The buildup to the recent reunion was on a high note, riding on the memories of the previous reunions which have been a regular annual feature starting November 2008. The only exception was the year 2010, when we did not meet, but, after that, every year, we have managed to regularly get together for yet another interlude to renew our bonds of friendship and camaraderie. This is a tribute to all who have made it a cherishable event of our lives as we enter our sunset years, especially to the movers and shakers who have regularly and devotedly taken a very active part in organizing these meets. We all know who they are so I shall leave out the names.

Having said that, this reunion began on a very somber note, arising out of the serious stroke that BadalSengupta suffered just a few days before we were scheduled to meet. Our main motivator and organizer was laid low, leading to a serious rethink required on whether or not we should continue with the event. Badal prevailed and, because of  his insistence that the show must go on, we went ahead with the plans.

Those of us who made plans to travel via Bengaluru, spent a night or two there and were able to see Badal, slowly recovering from his setback. The starting point of the reunion was a lunch on the 19th, hosted by Shantagiri – who had, so ably, taken over the mantle of responsibility from Badal-  at the Karnataka State Cricket  Association Club. Those present were CO&GogiAulakh, Amaraj&BrindaNain, Norman & Rose Alwyn, SanatBhate, and myself. It was an enjoyable prelude which lifted the spirits after such a gloomy start.

On the 20th all the participants had reached the Chariot Beach Resort at Mamallapuram by late afternoon and proceedings began with a high tea in the open outside the main building. The resort gets its name from the “PanchaRatha” – [five chariots]- monuments which lie towards the southern end of town. Being a world heritage site, there is plenty of information available about it on the ‘net.

All of us had been accommodated in paired cottages situated on both sides of a luxuriously large swimming pool not very far from the beach. Our first evening was an open air do, beginning with our customary homage to those gone before us after which it was “fellowship” – a euphemism for general merrymaking lubricated with the right liquids and mingled with good snacks. Our junior K.Vivekanandand his wife joined us for part of the evening. Dinner followed in the main dining hall, before we sounded the last post for the day.

The 21st brought a very pleasant dawn with a cool onshore breeze blowing through the resort. Made mornings a time of day to look forward to. Some of us walked to the beach and some braved the swimming pool. CO Aulakh was the pick of the swimmers with his capability of doing a number of lengths every day. Soman Mani &Sanat followed closely whilst Amaraj& I enjoyed our places at the lower end of the rankings. The ladies were there too, Brinda and Shabnum being the most frequent users.

Breakfast at the dining hall was followed by a trip into town to see the main group of temples. The temple tour began at  “Krishna’s Butter Ball”, a massive rounded boulder precariously teetering on a rock slope. Everybody visiting the site had to be photographed with this gravity defying phenomenon. This is the biggest collection of rock  carvings and temples at the site which are a magnificent testimony to the glories of Indian culture. After this complex our next visit was to the Shore Temple, right at the edge of the sea, protected now by a stone embankment. Details about this and others in the region can be found at – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabalipuram. The happiest time of the day was when Badal called up from hospital and was able to have a word with many of us. He sounded weak but he set us an example of personal courage and strength of will in fighting his illness.

This entire morning’s tour was spent walking in the bright sun, which was leavened somewhat by the cool breeze blowing off the sea, but it was a thirsty bunch that made its way back to the resort to cool off at the bar with a beer or two. Afternoon was siesta time followed by our customary high tea which was an occasion for us to exchange yarns without being confused by alcohol. That activity was restricted to the evening’s program with a number of raucous renderings of old songs. We had set up a long row of the outdoor tables with benches on both sides to accommodate most of us. We had two stalwarts, John Paisley at the dining room end and Amaraj Nain at the Bar end to regale us, sometimes in consonance, sometimes at variance, with their repertoires of old music. It was an extremely cheerful, harmoniously noisy and enjoyable evening.

22nd being a Sunday was devoted to Chennai visits and miscellaneous activities around M’Puram. SanatBhate, Brinda Nain, Shabnum& I decided to go to Chennai in a group, boys to meet PromodMokashi and the girls to do some shopping. As it turned out we met Promod at his house on the way to town. This is worth a mention because Promod has unfortunately, been so unwell that he too was unable to join us for even a short time. He and his family welcomed us very affectionately to their beautiful house. Shabnum&Brinda got detailed instructions as to their shopping goals and where to have lunch. The rest of our time in town wasn’t up to much except that we had an excellent South Indian lunch at the “Copper Pot” in the GRT GRAND HOTEL.

For some reason the rest of the day was spent in a subdued frame of mind with the high tea almost merging into the evening’s cocktails & dinner. We must have needed some respite from three or more days of travelling, sightseeing and merrymaking. That was actually to be the theme of this reunion, no compulsions, schedules etc. We finally achieved that on the third day!

23rd Feb was again devoted to sightseeing – one group to Pondicherry and the remainder to finish whatever sightseeing remained in M’puram. The Pondicherry group returned with a glowing account of their day in Pondicherry, especially the French style lunch that they had. Lucky people!

 

Apart from the archaeological monuments, there is a Sea Shell Museum, put together by Dr. Raja Mohammedout of his own resources.  The variety of sea shells on display, painstakingly collected over the years is a witness not only one man’s diligence but also to the infinite range of “abode engineering” that Nature is capable of. A shop which sells shell handicrafts is also closeby and worth a visit.

After our high tea we gathered for what would be our last evening of the event and even though the spirits were high, we knew that another landmark in our lives was coming to a close. We sang the Dufferinsongs , signed on the memorial plaque and officially brought the meeting to a close. Random thoughts were exchanged about the venue for the next reunion but nothing has yet been decided on that score.

We dispersed the next day with Shabnum and I being the last to leave the resort. Some of the goodbyes were long, some short, but what stood out was that we parted without cussing & swearing at either the resort or at each other – inspite of being crusty old sea dogs who are accustomed to having their own way all the time. Keep it up guys!  The bonds grow stronger every year.

Before endingI must make a mention of the passing away of James Alexander, who though not an ex-cadet was a fairly regular participant in our meetings, right until the Atali Ganga trip last year. Our condolences to Carl &Shanta who brought him along to a number of reunions and who lovingly took so much care of him.

As I write this, I salute all you guys who made it to Mahabalipuram, and your ladies for showing some remarkable team spirit, which keeps us going year on year. Just to record your presence the following is a list of the people who made this possible.

Directors:

R.R. [BADAL] Sengupta

S.K. [Shanti] Shantagiri with Shaila

NandHiranandani with Sarla

Actors:

ArnabSen with Moshumi

John Paisley with Audrey

Amaraj Nain with Brinda

Norman Alwyn with Rose

CO Aulakh with Gogi

Soman Mani with Laila

RippuSudarshan with Neelum

Suresh Kanwar with Shalini

Thoma Gokhale with Shabnum

Shirish Sinha

SanatBhate

Till we meet again. Our heartfelt thanks for being there.

Sincerely yours

Shabnum&Thoma [U.V.] Gokhale

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