MERB was formerly known as BERB (Burma Education Research Bureau). Inattended meetings at BERB. Saya Jimmy (Dr. Khin Maung Kyawe) was the Director General. I first met him as a colleague of my cousin uncle U Than Lwin at the Faculty of Social Science.
After the mandatory name change, BERB became MERB. Old books (e.g. by Maurice Collis, BBS U Khin Zaw, Daw Khin Myo Chit) were forced to rename their titles before they could be reprinted. There was no Grandfather’s clause for the name change. “Trials in Burma” became “Trials in Myanmar”.
MERB produced Educational TV programs. U Tin Nyo directed the video highlighting University Sports.
U Tin Nyo shared the video “တက္ကသိုလ်အားကစားပုံရိပ်များ” directed by him and produced by ETV team (MERB) in1996 to mark the “Yangon University Diamond Jubilee”. Narrator : Saya U Nyein (RU Soccer Coach) Short Interviews with U Ngwe Gaing (Soccer), U Tun Mra (Athlete), U Myo Nyunt (Weight Lifting) and Haymar Nay Win.
Saya U Nyein was Coach of the Rangoon University First Eleven. Two of his players Collegian Nay Win and Aung Tin became movie actors. Several players (e.g. U Ngwe Gaing) became Burma Selected. Saya Nyein was a regular at the birthday gatherings of my uncle U Thet Toe (Past Captain and Gold of RUBC). They were classmates at Diocesan Boys High School.
U Tun Mra (eldest of the Mra brothers) won the Gold as a member of the 4 x 100 meters relay team anchored by U Soe Win (then Burma Champion) at the 2nd SEAP Games held in Burma in December 1961. His younger brothers U Kyaw Mra (Hurdles, later National Coach) won Silver and U Soe Mra (Pole Vault) won Gold at the 2nd SEAP Games. The three Mra brothers also competed in the 1st SEAP Games held in Bangkok in 1959. Three more younger brothers (Win Mra, Maung Maung Mra, Aung Mra) are also Burma Selected.
Met U Tun Mra, U Khin Maung Latt and U Tin Myint at the YUBC Annual Regatta in 2019. U Tun Mra and U Khin Maung Latt were members of the 4 x 100m relay team that set the RU record. U Tin Myint was cox of two Senior Novices Winning crews in the 1960s.
Hemar Nay Win (Vocalist) is the daughter of Collegian Nay Win and Daw Khin Marlar (daughter of Bo Ze Ya). Hemar gave an interview about her father. She inherited Ah Nu Pyinnar (but not Sports skills) from her father.
U Myo Nyunt was Burma Selected for Weightlifting.
For your reading pleasure
Photos
Acid, Base and Alkali Myar Chemistry alumni
Mother and Daughter (Both alumni) e.g. daughter and grand daughter of Saya U Aung Khin (Chemistry)
Fresher Welcome (and Fresher Queen)
Sports Selections (e.g. Marlar, RASU)
Kabyars
both originals and reprints (e.g. from the Philosophy Magazine and Pu Zaw Pwes)
Memories
First-hand accounts of the various closures of the schools
Some had to walk a long way back to the hostels. One was invited to stay at his friend’s house for the night.
One practiced for three months for the 3-day performance, but actually performed for a day.
One worked for daily wages at the Library in 1988 and saw many cartoons and posters for the 8-8-88 movement.
One remembers taking the examinations back in the home town.
Status
Some sayas, sayamas and alumni cannot spare the time to take part in gatherings. For example, Sayama Dr. Than Than Nyein (Chemistry) told the organizers not to send her invitations to the Pu Zaw Pwes.
Some have passed away, but without obituary notices and confirmation from the bereaved family, we cannot list them as GBNF (Gone But Not Forgotten).
After retirement, Saya U Aung Khin moved to Malaysia. He is GBNF.
Professor U Aung Khin (Chemistry)
Many of our sayas and sayamas are GBNF. Three most senior sayas and sayamas who passed away around 100 years of age are Daw Hla May (Anne, English), Daw Khin Kyi Kyi (Physics) and U Ba Toke (Mathematics, Former Rector of MASU)
A few are 90+ years old. U Tin U (Part-time Civil Engineering saya) and U Ba Than (Retired Professor of Mechanical Engineering)
Terms Some terms (e.g. Class, Intake, HCF) that are used in my posts are defined and elaborated.
Language The are natural languages and programming languages. In our student days, there were only a handful of programming languages. It is important to understand and master concepts.
Meaning Some words have multiple meanings. Meanings change over usage and time. A harmless word in American English might have bad connotation in British English, and vice-versa.
Vocabulary It is advantageous to have a good vocabulary. One may listen to a podcast (e.g. Merriam Webster’s Word of the day).
Luyechun The Ministry of Education ran the “Outstanding Students” program from the Summer of 1964 to 1988.
Class
The term generally refers to the year of graduation.
The Class of 69 refers to the alumni from the academic year 1968 – 69, who graduated in 1969. The Class of 69++ will also include some alumni who took “sabbatical” (“waso”) and graduated a year or two later.
Intake
The term generally refers to the year when the group was admitted to RIT, YIT, or YTU.
Most from the 1st BE Intake of 64 graduated in 1970. Most from the 1st BE Intake of 65 graduated in 1971. The Combined 1st BE Intake of 64 and 65 has held Reunion and Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe for nearly two decades.
Some Intakes unfortunately lost three years of their schooling, since the institute was “closed” for three years (from 1988 to 1990).
Burma Institute of Technology (BIT)
The engineering school moved to the Gyogone Campus in 1961. BIT was still under the aegis of Rangoon University. U Yone Mo was Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Rangoon University.
Note: AIT (Asian Institute of Technology) might have been dubbed SEATO (South East Asian Treaty Organization) School of Engineering (or equivalent).
Rangoon Institute of Technology (RIT)
BIT was renamed as Rangoon Institute of Technology in 1964.
The intention was to have Mandalay Institute of Technology and more.
Under the then New Education System, RIT became an independent Institute along with other professional Institutes. Rangoon University was renamed as RASU (Rangoon Arts and Science University)
I am not sure why it was not renamed as BIT (Rangoon Campus) a la IIT [Indian Institute of Technology]
Yangon Institute of Technology (YIT)
Another name change occurred to be in line with the Naming Policy to refrain from using names from the Colonial Era.
Note: The Naming Policy did NOT have a grandfather clause. Some “old” books could not be re-published without the name changes. For example, “Trials in Burma” was forced to be re-titled “Trials in Myanmar”.
Yangon Technological University (YTU)
There was another name change to YTU.
It may be to sound similar to NTU in Singapore.
Swel Daw Yeik
It is a synonym for RIT and the engineering schools preceding and succeeding it. The term became established at the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Rangoon University in 1970, when the Ah Nu Pyinnyar Shins of RIT took part as “Swel Daw Yeik Troupe [Ah Nyeint]”.
During the Adhamma Era, Swel Daw Bins were razed from the so-called “Tha Bone Kyaung” (which is a disparaging term to describe “Thamudaya Kyaung”).
With the dawning of the “Pwint Linn Era”, 50 Swel Daw Bins were planted to commemorate the Shwe YaDu in 2014.
There are many artifacts with “Swel Daw Yeik” in their name and spirit. They include : Commemorative Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung Commemorative Swel Daw Yeik Magazine Swel Daw Yeik Foundation (SDYF)
Health Care Fund (HCF)
There are several HCFs. They include :
Steeve and Helen Kay Heath Care Fund for RIT Sayas and Sayamas
U Khin Maung Tun’s Family’s Eye-care for RIT Sayas and Sayamas
SDYF which now also handles to two funds described above
Class-wide HCFs (e.g. Class of 69, Class of 70 & 71, Class of 72, and Intake of 83)
There has been some changes with to the Health Care of Sayas and Sayamas.
Hospitalization still has the highest priority
Case-by-case consideration for sayas and sayamas who have to visit clinics frequently
Eligible sayas and sayamas (age 60+) can have Annual medical check ups
If funds are available, spouses of eligible sayas and sayamas can also have Annual medical check ups.
Alumni Association of RIT/YIT/YTU (RITAA)
The Association has provided SAYA’S CORNER. Tea and coffee are served.
Life membership dues is K60000.
The Association is coordinating the “Library Modernization Project”
Languages
There are natural languages (e.g. English, French, German) and programming languages (e.g. Java, Scala).
Context
Noam Chomsky, a famous linguist, defined the Chomsky Hierarchy for languages and grammars.
Natural languages are usually Context Sensitive. A word often has multiple meanings based on the context.
Most programming languages are Context Free.
Language
A language has
Syntax : rules for forming well defined constructs Sample syntax : A sentence is a sequence of (a) Subject (b) Verb (c) Object.
Semantics : meaning
Pragmatics : usage
We had to study English Grammar books (e.g. Wren and Martin) and Myanmar Thaddar မြန်မာသဒ္ဒါby U Pe Maung Tin.
The Burmese language has a structure similar to the Japanese language, but has a structure quite different to the English language.
Kyundaw Kyaung Thoe Thwa Thee (in Burmese) ကျွန်တော်ကျောင်းသို့သွားသည်
I School To Go (word for word translation into English is not correct).
I Go To School (slightly different structure is needed for the correct translation).
Meaning
The meaning of words can change with time.
In the early days, a computer is a person who computes (e.g. tables for firing artillery). Even in some NASA projects, astronauts ask expert mathematicians (including a black female) to compute trajectories to check against the calculations made by electronic computers in the space capsule.
Also, a compiler is a person who compiles data (e.g. historical data).
During our UCC days, several computer books were ordered through the Trade Corporation (and related departments). Some one sent a book “Compiler Construction for Digital Computers” to the Ministry of Construction, and another book “The Anatomy of a Compiler” to the Institute of Medicine.
iPad and iPhone are designed and manufactured by Apple.
The trademark iPad belongs to Fujitsu. Former colleagues of mine worked on Fujitsu’s Intelligent Pad (iPad). The trademark was transferred to Apple.
The trademark iPhone belongs to Cisco, which experimented with “Internet Phone” (or equivalent). The trademark was transferred to Apple.
Vocabulary
Children are not shy and tend to pick up words — often in multiple languages — quickly and easily.
As people grow older, most tend to live within their comfort zone.
Such people probably add only 10 – 20 new words a year.
Effort
To expand or refine one’s vocabulary, one must take extra effort.
In our younger days, we learn from a Reader’s Digest section “It pays to increase your word power” by Wilfred Funk, co-compiler of a dictionary.
We read Vocabulary Books which cover a lesson a day for three to six weeks. We also get tested along the way.
With the rise of Broadcasting and Internet, it is much easier to grow one’s vocabulary.
We can
subscribe to Merriam Webster for “Word of the Day”.
listen to “Word for the Wise” by NPR (National Public Radio).
use “Visual Dictionary” and “Visual Thesaurus”.
Lu Ye Chun
Beginning
The Lu Ye Chun (Outstanding Student) Program was established in 1964.
Eligible students from 7th Standard to 10th Standard were chosen to attend the Ngapali Lu Ye Chun Camp.
The Lu Ye Chuns include
Ko Win Aung (M70)
Ma Pwint Than (EP71)
Ko Kyaw Zaw (EP72)
Ko Win Myint (UCC)
Extension
The Lu Ye Chun Program was extended in 1965 for eligible students from Universities and Institutes.
There were three Camps (a) Inlay Camp for high school and university students (b) Ngapali Camp for middle school students (c) Rangoon “Combined” Camp
Inlay Lu Ye Chun
Inlay 1965 aInlay 1965 bInlay 1965 cInlay 1965 d
I was selected as RIT Lu Ye Chun for the Inlay Camp along with Ko Sein Shwe, Ko Zaw Min and Ma Khin Than Myint Tin (Margaret).
Grapevine says that a 3rd BE student had schedule conflicts to attend the Lu Ye Camp.
As a senior student, Ko Sein Shwe was given one Bar. I received three Stripes. Margaret received two Stripes.
Ko Kyaw Sein Koe (Victor, GBNF), Ma Anita Aye Pe, Ko Khin Maung U and Ma Than Than Tin (Cherry) were selected as Lu Ye Chun for IM(1).
Ko Soe Aung (IM2, elder brother of Ko Soe Myint [UCC], Ko Aung Kyee Myint (Agri), Ko Tun Naung (BDS), Ko Min Oo (Mathematics), Ko Ye Myint (Chemistry), Ko Myint Thein (Physics), Ko Soe Lwin (Physics), and Ko Tin Hlaing (Lay Dwin Thar Saw Chit, Burmese) were Lu Ye Chun for their respective disciplines.
Those from Matriculation include Ko Win Myint, Ko Aung Win, Uttam Singh, and Ma Pwint Than. They joined RIT.
Others include : Ko Aung Shwe (brother of Tekkatho Phone Naing), Ko Than Sit (GBNF), Ko Aung Kyaw Nyunt, Ko Aung Myint, Ko Thein Lwin, and Nelson Kaw.
Multiple Lu Ye Chun
Some were selected Lu Ye Chun for two or more years. They include
Dr. Khin Maung U
Dr. Thynn Thynn Lin
Dr. Pe Thet Khin
Camp Staff
In the beginning some officials from “Lu Nge Ye Yar” လူငဇယ့်ရေးရာ served as Camp Commander and staff (for Logistics).
Selected University teachers (e.g. Dr. Daw May May Yi, Daw Po) and High School teachers (e.g. U Aung Gyi, U Khin Aung) were assigned to manage the Lu Ye Chun students. Some (e.g. U Than Tun Aung Hlaing, U Khin Maung Htwe) were chosen to lead some activities (e.g. Volleyball).
A medical doctor (e.g. Naing Tint San) was assigned to take care of the health of the Camp attendees.
Later, Sayagyis (e.g. U Ba Toke) served as Camp Commander.
Visiting Lecturers
U Thein Han (Zawgyi) and Dr. Nyi Nyi are among the Visiting Lecturers for our Inlay Camp.
In 1988, I was invited to be a Visiting Lecturer at the Ngapali Camp along with Saya U Kyaw Myint (Physics, DHE).
End
The Lu Ye Chun Program ended in 1988.
Reunion
A few years back, a formal Reunion of Luyechuns from 1965 – 1988 took place.
I met Saya Ko Aung Win at Yangon SPZP.
I had phone contact with Dr. Uttam Singh (known as Uttam S Gill, NASA).
I had a surprise reunion with Ko Win Myint at the dinner hosted by Ko Wai Lwin and Ko Nyan Tun U for Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi and selected sayas attending the SPZP in Yangon. Ko Wai Lwin invited Ko Ohn Khine and me to attend the gathering.
Bogyoke Win Myint was then Deputy Minister of Construction. He told me that he was inspired by Ko Sein Shwe to join RIT and that he had published some books.
Dat Paung Zon Aung Min Gaung Saya U Thilawunta (also fondly known as “Mon Sayadaw”) built the first pagoda in the USA on the Alleghany Mountains.
The American devotee, who permitted the pagoda to be constructed on his land, passed away.
Grapevine says that there were plans to contact the current owners to ask permission to renovate the pagoda or to relocate the pagoda.
Later pagodas include the ones at Kaba Aye Taung Pulu monastery in Boulder Creek, California.
Pagoda in USA
Food For Thought
Listening, evaluation and feedback are important for effective communication.
The salutations are context and culture dependent.
A visiting Professor from Germany wanted to be addressed as “Professor Doctor”.
Saya Allen Htay told us that he could not use “Mr” during his stay in Netherlands. He was asked to use “Ingr” (based on his profession).
Grapevine says that the early surgeons in the UK were not necessarily doctors, and so they did not force people to address them as Dr.
Some overuse the “Like” button in Facebook. It is puzzling to see many Likes in an Obituary posting.
One should be aware of “opt-in” versus “opt-out” options.
Malicious software industry is responsible for losses (in down time, data corruption, identity theft, …) in the billions. The penalty of offenders is “peanuts” compared to drug dealers in most countries.
“To err is human. To forgive divine.” I like another version. “To err is human. To really goof, use a computer.”
I have made intentional and unintentional errors. Thanks to my colleagues, friends and readers for catching and correcting them.
Word processors also introduce some errors by correcting legal Burmese words and names. e.g. “Nwe” becomes “New” when auto-corrected. A work around is to add such words to a private dictionary for use by the word processor.
Without analysis of context, a program cannot decide whether you meant “goal” (objective) or “gaol” (alternative spelling for jail).
Inconsistencies are not easy to detect. For example, if I write about Saya U Shwe Hlaing for two posts : “Names — Shwe” and “Names — Hlaing”, the contents may not be exactly the same. I use FB for convenience (e.g. getting rapid feedback), but it is not designed for cross-referencing posts.
When I am not sure about an alumnus’s year of graduation or discipline, I use X for “unknown or unsure”. Most of the time, I get corrected by the readers.
There is no “hard and fast” rule for including or excluding names in my posts. The coverage may not be uniform for the names mentioned. My posts are not complete for “Who’s who in Burma and Myanmar?”
I am not consistent in tagging friends in my posts.
U Khin Maung Zaw (EC76) wrote :
One of the issues with Burmese names, is that there are more than one way to spell it in English, like Tun vs Htun. We used to have two ထွန်းအောင်ကျော် (I left U/Ko on purpose of clarity not for the lack of respect). One spells his name as Tun Aung Gyaw; the other as Htun Aung Kyaw. Hence they are been distinguished as TAG and HAK.
I used to have a god-grandmother here in US in the early days – she passed some years back, may her soul RIP. We, myself and U Min Maung (EP68), jokingly told her to make sure she spelled our name MAUNG in her will. Khin Mg Zaw may not be the same as Khin Maung Zaw in legalese.
First RIT Alumni Website
Posted in 1999 by Maurice Chee (Hla Myint Thein, M75)
As the Treasurer of the Bay Area RIT Alumni Group, I am pleased to announce the names of financial supporters whose donations have been helpful in taking care of the RIT Alumni web site maintenance.
Saya U Nyo Win (a) Kim Chen (M65) US$ 120
Saya Allen Htay (C58) US$ 120
Saya U Myat Htoo (C68) US$ 120
Saya U Thein Aung (a) James Wu (Met72) US$ 120
U Benny Tan (M70) US$ 120
U Maurice Chee (M75) US$ 120
U Gordon Kaung (M83) US$120
Saya K. C. Chiu (a) Dr. Tin Aung (ChE63) US$ 120
Saya George Chan (a) U Maung Maung (ChE66) US$ 120
U Hla Min (EC69) US$ 120
U Daniel Tint Lwin (M69, Singapore) US$ 100
U Ivan Lee (a) U Khin Maung Oo (M69, New Jersey) US$ 360
Saya U Soe Paing (EE,), Daw Saw Yu Tint (T69) US$ 120
Note: –
Saya U K. C. Chiu’s donation included U Htin Paw (EE58), Mr. Patrick Chin (M70), and U Kyi Kong Tham (C63)
U Hla Min’s donation included S$50 donated by Saya U Aung Myint (M69, Singapore Polytechnic)
Webmaster’s Note :
The hard cost of hosting the RIT Alumni website with a hosting company is US24.95 per month. This costs does not include time and efforts put in by various people. The initial set up and programming effort took about five to six weekends, remember we do have day jobs. It takes an average of three to ten hours a week for routine content maintenance and program enhancements.
Editor’s Note:
U Khin Maung Zaw designed and maintained the web site. He was then working four 10-hour days and spent nights and weekends to get the sayas and alumni connected virtually and later physically at SPZP-2000. He was one of the eligible bachelors. He was then employed by Microsoft. He also found his true love and set up a loving family. It was a loss for RIT Alumni International.
He is now retired and is providing feedback on my posts.
Professor Robert W (Bob) Floyd (June 8, 1936 – September 25, 2001)
He received his BA at the age of 17, and another BS in 1958 (working and studying part time) from the University of Chicago.
He taught and researched at two prestigious universities : Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Stanford University.
He was recommended to by Professor Donald Ervin Knuth (winner of Grace Murray Hopper Award, and ACM Turing Award) to become the Chairman, Department of Computer Science, Stanford University.
Knuth said, “any of the papers he had written could be taken as a doctoral dissertation “. Floyd’s pioneering papers included graph algorithms, compiling techniques, tree data structures, and proof of program correctness.
He supervised several doctoral students.
He was also awarded the prestigious ACM Turing Award, which is considered the Nobel Prize in Computing.
His biography, citation for the ACM Turing Award and the Award Lecture can be read from the ACM web site.
Silicon Valley
In the early days of computing, manufacturers of magnetic devices (core memory, tapes, disks and drums) than silicon [dioxide based] devices. Some said that “Magnetic Valley” might be a more appropriated name than “Silicon Valley”.
Several factors are attributed to the birth and the culture of Silicon Valley.
Professor [later Dean] Frederick Terman joined Stanford University instead of the more established ones in the East because of his health. He is known for (a) encouraging his students such as Hewlett, Packard and the Varian brothers to become entrepreneurs (b) leasing land owned by the University to the fledgling companies (c) making agreements with the companies to hire his students and/or send employees to attend courses at the University.
The oft-told story is about William Shockley (Nobel Prize winner for co-inventing the transistor) and his decision to set up “Shockley Labs”. He was brilliant but not so good at nurturing his employees. This led the “Traitorous Eight (including Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore)” to join Fairchild semiconductors. Noyce and Moore later co-founded Intel (Integrated Electronics) with Andy Grove. The ability to move around companies is a good aspect of the Silicon Valley culture.
The entrepreneurship (initiated by Professor Terman) lives on. Yahoo, Google and several other companies were founded by Stanford alumni.
Some pointed out Harvard, MIT, and Cornell produced early computers (e.g. Mark I) and disciplines (e.g. Time sharing system, AI Lab, Computer Graphics, Machine Vision). Their alumni also founded computer companies (e.g. DEC).
Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint wrote a series of articles about his father U Kyaw Myint and his siblings.
U Kyaw Myint matriculated from “Government High School”. His elder brother U Tin Tut attended St. Paul’s.
U Kyaw Myint also helped with the education of his siblings : U Myint Thein, Daw Khin Myint Mu, Daw Khin Saw Mu & Daw Tin Saw Mu.
Ms. Hong Kong & Family
Ms. Amelia Kyi was known as “Miss Hong Kong” not because she was a Beauty Queen.
She was from Hong Kong. She married the maternal uncle of Dr. Tin Wa and came to Burma.
She taught English at St. Paul’s High School. She also gave private tuition to her relatives (e.g. Diana Tseng) and neighbors.
She was our English teacher in Standards VI (D) and VII(D) at St. Paul’s High School. She used “the Carrot and the Stick”.
She would give weekly tests and fine 50 pyas if one failed, but reward 50 pyas if one excelled in the tests. My daily pocket money was 25 pyas, so I had no choice but to study hard.
She had three sons. The eldest became a monk. U Win Kyi was RUBC Gold. He worked for Sports and Physical Education Department. U Min Kyi was RUBC Green. He was a pilot for UBA/BAC. I saw U Win Kyi & U Min Kyi at RUBC. They were contemporaries of my brother and cousins.
At the 2019 RUBC Annual Regatta, I met Naymyo Thura. He is RUBC Gold. He is the son of U Win Kyi and grandson of Ms Hong Kong. His mother Daw Julie Yang taught at SPHS. He said that he would like to save the SPHS photos.
Calendar
A solar calendar is based on the orbit of the earth around the sun. Typically, it takes 365.2422 solar days to complete the orbit.
A leap year attempts to adjust the calendar by adding an extra day every four years.
A lunar calendar is based on the orbit of the moon around the earth. Typically, it takes 29.6 days to complete a cycle.
A luni-solar calendar is a hybrid calendar that uses lunar month and solar year.
The Burmese use a Luni-Solar-Socio-Religious Calendar. It is used for social and religious events.
There are 12 lunar months with a total of 355 days in a Common Burmese Year.
There is a difference of 10 days with a Common Year in the Gregorian Calendar.
An inter-calary month named “Second Waso ဒုတိယဝါဆို” is usually added every three years to sync again with the Solar Calendar. It is known as “Wah Htutt ဝါထပ်”. If needed, an additional day is added to Nayon in “Wah Gyi Htutt ဝါကြီးထပ်”.
Some other Luni-Solar Calendars (e.g. used by the Chinese) also have 12 months in a year. They add an extra month in the year in which the Lunar and Solar Calendars are synchronized.
The Chinese New Year may therefore occur in late January or early February.
October & Thadinkyut
“Oct” stands for 8. October was the 8th month in the old Roman Calendar.
In the Gregorian Calendar, October is the 10th month.
In the old Roman Calendar, September, October, November and December were the 7th, 8th, 9thand 10th months as indicated by the prefixes. In the Gregorian Calendar, they are 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th months of the year.
The Thadinkyut Festival often falls in October.
The Phaungdaw-u festival in Inlay Lake is held around the Full Moon of Thadinkyut. I wrote a poem “Phaungdaw-u Festival” for the Thadinkyut Supplement.
Four events related to Thadinkyut : Thadinkyut Lightning Festival, Abhidhamma Day, Pa Wa Ya Na (Monks ask for forgiveness of unintentional wrong doing), Soon San Sein Laung Pway (Mass offering of requisites to the monks)
History
Dr. Kyaw Thet (GBNF)
Studied in UK
Taught in Burma and as Visiting Professor in the USA
Spouse : Daw Khin Khin Gyi (GBNF) taught History at Rangoon University and a US College
Children : Lyn Maung Thet (GBNF), Dr. Khin Nyo Thet (MEHS63, GBNF), Dr. Lyn Aung Thet (MEHS64), Khin Aye Thet (GBNF)
Dr. Khin Nyo Thet & spouse Dr. Lyn Swe Aye established the “Aye-Thet Scholarship” in Khin Aye Thet’e memory. Prizes are awarded to successful participants at the Summer Dhamma Camp at Dhammananda Vihara, Half Moon Bay. Sponsors from Theravada Buddhist Society of America (TBSA) and donors helped run the Camp.
Lyn Aung Thet and Cherry Hlaing were tied for the highest marks in the Matric exam of 1964. Cherry won the tie breaker with a perfect ILA score. Both were selected Tekkatho Luyechun from IM(1).
Lyn Aung Thet led the IM (1) Swimming & Water Polo team (which won Inter-Institute Trophy). He is also good at Tennis and Chess.
U Ba Nyunt (GBNF)
Known for his song “Chit Dukkha” ချစ်ဒုက္ခ
History Professor
Children : Win Nyunt, Tin Tin Oo, Win Oo, Aung Moe, Kyi Shwin
Bohmu Ba Shin (GBNF)
Bohmu & later Colonel
Head of the Burma Historical Commission
Spouse : Sayama
Children : Dr. Nyan Htain (Texas), Daughter (Australia)
Dr. Than Tun
Dr. Than Tun
Professor at Mandalay & Rangoon University
Visiting Professor in Japan and Northern Illinois University (NIU)
Was a vocal critic of sayas being asked to do extra work not related to sudies and research
First met Saya as a Char Taik. My uncle Saya U Than Lwin (GBNF) introduced him at the Recreation Center.
His son-in-law attended classes at UCC.
Dr. Khin Maung Nyunt
He wanted to be a diplomat. While waiting to sit for the examinations, he joined the History Department. The Professor asked him — with full confidence — to be a relieving saya for him. The rest is history.
Even after retirement as Director General, he continued teaching.
Due to the war, the celebrations for RU took place much later than 1945.
RIT Newsletter was published in 1999 and the Silver Jubilee was celebrated in 2024.
Golden Jubilee (50 years)
RU Golden Jubilee was celebrated in 1970.
RIT Golden Jubilee (Shwe YaDu) was celebrated in 2014.
Diamond Jubilee (75 years)
First Day CoverRU Diamond Jubilee
RU Diamond Jubilee was celebrated in 1995.
Centennial (100 years)
SPHS celebrated the Centennial in 1960.
RU Centennial celebrations started in November 2020. Yah Pyay Ah Kyo celebrations kicked off on December 1, 2019 and continued throughout 2020
Sesquicentennial (150 years)
SPHS celebrated the Sesquicentennial in 2010.
Miscellaneous
Bicentennial (200 years)
Tricentennial (300 years)
Millennium (1000 years)
Three Events in December 1920
Rangoon University
Rangoon University Act of 1920 was enacted on December 1, 1920.
The Act established Rangoon University with Rangoon College and Judson College as constituent colleges.
First RU Student Strike
The Strikevto protest the Act took place of December 5, 1920 (two days earlier than planned because the news leaked to the higher authorities).
The senior students requested the junior students not to strike. When their request was not complied, 11 senior students decided to the strike as leaders.
The Burmese date — 10th Waning Day of Tazaungmon — is celebrated as Ah Myo Tha Aung Pwe Nay.
The strike led to the establishment of Ah Myotha Kyaung (National School) and Ah Myotha Kaw Leik (National College).
U Po Kya served as Ah MyothaPyinnyaWun. He is a distinguished author.
Thakhin Kodaw Hmaing served as Principal of Ah Myotha Kaw Leik.
Saya U Ba Toke
U Ba Toke
He’s is a Phwa Bet Taw of RU and the first RU Students’ Strike.
Professor of Mathematics, Rangoon University
Rector of MASU
Professor of Mathematics, Rangoon Institute of Technology
Associate Dean, Assumption University, Bangkok
Publications
Former EC members of the RU Ka Laung Ah Thinn (1958 – 1962) including Daw Kyu Kyu Thin and Saya U Moe Aung (Tekaktho Moe War) published a “Collection of Kabyars” and a commemorative Magazine in February 2020.
Several books, Sar Saungs and Magazines were published for the RU Centennial Celebrations.
Early Sayas
Dr. Maung Maung Kha
Saya Kha Hall
Doctorate in Meteorological Physics from UK
Worked briefly at Meteorology Department
Transferred to RU Physics Department
Interim Dean of Engineering
Longest tenure among Rectors of RU
Hobby : Music / Violin
Former students celebrated Saya’s Yar Pyi
“Saya Kha Hall”
U San Tha Aung
U San Tha Aung
Studied Masters at Harvard University
Senior Lecturer, Physics
Co-authored High School Yupa Beda texts with Dr. Maung Maung Kha
Director General of Higher Education
Passed away after returning from an inspection tour
Dr. Nyi Nyi
He was a mentee of Dr. Tha Hla.
A Minister protested against Dr. Tha Hla’s nomination of Dr. Nyi Nyi’s scholarship citing his ideology. Dr. Tha Hla managed to push through the nomination during the Minister’s absence.
Served as Deputy Minister. Instrumental in establishing the then new Education System
Retired from UN
Pen name : Oak Aw
Rectors and Principals
U Hla Shwe
Rector, Mandalay Arts and Science University (MASU)
Senior Burmese Saya
U Yone Mo
Retired Chief Engineer, Burma Railways
Dean of Engineering, BIT
Rector, Rangoon Institute of Technology
Medicine
Dr. Ba Than (Institute of Medicine 1)
Dr. U E (Institute of Medicine 2)
Dr. Maung Maung Gyi (Institute of Medicine at Mandalay)
Economics
Dr. Aye Hlaing Rector, Institute of Economics Professor of Economics, Faculty of Social Science
Education
Lt. Col. San Myint Rector, Institute of Education
Dentistry
Dr. Aung Than Rector, Institute of Dentistry / Dental Medicine
Vet
U Mya Nyunt Rector, Institute of Veterinary Science
Agri
U Than Tun Rector, Institute of Agriculture
Workers
U Kyaw Principal, Workers’ College
Taunggyi
U Khin Maung Tint (Tekkatho Phone Naing) Principal, Taungyi College Distinguished author / novelist
Teaching is only one aspect. A teacher learns by teaching and receiving feedback from the students. A teacher should be a life long learner.
Learning is another aspect. We should not encourage Rote Learning and mindless repetition. “Learning how to learn” and similar courses propose efficient and effective techniques.
Degree
Liberal education is usually offered at the Bachelor’s level.
A university degree was necessary for getting decent jobs. Now, there are some companies that do not mandate a university degree for selected jobs.
Disciplines
In the beginning, there were no computers and no Computer Science. Among the computer pioneers were engineers, mathematicians, physicists, psychologists, and linguists.
Edgser W. Dijkstra, who won the ACM Turing Award (equivalent of Nobel Prize in Computer Science), had to put “Theoretical Physicist” in his marriage license instead of “Programmer” or “Computer Scientist”.
The same is true for any emerging discipline.
Research and Development transcends multiple disciplines. It requires collaboration.
Main Facebook pages
For relatives and close friends
For not-so-close friends
RIT Updates
Member of selected pages
Old Burma
RIT Updates
Lifelong Learning
Memories
Myanmar
I used to be a member of the following:
ကံ့ကော်မြေ (ရာပြည့်တက္ကသိုလ်)
စကားပရိယာယ်
စွယ်တော်ရိပ်ဖေါင်ဒေးရှင်း
NorCal RITAA
P.B.R.S Group
RIT 69ers
Team Old School IT
YUBC Old Members
Buddhism Q&A
Proper use of “Like” button
Some users use the “Like” button indiscriminately.
Puzzled to see Likes in an Obituary posting. Shouldn’t one be sad?
Before clicking “Like”, check if the posting is current or old, and determine if the contents are really likeable.
Malware
Malicious software industry is responsible for losses (in down time, data corruption, identity theft) in the billions.
According to one report, the industry is more profitable and safer than the drug dealing.
The penalty of offenders for malicious software is “peanuts” (e.g. little or no jail time) compared to drug dealers (e.g. life imprisonment and death penalty) in most countries.
Option
One should be aware of “opt-in” versus “opt-out” options.
Many do not read “fine print”.
Retire vs. Re-tire
U Thaung Sein (Steeve Kay, EC70) is a Multiple Golden Sponsor of SPZPs.
He told me, “You should not retire. You may re-tire (as in re-threading a tire). We will try to support you and your projects
I am retired from working to make ends meet.
I am re-tiring as long as my physical and mental health permit.
Took a few on-line courses (for credit) Too taxing and slow; Opted to audit 100+ courses (covering many subjects)
Listen to one Blinkist every day
Listened to Merriam Webster’s Word of the day (WOTD) Podcast every day.
Ride stationary bike for 30 minutes every day.
Write or revise several posts every day.
Salutation
Context and culture dependent.
We call some old unrelated people as “Uncle” and “Auntie”.
At St. Paul’s High School, we call our sayas without the formal U. e.g. Saya Sein
I was reprimanded by a reader for writing Saya Aung Khin instead of Saya U Aung Khin or Sayagyi U Aung Khin.
A visiting German wanted to be addressed as “Professor Doctor” (not just Professor or Doctor).
Saya Allen Htay was told not use “Mr” in Netherlands. He was asked to use “Ingr” (for Engineer).
Early surgeons in the UK were not necessarily doctors. So they did not force people to address them as Doctor
People who have Honorary Doctorates usually put “Honoris Causa” (meaning the degree was awarded for esteem).
Speed and Scope of Writing
A friend said, “You write too fast and too much. Slow down.”
A few said, “We have read every post”.
One said, “Cover topics of interest to the general reader, not just engineers and scientists”.
One can please some readers all of the time, and all readers some of the time, but one cannot please every reader all of the time.
I am just disseminating the teachings of Thin Sayas, Myin Sayas, Kyar Sayas
Maung Nyunt Htay (Ah Htet Min Hla) မောင်ညွန့်ဌေး အထက်မင်းလှ — Saya U Nyunt Htay (Met73)
Ko Toe Hmit Che ကိုတိုး မြစ်ခြေ— U Toe Aung (C73)
Maung Yit မောင်ရစ် — U Maung Maung Win (EC93)
Nick Names
U Seit To and Myauk Nyo ဦးစိတ်တို နဲ့ မျောက်ညို
Cartoon characters
According to Saya U Tin Myint (M80), the nicknames were given to two sayas by G-Hall Thu
Myauk Phyu မျောက်ဖြူ
White monkey
Ah Yan Kan အရမ်းကန်
Random kicking footballer
Bo Daw ဘိုးတော်
Could be sarcastic
Saya Maung ဆရာမောင်
Given by a girl to her teacher/boy friend
Tar Tay Gyi တာတေကြီး
Reference to an actor for scary movies
Dauk Soe ဒေါက်စိုး
Dr. Soe Myint Win (GNBF) was called Dauk Soe by some students
Nyi Nyi & Pho Nyi ညီညီ နဲ့ ဖိုးညီ
Nyi Nyi may be used in a name e.g. Dr. Nyi Nyi
Nyi Nyi & Pho Nyi are used as nicknames, e.g. Than Htut (M67, RUBC Gold)
Sonny ဆန်နီ
May be used in a name, e.g. Sonny Yone Sein
May also be used as a nickname, e.g. “Sonny” Aung Myint, “Sonny” Soe Naing
Lake or Leit လိပ်
U Win Maung (EE69er) represented RIT in Rowing, Swimming and Water Polo. He is a Back Stroke specialist. He swam the 2000 meters Cross-Lake with Back Stroke. He is known as “Lake” or “Leit” (Tortoise in reference to his Back Stroke swimming). U Htay Aung (M69, Burma Selected) and several others using Front Crawl finish quite ahead of Leit. Before graduation, he went to UK for license & training in air craft maintenance. He joined UBA/BAC. He is now an entrepreneur doing family business.
Khwet ခွက်
U Sein Myint (K K Wong, EP69) represented RIT in Rowing, Swimming & Water Polo. Someone transformed his name “Kwet” into “Khwet”. He is a major donor of the 69er Health Care Fund and the EE69er HCF. After retirement, he spends time in Singapore, Yangon and California.
Htaw Kyin ထော်ကြင်
U Htin Kyaw (Peter Wun, MEHS63) worked for the Institute of Economics and UCC before joining HIC and FERD. He was called “Htaw Kyin”. Some British could not pronounce his name. They called him “Ha Htin Coil”.
Kyein ကြိမ်း
U Kyaw Nyein (GBNF) taught Numerical Methods & Numerical Analysis at UCC. He played soccer and volley ball. He was fondly called “Kyein”.
Bo Shoke ဗိုလ်ရှုပ်
U Mya Thein (GBNF) taught at the Institute of Economics, UCC and ITMBU. He was originally called “Bogyoke” and later became known as “Bo Shoke”.
Ah Thay Lay အသေးလေး
U Thein Oo taught at the Institute of Economics and UCC. His friends called him “Ah Thay Lay”. He was good at volleyball, table tennis and cards.
Ah Pho Gyi အဖိုးကြီး
Tin Maung Thant (son of UNSG U Thant) was called Ah Pho Gyee by his PPBRS classmates
U Han Sein (C69, GBNF)
Shwee ရွှီး
U Kyaw Zan Hein (C69, GBNF) was admitted to the 2nd BE in 1964 as Roll Number 14. There were no word processors in those days; only the use of cyclostyle (Gestener). So, when the person who was admitted as Roll Number 14 did not join RIT, the Admin Office typed in Shwee’s name instead. Some would call him Kyaw Zan Shwee.
Ngu Yin Kong Kee
ငုယင်ကောင်ကီး
Burmanized name of a Vietnamese General
Saya U Win Kyaing (GBNF) is uncle of Maurice Chee (M75). He is often called Ngu Yin Kong Kee. He was also known as Wah Kyaing, younger brother of Wah Kyu.
Hna Khan Hmwe နှုတ်ခမ်းမွှေး
Some have notable mustache
One such person was Ko Khin Nyo, “Kyaung Tha Thadin Htauk (Student Reporter at RIT)”. According to Ko Zaw Min Nawaday (EP70), he met — several decades later — Ko Khin Nyi without mustache in New York, USA
Pauk Si ပေါက်စီ
U Hla Min (L T Gwan, SPHS64, EP70, GBNF) joined UCC as Chief Operator. He was called CO by his colleagues and “Pauk Si” by his close friends. His father loaned money to a Pauk Si vendor, who did not pay back the loan. At break time at SPHS, he would get Pauk Si from the vendor.
Pauk Pauk ပေါက်ပေါက်
Daw Aye Aye Than (ChE72) is the sister of Sayama Dr. Hla Hla Sein (Maths) and Ma Myint Myint Sein (Diana, M70). Her friends called her Pauk Pauk.
Bu ဘူး
U Myint Maung (EP69) is one of the young 69ers and one of the few Eligible Bachelors. He represented RIT EE Department in Volleyball along with Saw Edison, U Aye Thein & U Maung Maung. He was called “Bu” in reference to “Minbu” (his home town).
Shastri ရှပ်စတြီ
U Khin Maung Myint (C69, GBNF) was called Shastri (former Prime Minister of India).
Ohn Thee အုန်းသီး
U Ohn Thwin (PPFC, GBNF) attended classes at UCC & BARB. He was called “Ohn Thee” (Coconut) by his friends.
May Pa Le မေပုလဲ
Daw Yee Yee Aung
“မေပုလဲ” is a two-handed compliment given to selected female RIT students. e.g. Daw Yee Yee Aung (EP67, EC member of RIT EE Association)
It means Miss Pearl (a belle who is Pearly White).
It’s concoction “Mae Pa Le မဲပလေ” means “Wow. So dark [complexion]”.
Rocket ရော့ကက် ဒုံးပျံ
U Ko Gyi was a Lecturing Tutor in Maths. He is known for reciting the first 100 digits of PI (a constant which is 3.14159265 …). He used Rocket as an example in his classes. For some reason, he named Tin Tin Myint (Emma, ChE70) as “Rocket”. Classmates who witnessed the naming might provide details.
Emma is co-founder of Triple Gems Publication. She is also co-founder of Dana Sri Lanka (DSL). She is called Mae Daw Gyi မယ်တော်ကြီး by the young monks studying in Sri Lanka.
La La လာ လား
It is a form of “Kala” or “Kular” (Person of dark color).
Some young dark skinned kids (e.g. Aye Win Hlaing (Abel, EE72)) are given the nickname “La La”.
Ajala အာဂျလာ
He was a Nigerian student who led demonstrations in front of the US Embassy in Rangoon (in our younger days).
U Moe Hein (ChE69) represented RIT in swimming & water polo. He has a loud voice (which is very helpful in supporting RIT athletes in the Inter-Institute Tournaments). He is called Ajala by his close friends.
Maung Kabar မောင်ကမ္ဘာ
Obituary of Kabar Myint Thein
Maung Kabar was an adorable Cartoon character.
Those who have slightly round faces are called “Maung Kabar” or “Kabar”.
Saya U Myint Soe (SPHS64, C68, GBNF) was named “Maung Kabar”.
U Myint Thein (M69) is also known as “Maung Kabar”. It appeared in the Obituary.
Bagyi Aung ဘကြီးအောင်
Fictional character from Min Thu Wun’s short story.
U Hla Aung (EP68) wrote : May I share our time nick names. May Pa Le is Yee Yee Aung (EP67). Her friend is Nancy Hla Aung. My nick name is Ba Gyi Aung.
Three Sizes
In Mechanical Drawing, we learned about scales.
One student gave the nicknames “Half size, Full size and Double size” to three female students.
Sayama Daw Mya Mya Than (EP68, GBNF) was “Full size”. Daw Nyunt Nyunt Zaw (T68, GBNF) was “Double Size”. Daw Cho (?) was “ Half Size”.
Sargalay & Lada စာကလေး နဲ့ လဒ
Sargalay is a sparrow. Lada is a vulture.
U Khin Maung Win (EP69, GBNF) was the training partner for Sai Kham Pan (EP69, Burma Selected in Badminton). Kham Pan would give him 10 – 12 points bonus to play a 15-point game.
At a reunion, Daw Saw Yu Tint addressed Khin Maung Win as Sargalay. He replied, “I am now a Lada”. He gained a lot of height from 2nd BE to Final Year.
The nickname allows 69ers to differentiate Khin Maung Wins — Sargalay, Roland Thein, Donald Ba Pe and ChE Kyet.
Most 69ers might remember the cartoon by Kyant Ba Hone Aung Myint (Pet69). “Ah Ba. Kar Ku La Thin Char (Calculus) is very fascinating. If we differentiate a Lada, we get a Sargalay. If we integrate a Sargalay, we get a Lada.”
Kywei Gyi ကျွဲကြီး
Kywei Gyi is a big, strong Buffalo.
U Khin Maung Lay (Henry, T68) was Secretary of RIT Track & Field Association. He competed in 100m, 200m, 4 x 100m relay and Long Jump (emulating Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Olympics). He represented RIT in Track & Field, Soccer and Rowing. He is called “Kywei Gyi” for his physical prowess. His elder brother Ko Khin Maung Latt (M63) represented the Faculty of Engineering in Rowing.
Mu Tu မူတူး
U Khin Maung Lay (M70) represented RIT in soccer. He was emcee (Master of Ceremonies) at the Reunion & Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe of the Combined 1st BE Intake of 64 and 65. He was a member of the Myanmar Human Rights Commission. He is the son of U Khin Maung Latt (AFPFL Minister) and younger brother of Saya U Khin Maung Gyi (English, GBNF).
Phone Gyi ဘုန်းကြီး
Several alumni are called “Phone Gyi” (Monk) by their friends.
U Tin Tun (SPHS63, M69) was my classmate since Std. IV(D) at SPHS. His mother Daw Tin Tin would come and feed him at lunch break. He studied and taught Marine Engineering.
Tin Htoon
U Tin Shein (M69) and I were classmates at the 2nd BE English class of Saya Des. He gave a talk on Chinlon. He represented RIT in Chinlon.
U Soe Myint (M72, GBNF) volunteered as a Kappiya at the Kaba Aye Sun Lun Gu Kyaung. He helped with the maintenance. He retired as Pro-Rector of ICST.
Soe Myint (3rd from Right)
Chauk Pay ခြောက်ပေ
Some tall students are called Chauk Pay (Six Footer).
U Htein Win (Richard, M70) represented RIT in Rowing, Swimming & Water Polo. He tended the goal at the Shallow End. He moved to Canada. He bought tickets for SPZP-2000, but could not attend due to a strike.
Ja Bu & Shorty ဂျပု နဲ့ ရှော်တီ
Some short students are called Ja Bu (Midget) or Shorty.
U Myint Sein (M70, GBNF) represented RIT in Soccer.
There were two Bohmus named “Shorty” Tin Myint.
Japan Gyi ဂျပန်ကြီး
Some who were born during the Japanese Occupation were given Japan Gyi as their nick name.
U Hla Tun (T69, GBNF) would end most sentences with an expletive. He married Dolly Gale (my primary school classmate).
Cowboy ကောင်းဘွိုင်
U Tin Nwe (C69, GBNF) was a jovial person and was called Cowboy by his friends.
Three Paulians — Tin Nwe, Min Thaw (Gilbert) & Maung Maung Aye — were involved in a car accident after an OPA dinner gathering, but they were not hurt seriously. Sadly, they are now all GBNF.
Duwa ဒူးဝါး
It is a title for a Kachin Leader.
U Zau Lai (EP69) spends time in Myitkyina & Yangon. He is an entrepreneur & a Kachin Leader. He often drove a long way from Myitkyina to attend the 69er gatherings.
Zau Lai
Bei Oo ဘဲဥ
It is a “Duck Egg”. It may also stand for “Zero”.
Daw Kyi Kyi Sein (T70) represented RIT in Badminton & Hiking. She is an organizer for the Combined 1st BE Intake of 64 and 65.
Kyi Kyi Sein (Seated 3rd from Left)
Kyet Taw ကြက်တော
I know some people named Kyet Taw. They may have “Taw” in their names.
Harry Taw (MEHS57) was a friend of my older brother.
Dr. Nyan Taw (Dicky, SPHS63) was my neighbor for some time. We jogged, biked and rowed. He worked at RASU, Pearl & Fishery before moving overseas for assignments. He invited me to the wedding receptions of his younger son and daughter.
U Khin Maung Lwin is an organizer for the Class of 87 & 91. RIT was closed for three years. He organized the Golf Tournament for the alumni. He served as Secretary of the Swel Daw Yeik Foundation.
Saya San ဆရာစံ
He is a revolutionary figure in the history of Burma.
U Maung San studied his Masters in the UK. He often shopped in the “Junior” section. He taught Geology at RIT & Assumption University.
I met U Aung Than (Saya San) at a meeting for the Combined 1st BE Intake of 64 and 65. He told me that he had to study for the last ever 7th Standard Government examination.
Gaing Gyi ဂိုင်ကြီး
The Burmese sometimes pronounce “Kyaw” as “Gyaw”; “Kyee” as “Gyee” and “Khine” as “Gaing”.
U Ohn Khine (M70) was named Ohn Gaing at St. Peter’s High School in Mandalay. He was called “Gaing Gyi” by some friends. He is the founder and moderator of the Google Group for the intake of 64 and 65. He volunteered for SPZP-2012, Shwe YaDu, SPZP-2016, SDYF, HMEE-2012 and HMEE-2016. He translated Section 1 and summarized Section 2 of the HMEE-2012 book. He and I compiled the CD supplement for the HMEE-2012 book.
Ohn Khine
Byte and R ဗိုက် နဲ့ အာ
Byte may mean stomach or belly. R may mean “talkative”.
U Tin Hlaing (M63) was called “Byte Tin Hlaing” and “R Tin Hlaing” by his friends to differentiate from the senior Saya U Tin Hlaing (M59, GBNF). He was later known as Dr. Tin Hlaing.
U Kyaw Zin (EP69) was called “R Zin” by some of his friends.
U Myint Soe (UCC) worked as Maintenance Technician in the Systems Division. He was called “Byte”.
Shwe Gaung Byaung ရွှေဂေါင်းပြောင်
It is the name of a cartoon character. It literally means “Golden, Bald Head”. Toe Nyunt (Ted Mya Maung) starred in a movie of that name.
U Wynn Htain Oo (M72) is a super fund raiser is fondly known as “Shwe Gaung Byaung”. He is also known as
WHO (not World Health Organization)
Hmaw Sayagyi မှော်ဆြာကြီး
Mg Mar Ga မောင်မာဃ
Bo Pu Cho ဗိုလ်ပုချို
Mg Mar Ga
Sa Yay စာရေး
Sa Yay may mean a Clerk.
Sa Yay Gyi စာရေးကြီး is a Senior Clerk.
Sa Yay Lay စာရေးလေး is a Junior Clerk.
U Khin Maung Zaw (EC76) was called “Sa Yay Lay” by his teacher Perrera (V Standard in St. Paul’s High School).
In primary school, my spouse was told by her teacher that her hand writing looked like that of a “Sa Yay”. It motivated her to become a medical doctor.
Hanuman ဟာနုမန်
It is an Indian Diety.
U Han Tun Maung (GBNF) was a star athlete at SPHS. He excelled in Track & Field, and Soccer. He was called “Hanuman”. He was President of Old Paulians Association, Kokkine Swimming Club, Equestrian & Archery Associations. His family owned a Stable with “Sein Hlyan” as a Champion horse. The family opened Sein Hlyan Cafe. The Intake of 65 meets monthly as the Cafe.
Mote Seit မုတ်ဆိတ်
It may mean “Beard”.
U Myo Hein (69er) is called Mote Seit by his friends.
Reverend Frederich Ludwig (Buddhist Archbishop of Latvia &!Lithuania) was called “Moke Seit Phone Gyi”. He later shaved his beard and ordained as a Theravada monk with the title Ashin Ananda. He is a Laureate Poet.
Papu ပါပူး
Collegian Nay Win was called Papu by soccer team mates.
Po Htaung & Po Maung ဖိုးထောင် နဲ့ ဖိုးမောင်
Sons of U Khin Maung San (Tommy San, PBRS, GBNF)
U Nyunt Win (classmate of Tommy’s wife Lily at Darjeeling) liked the nicknames and used them in a movie.
Gyi ကြီး
Japan Gyi ဂျပန်ကြီး — Hla Tun (T69)
Kyaw Gyi ကျော်ကြီး — Kyi Win (EP69)
Maw Gyi မော်ကြီး — U Myat Htoo (C68)
Not so nice
Phaung Gyi Sin ဖေါင်ကြီးဆင်း
Ba Lar Gyi ဗလာကြီး
Chota ချိုတား၊ ချွတ်တား
Mutta မွတ်တား
Fatty ဖက်တီး
Chee Pay
EE69ers
U Thein Swe (EP69) described nicknames of the EE69ers in his post.
Example : So Si စိုစိ
RIT English Sayas & Sayamas
Saya Des described some nicknames in his article.
Examples : Byaing Ma ဗျိုင်းမ Ya Khine Gyi ရခိုင်ကြီး
Saya U Myat Htoo (C68) passed away peacefully on June 9, 2026. May he be bound for a higher abode.
University Days
Attended I.Sc at Mandalay University
Graduated with Civil Engineering in 1968
Joined Faculty
Moved to the USA
Retired from CalTran
Spouse : Daw Hnin Maung Maung / Ma Ku
Activities
SF Bay Area Alumni Group
Founding member of RIT Alumni International
SPZP-2000
Master of Ceremonies for SPZP-2000
Wrote about the SPZP-2000 experience in the Post Reunion series.
U Myat Htoo (Right)NorCal RITAA
Founding member of NorCal RITAA
Chair of BOD (Board of Directors)
Hosted NorCal RITAA lunch meetings. He would invite the attendees to take a boat ride on the nearby man-made lake. He would also arrange a karaoke session.
Past President of Burmese American Democratic Alliance (BADA)
President of Theravada Buddhist Society of America (TBSA) for a decade. Led the procession for the scattering of ashes of Sayadaw U Silananda into the San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate Bridge.
Lost Neikan RIT
Wrote a parody on “Pyauk Sone Nay Thaw Neikban Bon” (the song by Sai Kham Leik and Sai Htee Saing).
LA Reunion
Played the Ukelele and sang the song described above at the 2015 Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles.
Ukelele
Donation
Donated Life Vests to 20 teachers in the town of Paletwa in Chin Special Division, Myanmar.
The teachers risked their lives daily crossing Kaladan river to teach children on the other side of the town.
One teacher was killed in a boat mishap in surging waters during heavy rains. A life jacket would have saved her life.
Golden Jubilee
On May 20, 2018, the BOD (Board of Directors) and EC (Executive Committee) members of NorCal RITAA threw a surprise party to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of U Myat Htoo (C68, Chair of BOD) and Daw Hnin Maung Maung (Ma Ku, “Nyima Lay”).
According to Saya, he was the youngest in his family and wanted a younger sibling (preferably a sister).
He found an innocent 9 year old neighbor (and family friend).
HlaMin 