Notes on the meeting on September 29, 2010

Dear Friends, 

Long-time member Patrick Xavier was a surprise visitor. He is on a mini break from his Indian Airlines job in Kuala Lumpur. “Despite the potholes, it is good to be back,” he said. “There is no place like home.”

Patrick was invited to speak about his stay in Malaysia. “I have been there for about five months now,” he said. “It is always a good experience to go away from your own country and to work in another place. I have understood how people of different nationalities can live and work together, even though Malaysia is a Muslim country.”

Patrick praised the good roads and infrastructure and called Malaysia God’s Own Country. He said that even the people from the low income group can survive there, because the price of food is cheap. The average income is 1500 ringgit (Rs 20,000), while the mainstay of the economy is palm oil.

Patrick described a recent visit to a casino at the Genting Highlands, a resort on a peak, one hour from Kuala Lumpur. “So many people were gambling,” he said, sounding surprised.

He suggested a Wednesday Club meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The best time is in February, when the Chinese New Year will be celebrated.

Apart from Kuala Lumpur, the other places to see are the states of Penang, Malacca, and Ipoh.

Thereafter, Table Topics was handled well by Agarwal. The subjects included the survival of the printing industry in these increasingly paperless times, the Kerala Travel Mart, the Ayodhya verdict, and why there are so few fashion shows in Kerala.

The main speech was by me and it was about my impressions of Milan.

The grilling was of C.M. Daniel, who said that he discovered his vocation of public speaking later in life.

In soapbox, there were contributions by Nirmala, Agarwal and myself.

In the end it was a most rewarding evening.

Shevlin