By P Ramnath, PGP 72
Disclaimer: This does not purport to be a report on the reunion– just some impressions. There may be omissions of people, places and events- all inadvertent and the weakness of a fading memory.
At the Golden Jubilee Reunion at IIMA and Udaipur in 2022, there was a clamour to follow it up with another one, and the choice was unanimous–Lucknow. It fell upon our own Raja Saab, the gracious Anil K Singh, to show us his Lucknow. Ashok Swarup pitched in and the idea of a ‘Varanasi-Lucknow-Ayodhya’ reunion was born. Our reunions have been great in their diversity of venues in recent years, from the cool climes of Mahabaleshwar to the wilds of Ranthambore, to the heritage sites of Udaipur, this one in late February 2024 was no exception. It drew an enthusiastic participation by more than 58 Alumni with their ever tolerant, nay, effervescent spouses.
Varanasi, here we come
The errant flights of Indigo did not dampen the enthusiasm of many of us eager beavers who descended on the eternal city a whole day in advance of the program to soak in the ambience. But Ashok Swarup and Anil Singh were more than up to it in anticipation, receiving us warmly in person. With several recce visits behind them, they had along with their better halves tied up every detail from room and hotel selection to cuisine, logistics and guides, entertainment, and information. Thanks indeed to Ashok Swarup who handled the onerous finances, the collection and deployment of funds and Anil Singh who updated spreadsheets meticulously– not at any time the easiest of tasks with the different combinations of participants, arriving and departing on different dates with refunds where applicable. Thanks to him too for arranging and transporting and storing liquor under his care, working at all times as we relaxed.
With great difficulty, we pulled ourselves off our beds as we made it to the Kashi Viswanath darshan slots at hours even our diehard Tee Off (golfing) specialists have never seen. And if Varanasi by night was seemingly quiet, the expeditions to the Chowk and Hatteri Bazaar and adventurous clambering on to the rickshaws belied our years. These reunions make the years slip away, aches and pains given the short shrift. If some made it to the weavers and the timeless looms of Banaras, others wove their way through queues to temples like Kaal Bhairav in the crowded lanes of the city.
We salivated over the ubiquitous Banarasi paan and not towards the salvation that our effervescent guide would have us do as we passed through the heritage areas of this ancient city. A personal highlight was a stroll through the quarters of some much-celebrated musicians in Kabir Kaura ending in a visit to the home of Padma Vibhushan awardee Pt Krishan Maharaj whose granddaughter energetically played the tabla and Shreya Ramnath had the privilege of singing in.
The Ganga Aarti
Gently floating down the Ganga was all that we could have anticipated- many of the Assi-something ghats coming into view. Much photography accompanied by some succulent chaat apart, the congregation of boats with tourists and devotees to watch the Ganga aarti was as much part of the spectacle as the Aarti itself. We have some splendid close shots thereof. Many participants were delighted to see his/her candid portrait posted on the group the next morning- works of art shot so unobtrusively by Kishore Asthana on his cell phone!
Sarnath
Sarnath was to me an education, the Ashoka pillar, the architecture, the teaching base of the Buddha, the engrossing Museum with its gold discovered from the Myanmar temple as late as 1990– a side of the trip to Varanasi which made it so all-encompassing.
The oh-so-wholesome Banarasi veg fare on the return signalled the care for our vegetarian members; a word is due in appreciation of the well-curated menu at the Clarks to cater to the diversity in our ranks, and providing that little but so thoughtful ladder step (credit Asha Vasuki) to help these old knees haul ourselves into the bus.
But the ghats had to be visited with the sunrise. And while the melodic efforts of Pt Mishra by the poolside that night lulled us into a trance along with the liquid supplements on offer, nothing could prevent the determined from rolling out of bed next morning and reaching the banks of the Ganga in the predawn darkness. We were well rewarded with the sights and sounds of that hour and a glorious red orb throwing its fiery shafts onto the waters as boats bobbed off the shore. The promenade welcomes morning walkers and heritage-building viewers as indeed it already did a few of our more energetic members; if we didn’t quite bathe in the Ganga, we did get to scoop some of the waters to sprinkle on our heads.
To Lucknow, that languid, gracious city of yore
To say that our Anil epitomises all that is understated and gracious with the wisdom of experience would be an understatement by itself. A true blue-blooded Lucknowite, he gave us that insight into a city that only one born to its traditions could. We were fortunate to have others too, Pooja Ambwani and Narendra Ambwani among them, who brought it alive to many of us.
The coach ride from Varanasi was long, but painless. Meticulous to a fault, the Recce group to Lucknow rode the same path and (special thanks to Nalini Swarup and Meena Singh) and ensured that the chosen convenience breakpoint met acceptable standards of cleanliness and hygiene as indeed they did at the hotels in both Varanasi and Lucknow. Sizzling pakoras and chai rewarded our Antakshari participants from the coach– Asha leading the way, Sundari Subramanian the cheerleader egging on an enthusiastic Kothai. Chandu Bhide amazed us all with his recollection of lyrics of songs long forgotten- I suspect he wrote his own and composed some! Guru aka V.S.Kumar was in form with his whole range and after the break we had Kamali Kumar and he gave us a classical concert, too.
Our diverted entry into the city by the outer ring road gave some of us the opportunity to listen to Anil’s chequered account of his own venture in Lucknow in the days of licences and connections; a fascinating story which we must persuade him to recount.
It was Ashok Swarup, I believe, who gave us exposure to stimulating talks during the evenings at Clark’s, Anand Rathi (who also sponsored cocktails) presented a timely and thought-provoking talk on where to put your money before you go- and another where he introduced to us the speaker MJA, on the history of Awadh, interspersed with some amusing anecdotes. That we listened duly mellow with a choice of liquors perhaps limited the CP that would otherwise have followed; they were taken offline to individual AC BC sessions instead! Suffice it to say they were both well received and knitted well into the interest areas of the group.
We saw a densely trafficked Lucknow coming in, but the tour to Bada Imambara and La Martiniere through the Residency gave us a look at the real old Lucknow, heritage on the one side and the colonial legacy on the other. It was educative and gave us an appreciation of the culture of a forgotten past interspersed with stories of the origin of the malai paan with its juices overflowing, of the Frenchman who founded La Martiniere, a man of many parts who did not live to see his school which once admitted only the English.
Guddo looked for her father’s name inscribed on its steps as was the tradition by outgoing students. Judging by the pic from the second group, Vijay Kaulie who joined us in Lucknow along with others managed a game of TT – I guess he challenged the current school champ! (Why didn’t he hop off and Tee off at the Golf Club, I want to know? Perhaps the call of its nineteenth hole was too strong!)
The Gomti flowing aside our hotel had many memories for some, Ambu learnt swimming there in his day and Vijay Sagar aka VijSa dropped his daughter across the bridge at LaMarts Girls’ School. And then there were those who went to college there, Pooja and Miriam’s mom; it was a nostalgic revisit to the Alma mater.
How can one go to Lucknow and not add to one’s Chikan work kurta collection? Most left the shopping to the ladies, though I confess I sneaked off to a wholesaler near Awadh and got mine.
What attracted us more, the Awadhi fare that night, with galawats galore, or Master Kultar Singh and party? Judging by the ladies on the dance floor it was an even contest, and we had Sharad Sarinand Mani Sarin doing an encore of Udaipur with their moves to Aye Meri Zohra Zabeen. Kultar Singh ji was loath to leave the stage as he launched into ghazals and poetry, and it was a nudge that got him to let us get our home-grown exponents to regale us. And they did; and with Guru aka V.S.Kumar at his semi-classical best, Murali with his Chaudvin ka Chand and doing an impromptu duet with young Shreya Ramnath, our Kultar ji was left wondering whether he should revisit his vocation!
Ayodhya
It was the early morning call for the Ayodhya trip that had many retiring early, not before they collected their mementos, a much-appreciated photo frame and a clutch bag with Chikankari embroidery which unanimously won the approval of the ladies.
Anil Singh outlined the ground rules for security in the wake of news of VIP movements and the possible rigours of the journey to Ayodhya and entry queues. As it turned out it was the highlight of the trip, with a miraculously smooth passage for darshan, a feather in the caps of Anil and Ashok, with contributions from others and a most praiseworthy guide from the tour company. It seems the two had saved their best for the last.
There cannot be a Lucknow visit without mention of Nawabs and Kebabs, Samosas and tea from Sharma’s and the chaat corner delicacies. The enterprising Pooja Ambwani who once lived near Lalbagh made sure we didn’t miss out. Samosas and the asli Lucknow paan appeared, and a shopping visit stop at the chaat shop had us wolfing down the paani puris, the dahi papdis, and the tikkis that melted in the mouth and mutter masala.
Before signing off how can we forget the elegantly brought-out brochure with that lyrical introduction evoking the ethos of the holy triangle we traversed? Kudos Anil and Ashok!
Heartfelt thanks to Ashok Swarup, Anil Singh, Nalini Swarup and Meena Singh for their stupendous efforts to give us this memorable trip and reunion. It was a get together with a difference. There was food for both mind and body, and the well-designed free breakaway sessions gave us ample opportunity to bond individually and in small groups. I daresay the ladies will now take over and lead the opinion polls on what is next to come!
Merry pilgrims we are, indeed. And so to the next reunion, may we deepen bonds and celebrate life together.
