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AHMEDABAD (DEC 9-11, 2022) AND UDAIPUR (DEC 12-15, 2022)

 

Shared by Subramanian Nilakanta, on behalf of PGP 1972 batch

 

PART 1 – AHMEDABAD

 

Came many a batchmate from the ends of the Earth

Some lean, some of becoming girth

The ladies as enthu as we

Made our day ‘para mi’

And we basked in camaraderie and mirth

 

For this reunion of old friends

At our Jubilee Golden

Subbu, Anshu, Danga, Pervin, Baljee

To you we are beholden!

 

Advance guard and Arrivals

 

A stream of pals and spouses

Came in singly and two by two

Some defied the Cyclone Mandous

Just to be with me and you

 

Some guys checked in at Regenta

Others at the campus IMDC

Both were equally flummoxed

Meeting at a new campus, you see

 

On the RU WA was many a FAQ

By members who didn’t read the itinerary fully

The responses were terse, no indulgent verse

‘Read your case’, said our Chief Subbully!

 

The Day:

 

Come morning some 40 of our ’72 Class

Converged at Auditorium PPG

Spouses accompanied most of them

Without them where would we be?

 

We were greeted with a Welcome kit

With pics of our class and our Convocation

So nice to recognize so many of us present

In robe and hat in the procession

 

The din and chatter of old boys and spouses

Like school reopening day at the Gupta Hall

Thumps and hugs and beaming faces

As most recognized almost all!

 

Tributes

 

We started with a solemn tribute

To those not with us today

As friends shared memories

To remember them this day.

 

It was good to see their pics with family

Put together by Subbu and Co

Vignettes of lives well lived

And many a dimension we did not know

 

‘Ponnadais’ and Group photo

 

Our organizers who put it all together

Were then honored with a shawl

No pashmina it was, but a ‘ponnadai’

With grateful thanks from all

 

The tea break was welcome

On the sunny lawn outside

The group photos were then taken

As some tried our prosperity to hide

 

Our spouses had their own take

Without us in the way

A colourful, cheerful group they made

Without them no cheer, what d’you say?

 

Felicitation

 

And then the much awaited felicitation

As the Director played his role

We may still not have our degree

But we were honoured with a Stole

 

He talked to us at length

Of the progress IIMA has made

Of the old campus buildings and icon

Do we call a spade a spade?

 

I guess we were filled with pride

For very good reason and rhyme

While a tinge of sadness did creep in

At the physical ravages of time

 

The campus tour

 

Post a convivial lunch at IMDC

Was a tour of campus old and new

As we realised the impending loss of heritage

Our sense of nostalgia only grew

 

The Rainbow rooms were impressive

But all said and done

To us it was our good old dorms

Where the sun had always shone

 

We took pictures at the Plaza

Named after Louis Kahn

And visited our deserted Dorm rooms

Between emotions torn

 

The Dinner and Memento

 

We rounded off the day

With Dinner at Regenta Antarim

There were such eclectic starters

And delicious  Aamras with the ice cream!

 

Awaiting us in securely packed cartons

Our mementos chosen with love and care

Reunion coasters and Welcome Brochure

And the lovely Pichwai on porcelain ware

 

To Pervin then a big cheer

That she did so lovingly organize

A memento to preserve and cherish

As we said to some our goodbyes

 

 

The souvenir

 

PART 2 – UDAIPUR HO!

 

A picture they say speaks a thousand words

 

The 850 odd pictures shot by our enthusiastic lensman who tailed us in Udaipur could tell us tales then to fill several issues of the WIMWIAN..

 

We boarded the bus the morning after

Bound for the erstwhile kingdom of Mewar

For parched and eager throats

A veritable “oasis” by far

 

Technology has eased up life for coach drivers

As the GPS leads you where you need to go

But our traffic systems have scant regard

And buses in city limits go inevitably slow

 

Lunch at Regenta Central was in wait

As 40 hungry souls there did appear

A welcome spread it was at Pinxx

Not to speak of that longed for glass of beer!

 

The Vintage and Classic Car collection

 

The incumbent Maharaja

Has a collection quite unique

Of Cadillacs, Rolls and what have you

Several were  quite antique

 

Did I hear Rajasaab bidding for one

Powered by a few hundred horses

Or see Rani Syamabai on the horse carriage

Waving like young Ambani at the Bourses

 

For each and every couple there

Such an inviting photo op

The spirit was ever willing

To climb up the carriage and sit atop

 

Would it be too cold on the roof top that night at the barbeque?

 

Great wines and whiskies did flow that night

On the Roof top on the 9th floor

Agni Kula got fired up

And got the whole gang on the floor

 

Bolstered by the succulent barbeque

And the afterglow of many a peg

RU first timer young Manoj

And Ashok did more than shake a leg

 

And then there were the little groups

Enjoying their own sing song

The ladies did enthuse many

To join and sing along

 

To the Lake ‘Peeche Wala’ and Palaces was the plan the next morn.

 

Udaipur of the several lakes

Is bounded by the Aravalis

Founder Udai Singh made his capital here

To keep out Akbar’s armies

 

Arriving at Lake Pichola

The Lake Palace a wondrous sight

So indeed, do others think

Of this popular shooting site

 

We saw the age old havelis

And the Royals’ haunts of yore

The beautiful City palace

Honeymoon palaces and more

 

Amidst stories of the last 500 years

Of Octopussy we had to know

And many a celebrity and star

Who had the cash to blow

 

Do you know, one asked the Guide,

Where the Octopussy crocodiles went

I dare say, he said tongue in cheek

Some went to Parliament!

 

The boat docked at Jag mandir

A temple of a kind

For photo ops a sea of them

As all our twosomes did find

 

After all this was where

Many a royal couple did honeymoon

Or a modern young Lochinvar

Who many a love song there might croon

 

You must shoot us with the lake behind

And the lake palace therein

You may not get to stay there

But you can always so imagine

 

The gardens there so lovely

To the eyes indeed it was a feast

Verily it must be said

This is a Venice of the East

 

The Golf carts did await us at the pier

To climb to that Fatehprakash

That houses the Crystal collection

That the Raja who imported them never saw alas

 

Osler cut glass, Chandeliers, fans and a crystal carpet

All unpacked after a hundred years

An amazing china collection too

From Denmark they came, one hears

 

We could take our pictures

Only in the Durbar Hall

A venue of historical significance

With Royal Portraits on the wall

 

We had to see the majestic city palace

With the Emblem of the Sun

It housed the Museum

But lunch beckoned, we were done!

 

And Lunch indeed on the Panna Vilas deck

Pleasantly overlooked the Fatehsagar

No matter they had yet to get the rice

We had great starters; oh, for some Lager!

 

A time to snooze, a time to shop

Each one to his/her own and free

I heard young Manoj showed his shopping spurs

As he negotiated Falls for the saree!

 

Qawwalis and more

 

It was a laid back musical night

With the ladies in their colourful best

A mellow eve with a cocktail or two

And the singer warming up with zest

 

We enjoyed some popular old numbers

When Guru joined him with Abhi na Jao

Hey, hey said our guest artiste

I am not ready to go!

 

And then of course requests came thick and fast

Of every popular Qawwali

With which he did then oblige

To many a resounding Tali

 

It was Chetna, Syama, Asha et al

Who suggested great ones that day

He sang unbroken for four hours

Deserved our applause I must say

 

And when he sang the popular

Aye meri ZohraJabeen

Were we delighted to see on the floor

Our graceful Mani and Prof Sarin

 

A word before this night is done

Of the well thought out spread

Well curated, with a five spice daal

Compliments to the Chef, must be said

 

Haldighati and the Museum

 

The trip to the site of the historic battle

Lent a historic flavor

Graphic accounts of such significant moments

Were there for us to savour

 

Why indeed is the place so named

Is easy to now to recall

The colour of the rock we saw

Fragments of history like the Berlin wall

 

The valour of Maharana Pratap

Is here forever enshrined

In the Museum so selflessly built

Such dedication you will not easily find

 

We did see the narrow pass

Where many a soldier paid the ultimate price

And the memorial to the brave Chetak

Who is remembered for its sacrifice

 

We had occasion to take some pics

Of the statue when they locked horns

Maharana Pratap on his horse in elephants mask

The painting of which many a wall adorns

 

Cottage industry products we did find

I must try the Rose water

It will smoothen dry skin they say

Like that of your baby daughter

 

The Academic Session and The Arts

 

In a late addition to the Agenda

We assembled on the hotel’s windy terrace

To listen to our 3 Profs distil their life’s work

In a challenging 10 minutes race

 

That they did so is testimony

To their admirable vision and focus

We gleaned much from their erudition

It was a glimpse into great minds for us

 

For our rapt attention we were rewarded

With the local Puris, katchoris with the Tea

Between lunch and dinner wasn’t this

The ultimate in holiday gluttony?

 

And then a time for some culture

Shilpgram’s Emporium of Rural Art

The miniatures there so exquisite

That overwhelm your mind and heart

 

It was an evening well spent

As many added to their collection

With hangings and figurines

Now how does one pass the weight restriction

 

Au Revoir

 

Rounding off our RU then

Was a magical song and dance

By Rajasthani artistes

Whose moves lulled you into a trance

 

The Regenta Mewargarh’s rooftop Teraso

Overlooked the Fateh Lake

The lights there twinkled brightly

Just smiling for our sake

 

Delectable was the cuisine

And so cosy the bonfire

The warmth of goodwill enveloped us

As the flames leapt even higher

 

There were other happy moments too

As we wished Mani on her birthday

We sang our various versions

For many happy returns of the day

 

The time then came to gather

On the steps of the hotel

A final group Photo

So you can your grandkids tell

 

So three cheers to the organizers then

And those behind the scene

If we didn’t mention them here

Its ‘cos they selflessly worked unseen!

 

PR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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