Inactivity

I must beg pardon for my inactivity on this blog for almost 8 months. I have been posting regularly on Facebook, and keeping in touch with friends and relatives.

It was my 70th birthday this year. Jacob threw me a surprise party, which was such a wonderful occasion attended by many friends.

I was also able to take part in the reception to meet the Indian President His Excellency Pranab Mukherje  and his daughter, Sharmistha. 

83er Sharmistha is a Stephanian, like 63er Jacob, about 20 years his junior. She passed out in 1983, having done History. They are Facebook friends. She is an very competent Indian dancer. She has shared a few of her performances which she has choreographed herself.

She has just informed the public that she is going stand for the Delhi Assembly from Greater Kailash and wants suggestions how SHE can make a difference the lives of Indian women. She is practical and not building castles in the air. She wants suggestions on what she can do, and not things like bringing legislations,etc.

I do hope she will get elected, as she seems to know her priorities and may not be a chamcha to the Nehru-Gandhi family! 

Delhi is given the honour being called the most polluted city in the world. I can vouch for that. I hope she can do something to save this city, which is choking itself!

If Jacob and my reading is right, Sharmistha has the character and personality to become the next head the Indian Congress party, a fitting tribute to the work of her father! 

With young dedicated and competent leaders, the Congress party could rebuild itself after getting rid of people like the 7 Stephanians (68er Kapil Sibal, 72er Ashwini Kumar, 73er Salman Kurshid, 74er R. P.N. Singh, 76er Shashi Tharoor, 90er Joyti Scindia and 97er Sachin Pilot) who sat in the previous Manmohan Singh Government as YES men to Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi. They are the ones who have brought St.Stephen's College to disrepute, filling shoes they did not have the competence to fit!

In comparison, I have only Dr. Verghese Kurian of Anand and Amul fame, who used to do something and then tell indira Gandhi, the autocrat, what he had done. He knew going for approvals was a waste of time and money. The White Revolution was the result of his dedicated work starting at the grassroots level in Gujarat

It was nice to see the the day we flew from Delhi to Hyderabad, it was named as National Milk Day as tribute to Dr. Kurian, known to us a Jollychayan, who was married to Mollykochamma!

Jacob and Annikki standing behind Sharmistha at the Helsinki reception for Indian President His Excellency Pranab Mukerjee. Also seen are Indian Ambassador to Finland, His Excellency Ashok Kumar Sharma and Finnish Foreign Minister, Erkki Tuomioja.

I have been quite active otherwise. We have had the grandchildren,Samu, Daniel and Maria over for summer and Joanna, our younger daughter, brought the three of them also for Christmas.

We had a disastrous trip to India in November and December. Jacob and I are documenting it on our new web site, http://www.findians.com. The new book is being serialised on Jacob's Blog as "The Titanic called India". I did see the Taj Mahal and witness the making of the decorated inlaid marble. And I lived on the edge of a jungle just on the outskirts of Mumbai!

Several have asked why we callled it that, when the Indian greatness is being shouted by the Indian Ministers.

Believe it or not, Indians were flying around the planets many thousands of years ago, but sadly, today, they do not know how to design a simple road and pavement in India. Take a person in a wheelchair anywhere on a street in India, and you will know what we mean.

Maybe the Indian knowledge went along with those who designed those amazing flying machines! :-)

I have designed a few cakes, the last one being based on my discovery of the Agra Petha, a delicious Indian sweet made from Pumpkin. Granddaughter Maria I used it to decorate Joanna's mango Petha birthday cake a few days ago.

I have been crocheting in my spacetime. Jacob complains that I am cutting up his lungis. These lungis are over 25 years old and fall apart the minute you touch them. Does well as colourful crocheting material when I tear them to shreds! This was a my latest piece, a butterfly, but I have been making lots of cylindrical baskets to keep the various papers that Jacob keeps lying around as well his many spectacles which he keeps misplacing! (Earlier I had used Haldiram's Soan Papdi as cake decoration, and it was also a great material!)

Jacob wants me to sell them so he can afford to buy 110 count lungis from his old friend from Madurai, Mohammed Abubacker, the Chank brand lungis. I wonder if the Chank brand exists today as Jacob is talking about 1975!

We received news a few days ago of the passing of another family member, journalist B. G. Verghese.  He and his wife, Jamila were Stephanians, like Jacob, but about10 years senior to him.

I used to enjoy the writings of Bublichayan, as he is known in the family, as they were sharp and incisive!

There are many people that need to be thanked for the help and generosity in looking after us in India. Surya and Devi (Hyderabad), Raghu and Gayathri (Bangalore), Rajen and Prema, Chacko and Ammu (Kottayam), Bina (Cochin), Malathi, Amal. Joseph and Sam (Mumbai). Other names will be thanked by Jacob who kept a meticulous record of the trip!

You will also soon find this blog on our new web portal, http://www.findians.in. Hope you enjoy the re-emergence!:-)

Finnish TV interview about Me!

I am pleased to give you two links to a TV interview by Helena Lehtimäki of Laureus University of Applied Sciences, Espoo, about me. I really enjoyed myself! It was aired in a new TV station called CaringTV which is to motivate us older folk to do creative things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEwPv_6U0X8&feature=youtu.be

http://youtu.be/yEwPv_6U0X8

Helena and her team have gone a great job. Thank you Helena.

Correspondence Course Tutorials 4 A and 4 B

With this tutorial we are moving into areas which are important from the parents point of view of how they react to the development of the child.

You can find this tutorial at Scribd.com.

MMCC Assignment Correspondence Course Tutorials 4 A and 4 B

Finally completed and uploaded

An effort of almost 2+ years to update our 1994 best-seller has now been completed and uploaded as an eBook on Scribd.com (eBook Handbook for Survival in Finland).

Handbook for Survival in Finland by Annikki Matthan

The book is meant for foreign students coming or in Finland, out-source engineers, those foreigners living in Finland and also tourists coming to Finland.

The Survival System developed by us can help you live a comfortable life in Finland at a reasonable cost. 

It is not only the front and back cover that has been changed. The entire book has been re-written and the full advantage of an eBook with hundreds of useful links have been introduced which will take you to all the important pages about Finland which we used in doing our research. It covers almost every aspect of this wonderful and beautiful country! But it also thells you of the many hundreds of pitfalls that you will encounter when you live here.

Our original Guarantee goes with the new eBook that if you do not recover the cost of the book after using our system for 1 month, we will refund you the cost of the book.

Thank you for the patience, but it was a really hard task to do this!

Comments welcome so that we can quickly correct any errors.

Which 2 books should be on your bookshelf?

Together with late Dr. Benjamin Spock's book on "Baby and Child Care", my latest publication "Raising a Child the Montessori Way" is my most important work to help build the next generation. 

I was a mother at the age of 23, alone with my husband. No parents to help us in the middle of nowhere in a remote English Village! 

I raised our four children in England, India and Finland using my own method - which is similar to what Maria Montessori has expounded in her theory "The Child is the Father of Man."

I have blended the work of educationist Maria Montessori and that of spiritualist Ellen G. White (author of "The Great Controversy") to produce a masterpiece which gives a detailed account of how to bring up a child from the prenatal stage till the age of 6 years. 

I also tackle the problems that would be encountered when a new sibling arrives in a household. 

The roles of parents and the Community are essential to raise a child of the future. Living in a strange and distant country makes it even more important to develop the important skills as the local language while keeping your mother tongue also strong.

I tell you on reality being the essence of child upbringing rather than fantasy. Building blocks are far more important than Computer Games! 

You have to create the strong foundation in your child. That is your child's healthy future at stake.

I explain how you do just that.

The basic philosophy is that the Child is the Father of Man. 

Below is a picture of granddaughter Maria, aged 5 making her own cake in my kitchen, and thoroughly enjoying the experience. rather than playing games on computers. 

Such experiences are what children want and need.

You can forget toys which keep the attention span of children for a few hours or days and spend doing with them as a parent or grandparent what the child wants to do and enjoys - doing work to become a better individual.

This is an eBook which you cannot afford to miss!

Raising a Child the Montessori Way

This work is based on the intensive study I completed as Correspondence Course Tutorials. My Tutorial Guides are available online eBooks, also through Scribd.com.

The Finnish lies continue!

Recently we saw that a Viking Line ship M/S Amorella drove up against a rock and was run aground!

If one reads the stories on internet, it appears that the company did not learn its lesson of 38 years ago and continue to promote lies, as they did then!

Many people ask why Jacob and I do not ever travel on Viking Line.

Driving ships aground appears to be part of the tradition of the Viking line.

I will describe our experience on 15th August 1975.

We had come to Finland for a holiday in July 1975. We were scheduled to spend about a month in Finland. However, Indira Gandhi declared emergency in India. Some close friends of Jacob's, who were in the Indian Administration Service in New Delhi, sent Jacob messages not to immediately return to India as there were some problems related to my stay in India. (We returned in November instead of August as originally planned!

Luckily, as we were staying with my parents, there was not too much extra cost to carry on living in Finland. However, we were short of money.

As we had been living in England, I had left some money with my friends in England and our Barclays Bank was still active as I was not bound by Indian rules to close our bank accounts when we returned to India.

However, as there was no Barclays Bank in Finland, the only way was to go to Copenhagen in Denmark and draw the money from the branch there.

My brother, Eino, agreed to drive us there. We set off to Helsinki. We left or two daughters, Susanna (8) and Joanna (4) with my sister, Anneli, and her friends, while Jacob, Jaakko (7) and Mika (2) and me drove to Naantali on Western Finland to take the car on a ferry to Kapellskär in Sweden.

The reason we chose this route was it was the shortest and cheapest to do the crossing to Sweden. (It still is!!)

Official picture of M/S Viking 1

Career Name: Viking 1 
 Operator: Viking Line (1970–1982) 
 Route: Naantali — Mariehamn — Kapellskär 
 Builder: Meyer Werft, Papenburg, West Germany 
 Acquired: 19 August 1970 
 Identification: IMO number: 7018599 Fate: 
 Scrapped, October 2002 
 General characteristics 
 Tonnage: 4,239 GRT 
 Length: 108.68 m (356 ft 7 in) 
 Beam: 17.24 m (56 ft 7 in) 
 Ice class: 1 A 
 Propulsion: 5,965 kW (7,999 hp) 
 Speed: 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h; 21.3 mph) 
 Capacity: 1,200 passengers and 260 vehicles







We left Naantali on the M/S Viking 1 in the evening. We had a great buffet meal on the boat. We then settled the children in the bunks in the cabin and we went to the nearby cafe to enjoy an evening drink.

While we were relaxing, Annikki's brother commented that this was the best part of our trip.

Then suddenly there was a churning sound and all the curtains in the room started to shudder as the ship shuddered violently. Jacob commented that we had probably hit some rough weather, but one look out of the window showed it was a very calm sea. I knew that the propellers were churning backwards.

I ran to the cabin when the ship hit rock and it was obvious we were running aground.

Viking 1 (In Finnish. From Wikipedia)Rederiaktiebolaget Sallyn omistaman aluksen kotisatama oli Maarianhamina ja tunnuskirjaimet OGXO. Se liikennöi Suomen lipun alla.Viking 1 oli tulossa Naantalista Kapellskärin lauttasatamaan aamulla 21. marraskuuta 1971, kun ankara lumimyräkkä ja myrskytuuli painoi aluksen lujasti karille. Päällystö kuulutti jo lähestyessään satamaa, että laivan on vaikea päästä laituriin. Aluksella olleet 851 matkustajaa odottelivat kahvilassa , että veneet ehtisivät kuljettaa heidät maihin. Viking 1, jossa oli myös 10 yhdistelmäajoneuvoa ja 77 henkilöautoa, ei saanut karilleajossa vuotoja. Hinaaja avusti aluksen irti karilta ja alus siirtyi telakalle Tukholmaan tutkituttamaan vaurioitaan. Vuotojen ja koneiston siirtymisen vuoksi alus joutui olemaan poissa vilkkaasta joulunalusliikenteestä pari viikkoa.
Elokuun 15. päivänä vuonna 1975 Viking 1 ajoi Nauvon pohjoispuolella päin Järvisaarta. Väylä tekee paikalla lähes 90 asteen käännöksen, mutta alus jatkoi kulkuaan suoraan nousten saaren rantakalliolle. Potkurit ehdittiin kuitenkin kääntää ennen saarta jarrutusasentoon, joten vauhti hidastui ja vauriot jäivät vähäisiksi. Satamahinaaja Naantali ehti pian paikalle ja sai aluksen irti savisesta pohjasta yhdellä nykäyksellä. Alus pääsi omin avuin jatkamaan matkaansa Kapellskäriin, joten 407 matkustajan matka viivästyi vain 7 tuntia.

A look out of the window showed we were sitting atop an island with trees just outside of the window.

The crew was in chaos, while the passengers were even more in panic.

Jacob and I kept our nerve, collected the children, put on some clothes and went to the deck to survey the situation.

Slowly order was being restored. We knew we could jump off the ship too dry land!

The ship was supposed to do a 90 degree turn at that point and the person at the helm had forgotten this and driven the ship straight up into the island called "Järvi Saari" (Lake Island).

Now started the damage control by the captain and crew. They said that the matter was under control and they were organising for divers to inspect the bottom of the ship to assess the damage. They said that the tug boat to pull us off the ship would arrive and they would keep us informed.

I went back to the cabin with the children while Jacob stayed on deck to keep watch on things.

At about 7 in the morning, Jacob noted many crew members being herded into the dining room where they were served breakfast. Just at that time the helicopter arrived with the journalists. The passengers were kept well away from the journalists while a set up scene of the crew meeting the journalists as passengers was  organised.

The helicopter went away with their false story.

By that time 2 tugs arrived and attached the tug lines to the ship. As they pulled to try to pull the ship back into the water, one tug line snapped making the ship lurch violently. It could have well turned on its side!

They attached another tow line and the experienced tug captains this time very carefully got the ship off the island.

By the time we reached Kapellskär it was late on Friday afternoon, a delay of several hours.

We had to drive right across Sweden to Copenhagen taking the boat ferry from Helsingborg. We slept on the roadside under and in the car and we reached Copenhagen on saturday morning.

This was a wasted trip as banks were not open in Copenhagen on Saturday. We went to the parents of Jacob's friend, Viney Sethi, who was married to a Danish girl. They were very kind and gave us a hearty late breakfast and the we had to drive back all across Sweden to reach Kapellskär as we had to cross on the ferry back to Finland.

We found a different boat but the crew was the same as had brought us over - which was rather disconcerting.

The trip back was without event. We reached Helsinki, picked up the girls and drove back to Oulu.

Jacob wrote an article "Vikings invade Järvi Saari" and sent it off to the ship owners explaining the issues and our losses. They were extremely angry to get this letter as they were trying to cover up the incident as a mechanical failure.

This could have never been, as at 10 at night in summer, it was bright sunshine, so it was obvious the guy at the helm had lost concentration or gone to sleep! The captain was in the dining room just at that time as we saw him when we were finishing our dinner!

The Finnish version from Wikipedia shows that even 38 years on, there is the continuation of the lie - but they forgot that there were some witnesses - Jacob and I being among them!

Details of the Bangalore earthquake in 1984! Natural or intervention from above?

You can make your own decision whether this earthquake was a natural phenomena or whether there was intervention by a higher being!

There is a web site, Amateur Sesmic Centre,  which lists all the major earthquakes in Karnataka and Goa, with their listing starting in August 1507. they are not very frequent.

This was the listing for March 1984:

20 March 1984 - Denkanikota area, Karnataka, Ms 4.6 (1).
12.550 N, 77.770 E, OT=10:45:22 UTC (2)
Felt (14) in southern Karnataka at Bangalore and Mysore and in Tamil Nadu at Krishnagiri. Intensity VI (15) was observed at Kelamangalam and Kowthalam in Karnataka. Cracks were seen in plaster and utensils were overturned at these places. A section of a mud wall also collapsed and a 2-metre tall papaya tree was uprooted (14).12.550 N, 77.770 E, OT=10:45:22 UTC (2)Felt (14) in southern Karnataka at Bangalore and Mysore and in Tamil Nadu at Krishnagiri. Intensity VI (15) was observed at Kelamangalam and Kowthalam in Karnataka. Cracks were seen in plaster and utensils were overturned at these places. A section of a mud wall also collapsed and a 2-metre tall papaya tree was uprooted (14).

When you read "...for the hour of His judgement is come:...", you will see how circumstances caused me to receive my freedom from the corrupt judicial system in Karnataka!

Here is the Preface to the book written by me!

When I went to live in India in 1969, I had expected my life to be full and rich in content. I entered a strange and wonderful world. I knew that I had entered a world previously unknown to me, a world which was a blend of ancient history, customs, cultures, languages, religions and people with a touch of each bygone era existing together with the development and infiltration of the modern age. I enjoyed unravelling some of its past in trying to understand better its present. The country's past and present, its nature and people were full of surprises, both big and small. Each day was for me an adventure of discoveries, from the smallest insects to the big mysteries of life, the reasons for existence and the meaning of life.

I wanted to know the ways in which Indian society functions. I had not intended or expected to have any close encounters with its legal system, but that was in store for me, and I faced it. Along with the daily discoveries of life in India, I made my biggest and most important discovery: Life in Jesus Christ. I came face to face with my God and Saviour who freed me in a breathtaking manner during the final moments of my court appearance. He declared me not guilty.

On returning to Finland many people have asked me why we left India. After hearing some of the incidents, several people asked me to write about them. There are also many close friends and family members in India who do not know all the facts. Many did not hear of my final appearance in the court room and its outcome. The reason for writing this is to narrate, as clearly as possible, all the main events as they occurred.
The legal case was complex. Few people know little of the legalities of what it means to be a foreigner in India, or for that matter in any part of the world. The spiritual side of this episode could perhaps be even less understood without the exact account of the events and how they were relevant against the Biblical background. A struggle is going on, unseen in this world, between the forces of good and evil. For God, it is to free man from all bondage and slavery. For the devil, it is how to enslave and capture man without him having the least suspicion.

The intention of this book is not as a theological reference to the pages of the Holy Bible to persuade anyone to believe in, or an attempt to prove the existence of a distant, uninvolved God unaffected by the events in the lives of people. It is, however, my sincere attempt to prove the love and power of the living God of the Holy Bible, who is involved and interested in the lives of individuals, whoever and wherever they may be. The pages that follow are intended as an encouragement for people in situations that may appear humanly impossible to show how help can come in the most unexpected ways. It is also to show that when you take even the first feeble step towards God, He comes all the way towards you and remains faithfully with you in all your life experiences.
This book is not intended to be of theological or literary merit. It is the true life story of a mother of four young children living an ordinary life and the extraordinary circumstances which caused great changes to happen to the family. It is a story of how the presence of forces of good and evil touched them in a tangible way, where the presence of God was felt concretely in the events that took place in an unusual, awesome manner and caused her to accept God personally and His guidance in her life and that of her family.

Looking back to the time I was fighting my case against the police and the government and facing uncertainties as to the outcome, I remember a discussion with my family while we were living in Sommanahalli (Mandya District) village in the beautiful, tranquil Indian countryside. I was airing my feelings after one of our trips to a court hearing in Bangalore. I said that when this incident was over I would write a book. After my case came to such an incredible ending, I had all the more reason to put down the unusual twists and turns of events which led to those final extraordinary moments. This has been the time for it, nine years on.

I look forward to the release of this web version which was voted by you, the reader, to be the first of our books to be published on the World Wide Web to reach the widest possible world audience as part of our committment to spread the Word of God and his fantastic deeds and as a thanks to him for having kept us safe from evil all through these years.

Rauha Annikki Matthan Oulu, Finland.

He tested me in several ways. Our elder son was bitten by a deadly snake, the krait, far from civilisation, where there was no doctor or anti-venom, and he survived! 

In my greatest hour of need, He was always with me. He was my strength!

Can I ever repay Him?

  After all the legal obstacles were removed and I was free to go, Jacob had to wind up his work and business and be ready to travel. Although I was very happy to get back my passports and was now able to travel anywhere, I was very sad to leave my home and life in India. If I could have reversed those two things I would have. Everything would have been perfect. But I accepted the situation and knew we had committed ourselves too far to change anything. I trusted that there was a purpose and a meaning for us to start our lives somewhere else. It was not for us to know then, but time would reveal His will and it has.

"I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation." Psalm 118:21

The purpose of our move to Finland will be revealed in future blog entries, so do come back to read my continuing "love Story"!

Hope you enjoy my book! Indian, Finn, Christian, or one of any religion, you will see the importance of trusting implicitly in your Maker!

Does it need an earthquake to get justice in the Indian System?

I talk of a Love Story and I am trying to give you different aspects to this picture of this Love. 

Husband, children, grandchildren, parents. siblings, in-laws, friends, relatives, those who worked with you, and one more, above all!

In this list I must also include the undying Love of my Maker for ME!

When I was arrested and prosecuted by the corrupt justice system in Bangalore in the 1970s, I went through sheer hell for over 4 years. 

I had to present myself week in and week out in the Magistrate's Court in Bangalore to be humiliated.

But I never lost my faith in my Maker.

It was He who intervened with His full power to get me justice.

This is described in my eBook "...for the hour of His judgement is come:..." which I wrote after I had returned to Finland. It was published on the internet, probably one of ther first books to be published fully on the internet.

You can also reach the book by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

Did it need an earth quake for me to get my freedom? 

The answer is YES!!!

Part 2A: Is this Love Story about just 2 people?

From the inputs I have been getting, it has been assumed that this Love Story was just about 2 people - Jacob and me! That is far from the truth.

This romance is between the many tens of people who showered us with love and affection over the years starting with Jacob's late mother, Mariam Matthan (known to us as "Ammachi" - which means "Mother" in Malayalam).

The late K. C. Mammen Mappillai

Ammachi was the only daughter of the Doyen of Kerala, Mr. K. C. Mammen Mappillai. He and his wife (Kundjunammama) had 8 sons and one daughter. Out of the eight sons, four of them with a public profile went on to receive the Padma Shri Awards and one the Padma Bhushan as well. 

Is there any family in India who has this record? (Jacob's cousin, Mammen Mathew, son of the late Mr. K. M. Mathew has also received the Padma Shri Award!)

Padma Bhushan K. M. Cherian

The late K. M. Cherian, the eldest, received the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan (1971) Awards. He took over running the Malayala Manorama after the demise of the father in 1953.

Padma Shri K. M. Philip with Mrs. Philip.

Mr. K. M. Philip (now 102 in 2013), who besides being the Father of the Indian Rubber Industry, was also the World Y. M.C.A. President was awarded the Padma Shri  (1993).

The late Mr. K. M. Mathew  Padma Shri in 1998,
with his son Mammen Mathew
who also received the Padma Shri in  2005.

The late Mr. K. M. Mathew, received the Padma Shri in 1998, and ran the Malayala Manorama after the passing of Mr. K. M. Cherian. He turned a small town newspaper into an international communication channel for all Malayalees around the world and created so much out of the institution to build the Manorama Directory, the Balrama for children, the Vanitha for ladies and the Manorama Weekly, plus launch The Week, which today is India's largest English weekly magazine.

The late Mr. K. M. Mammen Mappillai, Padma Shri in 1993.

The late Mr. K. M. Mammen Mappillai who received the Padma Shri in 1993, with his brother, Mr. K. M. Philip, turned a toy balloon factory into India's largest tyre company, MRF Ltd.

Ammachi when she graduated from
Women's Christian College, Madras in 1934

All eight brother's revered their sister, Ammachi, and she held them together to build the MM Empire. Without her daily chats sitting in her home in Bangalore, the entire family would have gone in different ways. Whenever there was a disagreement, they would be on the phone to her, and in her quiet manner, she would bring them around to a common viewpoint.

It was not unusual to see her brothers arrive at her home in Bangalore to stay for a day or two to work off their steam!

Ammachi opposed my marriage to Jacob and after Jacob's father failed in his mission to stop the wedding, she gave the job to two of her brothers, her eldest, K. M. Cherian and her youngest, K. M. Mammen Mappillai. Both of them were far ahead f their time and only established from Jacob that he was serious and committed to this relationship, and they advised Ammachi to quietly accept Jacob's decision.

Till the day we got married, she was opposed to the union, but within minutes of the wedding, she publicly declared - "What God hath put together, let no man put asunder", and from that day I was closer to her than her own daughter.

She was there at Bombay harbour to meet us when we landed in September 1969 and she whisked the two children and me way to her home to ensure that from that moment we were looked after in a way that I can never forget. Her love was unconditional to our children and to me.

When we moved to Bangalore in 1975, I decided to make something unique for her. I toiled for 7 months to produce a masterpiece art piece, "The Zebras" and this hung in her living room as the centrepiece till the day she died.

Zebras, a textile art piece made by me
for my mother-in-law in 1976.

On her passing away in 2000, the art work was returned to me and now is the centrepiece in our living room.

Till her very last breath she showed her love and affection for our entire family despite many attempts to break that bond by jealous family members. 

I have written here about the Kandathil family to which my mother belonged. I must tell you about the Maliyakal family to which Jacob's father belonged  It was equally distinguished!

Yes, this Love Story covers many many people. In future blog entries I will tell you about other wonderful people who have been part of my life in England, India and Finland!

Continuation of the Love Story! Part 2

I am so happy that many of you enjoyed the first part of this Love Story. These parts are not excerpts but a shortened version of our eBook to be released soon: "The Life and Loves of the Findians" (Title not yet finalised! Suggestions welcome.)

The second part of our life revolved around the time we spent in India (1969 to 1984).

Landing in Bombay in September 1969 was not a wise decision as it was humid and hot. And we landed into an Indian wedding where all the families of Jacob were present and meeting over 300 to 400 people who are all like his brother's and sisters was a very tough experience.

But the food was special and with abandon I took to all the Kerala food organised by Jacob's aunt, the late Mrs. K. M. Mathew, including the super spiced fish curry. Mrs. Mathew (known to me as Annammakochamma) became my very good fiend as she was just as crazy as me!!

I paid the penalty for my indulgence as I had to be rushed to hospital and it took me about 2 years to recover from my lack of vision. But, I loved the food and slowly but steadily I got used to the spices.

During the next seven years we stayed first in the centre of Madras and then on the outskirts, in a mango grove in Guindy in Defence Officers Colony, and then moved to a palatial house with a large garden at the top end of Velacheri Road, near the Saidapet Bridge.

It was an amazing life. I learnt the spoken colloquial Tamil as we had so many people working in the household (cook, gardener, driver, children's nanny, cleaning staff, night watchman) who only spoke this language. It was relatively easy as I found much similarity between Finnish and Tamil. (This formed the basis of our chapter in our 1994 best seller, now available as an eBook,  "Handbook for Survival in Finland" which says that spoken Finnish is not a difficult language!)

We had a few Scandinavians in Madras. The most prominent was Stina Vasu who was married to T. T. Vasu, the son of former Indian Finance Minister, T. T. Krishnamachri. She used to orgnse the Lucia party, in Swedish tradition, every year in December. We got a chance to meet all the other Scandinavians - from Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. 

Lucia Party in Madras, Stina, Susanna, Jaajoo, Joanna and me, 1972

For the most part I was the only Finn, and the picture above was taken in 1972 when we had three children, Susanna, Jaakko and little Joanna! Stina is the person in the background in this picture of me with our children!

The family at Velcheri Road, Madras in 1975

In 1975, the late Mathew Varghese, who was married to  Finn and living in Helsinki, came to Madras to do an article about our family, which was published in a Helsinki magazine, Koti Liesi. The photograph above shows our family sitting on the steps of our Velacheri Road house, with our golden labrador, Ruby.

1998 Award Winning Ginger Bread Village Church

It was here I started my Ginger Bread House creations which is described in detail in our book "Edible Art", including the first catastrophe, published as an eBook in Novmber 2013.

Detail of a lake in a mountain with a hidden water stream
flowing into the lake (from the eBook Edible Art)

 From Chennai, as Jacob's parent retired from Bombay and returned to Bangalore, I moved with my family to Jacob's original home town. I preferred the warmth of Madras along with the sea breeze which arrived every afternoon without fail by 3 pm.

Matthan family in Bangalore in 1976

The picture above shows the Kuriyan Matthan family in 1976 in front of their Basavangudi House on Market Road.

Bangalore was also very nice except that corruption was very rampant at all levels. It was from this house I was arrested. 

1993 eBook "...for the hour of His judgement is come:..."

This resulted in a complicated situation and prosecution which is described in my sensational best seller thriller book and also an eBook, " :...for the hour of His judgement is come:..." which I wrote in 1993 when I was in Finland. This episode also resulted in my finding my faith.

This book has helped many people who were caught in the same situation. The last was a young student from Bangladesh who was arrested a few years ago inBangalore!

But all good things must come to an end, so when we were required to move to Finland, it was fate definitely calling us.

That is the third part of this Love Story.

A 50 Year Love Story? Part 1!

After people meet Jacob and me, and get to know us a little, one of the first questions they ask is how and where we met.

In Sweden in 1963

In this blog post I hope to give you an account of part of our 50 Year Love Story, which in real life has been even more exciting that "The Titanic" and the major difference is that it is not fiction.

Finland was decimated during the war and right through the 1950s life here was very hard. My sister Aino and I left for Sweden in search of jobs.

We were working at a Hospiz in Hultafors in Sweden when a friend told me that it was better to study nursing in London. So my sister and I set off for London. To join nursing I had to study English so we both took jobs as au pairs with English families to study the language.

I first met Jacob in December 1963. We liked each other and fell in love. I used to attend English and Art evening classes during the week as I worked as an au pair in Streatham, London with the Weston family who had one daughter. It was easy work and I had plenty of time to study the language. And as Jacob spoke excellent English, this was one added advantage of being his girl friend!

Jacob and I used to meet on Saturdays and go to a movie or a restaurant. We would take the last bus back from West Hampstead to Streatham, a journey of about 40 minutes. He would say goodbye to me and then as there were no more buses and he was a student with not much money, he would walk back to his home, almost 15 km away, reaching home well after 3 or 4 am!

As four friends were staying in this house, I used to clean the house during my Saturday visits. I also cooked for them occasionally, Finnish meat balls! I was considered part of their family.

In June 1964 Jacob went with his friends to St. Tropez in France. He gave me permission to stay in his apartment. I was planning to move to Germany as an au pair in Dusseldorf and had left my job in Streatham.

7 Woodchurch Road, West Hampstead, London
by Annikki Matthan, 1964

This painting was done in the summer of June 1964 when I was living in 7 Woodchurch Road, and it has been a symbol of our love which is now almost 50 years.

I returned to England in 1966 to be reunited with Jacob, after my stay in Germany and then my return to Finland. I worked at the Marie Curie Hospiz in Hampstead in London till Jacob graduated in June 1966.

Shrewsbury Wedding

Then we moved to Shrewsbury, a lovely town in Shropshire, and got married.

Jacob was working in a research centre in Shawbury, a small village near Shrewsbury. The company gave him a semi-detached cottage where we lived with our two children, Susanna and Jaakko, who were born during that time in England.

In 1969, Jacob returned to India with us. We travelled, by sea around the Cape, as the Suez was closed,  to start our life in India.

But that is another episode of our Love Story for another time.

What could drive you to create a masterpiece?

Many of you have written to me to ask how I get the inspiration to create the cake or interior decor designs, my garden designs or my paintings.

What drives me is the mood of the moment.

I see something or someone. What the meeting conveys may drive me to create my next piece.

Old Bulbs made by me into interior decor objects.
Aluminium film created into leaves.

As I have grown older, I have moved from the traditional media to new forms of art expression. Turning old bulbs into fruit and old aluminium sheet or candle canisters into roses or leaves are some examples of my new media! That has given me much joy.

In the late 1980's I was still in my chalk drawing phase.

Painting of an island in Finland from original photo
published in the local newspaper, Kaleva.

I came across a beautiful photograph in black and white in our local newspaper, Kaleva. I was immediately drawn to the photograph. I wanted to create a chalk drawing of it.

My drawing turned out to be better (in my opinion) than the original.

I wish I could track the original as it appeared in the Kaleva as it would give you some idea of how the thought processes work to inspire one to do a painting.

Many times, while driving from here to Helsinki, I have seen such amazing sceneries as we drive across the lakes and through the forests. But, I have never had the time to either photograph these, let alone sketch them, as my dear husband, Jacob, is always in a hurry to reach the end of the journey!

Maybe one day when we grow older :-), he may slow down and give me the opportunity to capture some of this scenery as we drive through this fantastically beautiful country! Scenery changes with the seasons giving thousands of opportunities!

Even in a city like Oulu, during summer and autumn, we go to the Nallikari Beach to have a pizza, sitting on the steps of the disused restaurant building, and we have captured some amazing sunset photographs.

Photo: 2010, Oulu Nallikari Sunset

To my mind, as I love photographs and painting, for me painting is definitely more exciting than a photograph as it brings in the artists feeling and depth which is not there in a photograph.

To capture a good photograph takes me many minutes as I approach the object from different angles. In the old days, Jacob used to complain as I would have to take many tens of shots with the film camera to get the right one. Now-a-days I can take as many as I like with my digital camera and knockout those I do not like.

In short, we have another dimension in a painting - the artist and his strokes of the chalk crayon!

I am now putting together my paintings to follow the first two ebooks "Edible Art" and "Nelson Mandela Birthday Cakes", both of which have received bouquets from so many of you.

Please let me know whether you prefer photographs to paintings!

How would you like to remember Nelson Mandela (Madiba)?

Those of you who have been watching the news yesterday must have been surprised how South Africans celebrated the passing of Madiba. 

It was full of song and music as they sent him triumphantly on to his after life.

Annikki and Jacob wanted to add to that by producing a book of the happiest moments of Nelson Mandela's life as he celebrated each birthday with cakes and cakes. 

Madiba had a sweet tooth and enjoyed all the cakes that were made for him.

You can find our compilation of almost all the cakes made for his birthday from the age of 72 to 95!

CAKES THAT CELEBRATE

NELSON MANDELA

75th birthday Cake of Nelson Mandela

Compiled by Annikki & Jacob Matthan

May Madiba rest in peace.