With Wendy Robbins On Westminster Bridge, Guessing 26 September 1979

While rummaging for something completely different…

…like, totally different…

…I came a cross this lone, stray photograph:

Me And Wendy Robbins On Westminster Bridge

There am I in my Alleyn’s School three-piece suit, which played an unlikely part in a subplot to a Manchester visit, probably a few months later, in which Mark Lewis and family mistook me for a toff:

A Weekend In Manchester Straight From School, 7 to 9 March 1980

So when might this photo have been taken and how did I end up with this single, stray picture?

Well, I cannot be 100% sure, but that particular suit limited my diary search to term-time, midweek evenings in my final year of school…

…I didn’t get too far into my search when I found the following:

Wednesday 26 September 1979 – went to Hillel in afternoon. Met Wendy. Showed Stuart (USA) around London in eve.

I’m not too sure who Stuart (USA) might have been, but I’ll guess he was a visiting dignitary from the BBYO International Executive or one of the big American District Executives.

I’ll also guess that Stuart had a camera with a flash and colour film in it – plus the kindness and decency to send us a photograph in the aftermath of our hospitality/informal evening tour.

I remember precious little about the evening. Perhaps Wendy remembers it clearly. Perhaps Stuart remembers it, but he might take some serious tracking down.

Wendy and I look a rather dapper pair on that occasion, I have to say. Indeed, in my case this might be the sole piece of photographic evidence I have from my teenage years that I could, on occasion, scrub up quite well…

…at least I could with the help of my Alleyn’s School uniform.

A Letter From Mauritius, Beena Mohonee, 19 September 1979

Subsequent to my visit to Mauritius in July & August 1979 to visit the Biltoo family, now documented at length on Ogblog…

…I received several letters from the good people I met there. My transcriptions of these letters received might dabble a little with the grammar and spelling but are largely verbatim transcriptions.

This one is from Beena Mohonee (one of Anil Biltoo’s cousins by marriage through Janee Biltoo, Garçon Biltoo’s wife’s family). I am pretty sure she is one of these two young ladies:

One of these two is Beena, I am fairly sure

First my dictated transcription and then a scan of the airmail letter itself.

Dear Ian,

It’s a great pleasure to send you this letter. I do hope that you are enjoying yourself very much as well as your mum and dad.

As far as I am concerned, me and my parents are all well.

Well Ian, I hope that you have well reached England and that you have not forgotten us. Here we are awaiting a letter from you but since now no letter has come. What about you relate me a bit about what you’re doing if you are busy studying.

Ian, here we think of you and Anil very much, and Auntie Janee has got a letter from Anil in which he sends his best regards. Hope that Anil is also well and that he is studying more seriously.

Well Ian what about your pictures which you took in Mauritius?

Those at the seaside and of the party. I would like and I am waiting impatiently to see the photo I long to have seen and to have our photo. Specially those we took together with you and all the family.

Ian please send me the photo on my own address. Well Ian here I’m working as you know I’m studying at the same time. So life is more complicated for me as I have so much to do.

Well, I hope that you will be happy on receiving my letter and I do hope that you will send me a reply as soon as possible. I send you all the best regards of my sister and mum. Please do not forget my picture.

I and here hope to hear from you very soon.

Please send my kind regards to Anil and others.

Bye-bye.

From your unforgettable friend,

Beena

Mauritius, July & August 1979, Overview, Summary and Picture Links

I spent several weeks of the summer of 1979 in Mauritius, with my good school friend Anil Biltoo and his dad, staying with many branches of their interesting family.

I want to write quite a lot about this trip, as it was the most amazing experience for a 16/17 year old youngster. It was hugely formative for me in many ways, not least sparking my lifelong interest in travel and cultures other than my own.

This posting is a quick summary and overview piece, linking to artefacts already available on-line:

M4-30E

All of the letters I wrote home while I was there, which doubled up as my diary/travelogue, have now been scanned, uploaded and transcribed as Ogblog entries. They make fascinating reading for me and I hope are providing interesting reading for others.

The first letter and transcription can be found through this link or below – you can work forward from this one:

First Letter From Mauritius, 16 July 1979

A transcription of my diary entry from the last day – which was a day full of gatherings and parties – can be found here and below – you could work backwards from this one:

Several Farewell Parties, Palmar, Belle Mare & Rose Hill, Mauritius, 17 August 1979

I also want to write up a few additional stories and thoughts with the benefit of hindsight, including some memories that have been triggered by going through these documents relating to matters undocumented in them.

Postscript

I have subsequently (autumn 2019) Ogblogged my journal and recollections from this whole trip, so the above links can get you started on the whole lot, if you wish to read them.

Mauritius, Music During Our Visit July/August 1979

Music in Mauritius is currently described thus in Wikipedia.

While we were there, one might have been forgiven for thinking that sega was the only local style. Wikipedia specifically describes sega thus. Indeed, one might have been forgiven for thinking that Cousin Cousine by Joss Henri was more or less the only record in the charts.

Years later, I recall a very funny sketch by Barry Grossman at NewsRevue about the Tudor charts, the punchline of which was that Greensleeves was the number one for the 2,157th (or some such) week running. That sketch always reminded me of my trip to Mauritius and Cousin Cousine, which had been number one for as long as anyone could remember while when we arrived and was still number one when we left.

Of course, the whole idea of Cousin Cousine was very suitable for Anil, who was basically on a voyage around the island visiting a myriad of cousins (and cousines) he had not met before, so I’m sure that song must conjure up our trip in his mind as well as mine.

I have found this YouTube, which shows some good photos of people dancing the sega to the sound of Cousin Cousine, recorded pretty well.

I did buy three other records as well as Cousin Cousine, all of which can be heard on the soundtrack to the standard 8 movie from our trip to Mauritus, which I put up on YouTube.

Here is an instructional YouTube video on how to do the modern zumba version of the sega dance. Don’t try this on a full stomach.

While here is a UNESCO YouTube explaining the history, look and sound of it all in educational terms, complete with soporific schoolteacher voice to minimise the chance of you watching this video through to the end.

Suffice it to say, we had some fun listening to and dancing sega while we were in Mauritius in 1979.

Remaining Journal From Mauritius, 12 to 17 August 1979

A very brief background to this travel adventure is covered in the overview posting linked here, which contains links to photos and cine.

I wrote letters to mum and dad which doubled as my diary/travelogue. By 10 August, it was clear that I’d arrive home before the letters, so I concluded my journal using scrappy note paper. Here’s a scan of the four pages that remain.

I should point out, to completists in search of my diary entries for 10th and 11th August, that it seems those have got lost. I know that, on 10th August, I did track down the Jewish businessman in Port Louis whom I had sought in vain on 9th. I strongly suspect that my notes for 10th and 11th August were stored with the article I wrote about my 10th August encounter, which, sadly, my mother threw out with other items of my juvenilia which she decided I couldn’t possibly wish to keep. No, I am not over it.

Mauritius Journal Page 12 & 13 August 1979 Mauritius Journal Page 13 & 14 August 1979 Mauritius Journal Page 15 & 16 August 1979 Mauritius Journal Page 17 August 1979

Several Farewell Parties, Palmar, Belle Mare & Rose Hill, Mauritius, 17 August 1979

An overview of my 1979 trip to Mauritius, courtesy of the wonderfully hospitable Biltoo family, can be found by clicking here or below:

Here is an extract from my “Remaining Journal”, which is in effect my diary entry for 17 August 1979 – my last diary entry written during the Mauritius trip.

Friday 17th of August 1979 –

Having stayed at Marraz’s, we went on a grand family picnic at Palmar (and Belle Mare). Had a terrific time there and in the evening we ended up with a sort of improvised party with Janee’s nephews, nieces and cousins. We stayed at Garçon’s last night, with a mind to finishing our shopping in Curepipe with the help the chauffeur.

Even now, with dozens of hotels along that coast, both Palmar and Belle Mare still have public beaches, where lovely people such as the Biltoos and their extended families might well still party, as we did.

This looks like Manjula’s belated birthday party. Whether this is the same as the “impromptu evening party” at the end of our trip or not I cannot be 100% sure, but based on other diary entries mentioning its postponement several times, I think it might well be
Manjula looks as though she has been at her daddy’s bottle of rum, but perhaps she was just tired out from all the excitement of the day.

Elements of the beach party – playing ball games, dancing, eating and generally having a good time – are charmingly recorded on cine film – to be seen towards the end of this video – c8:30 to c11:15

These gatherings/parties at the end of our stay were a highlight among many highlights for me – the culmination of unforgettable and life-forming experiences over five weeks in Mauritius.

Shopping With Ahalia, Then Dinner With The Biltoos And Goolys, 16 August 1979

An overview of my 1979 trip to Mauritius, courtesy of the wonderfully hospitable Biltoo family, can be found by clicking here or below:

Here is an extract from my “Remaining Journal”, which is in effect my diary entry for 16 August 1979.

Thursday 16th of August 1979 –

Went out shopping with Ahalia (bought a tablecloth and one or two gifts). Moved back to Marraz’s about noon, whiled away the afternoon and in the evening we had a dinner party there ( Garçon, Janee and kids, Narrain, Tiffin and most of their kids).

Standing Left To Right: Anil Gooly, Tiffin Gooly, Narrain Gooly…the other five are all Anil Gooly’s siblings

Same as above with Dat Biltoo, Me, Anil Biltoo and the family dog included. Goodness knows who took the picture. I’ll guess Marraz

Curepipe And Moka, Mauritius, 15 August 1979

An overview of my 1979 trip to Mauritius, courtesy of the wonderfully hospitable Biltoo family, can be found by clicking here or below:

Here is an extract from my “Remaining Journal”, which is in effect my diary entry for 15 August 1979.

Wednesday 15th of August 1979 –

Anil and I went shopping in Curepipe this morning, and this afternoon Jan Sooknah took us for a drive to see some beautiful places around Moka which we hadn’t seen.

This evening we went to Dan’s and got back late for a late dinner and now bed.

Perhaps this picture is Floréal or Curepipe or Moka

A Day At Jan Sooknah’s Place In Floréal, 14 August 1979

An overview of my 1979 trip to Mauritius, courtesy of the wonderfully hospitable Biltoo family, can be found by clicking here or below:

Here is an extract from my “Remaining Journal”, which is in effect my diary entry for 14 August 1979.

Tuesday 14th of August 1979 –

At Sooknah’s; did very little during the day, except in the afternoon his brother in law (Dan) and his wife (Sheila) came around. They invited us over for tomorrow. Anil and I were supposed to go to the postponed party today, but it was cancelled at the last minute because of the strikes.

Instead we had another interesting chat (Ahalia is very good at those) and went to bed.

I don’t think I got any pictures of Jan Sooknah and his family. He was a wealthy barrister who lived in Floréal. I don’t think he wanted me to take pictures, otherwise I would have done.

A Day Trip To Grand Baie With Shahil’s Family, 13 August 1979

An overview of my 1979 trip to Mauritius, courtesy of the wonderfully hospitable Biltoo family, can be found by clicking here or below:

Here is an extract from my “Remaining Journal”, which is in effect my diary entry for 13 August 1979.

Monday 13th of August 1979 –

Went early to Shahil’s, but because of bus strike, his father had to shuttle all the workers to work et cetera and so we couldn’t make an early enough start to go to Île aux Cerfs (as planned). Instead we want we instead we went to Grand Baie and other resorts along the north coast.

We returned early to be collected by Jan Sooknah. We went to his place, had dinner there and chatted until quite late.

I’m pretty sure this picture was taken at Grand Baie that day. Left to right: Dat Biltoo, Anil Biltoo, Shahil Soniassy, Nanda Soniassy, then Mr & Mrs Soniassy with Shahil & Nanda’s two younger siblings.