As I am writing this post, the one song that keeps humming in my head and playing on my lips constantly is 'Summer of 69', the feelings are exactly the same. And undoubtedly what I am going to write is about 'The Best days of my (our)Life' with emotions running high just like Bryan Adams must have, when penning the cult song of our generation.
Its been exactly 6 days since I have met them, my ol' friends but the sweet taste of the hangover is still there and will savour it forever!
It was a reunion after 20 years for IES batch 89 and what a memorable evening it was. It still gives me goosebumps and my mind goes in overdrive as if its fed on endorphins, when I think about that special evening.
Days before Reunion
I had been eagerly waiting for the D-day to arrive almost akin to a kid's excitement waiting to unwrap his birthday gifts. Well, it couldnt have been any other way, as I was to meet my long lost friends after 20 years (phew!)and catch up with them on all those wonderful 12 years that had been spent at our dear school IES, Hindu Colony....in classrooms, in its corridors, labs, on the school ground, recesses, picnics, canteens, PTA's,school programs and the list is endless.
IES our school... an epitome of a school factory. A factory because it used to be (still does)always teeming with us...school kids. Whether in classroom, school buses, at school gates or just about everywhere...and it was like a real melting pot, a reflection of our city Mumbai, in a sense. We were from all cross sections of life, truly all kinds there... and importantly we loved it for its bigness and diversity....which had in its fold so many children who eventually were to become friends for life.
Such strong is our feeling and attachment for the school that one cannot leave without feeling fervently or impassioned for it. We love it, adore it, complain about it, we are passionate about it also sometimes (yeah, sometimes) talk disparagingly about it but at the end of it we are happy we are part of it and are truly proud of it!
So it was but obvious that the days spent before the grand day were spent in pure anticipation as to what will unfold on the D day. I was actually running in my head the sequence of events which were to take place .. A huge eagerness with a little nervousness and lot of excitement. Will they or wont they recognise me (classmates)...do I look old/young for my age.....have I put on weight...have I done well enough for myself in the last 20 years and what if my friends have done better (or worse). It was like all of a sudden, I was going through a self assessment at the 20 year milestone. But I am sure I was not alone.
But what the hell...there was even more stronger thought that plagued my mind...I was meeting my bunch after 2 whole decades and I was all gung ho for a Deja vu... memories 20 years old which I wanted to revive so badly...that I wanted to walk down that lane all over again...again and again!
I was to meet about hundred batch mates...some close friends...some few friends who I had lost touch, some I knew barely and still some I may not have spoken in school at all. But the common link being we were all a bunch of 35 years old who had for the last 20 years been strewn all over the city, country or world and were to meet again and renew the memories which we had saved in that special place (heart) and could only be revived by us...the batch of 89 by being there all together!
D-Day arrives
Date - 19th December 2009
Place - Worli Police Swimming Pool
Time - 6 pm
Setting - Reunion of IES 1989 batch after 20 years
Firstly, as I stepped on that turf and just being there made me feel 20 years younger almost instantly...it was like I had sat in a time machine and flown back to a place in time which I can describe as 'shiny and happy'..it was 80's remember.
It was the time of homeworks (not done), sitting on the last bench (and chatting during class), black shoes/white socks (uff!), red hairbands(never worn), crushes (and thereafter, feeling crushed), PT exercises (and the art of slacking off), short recess (biscuits) and long recess (chapati/bhaaji), the art of sharing dabba with your gang, being in classroom (but not really being there), being an outstanding student (for truly standing outside class), ranks and report cards (such a pain ) and many such wicked memories.
Coming back to the reunion...I was happy to meet all and mind you all...whether I had known them in school or didnt. It didnt matter. The whole atmosphere was so magical and pure that its difficult to describe in words.
It started with...'oh you havent changed a bit'...or 'you look just the same' and for the others who we knew by face, ' I know u, but cant remember your name'...and sometimes it was...'Oh my god,Is that really you...' . 'where have u been's and 'what are you upto's. The ice breaking continued a good amount of time till we had gone out and met every single (almost) school mate.
Some had changed fairly and most of us squarely (pun of course intended) but we still remembered the face as it was. Somehow it surprised me that I could still rememb most of my 60-70 odd classmates and more names by heart but now if you ask me names of my past office colleagues...well, I could do a lot good with a 8 GB memory drive for my brain. I guess the computers and cell phones have spoilt us rotten.
And to top it all, the event was made even more precious by the presence of a few teachers who we revered and adored (still do). Seeing them again opened the floodgates of memories of a different kind...it was indeed special moment for us to have them in our midst and we will appreciate that truly. Thank you, mams!
The party continued with gusto for 6 hours thriving on great conversation, good food, lively music, flowing booze and more importantly company of some amazing friends. The air was absolutely thick with choked emotions, familiar laughs and old sentiments of long lost friends. The evening just flew by ...and how....we wished it would never end. The buzz, the excitement, energy, nostalgia and vibes of friends thrown together again has renewed my vigour and made me feel young(er) all over again. Those 6 hours of that special evening truly encapsulated (almost)the fantastic 12 years of my school years, beautifully. And but naturally we have decided to meet again....cos' its obvious we dont want to lose this momentum again....we cant wait for another milestone (20 years) to bring this evening into our life again. In a small way or big way...lets decide that this evening shall not pass as just another special day in our life never to come back again. Lets aim for many more to come.
To all my dear friends who could not make it on this evening and for those who were not aware...we dearly missed your presence and hence we would like to do this again to make it even bigger and cherishable as the evening of 19th Dec 2009. Lets set the ball rolling!
Last but not least, for those who made it happen...Hats off to you all!....Jaydeep Palep, Anand Mhapralkar, Abhijeet Avarsekar, Mangesh Choubal, Vasudev Rane, Geetanjali Subhedar, Shilpa Tawte and I am sure I must have missed a few more names....Please forgive my ignorance. Guys, you made it happen!
Lastly all I would like to say to my dear school, teachers and schoolmates...a song which is a dedication to all those who shaped me into becoming what I am today.
You are the wind beneath my wings!!
Its been exactly 6 days since I have met them, my ol' friends but the sweet taste of the hangover is still there and will savour it forever!
It was a reunion after 20 years for IES batch 89 and what a memorable evening it was. It still gives me goosebumps and my mind goes in overdrive as if its fed on endorphins, when I think about that special evening.
Days before Reunion
I had been eagerly waiting for the D-day to arrive almost akin to a kid's excitement waiting to unwrap his birthday gifts. Well, it couldnt have been any other way, as I was to meet my long lost friends after 20 years (phew!)and catch up with them on all those wonderful 12 years that had been spent at our dear school IES, Hindu Colony....in classrooms, in its corridors, labs, on the school ground, recesses, picnics, canteens, PTA's,school programs and the list is endless.
IES our school... an epitome of a school factory. A factory because it used to be (still does)always teeming with us...school kids. Whether in classroom, school buses, at school gates or just about everywhere...and it was like a real melting pot, a reflection of our city Mumbai, in a sense. We were from all cross sections of life, truly all kinds there... and importantly we loved it for its bigness and diversity....which had in its fold so many children who eventually were to become friends for life.
Such strong is our feeling and attachment for the school that one cannot leave without feeling fervently or impassioned for it. We love it, adore it, complain about it, we are passionate about it also sometimes (yeah, sometimes) talk disparagingly about it but at the end of it we are happy we are part of it and are truly proud of it!
So it was but obvious that the days spent before the grand day were spent in pure anticipation as to what will unfold on the D day. I was actually running in my head the sequence of events which were to take place .. A huge eagerness with a little nervousness and lot of excitement. Will they or wont they recognise me (classmates)...do I look old/young for my age.....have I put on weight...have I done well enough for myself in the last 20 years and what if my friends have done better (or worse). It was like all of a sudden, I was going through a self assessment at the 20 year milestone. But I am sure I was not alone.
But what the hell...there was even more stronger thought that plagued my mind...I was meeting my bunch after 2 whole decades and I was all gung ho for a Deja vu... memories 20 years old which I wanted to revive so badly...that I wanted to walk down that lane all over again...again and again!
I was to meet about hundred batch mates...some close friends...some few friends who I had lost touch, some I knew barely and still some I may not have spoken in school at all. But the common link being we were all a bunch of 35 years old who had for the last 20 years been strewn all over the city, country or world and were to meet again and renew the memories which we had saved in that special place (heart) and could only be revived by us...the batch of 89 by being there all together!
D-Day arrives
Date - 19th December 2009
Place - Worli Police Swimming Pool
Time - 6 pm
Setting - Reunion of IES 1989 batch after 20 years
Firstly, as I stepped on that turf and just being there made me feel 20 years younger almost instantly...it was like I had sat in a time machine and flown back to a place in time which I can describe as 'shiny and happy'..it was 80's remember.
It was the time of homeworks (not done), sitting on the last bench (and chatting during class), black shoes/white socks (uff!), red hairbands(never worn), crushes (and thereafter, feeling crushed), PT exercises (and the art of slacking off), short recess (biscuits) and long recess (chapati/bhaaji), the art of sharing dabba with your gang, being in classroom (but not really being there), being an outstanding student (for truly standing outside class), ranks and report cards (such a pain ) and many such wicked memories.
Coming back to the reunion...I was happy to meet all and mind you all...whether I had known them in school or didnt. It didnt matter. The whole atmosphere was so magical and pure that its difficult to describe in words.
It started with...'oh you havent changed a bit'...or 'you look just the same' and for the others who we knew by face, ' I know u, but cant remember your name'...and sometimes it was...'Oh my god,Is that really you...' . 'where have u been's and 'what are you upto's. The ice breaking continued a good amount of time till we had gone out and met every single (almost) school mate.
Some had changed fairly and most of us squarely (pun of course intended) but we still remembered the face as it was. Somehow it surprised me that I could still rememb most of my 60-70 odd classmates and more names by heart but now if you ask me names of my past office colleagues...well, I could do a lot good with a 8 GB memory drive for my brain. I guess the computers and cell phones have spoilt us rotten.
And to top it all, the event was made even more precious by the presence of a few teachers who we revered and adored (still do). Seeing them again opened the floodgates of memories of a different kind...it was indeed special moment for us to have them in our midst and we will appreciate that truly. Thank you, mams!
The party continued with gusto for 6 hours thriving on great conversation, good food, lively music, flowing booze and more importantly company of some amazing friends. The air was absolutely thick with choked emotions, familiar laughs and old sentiments of long lost friends. The evening just flew by ...and how....we wished it would never end. The buzz, the excitement, energy, nostalgia and vibes of friends thrown together again has renewed my vigour and made me feel young(er) all over again. Those 6 hours of that special evening truly encapsulated (almost)the fantastic 12 years of my school years, beautifully. And but naturally we have decided to meet again....cos' its obvious we dont want to lose this momentum again....we cant wait for another milestone (20 years) to bring this evening into our life again. In a small way or big way...lets decide that this evening shall not pass as just another special day in our life never to come back again. Lets aim for many more to come.
To all my dear friends who could not make it on this evening and for those who were not aware...we dearly missed your presence and hence we would like to do this again to make it even bigger and cherishable as the evening of 19th Dec 2009. Lets set the ball rolling!
Last but not least, for those who made it happen...Hats off to you all!....Jaydeep Palep, Anand Mhapralkar, Abhijeet Avarsekar, Mangesh Choubal, Vasudev Rane, Geetanjali Subhedar, Shilpa Tawte and I am sure I must have missed a few more names....Please forgive my ignorance. Guys, you made it happen!
Lastly all I would like to say to my dear school, teachers and schoolmates...a song which is a dedication to all those who shaped me into becoming what I am today.
You are the wind beneath my wings!!
