As the reunion at Mahabalipuram in February 2015, drew to a close, came the question, where do we meet again? With one of our stalwarts [Badal] –who had done most of the spadework -being unwell the task devolved on the rest of the team, who had worked so hard to keep the show going. The question hung in the air for a few months until the DRACEA GLOBAL MEET firmed up resolving itself towards the middle of the year and it just naturally developed into a choice of our batch members continuing the festivities at Lonavala following the main meet at Aamby Valley.
The DRACEA event was organized on a grand scale with nearly 200 ex-cadets of all three Marine training institutions – Dufferin, Rajendra and Chanakya – in attendance, some with their families, to take the total guest list close to 300. The seniormost ex-cadet attending the meet was 98 years old, Capt. Tommy Rosario, Dufferin No. 202, who got a standing ovation for his determination to grace the occasion.
We converged on the Aamby Valley resort around mid-day on the 29th of November, starting with lunch followed by the inauguration of the meet. Captain Harry Banga, the leading sponsor of the meet, gave us his vision of the future, concluding with how it was now India’s chance to grow into a leading actor on the world maritime stage.
The evening was termed “Retro Night” with guests being exhorted to “let their hair down and yell yahoo!”, which most of us did. Good fun for all those who got into the mood. The next day was taken up by events consisting of informal talks and presentations to “awaken the mind and energize the soul”. We had spectacular shows of the musical fountains on both evenings, well attended by the members.
Our last evening was the Masquerade Ball at the Aamby Valley Town Square, out in the open, featuring a live band. Masks were donned and the spirits loosened by the liquid comforts provided. We made merry and cavorted [as best we could] well into the night before being deposited back to our respective chalets. Our stay at Aamby valley concluded with breakfast on 1st December, where we bid farewell to our greater brotherhood of seafarers who had received some of the best training available in the world for starting a sea career.
The venue for the meet was very beautiful and the weather kind to us, without any extremes, bright sunshine and clear starry nights, which kept us in a good mood. Even though the resort is spread around a very big area, there was adequate, timely transport provided for all candidates throughout the two days that we were there. The food was good and sumptuous served as buffets with a wide variety of choices. To conclude, a very memorable experience and a great idea on the part of all those who sponsored and managed the entire program, our sincere thanks to them.
After parting ways at Aamby Valley our batch members, listed below, regrouped at Lonavala at the NUSI Holiday Complex, situated just off the expressway in Valvan Village:-
Nand & Sarla Hiranandani
S.K. & Shaila Shantagiri
John Paisley
Carl Alexander
“CO” & Gogi Aulakh
Amaraj & Gulu Nain
Thoma & Shabnum Gokhale
Sujata & Arvind Moghe joined us directly from Pune.
Being a close knit group, staying at a very compact venue, we had a very informal mini-reunion lasting two days during which we mostly stayed together exchanging yarns, enjoying some good food and generally having a good time. A few outings, to places of interest within the Lonavala Area provided the necessary diversions along with a chance to stretch our limbs and absorb the ambience. Some time was spent shopping for Lonavala’s specialities – Chikki & Fudge – good stuff!!
We took time out to visit a property owned by Shabnum’s cousin Sanjeev Malhotra and his wife Nohar – a bungalow on the western shore of the Lonavala Lake. The well preserved antiques and curios added to its charming interior – a reflection on the owners who must have perseveringly put it all together under one roof. It was a hit with the group who were able to get a glimpse of the old part of town with its original architecture. A lot of that has now been replaced by concrete and glass monstrosities.
A visit to the Karla caves took up one afternoon – with the fitter people in our group taking a walk all the way up from base camp to the actual caves. Good food for body & soul. One morning was spent in a motor trip to a boating resort on the Pawna Lake – nice drive along the lake shore to our destination – no boat ride but a refreshing drink in the local restaurant before we shot back to our base camp. The same evening saw us at the local CELEBRITY WAX MUSEUM situated just off the Expressway outside Lonavala. The museum is a labour of love put in by a local artisan who has, in most of the exhibits, successfully reproduced good replicas of the originals. The choices of heroes, and some villains too, is excellent – if you are ever travelling that way, a look in is a must.
No such meeting of our batch is complete without a remembrance of those of our batchmates who have gone before us. Sadly, one more name – Hardial Singh Sandhu – had to be added to the list, which now is 22 in number. We paid our respects in the usual way, but because of the lack of quorum as well as space, our expressions were reduced to just one candle for all of us and our departed friends. We missed Badal, who is recovering slowly, he would not have missed this had it been possible for him to make it. Here’s hoping that he recovers in time for the next one.
Our last dinner together was on the 2nd night as most of the group, barring three couples were due to depart starting early the next morning. The date and location of the next meeting was marked for February 2017 in the Chandigarh region. Amaraj and CO will be doing some legwork on that but we have a nice long gap to get our act together.
Shanti, Hira, Carl, Arvind and John left on the morning of the 3rd, leaving Amaraj, CO our wives and myself to our own devices for the next 24hrs. We made full use of that time with a little outing to the Sunset viewing area and a couple of parks situated at the beginning of the ghat down to the seacoast. The sunset outing was followed by an impromptu game of “Teen Patti” – players being Amaraj, Gulu, CO, Gogi, Shabnum & myself. For want of suitable change or counters, the legal tender was peanuts valued at Rs.5 each. To keep it light hearted the stakes were limited and certain restrictions were put in to keep the tempo of the game from getting bogged down between players in the fray. What started on a sober note with the novices being explained the intricacies and the pecking order of card combinations, soon turned into a hilarious session of fun that had us all in splits of laughter from time to time. At the end of the game, when it came to tabulating the wins and losses, we just pooled the peanuts back together and polished them off. All forgiven but not forgotten. I am sure that all of us will preserve the memory of what a fun evening that was. More like a family affair than anything else. Next morning was goodbye time after breakfast. We separated after that to go our separate ways but with a determination to meet again soon.
Just as a bit of information, Shirish Sinha [Al Capone] will be in India next February and will be spending some time with Amaraj. It is quite likely that we will congregate there for another mini reunion bringing together interested parties living in that area. That is left to Amaraj and Aulakh, please contact either for further info on this score.
Word of thanks to Nand for having arranged this enjoyable interlude, spent in a lighthearted frame of mind, away from the big city bustle.
Goodbye and Cheers.
U.V. (THOMA) GOKHALE.