Friday, October 6 saw close to 40 members of the Air Force Central School’s Class of ‘80 flood into The Savoy, Mussoorie, for what would turn into a riot of music, fun, laughter and reminiscences for the next fun and laughter-filled 48 hours.
We came. From far and near, From as far as Australia and Canada and England and Singapore and the Nilgiris and Hyderabad, to as near as Chandigarh, Shimla and Delhi. All with one aim. All with one idea. To live, laugh, sing. Relive old memories. Create new ones. And boy, did we do so, or what?
Very quickly, the hallowed halls of the hoary Savoy, which the AFCS Class of 80 would haunt for the next two days would feel like the clock had turned back. To the days of the Luscious Lolas of Calcutta swinging their booties as the music maker from Mulshi stepped into party mode with the first strum of his magical guitar. It was a tempo that refused to drop, stop or fade.
Even though those 48 hours were a happy haze of hot tops, no tops and hot hits, Sudhanshuhad his finger on the pulse, High teas and gin highs set the stage for the musical marvel to strut his stuff, and boy, did he do just that, making us dance to his tune for four hours on a night shared with the stars and a medley of unmusical voices that joined in the flood of music flowing out of the Guitar Man.
“Who draws the crowd and plays so loud Baby it’s the Guitar Man Who’s gonna steal the show You know, baby, it’s the Guitar Man
So, from the Guitar Man and his ever-loving voice that conjured up every song (and dance) of those past years –including Rafi Saab and Kishoreda (not our bearded wonder) – to the never-ending Conga line that made the dining hall shake at its foundations was just a hop and skip on a happy high of nostalgia and a well-stocked bar. Not to mention being “felt up” by more than a few of our very own Luscious Lolas.
Luscious Lolas
Ladies – Soniyaa, Nammita, Nita, Nandita, Priya, Deepa, Ruchika, Rachna, Vaishali – you have no idea how much your presence was “appreciated” and enjoyed, LOL, but on a more serious note, this magical weekend was made even more special by your presence and it would not have been the same had you guys not taken the call to be a part of AFCS 2023. Seriously.
Anyway, all that was very far in the future on Thursday when the first of a flood of Mussoorie images began to emerge. Of the boys from the OC – Kishore, Vivek, Sharat and Dony – swanning it up against the backdrop of the 120-year-old hotel and its gardens and then suddenly popping up all decked up in aprons, along with our own Energizer Bunny, the indefatigable and ever-smiling Ravi Grover.
Without any input, the first thought was, “goddam,, are they dishwashing already?” Parties in past experience have ended in that exact fashion with managers swapping unpaid bills for hard work in the kitchen. But we need not have worried for as always, the ever-persevering OC had matters well in hand.
In a breather to the headlong rush of partying non-stop came an informative little film on the Savoy and its multi-hued history, and a conducted tour of the historic premises. There was also the much-anticipated goodie bag that in addition to Manish’s ever-present contribution included a rare, personalised touch in the form of a signed copy of “The Golden Years”, the latest offering from Mussoorie’s most famous living resident, Ruskin Bond. Just another inimitable touch from our very own Fab Four, the OC,
As each party drove into the waiting arms of Seemonti and her Savoy colleagues, it triggered a welcome that would set the tone through Friday’s festivities, the customary group snap in the Savoy’s glittering Grand Ballroom in signature jackets, Saturdays’ shenanigans around the fire (that included Amar banishing me to the smoker’s Sin Bin) and Sunday’s farewells.
And finally, for the one who stopped my breath for four straight years from 1975 to 1978, and who turned out to be the “chuppa rani” of AFCS 2023, this one is for you. “Badan pe sitarelapete hue, O jaan-e-tamanna kidhar ja rahi ho, Zara paas aao to chain aa jaaye.”
You guys are the best and make every memory special.
God bless AFCS Class of 1980, and long may we party!!!!
Reunions are fun, especially the ones held many years after,
Like our school’s 43rdwas fun, frolic and laughter!
All the peripherals just melt into the air,
As everyone regresses to being schoolgoers once again!
Our excitement had started building the moment the OC (Dony, Kishore, Sharat and Vivek) announced the dates and the venue for the reunion—6th-8th October, The Savoy, Mussoorie. It reached a crescendo as the time neared and before we knew it, we were on our way!
The Savoy didn’t know what hit it when the class of 80 descended on it for their 43rd reunion. The place I am sure, hasn’t seen this kind of buzz since their hey days before the independence. A hotel with its rich history was an ideal pick—courtesy of Dony —for our historical meet too; after all we are now officially in our sexy sixties!
The bonhomie took off by the evening of the 6th after everyone arrived by different modes of transport—some flew in, some drove down in their cars with co-passengers and the majority of us, 16 to be precise, arrived in a freaking bus! Yes, the urge to be there was so great that we willingly subjected ourselves to a long sleep-inducing drive of almost 10 hours just to be with our batchmates! It’s a different story that our reunion started the minute we boarded the bus, what with the sheer happiness of being with friends, non-stop laughter, gossip, lively music, dancing and falling in the narrow aisles of a moving bus, and gorging on the crunchy kachoris and samosas, thoughtfully provided by our genial and good-humored kachori queen, Rachna. The never-die spirit continued throughout the day; our mini-reunion was already underway. Thank you, Kirti, for arranging this unforgettable ride and bearing with our occasional tantrums.
Bus Masti
After a quick cup of tea, we were herded into the State Room by the ever-patient OC for the meet -and- greet session. Starting on a sombre note, we first paid our respects to dear friend Vikram Inamdar, whom we lost early this year to cancer. A one-minute silence in his memory, followed by a touching AV made by our very own talented Vivek Gulati, made us miss him all the more. The mood changed to nostalgia with the next AV. Traversing the journey from our 25th in 2005 to our present year, it encapsulated beautifully the masti, the camaraderie and the euphoria of meeting school friends. The hall rang out with hoots of laughter, naughty whistles, whoops of joy and extreme joie-de-vivre; so much so that I am sure this was the moment when the in-house bhootni decided that her scary tactics would be a wasted effort here; in fact could have an opposite effect and made a graceful exit for the next two days. Thank you bhootni and thank you Vivek for reviving our memories and making us walk the lane again.
Our own warbler, Sudhanshu’s friends from the showbiz were on next and this AV elicited more chuckles from all around as we were informed with utmost seriousness that they were shocked to know that he had actually attended a school, and a school as fine as AFCS at that!! Good-natured leg pulling apart, they wished us all the very best for years to come!
But the cherry on the cake was yet to come. We were told by our own erudite Dony that the goodie bag of this reunion contains a big surprise in the form of a — BOOK! written by…. yes, you guessed it …. when in Mussoorie, who else can it be but—the great RUSKIN BOND!! We were presented with his latest book, ‘The Golden Years.’ But hear, hear that wasn’t the entire surprise – each of us was given a signed copy by the famous author! How they (the OC) achieved this feat is a story for some other time! Suffice it to say, we were thrilled to receive this bounty and words failed us to express our thanks to the OC for the same. A video message from THE Ruskin Bond filled our cup of happiness to the brim!
Our goodie bag contained more. A pair of embossed whiskey glasses to have a drink in while reliving the magic moments of our reunions; a beautiful wallet, courtesy of the ever affable and generous to-a-fault, Manish Kawlra; a smart jacket (yes, the one seen in our reunion picture)designed by our in-house designers—the OC and the bag itself with our school emblem!
Replete with happiness and back-slapping we retired from there only to regroup in an hour or so for an evening of live music, melodious singing, dancing, merry-making and eating, in that order! The evening belonged to Sudhanshu, who again spun magic with his guitar and belted out one hit after another with his usual josh and enthusiasm. All this while munching on snacks from the hotel, savouries from Lucknow and Old Delhi thanks to Nandita and Rachna, and awesome brownies furnished by Nita. Baked by her pastry chef daughter, exactly what we needed to put us in the groove! Nita, do thank your daughter for the same! The hours just flew by till we were again herded, sometimes gently, sometimes not, to the dining hall for dinner!
We didn’t want the evening to end and The Savoy saw an unbelievable sight of 60-somethings dancing rumbustiously to live music in their genteel hall. Gentle reprimands from the management fell on deaf ears and they stood helplessly watching as other diners also joined in the revelry. All in all, an evening The Savoy is not going to forget in a hurry!
A morning walk had been planned for the early risers and I am sure not many took up this offer. Most of us had leisurely cups of tea on the patio assigned to us and musings continued. After an unhurried breakfast we were again, yes you guessed it – herded to the State Room for a documentary on the history of The Savoy. Informative and entertaining it most definitely was, but when it’s a question of a history lesson, we want our own Mrs. Luther!
A tour of the hotel was next on the agenda and some of us followed the shepherd assigned to us. But unlike the docile sheep, we were a tough flock to gather. Giving up on us, she soon left us to our own devices and sure enough, the mobiles were out taking selfies with friends and each other instead of the sights around. The morning went in taking pictures, reconnecting and catching up with friends and their lives. A lazy afternoon followed. Some went to the Mall, some to sprawl!
The big evening was looming large …an evening when we all dressed alike for the school pic! Unlike the previous three meets, where the school uniform pic was mandatory, the OC on popular demand, had finally relented and given in. We were told to dress up in jeans, a white shirt/top, the Reunion jacket and a pair of sneakers! Again, unlike the school times, where the prefects were kept busy reprimanding us to dress according to the school norms, we behaved and turned up in the required dress code! Amidst lots of shouting, and confusion over seating, proper lighting, posturing and posing finally the picture was taken to everyone’s satisfaction. And what a pic it has turned out to be…. See for yourself! Section-wise pictures followed and finally, we were free to party again!
And party we did! The hotel-crooner got another chance to entertain us with songs of our choice and many couldn’t resist taking to the floor and dancing the evening away. Networking, catching up continued along with scrumptious snacks and daaru flowing uninterruptedly. Midway through the evening, with much fanfare, the OC wheeled in a delicious looking cake which was cut by the girls and devoured by all.
As usual, we didn’t want the evening to end. But like all good things come to an end, this one did too and this time, without any prodding, we all trooped in for dinner together as if we all knew intrinsically that the time to depart was nearing. Reluctant to part, we all gathered at our adda and another bout of non-stop talk continued late into the night.
Before we knew it, the morning of the 8th was upon us and the time had come to depart. With reluctant good-byes, ‘will-miss-you’ byes and hugging that one last time, we all took our leave, promising to be in touch and be there for the next mega reunion-our 45th!!
Last but not least, this write-up would be incomplete without acknowledging the true stalwarts of this event, who made it possible for us to have a fun-filled exuberant weekend without a single worry in the world— our indomitable four! The backstage work of our OC and the planning required to execute it can only be imagined by us all merry-makers. I am sure I am speaking for all of us when I extend my deep sense of gratitude and thanks to you four— Dony, Vivek, Sharat and Kishore – for taking us back to our school days so beautifully and helping us make more memories. Thank you guys for everything.
We’ve been to riversides, we’ve been on choo-choo rides. We’ve done the safaris and the tiger shoots. Now it’s time to chill. From the king of the jungle to the queen of the hills…this time it’s the ITC Savoy in Mussoorie, the most luxurious location you can think of and here’s the interesting part: the Savoy which opened as a hotel in 1902 originally started out as the Rev. Maddock’s Mussoorie School! What better for a school reunion?
Despite the luxury and the prime heritage property, we’ve managed to keep the costs to Rs. 25,000/- per head for the trip on a twin-sharing basis, rehna, dekhna, khana, PEENA and full masti included. The dates are October 6th to 8th (two nights), which means perfect weather, yet lesser people. The OC has done a personal recce and pre-reserved an amazing block of rooms with privacy to party and a great view to boot. Two days of total dhamaaka!
Childhood vacations in Kerala during school days were about two things for me. Nature, and Memories. By the time we landed, braving long, hot train journeys every other year, the rains would be in full swing, which meant that much of the vacation was spent reading books and listening to music on a cassette player, next to grandpa’s window which overlooked the courtyard. As with village homes in Kerala, the courtyard was a gravel patch bordered by trees, beyond which lay some land for cash crops meant for the family and for occasional trade with the neighbours.
Just outside that window was a large, leafy tree that framed the view of the vegetable patch, which I still remember. While I didn’t know much about the tree itself, it was always beautified the view and gave a cooling spray when it rained or lovely shade when it was warm and I sat outside (no fans, very little electricity). Then one summer, when I was about 13, I reached home and the tree was gone…brought down due to a sickness that weakened the trunk, as it was near the house. Strangely, that year I came back with a sense of loss I couldn’t explain and vacations were always a little different after that.
Inamdar was a dear friend, but not so much a close one. We did not share confidences or seek each other out and in fact met only a handful of times in the 40+ years after school. Even at school, my first memory of him was a bone-crusher handshake which had me hold my hand under the tap for a few minutes. I figured this one out and the next time we shook hands I jammed my thumb webbing against his, denying the full grip he need for his vice-like grip. His face lit up in that impish smile, as he said “chaalu!”. We knew him as that lovely genial person with a wireframe physique and it was almost a foregone conclusion that he’d head for the Forces, which he did, leaving early and shortening the acquaintance even further. Why is it then that his passing feels like a kick in the gut?
Because it was not just easy to remember Inamdar, it was difficult to forget him. Even a small chat in a chance meeting and you’d recall his personality and the lively warmth of his smile or something he said or did in his genial way for a long, long time. Like the time at an all-alumni dinner long after school which he attended and where I had taken my son along. As we chatted, Inamdar saw my son looking at him curiously so he bent down to eye-level, tickled him to make him laugh and then suddenly picked up the 9 year-old with one hand and held him aloft high above his head, much to the delight of the little chap! Speaking with my son on the phone last week, I asked him if he remembered Inamdar and he promptly responded with a “Yes of course”. When I told him, he said “Oh no, that’s so sad. He was a really nice guy”. There you are – 10 minutes that lasted 20 years!
For those of us in Delhi, meetings with Inamdar were few and far apart over the years, but each one was a celebration. There would be much merriment and memories with an eclectic group of faujis and us civvies, many tales of accidents and escapades over the clink of glasses filled with amber liquids. Never a spiteful note or a vicious word and always the same impishly garrulous smile, truly I would be surprised if he had a single enemy – on this side of the border. As the messages have poured in since last week the theme is the same, from sheltering a newbie at the academy to leading the slow march for a departed batchmate while gravely ill himself, truly a friend for all seasons and a buddy for a whole bunch of reasons. No better proof than his stoic fortitude as disease tested every sinew of his body and yet he kept his mind above it.
Most of us have dear friends close by who are a part of our daily lives. They are the fruits of life we enjoy each day and seek out to spend time with. Then there are those who cannot be near, yet are special because of who they are and how they have impacted our own selves just by being in our world. They are the flowers whose fragrance frames memories of good times with every whiff. Like the tree in my courtyard back home that just framed my green patch and gave me a good feeling, but without which the field never again looked as lovely.
As a 60 plus cohort, we are at a stage when most of us have survived the turbulence of life, crested the climb and are in many ways cruising above the clouds, either thanks to achievements or due to acceptance. At this stage when you lose a buddy of 45 years, he doesn’t just go away – he takes a piece of you with him. So it will be with Inamdar.
Thanks for sharing your life with us, my friend.
Fly well, gentle giant. Wish you a three-point landing on that runway in the sky.
If you’ve been to heaven on a boat, parachuted back to earth, dived into the ocean on the back of a dolphin and driven into space in a vintage car, you probably have a hang of what 39 of us experienced over 2 days in the third week of November. Frankly, 32 of us were in Wonderland with 7 Alices.
When the “Batch of ‘80” decides to party. It’s BIG, BOLD and BEAUTIFUL! It was Corbett in 2017 with the 22 of us and this time it had to be bigger. So for the 39th anniversary it was 39 of us from 16 cities across 6 countries, at The Tigress Resort, Ranthambhore.
Photo: Avinash Bidani
On cars, planes and trains, we converged at the five star venue just outside the Ranthambhore forest reserve. 28 in a convoy of 7 cars on 15th morning, one advance car, one from Jaipur and the rest on trains or on their own. The arrivals started with Billa and two beauties (Soniyaa & Vaishali) in the morning and ended with the chicken hunt (Robbie and his car load) just after lunch.
The first couple of hours was for jappi, pappi, thappi and erasing the years that had elapsed, so that by the time we were done with lunch we were all back in class, circa 1980. A digestive pause and the beer and Vodka sangam started flowing in room 118. The cheer broke out with a hundred conversations at a time, as glasses in hand, almost 40 people packed comfortably into the large room and sit-out, leaning, lying, lounging and time travelling. Work went on as well, with millionaires, CEO’s and entrepreneurs, all batchmates labelling goodie bags for everyone and putting in stuff, to be handed out soon after.
We trooped into the large garden outside the rooms and stood in house lines for our goodie bags Shakti, Shanti, Jyoti, Jagriti and Kirti. Names were called and each person was handed a surprise bag with :
one hunting jacket and jungle hat with school logo,
a Borosil water flask with the eagle engraved on it,
a name tag,
a personalized luggage tag,
a school tie and belt
an elegant eagle lapel pin and…
a special gift from Nityanand Singh to everyone
Also handed out were the school uniforms people had ordered and paid for.
That was the afternoon and we went off to our rooms clutching the bags and uniforms.
Dinner was Ethnic Night on a Rajasthani Palace rooftop with a jungle view in balmy weather. 39 regally dressed schoolmate emerged like a royal procession and headed for the first part of the evening, tying of Safaa’s – the bright colored Rajasthani turbans, for which we had organised two local experts. Soon there was a crowd of thakurs strutting around with whisky glasses in hand. Of course, in true AFCS style, some were wearing running shoes with their churidars 😛 You should have seen the look on the faces of the other guests in the hotel. They were so desperate to be a part of the gang, that a few of them requested and got turbans tied on their heads as well!
Proceedings started with a three storey cake for what Deepa called her best ever birthday. This was her second cake, after the first one was turned into Kishore’s face-pack 😉. As soon as the whisky was in, the Rajasthani singer for the evening was bundled off and replaced with our own Aravali ka Rahman – Sudhanshu Purohit! He and his guitar took the evening to another level altogether with a string of medleys from our times, in Hindi and English. The first one started with “Yeh jo mohabbat hai….and ended some 20 songs later with “Chaltey…chaltey, mere yeh geet…”. Sure, dude hum sab yaad rakhengey! There were more and there was dinner and the party continued in Room 117, till we remembered that there was an early morning tiger safari starting at 6:30. So we hit the beds reluctantly, past midnight.
Day 2
Absolutely everyone was up and ready on time in the morning – wearing their brand new jungle jackets and hunting hats. We filled two canters with 20 people each and headed for the nearby Zone 3 of the jungle having fun and hoping for a tiger sighting.
Photo: Kishore Bhargava
Frankly, what happened next was a miracle.
15 minutes into the jungle, there was a frisson of excitement as one of the guides spotted a tiger – which actually turned out to be three. Famous tigress Arrowhead had picked our morning to take her two cubs for a walk! They approached the vehicles on a casual stroll, checked out the human specimens (we kept Murgi hidden- just in case), crossed the track at a distance of about 10 meters and generally chilled for almost 15 minutes before the mother took a poop and they ambled off into the trees. The guides knowing that they were heading for the water hole, repositioned us again to see them quench their thirst and chill a little more before the cubs started playing and even climbed up and down a tree, all in full view.
It was a total miracle for us and even the experts thought this was a remarkable show. We viewed, clicked and recorded like mad and were left breathless by the beauty and grace of the lovely animals at such close proximity.
Back to the resort, breakfast, beer and brunch happened in that order between the restaurant and room 117, before we set out again – this time in Gypsies, to zones 6 and 10. Saw lots of deer, Sambhar, wild boars and birds of many feathers, but the tigers had decided they had seen enough of us for a day.
Everybody went to shower and change into – the school uniforms! Soon 39 smartly dressed students walked though the hotel and all the other guests practically stood up to view us 😊 It was time for the gala dinner and we had a full house at the Shahi Mahal next to the pool. This was pure nostalgia. We started with a one-minute silence to remember the friends who have departed – Neelu Kohli, Rakesh Bandhu, Bindiya Chaddha, Anupinder Jit Singh, Atul Adahuliya and Pran Khanna…RIP.
Bash Of 80
Next was a very nice 5-minute AV show put together by the OC (Vivek, Sharat, Kishore, Shailendra and Dony) under the expert guidance of Vivek Gulati which had the priceless theme of “363 din parivaar ke, 2 din yaar ke…yehi zindagi hai, le le mazaa!” It had everything from poetry to pictures and a latecomer star. After the AV came the photo shoots where everyone went crazy with batch pictures, class picture, boy-girl pictures, random pictures… all in blue, grey and stripes with blazers being borrowed to cover bellies. You’ll surely see dozens of them being stuck up on the net and forwarded on your phones.
Concept, Directed & Produced by Vivek Gulati
Then it was back to the standard Scotch & Sudhanshu. We started with a group sing-in of “Hum hongey kamyaab” and went on to a four-decade medley of songs in Hindi and English with others like Soniyaa, Namita and Bogie adding variety to the repertoire. On went the evening, for several hours of food, drink, song and spirit, finally ending in the wee hours with everyone high on melodies and memories.
That was it, the morning after and time to depart. No one wanted to leave, but leave we had to, so everyone did three sessions of goodbyes and hugs in batches from 7 am till noon. And we left, with heavy feet and light hearts. With loads of new memories added to the old ones including new nicknames – last time we had “Corbett ka Ghanta” and this time there were “Kachori Queen” and “Chimney Chameli” (to find out more, be there next time). And a bloody hangover that refuses to go away even days later!
Alice? Who the F**k is Alice?
We chased rabbits down the hole and “we were all mad there”. And it was a fine fun!
If you could re-live 5 years of your life, which ones would they be? I’m betting the school years would surely be a part of the answer for most people. Especially for us lot, who went to an amazing school at an amazing time and had – yes, the time of our lives!
Come to think of it, school is a pretty funny place. Your folks dress you up and bring you in to plant you as seedlings in shorts and skirts with bags and tiffins. Then a system goes to work on you kneading you through tests and trials for a whole bunch of years. And finally you are ejaculated into the big, bad world at an age when you are full of primal instincts and carnal intentions, to go forth and conquer!
At that point when find your ‘freedom’, that school building looks like the one place you couldn’t wait to get out of. Then life goes to work teaching you a thing or three and slowly you get to re-think ‘freedom’ as you pay the daily price. But at some point down the line when you’re older and wiser, you look up in the rear-view mirror and that school building starts to look like the Taj Mahal in sepia.
As a host of experiences pop up in the mind when you think back, one common thread is the carefree days of freedom and fun. You know that isn’t coming back any time ever and so you miss it more than ever as you travel further away in time.
But then we found a way.
We started like the others, with a 25th anniv bash in 2005 and repeated in 5 and then 10 years later – evenings of fun and nostalgia, but even that was just a party for a few hours. Then two years ago, we did Corbett! The one place Centralians of our time relate to, thanks to Dang and our ‘trips’ each school year.
Class Of 80 – Twenty Five Years
22 of us from across 4 continents packed off into cars and drove down to Corbett for two unbelievable days. There was everything from safaris to assemblies to uniform shots and a beautiful little movie that captured us in our schooldays connecting to our times and our music, bringing our yesterdays alive. Every shitty thing we ever did, from chalk to chicks was recycled to much mirth late into the night and early into the morning. There were songs, dances, jokes, enactments and every kind of fun, like you were sitting out in a founder’s day after-party in the music room and just being alive in the moment. In sum, we managed to create two days of carefree fun in the middle of the crazy lives we are fortunate to lead.
Boys Of 80 – Corbett 2017
The craziest thing is how we bond instantly, the moment we meet. For those who weren’t there, you have to see it to believe it. In 10 minutes, we are back in class 11 and it’s total déjà vu as everyone goes back to their teens unchanged. The weirdos are still weird, the jokers are still jokers, assholes are still assholes and the nice guys didn’t finish last. Unfortunately, only the guys landed up otherwise I coulda told you the girls are still as pretty 😉
This time it’s Ranthambhore and we have an even more scintillating ride planned. We’ve found a great place to stay, full of Rajputana regalia and set up two fine evenings. We’ve even taken two safaris and checked out the tigresses for you. One of them almost chased us, but we told her to wait till we came back with Bully.
So what are you waiting for? Sign up and land up. The more there are, the merrier it is.
Life is a blur and we are all on that spin. Let’s grab those two yesterdays and frame them afresh while we still can. Speaking for myself, I’d rather go when I don’t need to take my dentures and walkers…and when that sherni still reminds me of my biwi!
And we’ll be leaving one chair empty in that group pic this time – for Anupinder.
Those of you who relate to Dang, Daku and Bolega Bhai Bam-boley will relate to this.
Aravali excursions into the jungles of Corbett and various Sainik Schools, Mount Abu, etc. were among the highlights of school life for most of us who were not too academically inclined (approximately 80% of the batch). The rest managed both marks and masti 😊
We decided to go with the excursion theme for this time’s reunion and headed out to Corbett. Evidently the girls still don’t trust us, so it was 25 very happy men in 5 cars, driving down 300 kms to yesterday, i.e. today minus 37 years. Frankly, I think we’ve finally hit on the secret of time travel. We started out as 55 year olds but reached as 18 year olds. For the next 3 days it was 4 hours of sleep a night, technicolour speech, Patiala pegs in double digit…and a hangover that refuses to go away! A short recap for the benefit of those who missed the opportunity.
Remember to scroll through the images – 39 of them!
Most people landed in Delhi including the internationals like Tarun Puri, George Abraham, Vasant Phatak, Ravi (Markat) Grover and faraway nationals like Lamzamuan, Manish Kawlra, Bogie Sharma etc., while some came in from Chandigarh. The drive got us in to the lovely Corbett River View Resort just in time for a sumptuous lunch to catch up. Most of the entertainment at this point came from Vasant Phatak who had ridden in with Bully. He spent more time with the Bully in that one drive than he had in all his years in school and he explained in technicolour exactly why!
Some rest and then high tea, followed by Assembly in house-wise lines, where goodie bags were handed out name-wise with school ties, lapel pins, caps and customized jackets in preparation for the evening. Dinner is when the party really took off. Everyone landed up in school uniform (Kapil Abrol will have to take 5 rounds of the nearest park for wearing wrong shoes). We had an amazing AV that took us all the way to 1980 and brought us back again. Super stuff that you can see on YouTube. Then came the whiskies and rums, the music, the dancing, the karaoke, the cake and the champagne and finally dinner, which was the start of the evening.
Post dinner everyone retired to Cottage No.15. Thank heavens an advance party had gone to the resort and picked the remotest cottage for this – the absolute ruckus that went on there till 2:00 and and past probably woke up ol’ Jim’s ghost! Crazy fun that went from poems to teacher imitations to renderings of the Bal Leela and Punjabi ballads from school times, not to mention the jokes and the same ol’ stories for the zillionth time. People like Markat, Dilraj, Bogie, Vasant and others rocked through the night. The extra time really let the guys relax and let loose. Morning was a huge breakfast followed by a walk in the nearby hills and a highway chai with lots of photo ops. Lunch was good but quicker, since we had to head for the first safari into the jungle. Unfortunately, some guys had to leave after one night and set off very reluctantly after lunch. Then came the safari – 5 jeeps 20 guys and the tigers and elephants put on a real show for us! Fantastic tiger sightings including not just photos but superb videos and an elephant who did a cameo for us. We just made it out of the jungle about a minute before close.
Evening was an outdoor do with live music and everyone turned up in their brand new AFCS jackets to eat, drink, make merry and sing more than the singer! Cocktails, tall tales, kababs, Cuban cigars and happiness under the stars, before a lovely dinner-to-order and then more ‘entertainment’ in Cottage No.15.
We slept super late, but most were up at 5:00 am for a morning safari, while those who had an evening flight out of Delhi left early. Again, nice birds and a tigress with her cubs to complete the trip. Well, that was it, before we packed and set off to Delhi, with a ton of tales to tell next time. Look up the pix if you weren’t there. Next time should be GOA!
Hi folks, Last Sunday four of you walked into my house. Over the next few hours, you did the incredible – laid out a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relive the best days of our life while we still can, in a place that is permanently stored in the minds of every Centralian from adolescence.
Shailendra, Sharat, Vivek and Kishore followed up on the idea of a go-away get-together for the Batch of 80, and came up with an amazing plan at that treasure-trove of memories – Corbett!
Two of them went down there over the weekend, checked out locations and facilities, created a format and negotiated rates, to come back with specific choices.
Then, over two bottles of whisky we froze on a plan and a place, to finally have the deal: a trip to Corbett with all the Mastiff and daaru and khaana peena.
One-night or two-night options, at 7500/- a night per head, for the stay, food and booze. Safari packages are being worked out and the to & fro travel will depend on needs and choices.
What’s the best news? We have 28 confirmations already and 12 of them have paid a 5k advance!!!
It was crazy, we called Markat in Australia and he went out to book a ticket. Tarun already has one leg here (don’t ask which one). Anjali was in New York and confirmed immediately. Of all the people, we called George Abraham and he’s confirmed and booked his tickets. Avinash is waiting for his wife to fall asleep so he can book tickets and Vasant is already here in spirit…so on, and these are just the international guys.
What about you? Take my word, this won’t happen again. There’s no end to the amount of fun we can have and I assure you, you’ll relive 1975-1980 in every detail except for the pimples and the pains.
Pingback, say yes, start dreaming. We’re filling up fast!!!
Dates are 21st October early morning departure and option for 22nd or 23rd return, ex-Delhi. Oh, btw blue shirt + white pants/ navy blue shorts mandatory
It’s that time of the year again when the Bash of 80 itches to meet up and have a fun time. Get ready guys and gals, we have a date and we have a venue.
October 21, 2016 – 19:00 Hrs
Club Patio – a Unitech Club
Block- E, South City – I
Gurgaon – 122001
Haryana, India
The Bash of 80 