HARASH CHANNA’S WRITE UP KUMARAKOM CONTINUATION OF THE REUNION
After a very enjoyable stay in Munnar , which Thoma has described at great length, thereafter we divided ourselves into 2 groups . The group who were not programmed to visit Kumarakom, left for Cochin in a coach to catch their respective flights to their destinations/ homes, except for Sanat Bhate , who had his own conveyance and had driven down from Poona , left with Amaraj n Brinda . After finishing our breakfast , a handful of us bid farewell and safe travels to the group , and thereafter we set out for Kumarakom Backwaters , in a coach ,with the exception of Shashi and Shaila, Audrey and John who came in a car . Prior to leaving The Leaf Resort , at Munnar , we took a group photo. ( copy enclosed).
The bus ride to Kumar Akom was exceptionally long and seemed to be never ending. However, Benita n Pilar kept us entertained by playing the old both English and Hindi numbers , to which some of us sang and entertained ourselves . On the way we did have a short tea break.
We finally arrived at our destination the “ Abad Whispering Palms’” resort , all exhausted and drained out . After checking in and being allotted our rooms , we went straight for lunch , which I must say was not as varied and tasty as at the Leaf Resort . The resort was big and quite picturesque overlooking the Lake . We decided to meet in the evening at Shantigiri’s villa for drinks at 7:30. After the drinks we all had an early dinner to head back to our respective rooms since all of us were very tired and exhausted with the long bus journey.
The next morning a few of us namely Sirish n, Carl, Shaila, Poornima and I decided to explore and go on a sightseeing trip of Kumarakom, though a few ladies decided to stay back and instead go for a relaxing massage.
We visited a local church , a Temple, and also the Bay Island Driftwood Museum, which in fact was very interesting and intriguing. The fossils were neatly displayed and the history and age of each piece was very interestingly narrated in detail and great depth by the Curator and Proprietress . We got back to the resort in time for lunch. After lunch it was planned that we meet up in the foyer for tea and pakoras at 5 pm , thereafter take the Shikara Boat Ride on the Backwaters for an hour. The boat ride was quite relaxing , and the boatman kept us pretty entertained by playing some Malyali music . We watched the setting sun which was a beautiful sight . After coming back on shore, we once again proceeded to Shashi’s villa in the comfort of his AC room for our customary drinks and chat sessions . The weather was hot n humid. Soon it was time for dinner, thereafter we all retired early to have an early head start the next day for Cochin.
Next morning after an early breakfast we bid farewell to Shashi and Shaila at around 8:30 , as they had a long drive , back to Bangalore . The rest of us left much later as we had to wait for our coach driver . While the rest of the crowd headed for Cochin to catch their onward flights , Poornima and I were warmly welcomed to spend one night in Cochin with Soman Mani who took good care of us , showing us around Cochin. This was the icing on the cake. Our very sincere thanks and best wishes to Soman for showing us around Cochin and looking after us so well .
To sum up, our get together ended on a happy and entertaining note. Our very very special Thanks to Shashi and Shaila for making such great efforts to bring us all together, going out of their way to plan and arrange everything for all of us, in making it a memorable trip for all. In fact , all our batchmates were very accommodating , warm and friendly thus ensuring we all had a great time together. Thank you to each one of you.
Looking forward to seeing everyone next year again for fun time together.
Wishing everyone a healthy , happy and blissful year.
PERSONS BELOW ARE THE HAPPY CROWD WHO WENT ONTO TO KUMARAKOM TO CONTINUE THEIR REUNION
WRITE UP ON OUR REUNION TO MUNNAR AND KUMARAKOM
AUTHOR : U V GOKHALE (AT HIS BEST)
Reunion of Ex-T.S. DUFFERIN CADETS [BATCH OF 1961-63 ] held at Munnar, Kerala, February 13th till 17th and followed up at Kumarakom, Kerala 17th to 19th February 2024
If any proof is required of the camaraderie that institutions like the “Dufferin” instil in their alumni, the above heading tells us of the latest addition to a story that began more than sixty years ago. The additions and subtractions in our lives notwithstanding, we still manage to generate the kind of mutual respect and affection that is very evident in the photographic records of this occasion. We have also thrown open the membership of our group to alumni other than our own batch and personal friends who have further enriched our experience. This year had a new entrant from a batch three years senior to us Capt. Ravi Dewan, who joined up when invited – he happens to be Shabnum’s first cousin, in addition to being my Chief Officer and then my Captain on two different ships. Sanat Bhate 1962-64 [1854] has been joining us whenever possible since 2012 and Sudhir Subhedar 1966-68 [2243] has joined us in 2023 although he was unable to be with us this year.
The list of ex-cadets and their ladies who made this event a treasure trove of good memories is as follows:-
- Shashi Shantagiri and Shaila [Chief -of-Staff and Co- Chief of Staff]
- Somesh Batra and Uma
- Soman Mani and his cousin BENITA
- Amaraj Nain and Brinda
- Sanat Bhate and his friend Rahul (one year junior to our batch)
- John Paisley and Audrey
- Carl Alexander and Shantha
- Tony D”cruz and Elizabeth
- Paul Gonsalves and Catherine
- Harash Channa and Poornima
- U V Gokhale and Shabnum
- Rippudaman Sudarshan and Nilam
- Ravi Dewan and Shobha (three years senior to our batch)
- Sirish Sinha and Pillar
We began collecting at Cochin on the 12th FEB., at a hotel near the airport where we had two evenings of merry-making with a day out on the town, which consisted of riverside lunch at a restaurant close to the airport. The morning of the 14th saw us off to Munnar by road on a pleasant journey up into the Western Ghats.
The journey was marred by an unfortunate setback on account of Audrey Paisley suddenly suffering a blackout during a short break at a midway Tea Shop. Fortunately, she recovered from it well enough to be able to resume travel in a more comfortable vehicle for the rest of the way to Munnar. It did take a big toll on her which necessitated her having to take it easy for a day before getting well enough to join us. She is a brave lady. I hope that she has recovered by now and wish her all the best.
For the rest of us a peek at the Chocolate Factory on our way provided a welcome punctuation in the trip to the Leaf Resort where we checked in and took a short breather before lunch. The breather was ably supported by the beverage that cheers which had to be enjoyed in the privacy of Shashi’s room. He had taken a lot of care to ensure that no needy creature went unslaked to the dining hall. The catering was of a high standard and the bouffet extremely well stocked with a variety of cuisines that would satisfy a wide range of tastes. That standard was maintained throughout our stay there.
A well needed afternoon siesta was followed by an evening of merrymaking at the hall reserved for our party. To start the first evening’s program we paid homage to our batchmates who had gone before us. As was customary, each of us lit a candle for a dear departed batchmate and observed a period of silent prayer for him. The highlight of the evening was a “Kathak” performance by Capt. Soman Mani, which included a spot of “Abhinaya” based on the classic originally performed by the legendary Shri Birju Maharaj Ji, the late doyen of the Lucknow Gharana, of North Indian classical dance. A visual record exists of this brilliant performance which you might find on our website. It was a fun evening buoyed up by our party being now in full strength. Shashi and Soman Mani who had volunteered to help with his local knowledge had taken great pains to seek out and choose this venue for our bash and we all owe them a very comprehensive vote of thanks for their choice of this venue. The evening venue was an excellent choice which we had to ourselves for all our evenings at Munnar. That was good value for money.
For our second day we had nothing very much planned, we were left to our own devices and passed the day – as the Italians put it – “Dolce Far Niente” – so nice to do nothing! After a pre lunch “thirst slaker” for which we took refuge again in Shashi’s room, we had lunch and the afternoon to ourselves. The evening that followed was a dressy one with coats and ties for the hombres and finery for the ladies. A photographer and his retinue were there with a decent array of equipment to record the occasion for us – our man Shashi thinks of everything! In these modern times it is amazing how a staggering number of photographs can be taken and processed within hours.
All in all, the evening was again just the right way to help us unwind and enjoy each other’s company. Soman and Vinita entertained us with a musical skit. A three man band had been deployed to keep us regaled with good music and allowed us to shake a leg or two with our partners. A few of us, made up of evergreen stalwarts who never fail to take an opportunity to give us some good feelings, by belting out a song or two, kept the yawns away.
Our third and last day was as usual, general bonhomie and banter, some of the members went out for a cultural show in the evening. They were treated to a good choice of dance styles of South India. We gathered again at our usual watering hole that last evening to put a cap on our get together and face the reality that we would be going our separate ways the next day, except for those who had opted for an extension of their outing at Kumarakom. Their names are as follows:
Arrived Kumarakom 17th and dispersed on 19th.
Participants
Carl and Shantha
John and Audrey
Soman and Benita
Harash and Poornima
Shashi and Shaila
Speedy and Catherine
Sirish and Pilar
We shall now take it easy and probably lie low for about half a year, before the itch starts again. So my friends, keep your minds open and feel free to suggest possible venues suitable for our level of physical, mental and financial positions. Every proposal is given due respect and the final choice is based on a general consensus.
Shashi has done it once again, inspite of having undergone some serious surgery not very long ago. No amount of thanks can cover the meticulous planning, diligence and energies that have put this experience within our reach. He has done it before and I hope that he will do it again. “He’s is a jolly good fellow!” Sing it out for him!
U.V. [THOMA] GOKHALE
WRITE UP FROM OUR OWN CARL ALEXANDER
Departing Munnar “Leaf Resort” saw the early departure of some who had other social plans Thoma and Shubnam had previous long stays in and around Kumarakom, so they took themselves off to meet previous acquantnaces. Nain and Brintha along with Sanat and Rahul had been in contact with Philip Manipadam (a year junior) and had made other plans to return early to Pune. Somesh and Uma, Ravi and Shoba Devan and Rippu and Neelam Sudarshan had alsoother commitments.
The remaining adventurous group including John and Audrey made the long winding trip down to Kumarakom. While in the bus we were entertained by Benitha (Soman’s niece) she managed to link her phone to the bus entertainment system and played toe tapping music both in Hindi and English. The music kept all entertained and lightened the winding monotonous journey.
Unloading the bus each retired to their individual rooms. Some had water views others had fountain views. All were invited by Shantagiri for a beer and drink. Soon it was dinner time, and all ventured to see what changed in the spread. As normal there was a variety of cuisine only to be finished with a few options for dessert. Soon this became a routine. With pre-lunch and dinner drinks, courtesy Shantagiri and Shyla.
On one day a group visited the chemist to replenish treatment for the “Delhi Belly”. The group that tagged along went on the usual visit to the spice shops. Some loaded up more than the others.
A few of the ladies took advantage of the massage facility attached to the resort. It offered a variety of massages, from full body to leg, arm, hand and foot massage.
During her professional tenure in the Andaman & Nicobar archipelago, a dynamic lady schoolteacher used to pick up pieces of driftwood deposited by the sea on the shores, comprising of twisted tree trunks, stumps, roots etc., which had potential
for transformation into sculptures with marginal efforts, thanks to the Bay of Bengal prone to frequent cyclones that
make the sea turbulent and unpredictable. Every cyclone brought back as many things to the shore as it washed away from it. Some of these wood pieces and roots were centuries old and having drifted across the seas they became more resilient. Having traversed vast distances, what is left of a tree is its sturdiest part which has weathered much inclemency. The picked-up pieces were cleansed, crumbling parts removed, scraped and trimmed to conform to the shape she had in mind. In the course of the process, it so happened, the Nature’s original designs could emerge more forcefully, evocatively, and permanently. Many of these pieces closely resemble birds, animals, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes. Shaping, scraping, polishing, finishing, and preserving were done with fierce dedication.
Coming to Kumarakom without some boating activity so being on the edge of the lake, it was decided on the last day to go out onto the lake to see a sunset. So the group boarded “a vallum” the traditional backwater boat and cruised around the southern part of the lake, till sunset.
As we cruised around the boat coxswain had to avoid running into islands of ‘water hyacinth’ which seemed to cling mainly close to the shore occasionally forming floating islands midlake A few other craft are a tourist attraction – some being managed by the high-end hotels like the Taj and Oberoi similar to the one in the adjoining photo. Many of the members of the group were not quite acclimatized to food and spices, leading to few incidents oc “Dehli Belly” episodes. Careful management soon overcame many of the incidents all the little adventures added to the colour of the reunion. Thanks to Shantagiri and wife Shaila we had frequent glass of cheer
