Speedy Virtual Group Gathering

 

Speedy group interview about our Blog

A very warm welcome to all my mates joining me virtually. Please make yourself comfortable and help yourself to a drink and prepare to be transported in your imagination.

Good! Let’s get down to business!

I want to talk about my Blog survey. It was really heartening to receive so many replies.

 

I must start by paying a special tribute to Lucky who as you know started our Blog in March 16^th 2011. This is what Lucky said- “When I started this blog in March 2011, it was primarily meant to be a part of the build-up towards the 50^th Anniversary Reunion”. Over the years he has spent a lot of time and effort maintaining it. It was my special privilege to be asked to introduce some changes which I hope has enhanced it. At the moment, because of health issues such as his post-herpetic neuralgia, he has entrusted me with managing the blog till he is ready to resume.

Lucky: Thanks Speedy. It was my pleasure to start the Blog and I have always valued your help. I do hope your efforts to make it more popular and act as a medium to keep us together will succeed.

Speedy: Thanks Lucky. I hope so too.

And now, let us commence. I do hope that this format would be more interesting. 

Let me start with you Anton. Good evening Anton.

Anton- Hi Speedy. I visit often and find it useful to be in touch after so many years.

Speedy:  Great Anton. We are seeing more and more of you.

Now moving on to my good friend Rajan. Hello Rajan. 

Rajan: Hello speedy. I do open the blog several times per week and do write comments occasionally. I plan to do the same and hopefully write more frequently.

Speedy: And you had a good suggestion Rajan, and that was- “why don't we ask our frequent contributors to contact one or two of our batch mates and walk them through the blog”. Come on guys! Don’t you think it is a great idea? If we cascade and even if one responds, we got one more. 

The next is our keen blogger, Sanath. Over to you Sanath. You are such a busy man and you still find time for us. 

Sanath: Thanks Mahendra. You may be surprised to hear that I visit the blog several times a day, on most days of the week.

Speedy: Not surprised at all. That is what I do too every day of the week. I know you are keen on the blog. 

And now to our poetess and musician, my next guest Zita. 

Zita: Hi Mahendra. I visit the Blog once a week on average but latterly due to ill health, I have had to make it once a month at times. I am very sad when I don't visit the Blog for any reason as it is something very relevant to my life. It is the sort of site that I love to visit online. I cannot understand why anyone would not want to visit the Blog. My message to my friends- hey fellow batch mates! Let us all contribute something as often as possible. Sometimes what happened on a day in your life would be something we'll all like to read about. And this is one medium which has succeeded in connecting us to our memorable medical student days and given us a chance to share things we have done, written, made, oh anything which you want to talk about as I bet it will be interesting to the rest of the gang. And please don't be offended if for some reason it is not published. Lucky and Mahendra take a lot of interest to help us all enjoy the last years of our existence and make it as interesting as possible but not to offend anyone or any organisation. Thanks, all! Aren't we lucky we have the medium of the Blog to make our voice heard?

Speedy: Thanks for your continued and unstinted support Zita. Not just for your comments but for all your contributions over the years. About rejecting a post. I think it is highly unlikely unless it is offensive or blatantly political, two unlikely events with our colleagues. 

I next move to our biggest contributor with immense literary talents, an author like no other- Nihal Douglas Amarasekera, best known simply as “ND”. Hello Nihal. It is so nice to see you and get a chance to seek your views. 

Nihal: Hello Mahen. Thanks for organising this. It is timely and very much appreciated. I access the blog 5-10 times a day. I think the blog is great. Well-structured and managed. Easy to use. Inability to use Safari is a great disadvantage. If password protected we can avoid the intrusions. It is a distraction.

Speedy:  Thanks Nihal. We have looked into password protection. Blogger has no formal password protection buy uses a ploy called permissions. It will undoubtedly make the site more secure and virtually stop unwanted intruders, often with inane comments but the downside is that it will put off many from using it. (see footnote). Another option is to moderate comments which means that the Administrator (Lucky or delegated me) has to see every comment first and authorise or reject. This is a lot of added work for Lucky and is not feasible. About Safari, you can use it to access but not to post comments. 

And next to our cheerful and beautiful ladymate (is there such a word?) who has contributed so much organising Batch Reunions. Hi Swyrie! 

Swyrie: Hi Speedy. Yes I visit the blog maybe about once a month or less. But I agree that we should make it a habit to do it more often. Now that there is all this blog talk I am sure that more and more batch mates will be accessing it. Thanks for all that you and Lucky are doing to keep us in touch. I am looking forward to the next reunion maybe early 2022

Speedy: Thanks Swyrie. I do hope that Covid won’t be a dampener again. It is salutary to reflect that we have lost just over 40 colleagues. 

Turning now to you Kumar, you mentioned how important the Remembrance day is to you. 

Kumar: Thanks for starting this conversation Mahen. If there is a gap of silence it’s usually due to “life having overtaken us. I really value, all that , Lucky, you, ND and many other contributors have done to keep the blog animated .Yes, you are right, if there is one thing I value above all else it is the Remembrance Day which helps us to commemorate, those who have gone before us, but whose memories the blog keeps alive. So please, do not get disheartened, and I will do my mite.

Speedy: Thanks, Kumar. The blog has brought out your literary talents too. 

And now I turn to another beautiful lady, Pram, who has done so much to keep us together. 

Pram: Hi Speedy, you are too kind! I love keeping in touch it is a kind of passion be it school friends, family, Med school friends church friends etc. So the blog that Lucky started was a great help. I do visit is once or twice a month. I love our zoom meetings very much which you and Patas started I am only sad the zoom meetings are soooo far apart. Anyway, my point is zooms and blogs are fantastic. Keep up the excellent work.

Speedy: So nice to hear your sentiments Pram. 

And now to another beautiful lady (what a lot we have!), Srianee, aka Bunter, another  blog stalwart!  

Srianee: Flattery will get you everywhere Mahen! Yes I do visit the blog.  I would say that I do it at least once a month or more, but sometimes life gets in the way!!  I think it is a great way to stay connected and share news. Thanks for doing this.

Speedy: You have enhanced and supported the blog in many ways. Most grateful. 

I had a few brief responses but they were important nevertheless. Starting with Sunil who is a regular at our London mini-reunions. 

Sunil: Hi Speedy, I do access about 1 or 2 a month. 

Hi Ranjit thanks for responding,

Ranjit: I use it now and again, About once in 2-3 months. 

And Gnaniss, hope you are Ok my friend.

Gnaniss: access it about once in2- 3 months. 

And Jimmy Wicks!, who is also a figure in our London mini-reunions.

Jimmy: Hi Gonsal. Thanks. I am not a regular, maybe once every 2-3 months. 

Greetings my good friend Cyril, who has gone a bit quiet lately. 

Cyril: Hi Speedy. Yes, I do follow the blog closely and read the interesting articles regularly. However, I have not been able to access the blog of the latest goings-on with our batch mates. I am not sure of the reason. 

Next is someone I had no contact for quite a while. Hi Nethya, it is lovely to hear from you after all this time. Of course I remember you well.

Nethya: Hi Mahendra, I read blogs as and when I remember maybe about once in a while but now that there seem some interest would do it more often. feel that it certainly is useful in bringing news about batchmates.

Speedy: Please do Nethya, it will be great to see you on the blog. 

And now to Bala. Hope you don’t mind me calling you by your affectionate name Con Bala!

Bala: That’s fine Speedy.  The blog is very useful giving information about updates on colleagues.

Speedy: Hope you will consider sending an article Bala.  You organised many reunions and produced some fantastic souvenirs, copies of which I have and treasure. Please put your thought on an email. 

And now to yet another beautiful lady who had the good sense to get married to a Mahendra.ok..ok, its not the same!

Suri: Hi Speedy! As you know I have woken up again! Thanks for that Interview you did on the Blog. I have visited the blog fairly frequently in the past but have failed to do so in 2019-2020 due to a multitude of reasons. I intend to mend my ways and be an active participant from now on. My failure was not due to lack of interest but rather ill health and also problems of access to a computer, (other than my smartphone ), which is difficult to use for any length of time considering my great age! 

Speedy: Thanks Suri. I am not sure about the “great age” bit! The youngest in the batch! Look forward to seeing more of you- in a figurative sense of course!

I now turn to my good friend Bora, a man who has good tastes, such as golf!

Bora: Hi Mahen. Thanks for doing this. I visit the Blog on most days and enjoy reading the interesting posts. The Blog is great, keep it going.

Speedy: Bora, your encouragement makes me and I am sure lucky, very happy. 

Now it is  Douglas Mulgirigama’s turn. Hello my friend. It is good to see you today, and on Zoom recently. 

Douglas: Hi Speedy. I have not been a very regular user of the Blog, doing about once in three months or less. I intend to start using it more often and even contribute to it.

I find the Zoom more useful in keeping touch, also because one could see the person. The idea of having a theme, like what happened last time, Hobbies, Projects, Family Circumstances, Grandchildren, Holidays, best places one would recommend, about the area, province, the country where you live, books, music, Topic of interest. The possibilities are endless. This should bring the batch more closure together. Some of what is presented can provide material to write into the Blog.

Speedy: The feedback I got from the zoom sessions has been very positive and I shall organise another soon. 

It is time to turn to the quiet and distinguished man with a wife of immense artistic ability. How do I know? Through the blog of course. Indra- welcome! 

Indra: Hi Speedy or Mahen, whatever! The sleeping giant has woken up. It seemed the blog was going to shut down for lack of interest on the part of its membership, but you touched a nerve with your last communication and the giant has stirred. There is obviously effort involved in maintaining the blog, thanks to Lucky who put in the effort over the years and now you have picked up the mantle. There was help over the years from notably Sanath, Speedy, Rohini and Nihal. Lucky and Speedy, I do visit it 3-4 times weekly. I find it interesting and useful to garner information on what’s going on within the batch and also stay in touch with friends. It also entertains. Think hard before putting it to the axe.  

Speedy: Thanks Indra. It is so nice to hear from so many on how they value the blog. 

No end to beautiful ladies and here is yet another one! Lovely to see you Rohini. I think we are all aware of your recent loss and extend our deepest sympathies to you again. You contribute a lot to the blog. 

Rohini Ana: Thanks Mahen. I appreciate that. Sorry about the delayed response. I have visited the blog in the past at least once a week - often more frequently to acknowledge the wonderful efforts by the contributors. I have found the blog very interesting and enjoyed the diversity of talents our batchmates and their families have shared with us. Besides, Not having come to know many of my batchmates (especially of the opposite gender) during my med school years,  I have had the great privilege of having several of them write me to share their friendship, introduce me to their families and update me on how their lives have panned out, which could not have occurred without the blog. The blog has been a great way to keep in touch with batchmates and of course. Thank you very much to Lucky, Speedy and all the fine contributors. I would need a break in the coming weeks but shall endeavour to be back. I hope the efforts in having the blog continues won’t overwhelm the administrators. 

I now turn to Malkanthie! Hi Malkanthie. The last time I met you with your husband was at the Reunion in Sri Lanka a few years ago. Hope you are well. 

Malkanthie: Hello Speedy. I remember that well. The blog is a great way to keep in touch. I try to visit this site at least once or twice a month. Thanks for keeping us connected.

Speedy: It is a great pleasure. 

Lalantha, nearly missed you standing in the wings! It was a pleasant surprise to hear from the Scrabble expert!

Lalantha: Hi Speedy. My involvement with the military hospital, private practice, scrabble and contract bridge leaves very little space in the betz cells to remember to visit the blog. However, I shall try to do better in the future. 

And finally, Sisira, how are you mate?

Sisira Ranasinghe: Hi Mahendra. I have visited the blog infrequently, as I am VERY BUSY finishing up my lifelong software project. I am sending my regards to ALL my batchmates and their families. Stay safe and take care of each other. 

Wait a minute, just spied Bertram Nana joining us. Hello Bertie. My apologies for wondering whether you were in the land of the living, quickly dispelled as fake news thankfully!

Bertram: Hi Mahendra. I visit Blog at least once a month now, I think I replied to Lakshman Abey initially. Hope you’re enjoying your free time now. Bertramnan. 

So there you have it. We have to be realistic and not expect to get huge participation in a blog but it is clear to me that it is being used and valued by a lot of our batchmates. Lucky and all the regulars, our efforts are not in vain! What you started is appreciated, and I am sure as we get older, it will be valued even more. I have spotted a lot of “new faces” in the last few months.

My plea to all of you is to keep accessing and even more importantly, please suggest what sort of articles you would like to see in it. We need your ideas on how we could entice more people to access the blog, to encourage posting comments and to contribute articles. I once again make the offer for any of you who have thoughts on a post. If you are reluctant to write a document, all you need to do is to send me your thoughts in an email and I shall turn it into an article. This will be first sent back to you for approval before publication. 

Thank you for joining me today and hope to see you again soon. Take care my friends and I hope Lucky and I can cope with the deluge of comments on this!

 

Footnote about permissions for those who are interested, not many I presume. With permissions, you can now choose either "Public," "Private - Only blog authors," or "Private - Only these readers." To restrict your audience to a select number of readers, choose the third option and manually add your reader's email addresses. These readers will receive an invitation email with a link giving them 30 days access to your blog without signing in. After the 30 days are up, they can only access your blog by signing in with a Google account, unless you send a second email inviting them for another 30 days.