Dilip D'Cruz
missile53@yahoo.co.uk
Dr Dilip D'Cruz FRCS FFAEM
I dont know where to start!
My father, Adrian D'Cruz, was an Optician and his shop was near Jinja Sports Shop, opposite the residence of Dr Thakkar, one of our GPs. The family was large; there were 5 brothers, Pralad, Arvind, Ashok, Naval and myself, Dilip. There followed 3 sisters, premilla, Lorna, and Zeena.
The D'Cruz's are probably best remebered for the 'band' - it started off as the "JINJA SHADOWS' and, after the older brothers left for their studies overseas, it became the "INVASION". The latter boasted Khalil on drums, Oliver Mendonca (rhythm guitar) and Harshad on Bass. Those were fun days. Born in Jinja in 1953, left in 1970 for Mumbai to study Medicine. Now a consultant in the UK in Emergency medicine.
I lived on the main road by Nile Gardens, there was an accountatnt next to us, with two young children who emigrated to Canada. The children were Millind and Parag Kannitkar. Next to them were the people who owned 'Photo Atom' the photo ! shop.
I studied at Goan school, followed by Victoria Nile and then Jinja Sen Sec., (1966 - 1969)with Mr Padmanabhan as my Head Teacher, Bandpadhyay was his deputy. I had the great pleasure of making some of the best friends ever whilst in Jinja.
in my closest circle were (in no order)
Kishalay Bandopadhyay, Father and mother were head teachers. genius family!
Mervyn Monteiro (also a genius) Mothetr was a secretary for the wealthy Jaffer family,
Lenny D'Cruz (another large D'Cruz family)
Patrick Billy (his sisters were Lilian and Nellie, and his mother worked as a nurse in Jinja Hospital),
Francis Lobo (brother wsa Alvito (RIP) and he had a sister too and Rosario the youngest
Tony and Salino Dias (sisters were Ida and another)
Tony Fernandes (Milton, Vivian, and 2 other sisters)
Roger Constantine ( Father ran a bar at the Odeon Cinema now in australia I believe, )
Ashok Sawney + pandurand + Tooshar Mavani + Mukesh (was it Songhela? he taught me Judo and Karate)
Any one !
remember Marcus Rayner? His father was a tall thin teacher in !
JSSS.
And there were so many girls I knew
Joyce Menezes ( Roy, and Jimmy)
Hazel Dias (Rowena )
Zehra Jaffer, Rehana (cutabax was her dad), Mandeep Kaur, Lucy (the only black girl in my class), Patrick Ngololo,
I always thank our teachers - Mr Nair S4A (History) Mrs Das S2A (History, mother of Amber), Mr Maxwell (canadian), Mrs Bartlett S2B( a lovely lady who taught English (and had [for memories sake] lymphoedema of both legs), Mr Bill King was my hero (English S4A). There many more... Yes, Mr Gomes (Physics S4).
There are so many more names....I do hope people not on my list are not offended...I am now 53 and looking back over 36 years ago.
God Bless all Jinjians
Dilip
