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
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
