Those we the days my dear (concluding part)

Those Were the Days My Dear (Concluding Part)

We have all read about time machine which shrinks time and take you from one era to another in a jiffy. Believe me I have just experienced it in the last 2 days. 48 hours zipped past so fast as if we went in to a trance the moment we entered the venue of our college reunion and came to senses only after coming out of the place.

No doubt that the programme was packed with activities to keep us occupied and not let us feel bored. But the magic was of the togetherness and bonding that we experienced there.

All those who met were not friends in college days. Many were just acquaintances and some were on the opposing sides also. But I did not experience any difference in the tightness or warmth in the hug from any one. The smiles were genuine and the expressions real.

Honestly speaking, I had expected some coldness and few sparks as well. But, luckily and thankfully, my skepticism was unfounded and the apprehensions did not come true. Everyone was recalling only the finest moments spent with and the best qualities of each other.

Initially it was a challenge to correlate names, old faces and new faces (and bellies). The ground work done during preparatory phase, Whatsapp and Facebook pictures etc helped there. Next challenge was to identify the spouses and catch their names. It took time to know about them. Even more difficult was to connect with the kids. There were so many of them and were always in a hurry to escape our boring clutches.

The venue was a golf resort with lots of indoor and outdoor activities. This was especially enjoyed by the kids who otherwise would have found it difficult to pass their time. Slowly they got friendly with some other kids and started enjoying thoroughly.

I used this opportunity to try my hand on golf. This is one game I have been planning to learn for quite some time. Having tasted it now, I will shrug off the excuses and laziness. I also played cricket after many years though with a tennis ball only. One more thing I relished doing was shooting balloons with an air gun. It used to be a favourite activity in childhood and scored 100% shots now also.

There was so much more to do. Special attention was paid on entertainment of spouses and children. Musical chairs, Housie, Antakshari, Nail Art, Tattoo, Mehendi (Henna), Tug of War, various short games and so on. The food menu was superb. Other than the normal 4 meals every day, lots of season appropriate munchies were also available besides tea and coffee to fight the cold.

All the above activities were the icings on the cake but the life of the event were the 2 evenings.

The first evening was the formal one. In the last few days, many friends had shared old photographs and almost all had shared the current pictures. A friend compiled all these photos in to a slide show with a very emotional song playing in the background. This was a befitting beginning of the evening transporting us quarter of a century back in a couple of minutes.

This was followed by inviting each one of us on stage alphabetically where all the ex students were honoured with a Rajasthani Safa (head gear), the spouses were honoured with a shawl and the children were also given a small gift each. This gave us the opportunity to correlate friends with their spouse and children.

In my opinion, this opportunity could have also been utilized to let the friends tell more about themselves, share their journey of the last 24 years and introduce their family members. But this would have prolonged the programme too much and thus was skipped.

To break the monotony, a dance troop was arranged to perform on the latest hit numbers. This naturally encouraged the spirited ones to shake a leg or two along with them. The highlight of the evening was a Kathak performance by a mother daughter duo from amongst us. This young girl has a special place in my life. She was the first kid born in my close friend circle. I was so moved then that I wrote my first, and till now last, poem on that occasion. Her mother told me that she still has that poem preserved.

My daughter also performed a western dance which was naturally a moment of pride for me & my wife. We too had planned to perform a duet dance but her recent illness and incomplete recovery prohibited that.

The formal programme ended around 11 pm and this gave us an opportunity to do what most of us wanted. We invited the friends and their family members to come on stage and share with us whatever they wanted.

Now we came to know that among the spouses were PhDs, Finance Professionals, Lecturers, Teachers, Business Women and proud home makers. There were children studying engineering and architecture in IITs, BITS, VIT, NITs, etc. Some were pursuing CA or CS. Lots of them were in class 12^th preparing the foundation of their future. Most of them are writing their pre board exams these days but had still come over for some time. There were many younger kids too looking at these older ones with starry eyes.

There was more fun later in the hotel lobby which went up wee hours. The spouses and children retired to the rooms and we friends got a chance to recall & relive the wonderful years. The camaraderie was conspicuous and the laughter reverberating. Nobody minded the biting cold. It was around 5^oC but who cared.

The next day was filled with activities I mentioned earlier. There was provision for Kite Flying also. Although Ahmedabad is more famous for its Kite Festival held every year on Makar Sankranti i.e., 14^th January, but Jaipur also celebrates this festival with same fervor. Many of us used to get up at 4 am in the morning and would come down from the roof tops only late in the night. It was a treat to watch young boys aged 45+ shouting and jumping with joy every time they would cut the thread of the competitor’s kite. ‘Woh Kataaaaaaaa’

For children, there were horses and camel carts to ride. Since many children were born outside Rajasthan, camels were special attraction for them. Some ladies also tried their hand on cricket, something they might have done after ages. It was a carnival atmosphere all around.

This was also the time when people indulged in one to one interactions. Notes were exchanged, families were introduced and new bonds established. Anyone who had expected to feel bored during the day did not get a chance to feel so.

People started making plans for the next reunion. Courtesy a generous friend settled there, Brazil turned out to be the favourite location. Let us see if this choice will sustain or will we meet somewhere in Goa or Mumbai or some other lovely location in India. But one thing is sure that we will meet again.

The evening was grander than anyone had imagined. Several kids and some spouses show cased their talent in singing, dancing, music and poetry. There was a live orchestra to aid them and also to liven up the mood. There was hardly anyone who did not dance and some did not stop at all. On the stage, on the dance floor, in the lawns and wherever they were. Impromptu wise cracks, jokes and leg pulling ensured nonstop laughter.

The weather was freezing cold and several bonfires were lit to help escape the cold. Peanuts, Chana Chor Garam, tea and coffee were also there to help.

The party ended at midnight but the fun continued till 4 am again in the hotel lobby. This time, spouses also joined and the mode of fun changed to singing, singing, singing and singing. If there were some other guests also in the hotel that could not sleep, we can only say sorry but actually do not regret. This experience was too precious to miss. If we were not to leave the next morning, this fun would have continued.

Today morning, it was not easy to separate. Every one said bye to each other many times over. The good bye session continued for almost 3 hours. Finally, we departed around noon with promises to meet again, soon. The hangover of the fun and bonding still persists. Since then, there is a flood of messages on our whatsapp group. I just saw a message inviting people for online antakshari from 10 pm onwards. The last 2 nights must be relived.

The common thread of most of the messages is the acknowledgment of herculean effort put in by the organizers. Some friends and their spouses put in tremendous amount of time and relentless effort to make this programme successful. Contacting people, getting their admission time photos from college office, pursuing people to join the event, finalizing the venue, putting in the initial investment, printing of brochures, getting mementos and gifts, planning the detailed programmes and conducting them, taking care of people’s needs, convenience and comfort was no easy task. Some friends made special financial contribution so that the event becomes grander yet affordable to all.

I really wish that everyone could have joined the event. The fun would have increased multifold.