Dufferin 1961-1963                      (PENNED  BY PARMINDAR AULAKH)

REUNION 2019

GOA 14th Feb.to 18th Feb

For those who have been following this narrative, it was decided in Conoor in2018 that the 2019 reunion would be held in Goa. Our very Eminent Nand Hirandani, who knows EVERYONE, had this Chief Steward who he had sailed with. Al Rodrigues ,the steward had opened a resort in Goa and invited Nand to arrange our meet there. It’s a place called SPAZIO RESORT situated in North Goa near Anjuna Beach, about 90 minutes from the Airport.

The airport at Dabolim ,Goa was a hub of activity on the 14th afternoon as all of us congregated together. A busload of ex-cadets with their partners  arrived at the resort at around 1830 and were soon settled into their  rooms. The resort has independent cabins on 2 floors laid out in a typical Spanish Hacienda style. The rooms are modern, very comfortable and air conditioned. There is a swimming pool in the center courtyard and the bar, dining area and dancing floor are all within this central space.

The attendees were as follows

  GENTS   PARTNERS OTHERS
         
1 NAND HIRANANDANI  
2 SHASHI SHANTAGIRI SHAILA  
3 AMARRAJ NAIN GULLU  
4    
5 RAMU RAMACHANDRAN USHA  
6 CARL ALEXANDER SHANTA  
7 SANAT BHATE BENZINA
8 LESTER WEINMAN SONIA  
9 ARNAB SEN MAUSHUMI  
10 SATISH SUD MADHU  
11 RIPUDAMAN SUDERSHAN NILAM  
12 SURESH KANWAR SHALINI  
13 HARASH CHANNA POORNIMA  
14 UDHYAN GOKHALE SHABNUM  
15 PARMINDAR AULAKH GOGI  
16 SOMAN MANI   JELJIT
17 PAUL GONZALVES CATHERINE  
18      
19 NORMAN ALWYN ROSE  
20 RAVINDER DESHPANDE PRIYA  
21 JOHN PAISLEY AUDREY  
22 SUBHASH MUKERJI SUPRABHA  
23 RICHARD FRENCH  
24 SIRESH SINHA PILAR  
25 LINO DECRUZ ELIZABETH  
26 ARTHUR GILBERT DEANNE  
27 SURESH JHANGIANI KAVITA  
28 SUPARNA SHANTAGIRI SURABHI
29 SUBHASH BHATE REKHA  

 

NOTES ON THE ABOVE LIST

No.7 Sanat Bhate (our junior, who is a regular at our reunions) came with his daughter in law Benzina. His wife Shama could not make it since she was busy with her dancing schedule.

No.19 Norman Alwyn stayed outside and joined us on the 16th and 17thevenings.

No.16 Jeljit is Somans son from Australia.

No.22  Subhash Mukerji is Shantagiri’s friend ( We believe he invests Shashi’s millions). He is the owner of SMP productions and the son of the late Subhodh Mukerji, film producer.

No.27 Suresh Jhangiani is Nand’s old schoolmate who lives in Toronto and was visiting India.

No.28 Suparna is Shantagiri’s daughter who came with her young daughter , Surabhi.

(This is what is great about our reunions! Everyone is welcome, provided they pay, of course)

No.4 and No.18 -Somesh Batra/Uma and Satnam Sahi/Inderjit who had planned to come, opted out for personal reasons.  Sarla, Nand’s wife could not be present either.

 

14th February

Assembly was in the center court for cocktails and dinner. Reminiscing about the past reunions and what has transpired since then. It is heartening to see that the wives have built up such a rapport among themselves. Without their enthusiasm the gathering would have been pretty boring. We had new additions to our fold. Subhash Bhate/ Rekha  and Lino D’cruz/ Elizabeth joined us  and it was good fun to see them meld so easily into the group. Let’s hope that they will become fixtures in the future. Ramu from Singapore was there and it is so uplifting to see his wife Usha looking after him, anticipating his every thought. The two artists of our batch, Subhash and Amarraj are exceptional with their artwork. Dinner was very good. Forget exactly what was served but it’s worth mentioning that we had a different menu every day.

15th February   Breakfast started at 0800 . Breakfast menu was also varied each day and the service was par excellence. The resort staff was very friendly and helpful.  After breakfast we got onto the buses and went to the Basilica of Bom Jesus situated in Old Goa . This church has the preserved body of St.Francis Xavier(1506 -1552)and is a World Heritage Monument. It is interesting to learn that the Inquistion which persecuted thousands of people in Goa was initiated by St.Francis and yet he is so revered here! INCREDIBLE INDIA!!

We were supposed to visit the museum too but as luck would have, it was closed for the day. In any case the general feeling was that travelling on Goa roads was a stressful experience due to the narrow roads and hundreds of speed bumps which made everyone sore and tired. So going directly to lunch was welcomed. The restaurant to which we went was a place called “Nostalgia”. It’s a homely place nestled in the Loutalim area and has great ambience and a typical Goan Cuisine. While we were there Arnab got the news that there would be a 3 minute silence to honor the memory of our soldiers who were killed at Pulwama on the 14th. So at 1515 sharp all of us stood up and observed silence for the required time. Very sad and sobering moment for all of us!  Tired, we headed back to our resort to rest and prepare for the evening festivities.

This was an important evening. Everyone was dressed formally and a professional photographer took our pictures during the evening. We played the Last Post and lit candles for our batch mates who have sadly left this planet, before us.. It was a bitter sweet moment to remember the latest departure, Badal Sengupta, who died after complications of a stroke, on 22nd of December 2018, at Kolkata. Ten-year old Surabhi (or Bamby, as she is called,) eloquently recited a poem, from memory, in his honour. This poem was written by Capt. Sam Misra, a good friend of Badals . The same has been reproduced below.

Five long decades have gone bravely by

Eighty fledgling boys, all unsure, uncertain and shy

Thirty fourth batch of the Dufferin they do form

As motley a bunch as is the Alma Mater’s norm

Diverse they were as the nation they behold

Some tall some dark some coy and some bold

Differences   were as stark as a cake from cream

In common they all held but one big dream

Explore the wondrous world and lay a course for life

Gathered together now   to assess and appreciate the prize…..

Grateful, happy and pleased we are all

We spare a thought for our mates who sadly but untimely did fall

Hark! The glorious but less than full life you lived

And mark, the glorious dreams you so boldly weaved

Hark!  You’re parting with cherished memories & sorrow

Mark that we will be with you again on the morrow!   

After this solemn ceremony everyone enjoyed the cocktails and a sumptuous dinner and a little dancing and drifted off to their rooms.

 

16th February

We had breakfast at the usual time and spent the morning lazing around. It had been tiring the day before, so everyone welcomed the laid back atmosphere of the resort. A couple of diehards,  Amarraj and Parmindar went for a short hike to a hill overlooking the Anjuna Beach.  At around 1100 we took to the buses and went to the Mandrem beach and to a super restaurant called the Lazydog. The manager was Russian and the clientele mostly of foreign extract. Even the waiters were not all local guys. The food was very good though the service was a bit slow. Some of our brethren missed out on the shrimp snacks due to a logistical mix-up on the waiters’ behalf. There was a “Lazy Dog” sitting next to Shalini for scraps of food. (For those who are not aware, Shalini runs the local stray dog food shelter in her neighborhood of Noida- the world is a small place; even dogs recognize their benefactors!) . After a heavy lunch we headed back to our shelter at the resort. Like it has been mentioned before, the long road trips in Goa were the most tiring part of our stay there.

Before dinner some of the group went to the Saturday Flea market. Apparently Rippudaman tripped and fell and hurt his knee. Apparently Nilam had asked him to take his walking stick but Macho Rippu decided against it and paid the price. On their return we all had dinner and drinks. It is appropriate to mention here that there was great alcohol in abundance there, thanks to the generous donations of the same by stalwarts like Lester and John. Thanks to both of you. It sure kept the cost down.

Apparently some of the gang stayed awake late into the night discussing politics and other matters. Soman Mani has taken on the mantle of defending the minorities and can be quite a force to reckon with. Satish Sud keeps everyone in check with his wisecracks and introspective attitude. Richard French’s theories of evolution and history kept everyone enthralled. We hope to see him more regularly.

17th February

The penultimate day dawned as usual, after a night of some unsettled weather. Sunny and warm the weather was great in Goa. Our only regret is that we did not go into the sea though the more adventurous amongst us used the swimming pool at the resort to keep in shape. At 0830 a few religious souls and their guardians went to the Mangeshi Temple, to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness and other favours. The Mangeshi temple is one of the oldest in Goa and was established to escape the Portuguese inquistions.

At 1200 we all congregated at the NUSI ( National Union of Seafarers of India) academy at Sucaldem. It is a beautiful place on the waterfront and was really the highlight of the trip. The Lunch was hosted by Nand, who incidentally is the Chairman of this Union. ( We, the batch of 61-63 should be real proud of Nand and his achievements. Not only as the Chairman of NUSI but also the person in charge of the Prince of Wales Seamans Club , Mumbai.) Not only did the staff and the smartly turned out catering students give us a great welcome, they served us constantly. I think all of us had our fill of coconut water. Nand has his own private chalet at the property where reportedly he has private parties a couple of time a year. After tasting the culinary recipes of the best Seafarers Catering Academy of India , we thanked the staff and headed back to Spazio.

Evening time was music and dancing time. We had a live two man orchestra and their singing was fabulous. John and Speedy regaled us with their versions of “Strangers in the night “and “You are my destiny” and “May the good Lord bless and keep you”. Al Rodrigues sang “My Way” for us. The best dancers on the floor were declared to be Shubnum and Moushimi though Arnab tried his best to keep up. Rose and Cathy kept up with the youngsters Benzina and Bamby. Even Shashi and Shaila made an appearance due to the insistence of their granddaughter. Ramu’s son, Rohit from USA showed up and so did Kanwars daughter Suhani from Mumbai. Good fun by all. Mid-evening we were surprised at the cake cutting ceremony for Satish Sud’s granddaughter. She wasn’t there but we all had some good cake to eat. The sad part was that it all came to an end at a little past 2200 due to local government laws regarding loud music. Pilar handed out Mexican Candy.

18th February

All good things come to an end and so it was for our reunion. Breakfast was a time to bid farewell to everyone and we made our way to the Airport. Transport arrangements were very good throughout.

Not surprisingly quite a few of us met again at the airport. Goa airport is really busy. The number of foreigners here is eye opening. And we didn’t see too much “hippie” culture either.

There was discussion about our next reunion but nothing was decided. Eastern India seemed to be on the agenda ; Sikkim or Kaziranga Park are two distinct possibilities.

Thanks to Shashi and Nand for organizing another great reunion. It is a difficult and thankless task and they have excelled at it. It is with sorrow that we mourned the passing of Badal, who was one of the prime organizers’ of our batch reunion.

It is truly amazing that we have so many participants from far off countries coming for this short duration, some in fragile health. Let us hope it continues. Out of 77 in our batch we have lost 24. If you are reading this please inform the other batch mates who may not be in the loop.

For gifts we were given Straw hats and Noritake individualized coffee mugs with the Dufferin emblem and name tags.

Pen drives with information on the past reunions were presented to each participant.

For those who may not know, a website has been established for our batch. Information regarding this has already been transmitted to all the batch mates on the mailing list. For further information please contact Shashi. All those who took photos are requested to submit them to Shashi who will incorporate them into the site along with the photographs taken by the professional photographer. It is suggested to upload your photos to Google Drive and then share it with him.

Au Revoir till next year.!!

 

 

T.S.DUFFERIN EX-CADETS BATCH 1961-1963 REUNION AT GOA FEBRUARY 2019                         (PENNED BY   U.V.GHOKALE)

The venue was the Spazio Leisure Resort, situated at Anjuna in North Goa about 1-1/2 hours drive from the airport. The selection of this resort was the brainchild of Nand Hiranandani, who made the most of his old acquaintance with Al Rodrigues, the moving force behind the establishment and operation of the resort. The place was well laid out, in perfect nick with plenty of passages between buildings to allow the  sea breeze to blow through and keep the place cool even in the afternoon.

Cadets and their companions began arriving through the 14th, ones and twos in the morning and then in a larger group by evening. We all exchanged our usual greetings, no holds barred except for when they may be inappropriate. Ruffled feathers were unruffled and the gathering got going in the Portico Bar and the open courtyard. Carnival style straw hats were distributed, each with the owner’s name on the hatband. Pleasant weather made a big difference to the ambience and the evening merged, after the bar being thrown open, into a buffet serving Goan dishes. Plans for the next day’s excursions were made and we all turned in a little early.

The next day was going to be a visit to the church where St. Francis Xavier’s remains were preserved. That was to be followed by a visit to a museum before lunch at a famous restaurant serving authentic Goan Food. Getting there took a little longer than imagined and it was hot when we reached it. Those that were inclined to do so visited the Church but Satish Sud and I paid our respects at the local Tirumalai “Bar”, and enjoyed the cool Prasad of a bottle of beer. Whilst the main  party was at the church, the smaller of our two buses decided to have an argument with a boundary wall and was knocked out of action. That, added to the news that the local Museum was closed, made us sweat out a few minutes trying to get an alternate bus but finally having to accommodate all our number in the bigger bus. We got away under the command of a disgruntled driver who was not at all happy to be carrying more passengers that was allowable but he did get us to our next destination – LUNCH!!!. We  tumbled out of the bus, straightened out our cramped limbs and managed to march upright into the dining hall. The name of the place was “Chef Fernandoe’s Nostalgia”, at Raiya near Margao.

It took a little while to absorb the ambience of the place, which was housed under a huge tin shed but heavily decorated with all kinds of memorabilia and house plants. Lunch was a buffet of traditional Goan cuisine of a high standard. We had a sumptuous feast and then looked our GPS phones for a idea of how far we were from home. Little did we realize that it was playing a joke on us by showing us to be much closer to our base than where we actually were. A two hour return journey began with both buses available so some of the discomfort was avoided.

Our return left us enough time to iron out the twists and turns of our long ride and prepare for our evening’s program of remembrance of our comrades gone before us. We convened at the courtyard in our evening’s best by around 1930 and lit candles for each of our fallen comrades. The last to go was R.R. [BADAL] Sengupta, who was laid low by a stroke three years ago but could not recover from it, till his demise in December. He was very special friend and had participated in our reunions since they started in 2008.

A little cameo of the evening was the recital by Shashi Shantagiri’s granddaughter Surabhi of a poem written by Badal Sengupta’s friend Captain Mishra, which Badal had wanted to recite during the Mahabalipuram reunion. That was not to be but we finally got to hear it delivered very ably – Surabhi had taken pains to memorize it. We all stood around and listened to her with awe. Thanks, Surabhi!

 

The Bar opened soon after and the old fellowship, camaraderie and bonhomie took over. Forgotten were the rigours of the day’s bus travel. The noise of the party indicated that all was gelling together and would keep the bartenders busy right up to dinner time. Dinner was a buffet which got a good response. Good liquor was available on tap to lubricate the party cogs and wheels and we certainly made the most of it. Some of us got charged up enough to carry on our arguments late past Last Post but that too fell before the need to turn in.

16th Feb. day began with a cool gentle Easterly breeze. With no rush in the morning, till the next outing, planned for start at 1130, everybody took it easy, some making the best of the modest sized swimming pool.

Our next venture was out to the North Western corner of  Goa, Mandrem Beach, “LAZY DOG RESTAURANT”. Now this was a Beach Shack of  All Beach Shacks. A wide seafront lined with tables in [ bracket formation was able to accommodate all of us in one go. Opening salvo was of Kingfisher Premier beer, interspersed with coconut water and other soft drinks. Then came the ranks of foods which too met the same end as the beer etc. The Panacotta  was the best suited dessert. After all this It was difficult, making a way back to where our buses were. They were a bit late in getting to us so we took a gander at flea market there. A little wait and we were on our way back again  to Spazio.

The refreshments opened on time as usual and we gathered in the courtyard and the restaurant to spend the evening exchanging pleasantries and gossip. Dinner was laid on buffet style to round up the day’s program.

17th Feb. Our last day was, a full program, a visit to the Mangeshi Temple and then a visit to the National Union of Seafarers of India [ NUSI]. It is a great honour for us that Nand is Chairman of NUSI. Our visit was arranged by him along with a scrumptious lunch. So, in order to make the trip a little easier, those who were keen on visiting the Mangeshi temple were sent off early in a separate bus whilst the remainder went directly to NUSI.

Those who stayed back, nursed their aches and woes and made the best of the easy time available at the resort. One group, led by Satish Sud, supported by Richard French, exchanged memories about their sea careers, had a few rounds of beers followed by lunch. By the accounts of those who visited NUSI the lunch was the best of all meals that we had during our stay in Goa.

Now came the last evening of this gathering. A duet of guitarists, backed up by the usual collection of speakers and backup electronic aids was on hand to provide the music for the evening. We rose and danced to the occasion. Everybody had a rollicking time, John Paisley, Paul Gonsalves and Amaraj Nain sang. Al Rodrigues also proved that he is no mean performer at the mike.

To sum it up, it was a great reunion, made more so by the ambience of the place and the services provided by it. Rooms and furnishings were also very good and the cohesion of spaces was top class. Meals were good, the services excellent and the staff very cordial. We wish the venue all the success in its future and many thanks to the people responsible for it.

The following is the list of attendees:

  1. Nand Hiranandani.
  2. Shashi and Shaila Shantagiri, accompanied by their daughter Suparna and granddaughter Surabhi.
  3. Amaraj Singh Nain & Brinda
  4. “CO” Parminder Singh Aulakh & Gogi
  5. John and Audrey Paisley
  6. Harash and Poornima Channa
  7. Satish & Madhu Sood
  8. Soman Mani & son Jeljit Mani
  9. Norman & Rose Alwyn
  10. Arthur and Deanne Gilbert
  11. Ramachandran & Usha
  12. Lester & Sonia Weinman
  13. D. & Nilam Sudarshan
  14. Paul & Cathy Gonsalves
  15. Ravi & Priya Deshpande
  16. Richard French
  17. Lino & Liz D’cruz
  18. Carl and Shanta Alexander
  19. Arnab Sen & Maushumi
  20. Suresh and Shalini Kanwar
  21. Shirish and Pilar Sinha
  22. Subhash & Anjali Bhate
  23. Sanat & Bensina [daughter in law]
  24. Udayan & Shabnum Gokhale

Special Invitees

  1. Subhash & Suprabha Mukherjee
  2. Sonu & Kavita Jhangiani

We had two new members Subhash Bhate and Lino D’Cruz, glad to have you on board. A number of gappers rejoined the fold, welcome back !

This time there was departure from the normal, we had the attendance of two special invitees who  got a close look at the antics of a bunch of old sea dogs. They merged into the mainstream to be almost indistinguishable from the group. A hearty welcome to them and we wish them all the best.

For such reunions to achieve continuity there has to be a good cohesion between all those who attend them. It does not happen right away, but grows on the members as time goes by. We are all lucky that there is no serious discord among our group, makes us look forward to the next one.

A special vote of thanks to Nand Hiranandani and Shashi Shantagiri for so ably undertaking the burden of arranging this trip. There may have been a few glitches but they are not worth mentioning here. Both of you went to great lengths to achieve this, so keep it up! Another great achievement is the establishment of our Web Site, which was a great idea.

So, cheers to all and may we continue to keep up this tradition as long as we last. Hope all of you have had a nice journey and got back home.

Udayan Gokhale

 

 

 

 

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