party of the year - unless someone excels it in the coming months - an oxymoron.

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,111 pp; $71.11), forthcoming June 2012. Guaranteed to put you to sleep, except just don't read it in bed at the risk of abdominal hernia. visit ww.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Katrien
To: Vali Jamal
Sent: Thursday, 23 February 2012, 20:49
Subject: your book ..

Hi Vali -
A few words that came to mind on browsing through your book overnight:
* Extraordinary: genius or crazy?
* Hilarious (pictures even)
* Weighty (kg and substance)
* Titanic (bound to sink?) or Costa Concordia (out for a scandal?)
* Inspirational and inspiring (although I doubt anyone else could repeat this feat)
Bref: Mega .. All the above in the context that one person did all this on his own in Africa for a very limited readership (>1,100 pages, <1,100 readers). From the heart and the mind for the heart and the mind. Keep tissues and dictionary handy. Bien à toi, Katrien

Book printed in 3 parts - 21/02/2012

2012-02-21T01:02:00.000+03:00

I did that today. The covers are paperback, so each volume is easily flippable and of course portable. The number of pages was 1104. The book goes to John Nagenda for his moral support. He actually paid for the offprint.

Google yourself nony

2012-02-20T22:09:00.000+03:00

Are search engine result figures accurate?
www.bbc.co.uk
Can you measure your popularity - or that of anyone or anything - by the number of results that an internet search generates?

1. Yes they are because I got 306,000 pages and why should I let truth get in the way of a good story? Check it out. I will bring more results forward.


Vali Jamal Ok so here are some results: Yash Tandon 1.96 million; Ali Mazrui 257,000; Dharam Ghai 228,000; Mahmood Mamdani 181,000. These are our East African brains. Vali Jamal 306,000. From my blog, see!

Vali Jamal Hey this is fun. Raj Kapoor 4.44 million; Dilip Kumar 3.83 m; Nargis 2.45 m; Shahrukh Khan 26.2 m; Meera Nair 1.26 m. When you compare Raj/Dilip/Nargis to SRK you take your hats off to the 3-some: They came much before the internet. BTW: All the above (including the IQs) are in my book, the actors for remembering those times and falling in love at the drive-in.

Wonder how many would I get if I searched for Anonymous? I'd get the Shakespeare filum. How if I said anonymouse? Hang in.

Winchester Cathedral

2012-02-20T00:45:00.003+03:00

The New Vaudeville Band
"Winchester Cathedral"
(Geoff Stephens, 1966)
Winchester Cathedral
You're bringing me down
You stood and you watched as
My baby left town

You could have done something
But you didn't try
You didn't do nothing
You let her walk by

Now everyone knows just how much I needed that gal
She wouldn't have gone far away
If only you'd started ringing your bell

Winchester Cathedral
You're bringing me down
You stood and you watched as
My baby left town

Oh-bo-de-o-do oh-bo-de-o-do
Oh-bo-de-o-do de-do- duh

10dulkar - make it 100 100 soon

2012-02-13T22:38:00.001+03:00

Vali Jamal

TENDULKAR WATCH FOR THE 100TH 100.
Whatever, whenever, you are the greatest batsman that ...

2012-02-12T21:22:00.002+03:00

Towards the end of his 1118 (currently) page book the author lets his hair down and begins to have fun. Well, actually he shows the anguish he suffered writing the book. The excuses page demonstrates the genius of his designer man Chris Ssegawa. Nony is never far from his mind. On the very last page - after 555 profiles of the good, bad and the ugly - is the profile of the Nony, as the Yahoo blob, with all his attributes collated in his won words, icluding claims to membership of a certain kalab, delusion about exclusivity as Kololo Asian resident, and disrespect to an old Ismaili frend (sic) as a mere grocer. Cambridge and Stanford degree certificates are eaten by a dog and burnt. The name of a real-lfe person in Kampala who rubbished the author's degrees is revealed, as well as his dubious qualies.

When Akii-Bua won the Gold and 1/2 the Uganda contingent were Asians

2012-02-12T21:15:00.000+03:00

The 1972 Olympics. Of course they figure in my book for being in the expulsion year but I am also very happy to remember our hero (even while we were queuing) John Akii-Bua. How he took the Uganda flag and ran around the stadium and what pandemonium reigned on Kampala's streets when he returned!
BTW: The Uganda hockey team came 15/16! Hey, but they tied with hosts Germany!

Gian Prashar/Gian Motors

2012-02-12T21:02:00.001+03:00

The story was done with daughter Sarita Alam in consultation with family; the adverts were found in an old Argus and a Round Tabler magazine. Sarita went with her father to the 1972 Olympics. The majority of the Uganda hockey team were Asians. On return Idi Amin decorated them and exempted them from the expulsion. Did anyone accept? Has NE Ugandan won an Olympic gold except Akii-Bua - at the 72 O? Must get Sarita to write about that spine-tingling moment.

Guinness record?

2012-02-12T20:21:00.000+03:00

www.gazette.uottawa.ca/...the-aga-khan...honorary-doctorate - Cached

The Aga Khan (His Highness) was awarded an honorary doctorate for the 20th time last month. Is that a Guinness record or what?
The Aga Khan claims descent back to 49 ancestors - which we all do, but in his case the names are known by all Ismailis that they can recite in 2x49 secs. Is that a record or what - the numbers not the secs? Can Ismailis name the Aga Khan's ancestors backwards, like we all try?
Posted to bring forth the froth.
Myself, I shall submit my 12/7 4.10 years of work (my so-called book) for a second earned doctorate at my first alma mater, the one on the Cam.
Guaranteed to be accepted - the degree, not the forthcoming froth, I mean the physical manifesatation, the frothy blog post we shall tolerate, up to a point.

Assefa Bequele speaks out - as he always did and will do for Africa and african children.

2012-02-11T10:44:00.000+03:00

. Africa's children are important
Dec 10, 2009 ... http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/60927 · cc T Maruko'I am an angry African,' Assefa Bequele writes in this week's Pambazuka News, ...
www.pambazuka.org
www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/60927/print

A friend of mine at
ACPF, Addis Ababa

Mahendra Joshi poem tribute to teachers, Jinja Scondary

2012-02-11T10:21:00.001+03:00

Mahendra Joshi in the book schools section - Jinj school

2012-02-11T10:19:00.000+03:00

Emails exchanged with nice people - Mahendra Joshi, Jinja

2012-02-11T10:09:00.004+03:00

From: Mahendra Joshi
To: vali jamal
Sent: Friday, 10 February 2012, 0:00
Subject: Some additions/correction

Vali,
It has been some time since we last communicated.
I am sure you are filled with adrenaline as you race to the final few months of the book's launch.
I have finally, at long last, managed to find the correct full names of three of the outsiders in the class picnic picture. (Outsider means they were not really in our class but decided to come along for the ride). So below is the corrected info.
I have the actual class seating plan enclosed herewith above as well.
The third attachment is a photo of our Jinja Secondary School Class (S4B) picnic at Luwala Tea Estate in August 1966. You may rotate the photo to get a better view. The following are in the picture:
Sitting Girls (Left to Right): Nancy Chiang, Ida Diaz (outsider), Shehnaz Butt, Hansa Mistry, Lila Patel, Freni Khamis, Bharti Vithlani, Cynthia Fernandes, Jasumati Thakrar, Razia Hudda (outsider), Nirmala Patel (outsider)
2nd Row Boys Sitting (Left to Right): Mahendra Raja, Shirish Madlani, Balu Lad, Suman Mistry, Daljit Singh Chhabra, Narendra Patel, Mahendra Joshi
Standing: Nirmalya Bandopadhyay, Lalit Patel, Nizar Moolji (outsider), Jaspal Singh Ahluwalia, Ranjit Mistry, Salim Moolji, Pravin Patel, Bakul Thakrar, Ashok Patel, Anil Vadgama, Hardev Singh Sondh, Kanti Raichura, Rustom Manek, Niranjan D Nathwani
I hope these last minute corrections and additions do not inconvenience you.
Regards
-Mahendra

On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 5:02 PM, vali jamal wrote:
Mahendra,
It's amazing how much care you have taken in inputting into this book. Your class paln amazes everyone and gets a full page, so does the picture of the picnic, for which you have now dug up more IDs. Earlier you had contributed a poem to your teachers. You had also a write-up about your school. All that is in the book. I am now finished, just waiting to get some funding to put in the print order.
So I end with my thanks to you and please write more often.

Saturday, 11 February 2012, 2:12
I feel good that I have finally been able to identify all the people in the picture properly with their full names. Everyone - their families, friends, relatives and well wishers will appreciate it once they see your book. I am thankful that I have been blessed with the skills and abiliites ro re-live those days, which will be there for posterity in your book.
I just reconnected with a classmate in that picture after 46 years and in her words "seeing it emotionally overwhelmed me - the camaraderie our innocence of everybody, and it took me back 45+years to my school days which were one the happiest days of my life" and knowing about its publication in your book was even more exciting for her. So if I can rekindle that kind of friendship and innocence of those days even in a couple more people, I will have done my job, and you would be the medium.
Once again, all the best!
-Mahendra
p.s. (Inshallah, khuda haafiz - I think I can say that even though I am not a Muslim, knowing that there is a lunatic fringe out there that says yours is a pro Ismaili book.) We had a mini get together of four people from our class - Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, and not once did anyone feel awkward or uneasy discussing various topics about life from those days.

Emails exchanged with nice people - Mahendra Joshi, Jinja

2012-02-11T10:09:00.001+03:00

Making a pitch on Open Salon about the book

2012-02-11T02:02:00.001+03:00

Why Writers Need Readers: Not for the Obvious Reason - Holly Robinson - Open Salon
open.salon.com
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine asked if I'd like to participate in his “Books, Authors, and Wine Tasting” event. I had just published my novel Sleeping Tigers, so I said yes. I wasn't expecting to sell any books, really—I hadn't started marketing the novel yet, and this was the kind of event wh...

The above article is on Open Salon. You have to register to comment. You see there writing beyond the everyday. I joined today seeing the above article, the subject of which I have begun to angush about. I wrote a comment. Then I went and posted on my Facebook page. What I am doing now is to ensure my book's recognised in the www (whole wide world) as well as the www. I owe that to my family for my 5 years' absence and I owe it to 555 people in my book who gave me of their time. If a tree fell in Mabira and no one noticed, wouldn't that be beyond sad?

My comment:

I was moved beyond words, because it’s also about me: I write, I write alone, I write in the underurbs of Kampala, Uganda, and there aren’t people even on the internet to talk to about what I am writing. It’s not a novel, although I could now write a major three-part saga based on my writing. What I am writing is the story of the people of “Asian” (Indians from India) descent in Uganda that had lived there for a century after building the “Uganda Railway” (the Lunatic Express) from Mombasa to Kampala to secure the source of the Nile for the British and stop slavery and were expelled brusquely in 1972 by the dictator President for Life Field Marshall Idi Amin Dada. They opened up the country to international trade – cotton, coffee, rubber, hides and skins – by collecting the produce in small quantities and selling back goods in everyday demand – sugar, salt, kerosene – their profit the gunny sack in which the sugar came: after selling sugar by the cupfuls they then sold the sack and that was their profit. One person started a bus company with himself as the driver/conducter/mechanic. Invariably the bus would run out of petrol at the top of a hill (Uganda is very hilly in the south), when some passengers would descend and disappear into the bush, while he struggled to quickly turn the bus around to have the engine face downhill and the fuel run into the engine. Chug up the hill in reverse, a quick straightening beyond the crest of the hill and then put the bus in “free” and let it roll to the petrol station in the valley. Stuff of legends and mini-series’s. It’s stories in people’s own words about how their ancestors’ life was, where did they go when they were expelled in 1972, what do they do there, what do they do back in Uganda, because 1,500 of them (out of 80 thousand) did return. It’s for the most part about the expulsion, when on the whim of the dictator they were given 90 days to quit Uganda – 90 days as a favour since the Asian dukawallahs (shop-keepers) used to give farmers 90-day credit to tide them over the pre-harvest months. It was a harrowing time. I lived through it when I had returned to Uganda to collect data for my dissertation at Stanford. I knew this was history in the making and kept notes. I returned to Uganda in 05 and started collecting material for “something” on the story in the libraries, contemporary newspapers and through interviews. The real work started at the end of 07. It’s been 12/7 for 4.4 years now. I enjoyed it, but more than that it was something I had to do otherwise that story is lost forever, because people who still have memories of their pioneering grandfather and of 1972 are past 70 years. If I didn’t write it, it’s lost. It went beyond 1111 pages on 11.11.11. I shall stop at 1222 – this year! It’s the 50th anniversary of Uganda’s independence and 40th of the expulsion. The demand is at the most 2x1222 readers, but I did it. It’s coffee-table, in three parts, still a wrist-breaker but sure to be a blockbuster in the context that one-third of potential readers bought/read it. Any more from the Salon world? Who knows! I think it'll be noticed - I mean someone sits down for 5 years and writes .75 million words has to be acknowledged. But as the James Taylor song says, "I just don't know who to send it to." Self-publish it'll've to be.

Vali Jamal, PhD

February 10, 2012 05:4

Well-wishers and ill-spinners. Good always triumphs.

2012-02-06T22:10:00.000+03:00

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Ramesh Masrani
To: vali jamal
Sent: Monday, 6 February 2012, 13:26
Subject: Book

Dear Vali,
Thank you for showing me your book recently. My hats off to you that you have taken such pain and trouble to gather all this information and produced a bible for all Ugandan Asians. Your book will help not only to freshen our memories of our ancestors but also show our grand and great-grandchildren where they came from and correct their impression of Asians being kicked out of Uganda during the Idi Amin saga. Your book should persuade many more Uganda Asians to visit and invest in Uganda which is a million times better than in 1972.
I am sure all Ugandan Asians will want to keep a copy of this book, like the religion books they keep in their households.
Amazing work and god bless you.

Ramesh Masrani

Vali replies, ccing A&S (all&sundry)

There are supporters and there are detractors. The detractors will lose, because I did this book out of the honesty of my heart. Those who contributed 14-15 million shillings for advertising in the Chogm mag/rag will be reimbursed in cash or kind: Our family didn't come from yesterday! Only one advertiser taunted me.

Indian Women's Association 1 million shillings
Family of Hasham Jamal, Kisumu/Nairobi 1 m shillings
Vinod Vadera 1.5 m shs
Mehta Group 3 m
Bidco 3 m (through Fatima Alimohamed)
Abacus Pharmacy 2.6 m
Star Pharmacy 750,000
Sanjay Tanna (Travel agency) 2 m shs
Aquva...

Some amounts may be understated and some missing as the money was collected by late Engineer Yashwant Sidpra and we were trying to meet the Chogm deadline. The printer (Excel Printer, Nkrumah Road, Mr Albert Guma; when "our" printer Graphics let me down!) absconded with the money. In the meantime the 88-page magazine became a 1,111 book as of yesterday. Everyone will be compensated to the last penny plus interest.

And here's the promise: The book will out by October (2012) to be a documentation for the 50th anniversary of Uganda's independence. It will be serialized in the Monitor from next month as part of the GJ build-up. If I pass away the book will be issued by my son. If we fail to raise funds to publish it physically (advertisements are ruled out for a serious book such as this) either I or my son will make it available as an eBook (at a price). Sorry to sound so petulant but some people just don't know where to stop including attacking my degrees. You don't need degrees to do something like this: Only some a clear mind and a clean heart. And you don't need a weatherman to tell you where the wind blows on this project: It blows strong in my favour. This is not the Gujaraties (sic) in Uganda book by Professor Chandrakant Patel! Did anyone ask for his certificates?!

Thank god there are people like Ramesh Masrani in my universe of supporters, he of the distinguished family of Chatrabhuj Nagji, Nagji Textiles, the corner shop in City House on William and Dastur Streets. (Mr Jal F Dastur is in my book, courtesy of daughter Piroj Amrolia.) Ramesh now handles all flights into and out of Entebbe airport. His mansion will complete just in time for the Uganda Asian reunion! It's going to immense - the house and the reunion! Honourable Rajnibhai Tailor as the organiser deserves our support and ideas to make this a world-class event.

All the best.

Exult VIVJ/expectorate Nony - from my face page. Nony gets publicity.

2012-02-06T21:24:00.000+03:00

Vali Jamal

Pakistan v England, 3rd Test, Dubai, 4th day

Pakistan complete series brownwash. Nony lad fumes

I mean do we exult or what? One anonymouse on my blog believes I exulted in India's terrible performance Down Under, simply because, well, because I am Muslim. He also believes I am writing a so-called book and have so-called degrees and came out of the slums of Kampala compared to his high-birth on Kololo. Bigot amongst Uganda Asians? One out of 1000s.

Vali Jamal
Analysis
Michael Vaughan
Former England captain & Test Match Special pundit "The better team won, that's all you can say, Pakistan have been outstanding, they've been a unit, I've been very impressed by their professionalism, their unity...See more

Rahemtulla Yusuf Rahemtulla Well Mikey said it all!! Well done Pakistan- they need something to celebrate apart from the Eid..
41 minutes ago · Like.

..

2012-02-04T09:27:00.001+03:00

Roti/Soroti photo-op/photo shop

2012-02-03T02:39:00.000+03:00

I am being pushed on the oligino bicycle boda-boda past my own car, so it's just a photo-op and photo shop.

Window-shopping takes on a whole new meaning.

2012-02-03T02:24:00.000+03:00

Pictures taken at the obligatory pit stop between Mukono and Lugazi for drinks - and roasted chicken? I become a vegetarian (to "curry" favours with Hindus to increase sales of my book, of course) so it doesn't inress me. Before I became vegan (of choice)had it once - tough, as in tough times don't last, tough chickens do. Pictures were taken on 2 different occasions: on a trip to Kakira and on a trip to Lugazi, for...well... loading up on sugar stories.

Certs caught fire - abh me kya karu? First the dog ate them then they got destroyed by fire and H2O.

2012-02-03T01:58:00.000+03:00

2012-01-28T21:37:00.003+03:00

.

Vali Jamal

The PATEL Surname ...by numbers

* 2nd in India
* 5th in Asia
* 11th in world
* 15% of India & 70% of Gujarat's business handled by Patels
* 6th most richest community in the world
* Patel surname has 423 different type of sub-names
* 65% NRI are Patels
* in 2018 Patel surname will be world's number 1 surname
* we are proud to be a Patel
* we are proud to be a Guajarati
* we are proud to be Indian

પટેલ છે અમારા કુટુંબનું ન્યારું નામ
જસાની,ધાનાની,માવાની પેટાનામ
ખેતી છે અમારી પેઢીનું પ્યારું કામ
ગામ - શહેર- ખડકી છે અમારું ધામ

ખાત- ખેતર ખેડું, સાત સાગર ખેડું
કુવા-કોશ ખેચું, કાળા પથ્થર તોડું
ગરમી-શરદી-વરસાદનો રસ જોડું
પસીનો પાડું, કુટુંબ કદાય ના છોડું

ભલે લોકો કહે અમને, 'જગત નો તાત'
હોટેલ, મોટેલ,પટેલ ની જાણીતી વાત
રાજકારણ, રજવાડા માં પણ પ્રખ્યાત
સરદાર પટેલના અમે સૌ અક્કલ જાત
Patel (Gujarati: પટેલ, paṭel, pronounced [pəʈel]) is a surname of Indian origin, originally meaning "headman" or "village chief". Patels are found in en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patel - Cached

.

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Exult VIVJ/diss Nony

2012-01-28T16:42:00.000+03:00

In those two headlines lies a morality tale. Of course I exult at Pakistan's incredible win over England, the way the spinners were so unplayable and the fact that Pakistan came back from the dumpster of cricket history to bounce back as a team. There's a lot of cricket there in them and it's all to the good of cricket that another competitive side (re)enters the fray. The class of play restored our passion for test cricket.
India's humiliating series against Australia left me demoralised. Is there some cricket still left in those stars - Tendulkar, Sehwag, Dravid, VVS? I think so. Of course Tendulkar will score his 100th 100 even in the ODIs.
The morality tale: Why do I feel passionately about the teams from India and Pakistan? I mean would a victory by Sri Lanka in a similar fashion mean as much to me? At about 70% compared to this one. It's just that as an East African Asian my heritage is in India period. The nony-of-the-blog is tearing his hair off that Pakistan won and despondent that India lost so badly. I share his emotions on the latter but leave him to froth about the former. No doubt he'll frothcome with his rant on this blog - my blog, the best. Ahlan wa sahlan - just wipe off the froth from the surfaces.
Vali Jamal, PhD, Aga Khan Cricket XI, 1955-57

when I went to Kakira to interview Nitin Madhvani - and met interesting people!

2012-01-26T16:18:00.003+03:00

Manubhai Madhvani 2/5 pp in the book

2012-01-26T15:53:00.000+03:00

I did this interview with Manubhai at Kakira in 08. I met him twice at functions after that. He gave me his autobiography Tide of Fortune from which I extracted several items. Manubhai passed away in 2010.

Mahendra Mehta 1/5 pages "in the book"

2012-01-26T15:39:00.000+03:00

NK Mehta in the book - 2/4 pages

2012-01-26T15:30:00.000+03:00

The next 2 three pages 2 are excerpts from his autobigraphy

Mehta family in the book

2012-01-26T14:56:00.000+03:00

From: Annet Nanono
To: Dr. Vali Jamal ; Dr. Vali Jamal
Sent: Wednesday, 25 January 2012, 18:38
Subject: Uganda Asians

Dear Dr. Vali Jamal
I have gone through the articles you have written on The Mehta Group, my Father and myself. I am sending you herewith the e-mail from Mr. Suresh Kothari who is our Joint President, Corporate and Public Relations, he takes very keen interest in cultural, educational and charitable activities of the Group.
Another outstanding personality in our family has been my sister Dr. Savitaben Mehta popularly known as Savita Didij, born in Jinja, educated in India and UK and got an Honorary Doctorate Degree. She was a great orator, authority, on Vedas and Puranas, leading educationist and outstanding artist. Her short introduction is enclosed herewith which you may like to incorporate in your esteemed book.
From the speeches from Mr. Suresh Kothari, If you find many interesting points, you may incorporate them. Some additional photographs, which you required will be sent to you shortly.
I am returning herewith the book you left with me, which is a great work which you have done, which will be of great value not only to the present generation of Ugandans and Asians who have lived here and abroad but also for the posterity.
Regards,
M.N Mehta

Dear Mahendrabhai,
First of all it behooves me to express my thanks to you for receiving me 10 days ago at the estate and filling in on your life story that I had done based on my interview (along with late Yashwant Sidpra) in October 2007. I was much affected by your hospitality, particularly the golf-cart ride through Mrs Mehta’s exotic garden and statues. I have incorporated most of the new material from our interview last Saturday and I shall use the 4 documents sent herewith to supplement the story. There are many new details about the founder father Nanjibhai in these accounts which I shall use in his profile. I am grateful to have the biography of sister Didiji. I could see from her picture on your wall that she played an important role in your life and now I see from the account sent that she played a significant role in girl education at Gurukul. The speech by Mr Kothari also contains useful data on father on the commemoration of his 125th anniversary. Finally there is an article about East Africa - Today and Yesterday that recounts our history in these parts. Luckily for me a lot of that material is already in the book. I note with some satisfaction that an Institute for Gujarati Diaspora Studies exists in Gujarat. I trust I shall be invited to their next symposium based on my book! To be quite frank my book should be of very great interest to the Institute and I hope it comes to their notice soon. Having worked this hard on this book it is everybody’s responsibility that it gets the notice it deserves.
Let me take the next few days to complete all the drafts and send them to you and Mr Kothari, electric power permitting! I see from the family tree that an important landmark birthday is coming on 20.03. 2012. I should like to present to you my articles as a part of that celebration. Please send me 10-12 photos soon, including of parents, Didiji, Mrs Mehta and all members of the family.
One more article possible is of your nephew who’s playing a new role at Scoul. It would go in the New Generation section in the book.
Once again with my thanks and best regards.

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,111 pp; $71.11), forthcoming June 2012. Guaranteed to put you to sleep, except just don't read it in bed at the risk of abdominal hernia. visit ww.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

"The State of the Union is good" - and bound to improve!

2012-01-25T18:05:00.000+03:00

What an inspirational SOTU! With that Obama again claimed the high moral ground, like back in 2008. The campaign should be exciting, and could one say already sewn up? The president rightly made the economy the major issue. It always is in every US election but this time he zeroed in on the growing income inequality as the one burning economic issue he’ll tackle. That is the one issue that brought demonstrators out onto the street these last few weeks and that’s the issue where the opponents have nothing to offer, except more of the same. The fact is almost all the growth in the last 30 years has been confined to the top 5% class, with wages almost flat-lined. During the same time, the tax burden on the top 5% class has almost halved. Go, Rais wa Taifa Amerika, Obama! Four more years in which also to further world peace.

Jinja cricket and nonymoose

2012-01-25T00:47:00.002+03:00

Here’s an incoming from Mohan Patel, Jinja, avid cricket fan, one of 12s I get per week in a similar artery. Mohan went to England early and worked in the government service. He came into my book because of the section on cricket, helping to populate it with his own memories of cricket Uganda Asians. I include his piece. He brought me a complimentary message from the Home Secretary in the Labour government.
I let the remark about the nonentity stand. I mean I don’t need it, I mean he’s a zealot and I just know I am good and my book’s better than bajra no rotlo. But, hey, Winchester wallah, you who rubbished Sadru Nelsadry as a small-time Kisementi grocer and claimed to have been a member of the Muzungu kalab – Winchester bada-saheb, what more tales have you been sharing with the Polish airheads?

>>>Hello Uganda Asian cricket lovers and all lovers of Uganda pre-1972:
I am writing to say thank you to you all for joining me in preserving the
history of Uganda cricket pre-1972. My own knowledge is mainly confined to
Jinja cricket but it is being continually augmented by stories and photos
from friends all over the world. I have now opened a Facebook page devoted
to cricket Uganda called “cricketugandamohanbhaijee”. Please visit and be
my friend.
>>> I am most grateful to Dr Vali Jamal for giving space in his book as well
as his blog to stories about Uganda cricket. I have not met Vali, except on
the internet and I think I have made a lifelong friend. He is doing an
excellent job and we are looking forward to his book on Uganda Asians which is due out on the 40th anniversary of our expulsion from that wonderful country. I had the privilege of contributing some articles to it and to bring him a foreword from the former British Home Secretary, Mr Alan Johnson, who too is looking forward to this book.
>>> Among my family members I have to thank my young niece Dipa who encouraged me to learn IT in January 2006 when my wife Geeta was down for intensive treatment at Mayday Hospital. She typed my story of how I became a cricket-scorer. Of course names and places were alien to her and they got left in in the Jinja Reunion brochure. Nishma, daughter of Dipa's elder sister Mina, and her father created my first e-mail address. Nimmi, my wife Geeta's younger sister and her husband Vinod and their nephew Jayesh installed their second-hand computer in my box room so that I could start my
computer classes. They used to run a flourishing photographic business in London few years ago but due to the advent of digital cameras their business died down.
>>>I enrolled at Croydon College in May 2006 and in the last four
years have managed to pass exams in Word Processing, Excel, Spreadsheets,
and Power Point at Level 1 and am attending Word and Power Point classes
in Part 2. I am learning to create an Adobe website since I have managed to
pass courses in Photo Shop. It was tough but I persevered through the
support of family and friends.
>>>Vali Jamal’s book and blog will endure despite some very nasty posts by an anonymous blogger. It’s regrettable from someone who claims to come from a reputable family and having been to an expensive school. From his knowledge of tailors where Jinja players got their blazers made, I can see he’s a Jinja boy. Jinja was a very democratic town and such behaviour is not
welcome by any of my friends. It smacks of a mentality nurtured during our
colonial days.
>>>>mohan patel

PFbTD - post-Facebook Trauma Disorder.

2012-01-20T00:54:00.002+03:00

.

Vali Jamal

PFbTD - post-Facebook Trauma Disorder.
Comes from
*thinking everyone else is eating the most fabulous foods and visitng exotic places
*thinking everyone's posts are "liked" except your own
*asking to be FbF with someone and being left in the Inbox Rot
*asking to be FbF with someone who's already your FbF
*finding everyone's looks divided by age ratio is much higher than yours
Me? I don't have any of the above. What I suffer everyday is
IbTD - Inbox Trauma Disorder.
Of the 26 incoming everyday
*11 DEL for sending a repeat article
*5 for an adapted Mr&Mrs joke (like wife said..when the joke comes from Joke per Day site)
*4 to think up an excuse why I neglected to answer them. (A: Because they didn't fill the subject line and I thought it was something horrible.)

Phuleez: Do NOT go and like this just because.
You don't have to say you love me/just be close at hand.
Remember the song by Dusty?

Like · · Share · about an hour ago near Kampala

Tahir Ahmad likes this..

Vali Jamal Of course the worst trigger of PFbTD is someone asking you to be their FbF when you already are.
about an hour ago · Like · 1.

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Who the best cricket team, where?

2012-01-20T00:51:00.000+03:00

.

Vali Jamal

Being out of power today in Kampala (2 out of 3 days these days) I went and spent the afternoon at Kabira Club and watched cricket while doing the internet and the book. The Pakistan bowlers were unplayable and England just managed to avoid an inning's. They were supreme over India in England during the summer. India won the World Cup on their grounds, now they are being humiliated by Australia. If the first test between Pakistan and England is a guide the MCC are going to have a thought coming. UAE is practically Pakistan's "home ground" now.

Which brings a thought to my mind: How do you judge the best cricket team? Grounds make a big difference and playing in England, with your fingertips frozen, is something else again.

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Fatima Alimohamed likes this..

Vali Jamal Fatim: Reminded you right? Powerless times and Kabira as the Out of Africa refuge!
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Railway lunacy

2012-01-16T21:08:00.001+03:00

Vali Jamal

See 'em coolies working on the railway, the bwanas relaxing, the Africans wondering at the lunacy of it? Around 40 thousand Indians came to build the railway, 3,000 died, 4000 were invalidaded home, 7000 elected to stay on in East Africa, mostly to run the Lunatic Express. Once done Indian traders began to trickle in to take trade into the interior. Idi Amin Dada said, the railway is now built, the Indians should go home. And he sent us packing.
Do you see Mr Realx Singh there? Haha.

Top of Form
Vali Jamal Sometimes a tyop can be useful: both Mr Relax Singh and Realx Singh are in the pitcha. Spot 'em! They and other Punjabis built the Uganda Railway and I take my, ahem, turban off to them.
Vali Jamal How 'bout Mr Uganda Railway Cross Singh? Our signs used to say "Level Crossing."

Bottom of Form

Lowis Cup winners - IRC; is that style or what?

2012-01-14T22:48:00.000+03:00

Tahir Ahmad pages in the book

2012-01-09T00:17:00.000+03:00

Mr Gomes and his gomesi

2012-01-08T23:31:00.001+03:00

When Mr Gomes, Goan tailor, created Uganda ladies' attire as a school uniform. It's now never seen in the city, as hazardous to body parts on a boda or even a taxi. Still very much seen at social functions, with 20% in sari.

Almighty ferrous headache

2012-01-08T21:48:00.000+03:00

Vali Jamal

In the absence of househelp tried to iron (Fe) a shirt. The iron wouldn't glisse (Fr), like it had a flat. Chaps said look under: The iron had tell-tale marks of having burnt a synthetic fabric. Chaps said use Panadol. Sent one over to bring some. Fellow applied it to the iron's surface and, tada, within five minutes cleared off the smudge. The iron began to glide again. Swallowed one Panadol to cure the post-traumatic headache (PTH).
P>S> The reason the househelp absented himself was, it emerges, because he burnt a pair of trousers and feared reprisals. Trousers = US$20; iron = US$ 70.

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Entebbe Indian School, 1920s, now a government primary school

2012-01-06T21:08:00.000+03:00

Entebbe Botanical Gardens, c Aug 2010 by VIVJ

2012-01-06T21:03:00.000+03:00

2 pages fused in my book. If we were to ask Uganda Asians <1972 their best memory of Uganda a high percetage would say picnic. For Kampala people picnic meant the Botanical Gardens at Entebbe. Family picnics were done at least once per month. School picnics were done here too - and that's another story, part of any screenplay about growing up in Uganda.

Conversations on the email

2012-01-06T09:58:00.001+03:00

From: Chandrakant Patel <ckrpatel@gmail.com>
To: jamalv@yahoo.com
Sent: Thursday, 5 January 2012, 13:59
Subject: This and That

Hello Vali

Praful Patel (Jinja/Mumbai ) sent me your blog a few days back, with the news about a book on and about Uganda Asians that you have been working on.

I am truly gobsmacked! Such breathtaking ambition backed by so much diligence and discipline! Your wonderful blog is treasure trove of all things that glued us together (as in goondar), not least cricket and love of all things Gujju.Allow me to express my thanks and admiration for your efforts and , needless to say, I look forward to the publication and share it with my grandchildren!

In the meantime, I shall follow your blog to revive and bring back childhood memories of my schools-Old Kampala, Kololo and in 1958, Mbale. Truly miraculous to read about Premji, Salaudin, Noordin and Narottam and know that they are all well and united with each other and us, even if it is in the blogosphere.

Thanks to my mother, I met Narottam in Orlando in 1987: she took me ( but where else?) to a jewelry shop managed by Narottam! The Pattani's had very high reputation in Uganda (they surely would have earned the highest ISO rating even then) and Narottam carried it all the way to Orlando. Sadly, I lost contact with him, but was happy to learn that he is still active.

And who can forget the joy of watching Premji and Salauddin, respectively a gatherer and a hunter, pummel the Europeans! Premji dependable left-handed opener, complemented Salau, as elegant and stylish a batsman as one would ever wish to watch. But there were so many others (Kishore, Karamchand, Ramanbhai, Pinto, Gama, Maqsood and his gifted younger brother) who helped lighten our colonial burden by defeating them at their own game and on their own terms. Our cricketers in those blighted times were more than sportsmen: they surely were symbols of defiance and hope.

On a personal note, I must share with you my surprise that we managed not to meet! Our paths crossed but did not connect : schools in Kampala/Mbale, Cambridge (economics at King's '62-65), Uganda Civil Service (65-67 ), a US PhD in economics, international organisations (UNCTAD ), and Geneva!

So be it: but in case you are in Geneva, would be delighted to meet and catch up!

All the best, Chandrakant

Dear Chandrakant,

We did meet at Geneva! via my sister-in-law Perviz Mitha (UNHCR). Dharam Ghai was my mentor at ILO. Of course according to one anonymous poster on my blog I am a phantom person who claims to have degrees from good universities. Did you see his comments? He trampled on me for being a mere Bakuli boy as against his European-time residence on Kololo. He said he went to Winchester and sort of that he belonged to the Europeans' European-only club. A gate-crasher on my site mocking the owner. Nobody that he has mentioned could trace him. He's about 68. Hasn't posted for a while.

Thank you for reading my blog. I thought there'd be lots of interest, but from the number of visitors I may be wrong. That also augurs ill for my book. As you may see from my post today, I estimate there are only 40k of the pre-1972 Uganda Asian people left in the world - 8000 households. That's about the maximum readership possible. 4.8 years of work, 12/7, for just that? It was in me to do the book and if I didn't do it our history would be down the drain. The book should publish this year to coincide with the 50th/40th anniversaries coming up. May I invite you to contribute a piece on your life - say up to 1500 words, with pictures? Ancestors could be written up separately. More once I hear from you.

I'm ccing some of the people you have mentioned and some others in my book.

All the best. Quelle canton? Coppet, Communy? We lived right centre ville, rue Thalberg.

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,111 pp; $71.11), forthcoming June 2012. Guaranteed to put you to sleep, except just don't read it in bed at the risk of abdominal hernia. visit
ww.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

Thinking up the numbers: How many left to buy a book

2012-01-05T15:17:00.001+03:00

Economists do that all the time and their numbers get quoted – about everything. I do that too. Lately I been thinking what's the market for my book. In 1972 there were 80k Uganda Asians world wide. Of these 15% were <10 to whom the expulsion don't mean much. 33% were >40; by now they'd be >80 and gone. So the book's of interest to Uganda Asians 10-40 then and 50-80 now. How many are there? Deduct the 48% as from above: 40,000 = in 8,000 household. Now start adding: some 4Gs are interested, some no-Ugandan Asians are interested, some interested people could be interested. So keep dreaming.

When Aga Khan XI won the Lowis/Lewis Cup, 1952

2012-01-04T01:28:00.001+03:00

It was the Ismailia community's WWYW (where were you when) moment. Prayers were said at dawn jamatkhana. Women came to the grounds, defying the purdah. At tea-time they offered samosas to all and sundry. The newspaper cutting was sent by Hassni Rasool, passed away just last year. In his own story he recalls that the great Guste sprained his ankle at practice the previous evening and was reset by Fazal Abdulla, the homeo-osteopath. Guste's story is in the book and was posted on this blog. He passed away in Kampala in 08. Indian Recreation Club won a string of the Cup. Jai and Azad recorded wins too. Premji was the captain. His story is being filled in.

Nazir Awan pays tribute to Salaudin Khan

2012-01-04T01:06:00.003+03:00

FB Foolery -

2012-01-03T00:28:00.001+03:00

Wall Photos

Open image in Full View
1. Stare at the red star on the girl’s nose for 30 seconds
2. Turn your eyes towards the wall/roof or somewhere else on a plane surface
3. Keep blinking your eyes!
4. Tell us what you see!
it's AMZNG

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Vali Jamal
Big deal. Now do the same to Mr Harold Camping down there - see he becomes his own negative and somehow very frightening. I stared at one of my FBFs and negatived them. I blanked out the 2 V for Vendettas on the left of my picture and the fellow turned negative and I kind of didn't like that. I stared at the desk light and it turned into a UFO and as I keep blinking to regain my sight it keeps hovering from my fingers to wherever I want it to go and I kind of like that because I just love the idea of UFOs. Now bring on the dots that turn into JC. Don't defriend me!

7 minutes ago · Like.

Book blurb and reviews. Just add: The bogus book by the bogus PhD - Anonymous, Nowhere Land, No-time Date

2012-01-02T18:11:00.001+03:00

Don't they know it's the end of the world?

2012-01-02T00:23:00.002+03:00

Vali Jamal

January 20, 2011

Jesus was crucified on A.D. April 1, 33. That was 1,978 years ago. Multiply 1,978 by 365.2422 — the number of days in each solar year. Then add 51. What do you get?
722,500! I just fell off my chair. Right. What’s 51 days after April 1, 2011? Get me the calendar. Can someone help me back onto my chair? Nurse? That’s better. You are a good nurse. Mm. I see that the 51st day falls on May 21. THE WORLD WILL END ON MAY 21, 2011.

Added VJ: Rupture came before rapture.

Vali Jamal

The world didn't come to an end in 2011. Harold Camping gave two dates. Then someone said The End will come at 11:11:11 on 11/11/11, so I wrote my last email and instructed Yahoo! to send it out at that split second. It said: If you are reading this you are probably in a different time zone from I. Our side of the world has ended - split in a split second.
So how 'bout this year? People are priming up for a whole bunch of wonderful things to happen on 20/12 in 20-12, but then the American side of my family said whoever heard of a 20th month. The Britishers said it's too far away. So when's somepun significant gone happen this year.

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Nutrition knows no shape

2012-01-01T23:18:00.000+03:00

From an FBF off the FB:
Getting ready to go to work. Made a beautiful omelet loaded with malady of different varieties of mushrooms with Kericho chai. Nutritionally correct for a cancer survivor.
In the course of washing dishes the idea of writing for your book came to mind.
Me replying to Milady:
People put this sort of thing on Facebook - what they ate, except you have a serious message embedded in it. Unfortunately you got the mushroom mix mixed up with your malady. Medley.
If you truly want a nutritious tea try this: Hibiscus infusion + ordinary tea + tamarind.
If you want a truly nutritious maani/chapatti: 50% brown flour/20% bajro/15% bran/15% amarnath. Won't rise but delicious in the bargain.
For a truly nutritious daal: 50% cracked wheat (suji/lapsi), 25% masoor, 25% anyother daal. As a soup or thick.
Pictures show the “map of Africa” chapatti being rolled, rolled and baked. Nutrition don’t come pretty. We used to say “map of Africa” to a girl who couldn’t get her chapattis a perfect pi-R-square. Who cares?
Tamarind (tamar + hind: the Arabs thought it was tamar (date) from Hind) and hibiscus will conquer the world. I have a tree growing nearby and a bush in the compound. Just let the flowers leach under hot water. BTW: Tamarind is actually a native of Africa: Tamar-ifrik.
Oh about writing for my book: Sure you (in general) be welcome. Spell-check won't help but I do keep the OED handy.
"Keep tissues handy" - my book comes with a warning. Will make you cry.

GISS, Old Kampala Prefects, 1957. Picture Perfect sent by Pradyuman Joshi

2011-12-27T22:35:00.004+03:00

GISS, Old Kampala Prefects, 1957, Picture Perfect.
Photo sent by Pradyuman Joshi.
Please help complete the IDs.

Standing: Raj Qureshi, Charanjit Kaur Bassan, Karim Mohamed, Rohini Vasani, Harnish Patel, Saroj Gadhia, Kassam Bhatty, Kunjlata Patel, Surendra Oza, Laila Tejani, [-], [-], [-], [-], Navin Thakrar.
Seated: Safdar [-], Vinoda Patel, Ved Prakash Sharma, Rozina Pirbhai, Chandrakant Patel (Head Prefect), Rashida Virani (Head Prefectess), John Agard, [-], [-], Abdul Damani.

Tendulkar 100th 100 not yet

2011-12-27T15:06:00.000+03:00

Vali Jamal

TENDULKAR WATCH FOR THE 100TH 100.
Bowled Siddle 73.
Whatever, you are the greatest batsman that ever lived. Thank you for the misty memories.

TENDULKAR IN NUMBERS

• 185 Test caps, a world record
• 15,256 Test runs, more than any other batsmen
• 51 Test centuries
• 453 one-day internationals
• 18,111 ODI runs
• 48 ODI hundreds
• 154 ODI wickets
• 15 - score on Test debut v Pakistan in 1989
• 1 Twenty20 international cap
• 1 World Cup winners' medal

‎2011 - definitely the year of Arab Spring - Satellite picture on the day Mubarak fell, 13/02/2012

2011-12-26T15:01:00.002+03:00

The breath and hum of democracy seemed almost a libidinous thing in parts of the Middle East, but, in truth, the body heat had been simmering for years. The protests took hold in Tunisia in late 2010 after the street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire. The kindle caught and the spirit of his self-immolation lit a fuse across the region. A wave of protests struck Algeria, Egypt, Yemen, Jordan. Almost as soon as protesters in Cairo were being herded away from Tahrir Square, they were dancing at the news of Mubarak’s resignation. Ruling families began to fall. Power-transfer treaties were brokered. Parliaments were dissolved. Monarchs locked their gates and boarded their windows.
In Libya, Muammar el-Qaddafi was ousted and killed. NATO planes streaked a sky so blue it seemed to speak of other Septembers. Faces, too, were lit by a new blue light. It was the era of the revolution down through the wires: time was collapsed and geography shrunk by the use of social networking. The whole world was indeed watching, listening, e-mailing. Some in the media lost their lives for the art of the images that emerged — the photographs didn’t just capture singular moments, but they looked backward and forward at the same time, at what has happened, and what is yet to come. The light from the Arab Spring rose from the ground up; the hope is now that the darkness doesn't fall. — COLUM McCANN, an author whose book “Let the Great World Spin” won the National Book Award.
Continue to the photos »

.

GujEnglish -

2011-12-25T13:49:00.000+03:00

I was recalling some English words as used by us in East Africa on the Namaskar facebook site. Farak, as in toonka farak, beloved of the Anonymous Toff, is there. Kersi Rustomjee came up with his illustrated list.

Vali Jamal

DefinAtely CongraDulation farak istimber (steamer) munwer (man-of-war) ...

Kersi Minoo Rustomji commented on your post in Namaskar-Africana

Kersi Minoo Rustomji

25 December 03:16

*Vali bha, * *it's 'manwaar' for Man-o-War, and there is also 'paltan' from platoon, referring to the arrival of a hoards of relatives, especially the in-laws, as 'Aare kale moti paltan avavani che!' Aare a big platoon is coming tomorrow. Then there is also 'paatlun,' for trousers from, 'pantloons,'. As when a kid grows up, 'Aare have toh patlun pere che!' Oh now he wears trousers! And don't forget the 'tuwal,' for towel and strangely, 'boot,' generally for shoes as well, and 'bootne palis ane baras maar.' Polish and brush the shoes.* *'Phulkobi ne tamata pakvya che.' Have cooked cauliflower and * *tomatoes.* *Aaje kismus che toh ek beh biyer ane kek lagave.' It's Christmas today so have a couple of beers and cake.* *Cheers for now [?] **prema, shanti,ahinsa. upendo,raha, latifu... love,peace,kindness... Only One Human Race... Kersi Rustomji.Planet Earth. ex-Kenya. Australia.* On 25 December 2011 09:49, Vali Jamal

Trust Kersi! With just those phrases he invokes a childhood experienced and overheard. I never made the association paltan = platoon. What a transformation, and it catches the sarcasm, calling some village relatives that descended on you a platoon! Ladies, of course. To them everything was lup/chup, while to us kids, relatives however remote coming in was the height of hapiness. They'd send us kids to the overcrowded room to find out pointblank when are you leaving!

Let's have more, I'll put it in my learned book. The book Kersi could write!

My father used to say: Amerika ji manwar awi aye Kilindini per. No double-a?

To those cc'd, this string is from my life on Facebook, the Africana-Orientalia site and my blog. Kersi is an East African Asian asset on all of them. Taught Aga Khan School in Tanga. You should just read his description of the gari (you now the roll-along with makeshift wheels, "horn", and steering?) in my book or of gili-danda, nagolio, goma, ladies getting together to make achaar. A wonderful time is guaranteed for all when my book comes out. Here are the contents pages last week.

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,111 pp; $71.11), forthcoming June 2012. Guaranteed to put you to sleep, except just don't read it in bed at the risk of abdominal hernia. visit ww.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

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Vali Jamal

25 December 01:49

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Premji vs John Nagenda, Kampala, Dec 2011

2011-12-25T00:41:00.000+03:00

When Premji (as we knew him then - and forever), Captain of Jai XI, visited Uganda, Dec 2011. You remember? I took him to visit (you remember) with John Nagenda, Wanderers XI, and East and Central Africa XI at the first-ever World Cup in England, 1975, now President's Senior Media Adviser, at his home on Tank Hill, now called Muyenga Hill. The two just couldn't stop talking. Cricket of course, eyes misting over.
Personal-aggrandising commercial follows: In the picture John and Premji are sitting with my book of then-1030 pages open at John's story. Just look at the bowling sequence, created by local designer Chris Ssegawa. The previous page is the E&CAf XI at Buckingham Palace - full page accorded. John is right behind HM E2R.
A treat awaits us all next year. Readers wanted. Warning: Don't take it to bed at the risk of abdominal hernia. DefinAtely not portable.
What happen(sic) to Kololo/WinToff?

Certificaterism - sequel and end

2011-12-24T23:53:00.000+03:00

On a powerless night first they caught fire from the candle. The owner poured a good bit from a bottle of mineral water (not shown since this is a not-for-profit site). Of course they got H20-damaged. His laissez-passer (UN passport, dumb) seems intact. One cert is a PhD from Stanford University and the other from Cambridge. Owner's name is given as Valimohamed Jamal on both.
What other clues are there? Some coins, his mobile phone, his book open.
That story that "dog ate my certificates" was just lies - and so is this one. Fake degree papers (look at the poor quality paper used) set on fire and then drenched with tap water (forget mineral).

@GISS, Dec 2011, 54 yrs later

2011-12-24T23:31:00.000+03:00

Enclosed two pictures I took at GISS (Govt Indian Sec School, Kampala, now Old Kampala Sec School) 3 weeks ago when Premji Patel, captain of Jai XI came to visit. The first picture shows a desk from *then*. How do we know? GISS is stencilled on it. I matriculated from SS VI in 1957. So this desk is at least 54 years old. It didn't creak at all. There were 3 such desks - 3 ink-wells and all - in a class with 30 desks, teacher:pupil ratio of 1:60, definAtely (sic) overcrowding. Mind you, school was out for end year, so I couldn't comment on the CO2: O2 ratio. The second picture is of Premji at the signboard (terrible word-spacing) looking towards Makerere valley.

Whatever HHAKSS alumni say, GISS had class - Shafiq, Gurdial, Dalal girls, Yashwant Sidpra, Pitu, Sultan Karim, Piroj Dastur, Abdul Pirbhai, Abdulkarim I V Jamal - and in 1957...Many GISS (and later Kololo SS) contributed brilliant chapters for the book I am writing on Uganda Asians, because they cared. HHAKSS alum spared their words.

Tis the season to make resolutions

2011-12-22T02:53:00.000+03:00

Public

Vali Jamal

New Year Resolution: I shall never overeat after New Year's day feast. If I do I shall ask for self-forgiveness and grant it in keeping with the season of forgiveness. After a week I shall go with the adage - to forgive is divine, to forget next to impossible - and rilly rilly prove I forgot my one and only NYR.

Dilip Kumar - Guinness Book

2011-12-18T17:51:00.000+03:00

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Vali Jamal

Dilip Kumar enters Guinness Records

Veteran star Dilip Kumar recently bagged a prestigious entry into the Guinness World Records. He earned the honour for being the only living Indian actor to have won the maximum number of awards.

Dr Yash Tandon "contributes" >10k words on his childhood and life in a book that has as its subtitle, "We Contributed, We Contribute." A paragraph is quoted to Praful Patel, member Uganda Resettlement Board, 1972.

2011-12-18T16:30:00.000+03:00

Hello Praful and all:

Down below is Yash's paragraph where you figure. Look at the quality and the depth and then multiply the 333 words by 30 and you see how much Heart & Mind Yash poured into our book. At >10,000 words it'll be by far the longest piece in the book and in terms of the H&M factor among the best. In the early part he talks affectionately of his humble beginnings in Moroto and schooling in Soroti and Mbale. After coming down from the LSE Obote asks him to meet him late one evening in his office. Tandon trembles. Obote asks him to get down to drafting the Move to the Left, with a copy of his instructions (submitted for the piece) not to be thought to be plagiarising from Nyerere's Ujaama. In the early months of Amin's coup, Vice Chancellor Kalimuzo gives him the good news that he and a colleague have been chosen to attend the funeral of the returned Kabaka but that according to Baganda custom two people may have to be sacrificed. The colleague could go to the village and disappear among his tribe...but Tandon? Kalimuzo arranges him to fly out to Lusaka and take up a post there. How sad to think Kalimuzo may have paid the price of that! I met his widow for condolences at Dr Ahmad's house a month ago and she told me a part of her horror story. I shall go and interview her. Preparing for the imminent takeover in Uganda Museveni makes a comment in a student's meeting at Dar es Salaam that socialism isn't about Traffic Lights - a reference to Left Turn! Falling out with Obote's people Tandon gets jostled by Shafiq Arain seeking to gate-crash one of the preparatory conferences. After the fall of Amin Tandon is one of the G4 - Gang of Four - advising the new-comers. Some of the scenes of devastation and accounts of ambushes on a trip up North to carry Binaisa's message are just harrowing.

Good news: We have a from-the-heart account from a humanist and intellectual very much at the centre of Uganda's history, even to the extent of returning a couple of months ago from Oxford to be at the burial of Dan Nabudere, one of the G4 - "a true intellectual giant of Uganda" - in the company of President Museveni.

Bad news: Shoo karu about the length? I may issue the book in 3 parts in a box. Division simply at 400 pages each. The matter of how to get this multi-lakh dollars project to see the light of day is being taken up by some people in leadership role in the community. Failing everything, the book exists on the computer screen and can always be made available on CD or as an eBook.

Praful Patel is preparing his piece for the book. He's bound to give us lots on his work on the UEA and the Uganda Resettlement Board. I am sure Yash Tandon, Ms Perviz Mitha, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan and Sheralli Bandalli Jaffer, MP, will figure in that.

All the best.

P>S> No introductions necessary, but just in case: Praful Patel served on the Uganda Resettlement Board in 1972. Yash was all of the above. In 1972 I was based at MISER (Makerere Institute of Social and Economic Research) where he was the director, for my doctoral research. That's my claim for writing this book - that I was there in 1972 during the expulsion and kept notes. My dissertation at Stanford was about the Uganda economy and the expulsion figured in that. I went back to Makerere Africana section six months ago for a whole month collecting headlines from Uganda Argus of all those 90 expulsion days, sitting by the same window where I read the Uganda Journal 40 years ago to write my story of Cotton and Coffee in Uganda. The section Deadline Headlines fills - and feels - 9 pages in the book.

Of our other intellectual giants, Professor Dharam Ghai has contributed a wonderful chapter on his times at Makerere with the intellectual giants of the times; Professor Ali Mazrui has given us a message, and Professor Mahmood Mamdani is in the book. Professor Somers - "physician to the President" - has not only given us his star-studded memories of the regime changes but has filled in on the stories of several people in the book, in that way making this publication the "first post-internet book" with the feel of a magazine, as befits its beginnings as a magazine for Chogm. A scrapbook (but difinitely not scrap); the magazine would be scrap by now. A Facebook in its original end-of-the-school-year sense. Just stop me from adding more, I have to return to my family in mind and body.

Cc to some people in the book simply that they know the book progresses everyday and time is near to give it to the printer - quite likely in Uganda to sustain a claim that the book was Made in Uganda - researched, written, designed and printed in Uganda, quite likely at New Vision, the government printer. The very first demo copy will go to Bwana John Nagenda, Senior Media Advisor to President Museveni, for his moral support for the project. He has a piece in the book for his exploits on the cricket field with some of the giants of those times and the years he spent in exile. In Yash Tandon's account he mentions now-Minister Rugunda. Yash will be pleased to learn that I have a 2.5-page interview with him for opposing the expulsion as the chair of NUS. I didn't miss a beat.

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,111 pp; $71.11), forthcoming June 2012. Guaranteed to put you to sleep, except just don't read it in bed at the risk of abdominal hernia. visit ww.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: vali jamal
To: "jamalv@yahoo.com"
Sent: Saturday, 17 December 2011, 20:23
Subject:

Soon I was “invaded” by my friend Praful Patel. He is originally from Uganda, now a British citizen and resident in India. He had some political ambitions in the UK, and had built a strong network of some Labour Party MPs and Peers and journalists in the media. Along with some Indian leaders who had come from Uganda, he formed an organisation called the Uganda Evacuees Association (UEA) to assist Ugandan Asians who were stuck in Uganda. Praful got me to be his adviser, counselor, letter draftsman, legal advisor, and press attaché, all rolled in one. I worked as a “volunteer” but he and his sisters provided me with excellent Gujarati meals at his fabulous apartment near the British Museum. The British were initially not very helpful. For example, they refused to take in people who had Ugandan citizenship, and they were technically correct. Therefore, a political and humanitarian case had to be made. Praful used to come and badger me in my office at the LSE and in my home in Harrow to help him draft memorandum after memorandum to the Home Office and press-statements in order to impress our case on the media and the government. We also addressed meetings organised by the UEA.We worked closely with the young Prince Sadrudin Aga Khan, then only 33 and head of the UNHCR. Fortunately, at his office worked Perviz Mitha. Perviz was a couple of classes behind me in Mbale Secondary School in the 1950s, and then she did Bar-at-Law at the same time that Mary did at the Lincoln`s Inn in the 1960s. So we knew each other well. But it was Praful who dealt directly with Perviz and the UNHCR.
**** Pic 15. with Praful Patel
(To check with Praful if he has a photo with me)

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,111 pp; $71.11), forthcoming June 2012. Guaranteed to put you to sleep, except just don't read it in bed at the risk of abdominal hernia. visit ww.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

Certificaterism saga, nameless/sameness/add h at discretion - yaar shoo kaoo?

2011-12-15T02:24:00.000+03:00

At last found my certs and UN Laissez Passer. Power went, lighted up candles and then the inevitable that happens when paper gets near flame happened. So I have no papers to prove. The dog ate one set and now this one burnt. How thankful we are going to be to Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development when Bujagali opens up with one turbine in January. Very.

Premji Jai XI Captain visit

2011-12-15T01:43:00.001+03:00

Premji Patel: Captain Jai XI, played Uganda XI and East Africa XI

John Nagenda: Wanderers XI, African XI, East and Central africa XI at World Cup, England, 1975. Senior Media Advisor to President Museveni, 1994 to date.

It was wonderful having Premji here a couple of weeks ago and doing things together. The highlight was undoubtedly going to visit with Bwana John Nagenda at his Tank Hill home. Premji came equipped with newspaper cuttings about John and a 10-over ball used in an E A XI match. Hassan Alibhai Ramji came along too. Mani Khan couldn't come. Of course the three and then the two couldn't stop talking of those times playing together and against each other.

The next day Premji and I sat at a Kisementi restaurant where Nelsadry used to be for his story of the expulsion and cricket. Heart-rending. I shall circulate once Premji has cleared it.

On the third day I took Premji around Kampala. The highlight there was visiting GISS. We were received by the HM. We discovered a couple of benches from those days!

On the fourth day he was gone, leaving behind good feelings with all.

Someone told me today-today when I walked him through the draft book: "It's written by an intellect" and I added, "and comes from the heart." In one of the attach's here Premji is sitting in front of my book with John's page in it. That picture rendition of his bowling action by my designer man - Chris Ssegawa - by itself is going to win the book the Presidential Award for, well, Design. A treat awaits us in 6-7 months, max, God willing. The draft added to goes to, tada, John Nagenda, at a soft-launch at Kabira Club in the New Year. He paid for it!

Book 1033 not out, .3 kg; retired by captain at 1111.

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,111 pp; $71.11), forthcoming June 2012. Guaranteed to put you to sleep, except just don't read it in bed at the risk of abdominal hernia. visit ww.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

From: mohan patel
To: Minal Lad ; premjilpatel@gmail.com
Cc: vali jamal jamalv@yahoo.com;.caSent: Wednesday, 14 December 2011, 12:40
Subject: Re: Fw: Premji Patel visit to Uganda 20 Nov-10 Dec

Dear Premjibhai,
It was very nice to hear from you on your wonderful Kampala trip.I am
very pleased to know Kampala has expanded so much in last few years.I
am so very pleased to learn that Vali and Hon.,John Nagenda looked
after you so well during your stay over there.It is nice to have
friends like that in such high circles.
Vali's website which you requested is as follows-"Viva!East
Africa".My other friend Kalwant Ajimal also has a blog which you may
be interested.It is "East African Asians"
We must pass our thanks to Minal for looking after her dad so well.

Life in the slow lane in the world and Facebook. Read from bottom up - and look at all those public degree claims. Whatever happen (sic) to Winchester lad?! Disteping sleeping dogs.

2011-12-12T23:16:00.000+03:00

Vali Jamal

Before that I was @ Nambole, our national football stadium. 40k were there when the capacity is 30k. I almost got trampled over lining up to get to the turnstile, till an angel bulldozed a way for me. June 2011. Picture of motorbikes, or how to get from A2B in Kam-para.

Public

Vali Jamal

I had gone there - Bombo - to take pictures of some dukas, as they were, for my book on Uganda Asians: Then and Now. I found lots, some operational, some derelict, waiting for their owners to come and claim them.

Vali Jamal

Inside road Kampala-Bombo, June 2011, photo by self.

Everything but the text - the Uganda Resettlement Board, 1972

2011-12-09T14:11:00.000+03:00

Picture sent in Dec 8, 2011 by Mr Praful Patel, member, 4th from R. Just look at all the illustrious names and honours - and don't you just luv

the type-written HMG blue font! All the initials have full stops, no longer the convention in UK, but still is in North America. 39 years ago. Who's still alive, apart Praful Patel?!! Long live.

Water and Coke

2011-12-08T03:07:00.002+03:00

Public
Vali Jamal

Hoax, NE1? H2O vs Coke

# 2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke
and it will be gone in two days.

...
There are many reasons for drinking lots of water (except before going to bed!) and for not drinking Coke - but that it will melt your stomach (if it can melt a T-bone steak) is not one of them.

Try hibiscus tea - Made in Uganda by xxxx - delice.

This one is coming around illustrated after its plain-vanilla round a couple of years ago.See more

Titanic true or false

2011-12-08T02:09:00.000+03:00

Public

Vali Jamal

Titanic at the bottom of the sea. Even the ice-berg is there, all shattered. Haha, but all the shame how we cried reading that book!

Everything but the photo - mail to Mr Praful Patel re Uganda Resettlement Board of 1972 of which he was a member

2011-12-08T01:43:00.000+03:00

December 8, 2011
Dear Prafulbhai,
Thank you so much for your mail and for sending me a foretaste of your article to come. The picture is just awesome, the names mind-blowing - Mark Bonham-Carter, Peter Thorneycroft, Governor (why "Governor-General"?) Sir Walter Coutts, and on - and the manual-typewriter HMG blue font a bonus by itself in a nostalgia-fest book like this! About two years ago I met in Kampala a lady from my school days who recounted me a lovely story of how she simply barged into Sir Charles Cunningham's office pleading with him to let her handicapped mother in Kampala be reunited with her. Sir Charles did the necessary. That story is in there.
Prof Yash Tandon I am sure is receiving these mails. He has contributed a 6-page article of his childhood and family. I am including Professor Dharam Ghai in the cc list. He has two pieces in the book. Mrs Neela Ghai (born Korde) too has contributed a piece. What I don't have in my book (cue: East African Asian accent!)? Names of all 222 Parsees that ever lived in Uganda, by Piroj Amrolia (born Dastur) from her father's files. That was *then*: The 4Gs are moving this economy *now* and I have the stories of 12s of them, including Vipul Thakrar and Vinay Dawda, past and present Entrepreneur of the Year. One of our 4Gs, Ashish Thakar, is going into space on Virgin Galactic. I told him to take my 4.5 kg book and let it float around under 0 gravity!
About your last paragraph: What we all have to do is to ensure this 1,111 page book gets printed and is properly publicized, and even under normal laws of gravity soars! Once it's out it'll be an automatic in the serious media, particularly with the 50th (independence)/40th (expulsion) anniversary reunion coming in October 2012.
I look forward eagerly to your 1,000-word (take or give a few) piece on your work with the Resettlement Board and related - going to England in the first place, childhood, ancestors - make it 1,500 words, but include 6 photos at least. Pictures add to the book.

Best regards.

President Page in book

2011-12-07T19:01:00.000+03:00

Duka page from book

2011-12-07T18:52:00.000+03:00

Allidina Visram. What you sow what you reap. I wrote I reap. The nony froths and rips 'bout the "Aga Khani agenda" of the so-called book.

2011-11-14T14:33:00.000+03:00

Vali Jamal
The Mausoleum of Allidina Visram at the Muslim Cemetery, Kampala, photo taken on 13.11.11 on a rainy day visit to the departed ones. It is said a major storm hit Kampala soon after his burial. The Governor and the Kabaka attended and shops all over East Africa shut in his honour. Alliidina started it all for us, putting his dukas along the route of the Mombasa2Kisumu railway (the Uganda Railway, a...lso known as the Lunatic Express after what at that time seemed a clueless scheme). By the time of his death he owned 500 dukas, stretching all the way into Belgium Congo. The bazaar street named after him was changed to Bokassa Street by Idi Amin Dada in honour of His Emperial Majesty and to Luwum Street by Obote 2 to honour the martyred bishop. My grandfather Valli Jamal Pradhan was an agent for Allidina and reached Wadelai (northern Uganda) already by 1903. I have his diary.See more

Wall Photos

· · Share · 6 minutes ago near Kampala

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Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, RIP, Kampala, 11.11.11

2011-11-12T00:55:00.001+03:00

Dear friends,

As we mark the passing away of one of Uganda's noble sons, I am pleased to circulate pages pertaining to the departed one in our book. I interviewed him at his clinic over a couple of sessions in 2007 when this was going to be a mere magazine for Chogm. Dr Ahmad went over the draft meticulously and added and deleted several details. Over the last four years I went to see him periodically to show him my drafts and ensure him I was "2 months" from finishing. He encouraged me on everytime, saying this was an important story to tell for all our sake's. Last time I met him, just a week ago, he gave me the picture of his investiture with the Star of Pakistan by President Zardari.

He died at his clinic itself this morning. The burial was at 5 pm, attended by people from all walks of life in Uganda. His story in the book becomes a celebration of his life, in the footsteps of his illustrious father. Ismaili readers will be pleased to learn that both his father and he were physicians to the late Imam Sir Sultan Mohamed Shah, Prince Aly Shah, and the present Imam himself. Dr Mukhtar during the dark days of Ugand's history was the appointed physician for the UN. I met him on every of my missions for the UN-ILO from 1982 on. His life exeplified courage as he never left Uganda through the expulsion and four regime changes. It is a regret in my life that he didn't live to see the publication of this book.

I pray for the eternal rest of his soul and for fortitude to his family to overcome this sad and sudden loss.

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,111 pp; $49.99), forthcoming Oct 2012 at the 40th Expulsion Anniversary Reunion, Munyonyo-by-Lake-Victoria. visit www.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

More 11:11:11 on 11.11.11.

2011-11-11T11:27:00.001+03:00

No temperature drops or climbs here at Kampala, Uganda. Power didn't go off and cocks didn't crow. One turkey in the yard danced around for a while but that's because a little girl threw pebbles at her. The girl returned to normal behaviour within a second, so did the turk.

11:11:11 pm - does that count?!

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,111 pp; $49.99), forthcoming Oct 2012 at the 40th Expulsion Anniversary Reunion, Munyonyo-by-Lake-Victoria. A wrist-breaker before it will be a blockbuster. Just leave it on the coffee table and look at it now again. visit
www.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

From: ashiq ali nancey <ashiqalinancey@hotmail.com>
To: alivaliyani@hotmail.com; norrudin panjwani <alnima@gol.com>; arif sawani <arif_sawani@yahoo.co.in>; ashiq2000jp@hotmail.com; feroz ali <feroz.ali@hbl.com>; "z_tarani@hotmail.com" <z_tarani@hotmail.com>; karim wali <karimwali01@hotmail.com>; vali jamal <jamalv@yahoo.com>; vaibhav <vaibhav.pansare@gmail.com>; saeedvazirali@yahoo.com; scherezade.saleh@gmail.com; ssachwani@gmail.com; maqa@hotmail.com; merchant.malik@yahoo.com; mhhemani17@gmail.com; naseer mamon <rocking_1971@yahoo.com>; nawalbinnizar@hotmail.com; newsletters@iicanada.org
Sent: Friday, 11 November 2011, 5:00
Subject: FW: [WorldIsmailis] 11.11.11 11.11.11, auspicious or doomsday?

Get ready to experience once-in-a-lifetime moment this Friday. At 11.11.11 on 11.11.11, the time and date will be a perfect same-numbered palindrome, reading the same backwards as forwards, an event which can only happen on one day every 100 years, the Daily Mail reported. While some consider it as the perfect day for a wedding, some "prophecy" web forums claimed it could also be the end of the world. The reason the date is so unusual is that 11.11.11 is the only double-figure palindromic date, since there is no 22nd month. And the last time it happened, on November 11 1911, an almost supernatural event saw temperatures drop by more than 60F in a single day. This was the Great Blue Norther, a cold snap which hit the U.S. causing blizzards and tornadoes as well as record falls in temperature. In Kansas City, it was as warm as 76F (24C) in the morning - but this had dropped to 11F (-12C) by the end of the day. A new film being released on Friday, entitled simply 11-11-11, predicts that the day will see the opening of a portal in to Hell, and says: "On this day, innocent blood will spill." The film by Darren Bousman, director of several entries in the Saw franchise, features a man whose family dies in a car crash at 11.11am, and who then begins to be haunted by the number 11. It plays on beliefs long held by some spiritualists, who say that the number has a special significance and claim that many people have a mystical attraction to the time 11.11. One group believes that 11.11 is the special symbol of the "Spirit Guardians", a group of 1,111 celestial beings who supposedly look after mortals and manifest themselves in mid-morning. However, most of those who have chosen this Friday as a day to get married are more attracted by the pleasing coincidence than by any deeper significance. The small town of Gretna Green, a traditional wedding venue near the border between Scotland and England, will host at least 50 weddings on 11.11.11, compared to fewer than a dozen on a typical November Friday. Wedding mania will be even more pronounced overseas, such as in India where thousands of couples have judged the date to be auspicious for a successful marriage. The day will also be one of celebration for a number of children who will be turning 11 on 11.11.11. Most famously, the 11th of November is Armistice Day in the UK - Veterans Day in the U.S. - when we celebrate the end of World War I and commemorate the victims of that war and subsequent ones.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spirituality/science-of-spirituality/111111-111111-auspicious-or-doomsday/articleshow/10679212.cms

1111111

2011-11-11T11:14:00.000+03:00

Greetings at 11.11 (am EA time) on 11.11.11.
Almost.

Minding my other posts - +++culturism in Canada

2011-11-10T12:54:00.001+03:00

Peter Pachecos commented on your post in Namaskar-Africana

Peter Pachecos

10 November 02:00

Vali, off the top of my head, the failure of (official) multiculturalism in Canada is not necessarily a bad thing.
More and more, people have been noticing the divisive and disastrous effects of this well-intended but unrealistic ideal.

Original post

Vali Jamal

14 October 13:52

Vali Jamal

Canada Multiculturalism
Doesn't look too good from the polls and the comments are 95% against. We - Uganda Asians - keep saying and showing that we assimilated but that was in the 1970s and since then Canada became even more multicultural and people don't like it. Will the Global Centre for Pluralism help?! I have my 1001 pages book coming out on the Uganda Asians based on the 1972 expulsion and settling down in Canada. I expect it'll be reviewed. Ironically Uganda embraced multicuturism under Museveni and next year being the 50th anniversary of our independence and 40th anniversary of the expulsion a huge Uganda Asian reunion is planned at Kampala which will be the time to roll out the image of the new Uganda open for business. My book will publish then.

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,001 pp; $49.99), forthcoming Oct 2012 at the 40th Expulsion Anniversary Reunion, Munyonyo-by-Lake-Victoria. Sure the book took long - because it's long and it's long because it'd to be all-inclusive. For people with SAS, you just leave it on the coffee table and look at it now again. visit www.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "jamalv@yahoo.com" <jamalv@yahoo.com>
To: jamalv@yahoo.com
Sent: Friday, 14 October 2011, 11:16
Subject: Canadians show ambiguity towards multiculturalism

Check out this Globe and Mail article "Canadians show ambiguity towards multiculturalism" at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/canadians-show-ambiguity-towards-multiculturalism/article2195000/?service=email&utm_source=Shared+Article+Sent+to+User&utm_medium=E-mail%3A+Newsletters+%2F+E-Blasts+%2F+etc.&utm_content=2195000&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links.

..

Hey you – why me?

2011-11-05T23:04:00.001+03:00

Hey you, out there in the cold
Getting lonely, getting old
Can you feel me?
Hey you, standing in the aisles
With itchy feet and fading smiles
Can you feel me?
Hey you, don't help them to bury the light
Don't give in without a fight.

Pink Floyd forever

Vali Jamal, BA Cambridge, PhD Stanford, ILO economist 1976-2001. Kampala, Uganda. Uganda Asians: Then and Now, Here and There, We Contributed, We Contribute (1,001 pp; $49.99), forthcoming Oct 2012 at the 40th Expulsion Anniversary Reunion, Munyonyo-by-Lake-Victoria. Sure the book took long - because it's long and it's long because it'd to be all-inclusive. For people with SAS, you just leave it on the coffee table and look at it now again. visit
www.vivaeastafrica.blogspot.com. No poverty equals ignorance, no support is greater than advice – Amir al Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Ali ibn Abu Talib, 1st Shia Imam.

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Rachael Shigley <drie88@yahoo.com>
To: jamalv@yahoo.com; notinterested@yahoo.com
Sent: Saturday, 5 November 2011, 20:42
Subject: Hey

Hello, my name is Jayne Morris

I am 19 old

I am feeling lonely today, I am searching for someone to keep me company.

Let's get to know each other, I'm online now.

View my profile, sexy pictures and message for you in Attached File

Iraq asphalt octave nickel

Committee liver ronald pond

Hugs and kisses, Jayne Morris.

everywhere you go you take the weather with you

2011-11-04T15:37:00.001+03:00

Kampala, local, Uganda weather and forecast

21 mi from Kampala: Temperature: 68 °F: Comfort Level: 68 °F: Dew point: 64 °F: Barometer: N/A: Humidity: 88%: Wind: 12 mph from 40° Northeast: Last update: Tue 8:00 AM EAT

www.timeanddate.com/weather/uganda/kampala - Cached

The temperature just dropped (11/4/2011 @2.35 pm) from @24.4 to 21.4 degrees C. I said to my designer man where can I buy a heater? He LOLd, meaning no one feels cold in Uganda and no one sells space-heaters. I think I'll try the Muzungu supermarket, but they never feel cold in Africa.

Award to the Aga Khan - watch out the news from Norway anytime now. Imagine him coming to the reunion! ElectriKcity!

2011-11-03T00:25:00.000+03:00

Kampala Area

Vali Jamal
On the award bestowed upon the Aga Khan. I posted a comment.

Citiwire.net » Surprise ‘Global’ Award from Urban Land Institute

citiwire.net

It’s the question that 6,000 developers from around the United States (plus many from around the world) must have been asking last week as they assembled in Los Angeles for the Urban Land Institute’s 75th anniversary celebration. The organization’s highest honor, they heard, was not, as in previous...

Tourismo Uganda

2011-11-02T23:17:00.000+03:00

Vali Jamal
And 19 people say it ain't! Gorillas, Nile source, Lake Vic, Murchison don't a country make.

Lonely Planet Says Uganda is World's Top Tourist Destination

www.care2.com

Despite its LGBT human rights record, Lonely Planet names Uganda as 'world's top tourist destination' for 2012

India suffurias

2011-11-02T23:15:00.000+03:00

Vali Jamal
He said: "Before, when I was coming before the camera I was looking so bulky. Now some people barely recognise me."
He should have said "Before, when I was coming before the camera I was so bulky not even a wide-angle lens could capture whole of me."
Eat less mithai - and walk, don't confine your exercise to filling up your pockets. I think it's all to do with the one-size-fits all shalwar-khameez.
I just love Indian-English.

BBC News - India loses stomach for the pot belly

www.bbc.co.uk

India has long battled with the problem of malnutrition, but with rising incomes, and changing diets, obesity and diabetes is a growing problem too, particularly among the wealthy.

Anonymous exposed as a Fraud in a new Filum

2011-10-30T14:55:00.002+03:00

Already at a theatre near you. With a cast of lakhs. Watch as Our Hero does word2word combat with a Low-birther from Bakuli, Kampala, Uganda, who goes around signing himself as BA Cantab PhD Stanford Snr Economist ILO, and espouses at every opportunity the cause of the Simple Colonial Dress aka Toonka Farak. Watch as he overcomes hordes of Ismailis throwing uncooked (and illiterate)trifles at him taunting jeering

"Only family in Kololo in 1961?"

"Only member of the Wazungu Kalub?"

"Winchester Cathedral?"

"Small grocer in Kisementi, eh?"

Our Hero shouts "No, no, no, I never said that, you twist my words, forsooth" but the froth has come on his mouth and he can't carry on for a while. After drinking some soda, he tries to raise a claque among nonIsmaili Muslims – Bohras, Ithnasheris, Sunnis: "He has an Ismaili agenda, join me."

At the climax Our Hero marches into the greens of the Speke Resort at Munyonyo by Lake Victoria. The Claque have deserted him from every Asian community. He utters a blood-curdling cry: "I am Anonymous, the Master of your own Blog. Confess to all you have no Book written and your Degrees are fake. (on the megaphone into the mass-packed marquee) My Asian brothers and sisters, he's a fake, his degrees are bogus, he never wrote a book. Most of all he's a Bakuli Boy, how can you listen to him?" The security staff at Speke Resort do the necessary. The author in the marquee raises one satisfied eye towards the green and continues with the proceedings. He's holding up an enormous book. His wrists give way.
(Music) Sympathy for the Devil - Rolling Stones

Shahkaram big-game hunter, c. 1950.

2011-10-29T00:41:00.000+03:00

Top story

Kampala Area

Vali Jamal
This is the famous big-game hunter Shahkaram, a Baluch. The picture was sent to me by Mohamed Ismail, Baluch, Mombasa. I hope to get a short write-up about him to go with the picture that goes in the Baluch section in my book.

Wall Photos

Hey weight-challenged Facebook frends...

2011-10-28T23:47:00.001+03:00

RECENT STORIES

Kampala Area

Vali Jamal
What's on my mind? Stats about obesity in USA. %age overweight: 1961 43%; 1991 54%; 2007 74%, of whom 1/3 obese. Obese (BMI >30); 1975 14%; 2000 29%; 2008 40%.
It's the people - habits, genes and all - right? No, it's the obesity-industrial complex where they keep addicting you to fat foods.
Hey, pass the Dorritos, will ya? Wot, you finish 'em - like in ate 'em all? You, you, fat slob. OK, pop me an enchillada in the micro while I go and pee.

Suppose we did stats of overweight (weight:height) of our women over the generations:

1G: 0% - too poor still

2G: 33% - servants and slow-food
3G (that's us): 20% - fashion-able and all that
3G in the diaspora: 25% - too many samosas and other fast-foods. Goes to gym regularly, but kooro kara, gatnoj nai.

4G: 10% - we like slim. 2% are even anorexic.