Calcutta Reunion 5
That was Noah, and now back to now.
The Seenagers of 23rd they
came by air, they came by rail and perhaps a few by road.
Soon the HHI lobby was ringing with
laughter and the contagious bonhomie encompassed the atmospherics in the
entrance atrium. The hotel staff had expected to host a geriatric bunch of
senior veterans; however this presumed mind set was soon corrected and how!
The first official notification from
our Kolkata host was the time for Tea at 4 PM sharp at the bar turned Tea room.
It was a riot. The Red bull neon did its bit spreading the glow and sparkle.
Mohan had to commandeer the services of Anil, his son in law to take on as the
master-of-ceremonies to bring down the robust activism of his mates to a
semblance of sanity.
Shekhar’s book launch was formally accomplished and the bag of Reunion Memorabilia given to all. My favourite was the 23rd jute bag, which was light and trendy to carry instead of my hardware rich heavy travel bag.
The Mohan effect was all prevalent and
he turned out to be zealous shepherd. His itinerary was the preamble bylaw. The
time at tea was almost pushing six and the regroup was at seven sharp and the
brief was a simple two liner- Guys in smart casual and Girls in glamour. Now
that is the difficult bit... In our sixties for us to achieve sophistication
and glamour we need time to cover the ravages of gravity and time.
It was the 23rd of February and it was the ‘Landing Day’ of
the 23rders in Kolkata. The Burman family had gone out on a limb to put up a
spectacular agenda for the three day Eastern Extravaganza of the 23rd
NDA Reunion and over a hundred of them were coming.
That takes me to a childhood recall of a Noah Song. The Lord said there
was going to be a ‘Floody’ and animals had to be got out of ‘muddy’. Noah was
asked to build an ark and give a shout to the animals in the Glory of God and
get them out.
And...
The animals they came on, they came
on by twosies, twosies.
Elephants and kangaroosies, roosies.
That was Noah, and now back to now.
In Chandigarh, Mohan gave the call that
there is going to be a reunion ‘floody’ and he had to muster the mates at the
base that he makes. The base camp was HHI and
this is where the convergence was going to be in Twosies mostly and few in onesies.
The flood of expectations and camaraderie opened. The boyhood bonds pitched at a high were re-invented and that had then coming in in
scores.
The 23rd
ers they came on,
They came on by twosies, twosies.
Chatterosies ,Hegdosies, Naterosies
,Kapoorsies and …… others n all
The REUNION had begun. The Gills and
the Panthaki’s did not need the proverbial Ark in the flood to come. The Gills
had ‘gills’ and Panthaki’s had the Gills with them. Well ribbing apart, we were
there a day before and thus were there to welcome the deluge.
The welcome Standy was put up, the
reception table with our appointed concierge took charge and the flower
arrangement hijacked stealthily. We the Ladies, which are the ‘spice’ of 23rd,
have learnt a trick or two over the years as well.
Our day began with an early breakfast
at the Coffee Shop with Mohan joining us in time for Coffee just we were on way
out; nonetheless he took a firm promise that we would be back before mid-day. Talking
of Noah, today we were ready to rummage through archives and architectural
edifices on the historical significance and import of Church in the life of the
expat community of the Victorian era. Shastri ji our driver was waiting for us
with a plan…… but for now we leave that story of those bygone days for another
day and get back to base to keep our promise and meet up with the others.
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| Breakfast at HHI |
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| Master of Ceremonies |
Shekhar’s book launch was formally accomplished and the bag of Reunion Memorabilia given to all. My favourite was the 23rd jute bag, which was light and trendy to carry instead of my hardware rich heavy travel bag.
The Ghazal Evening at Alipore.
It was just four minutes past seven when
we had made it to the lobby, and even if we say it ourselves, We were now ’The
Ladies of Calcutta‘ and as the song goes ....The ladies of Calcutta will steal your heart away, And after it is stolen, you'll say….. What ever. Maybe ...... !
Soon the buses were boarding and the drive to
Alipore began through the streets of Kolkata lit up with Halogen and Sodium
Vapour lamps. The lampposts looked bright and spunky with wraparound of led
lights.
Renu and I were in a car, thus we
reached good twenty minutes ahead of the main mass of revellers. We were warmly
welcomed by Suresh and Chandrakala our charming and affable hosts. They were
waiting for us along with their lovely daughter in law and a piquant pixie of a
granddaughter. This is where the twist came; the little one was told by her
indulgent grandparents that good behaviour was a perquisite to stay up late as
the ‘Military’ was coming.
As soon as we alighted from the car and
walked towards them a trill voice of a child reached us…. ‘Aap ne toh kaha tha
ke military aaye gi’ . The little girl’s puzzled expression said it all. She had envisaged the troops in their
resplendent uniforms to come marching in!
However what she got was reality that far removed from her expectation. Renu and I, the two dawdling ladies came as the advance party, who were soon followed by a bus load of aging military veterans in variable sizes. Her disappointment was writ large on her face, but I am sure family would have found a bargain resolution later.
However what she got was reality that far removed from her expectation. Renu and I, the two dawdling ladies came as the advance party, who were soon followed by a bus load of aging military veterans in variable sizes. Her disappointment was writ large on her face, but I am sure family would have found a bargain resolution later.
It was lovely outdoor sit out and the
February weather in Kolkata was balmy with no trace of Dengue raiders. Wine,
Whisky and wafting breeze did the rest for setting a conducive mood for a Baba Bulleh Shah’s Punjabi Sufi Poetry that resonated
in the air in Rachna’s mellow tenor.
Ni main kamli yaar di
kamli
Shehar pambaar ch
vasdiya kudiyan
Te tusi nak vich nath na paana,
Main bhulgi tusi bhul
na jaana
Te yaari naal baloch na laana.
Ni main kamli yaar di
kamli
Rachna Sood Nayak is Sushma’s niece and she
soon rocked the evening moving selectively from complexity of poetry and
sattire to nostalgia of Lahore to foot tapping ‘Mast Qalandar’. Music and
melody held sway.
Nevertheless at this point it is
appropriate to comment on the setting as
it is always the setting that sets the mood Suresh and Chandrakala’s home had
an architectural natural style to show that it had its growth was organic.
The growth was gradual and in sync with nature …Simple wood bock pillars and
rafters. Large glass panels enclosed the air conditioned space to let nature in.
A very happy blend of old hacienda look and modern comforts….This was my
nocturnal impression with ambient lighting.
If I have the home appraisal wrong,
Mohan and Sushma have to redo the Kolkata experience and Chandrakala will have
to invite us again another time in daylight, till we get a pass.
To build an Ark has a profounder
significance; it is to be each other’s safety net, to be each other’s comfort
level when storm comes. Love, bonds, and memories we make are the only
sustainable legacy that we will leave behind. The 'Seenage boys' , Prakash, Mohan and Shekhar have done yeoman service in the structural design of our 'ark'.... Though Shekhar it has to be ... phir hojaye dobaara for Southern Sojourn..... We missed it, perhaps message lost in transmission.
Happy Days!
Build an ark when the storm is ended
you’ll know the world has been mended
Build an ark
Let's gather them together promise them forever
we’ll be safe from the world around us
All we have to do is to love each other
Build an ark you got to head for the open water
we’ll be safe from the world around us
All we have to do is to love each other
Build an ark you got to head for the open water
Save your sons and your daughters
Build an ark
Build an ark
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