Arun Prakash
“Aap log bachpan se dost ho?” the Gen Z-looking bartender asked as he poured me a drink of whisky at the Rohetgarh resort bar.
I nodded and proudly recited the statistics of the ’80 batch – 45 years, 47 present, 6 reunions.
He smiled appreciatively, handed me the drink and said “Sir, Bahut aache dosti hai aap sab ki”
Haan, hai na. And we’re effing proud of it. Every one of us. Those who made it to Rohetgarh, those who couldn’t, even those who’ve never made it to a reunion, and sadly even those friends who’ll never make it again.
At our reunions, there’s always one sombre moment. The one when we stand together, dressed identically, posing for the group pic. This is one pic that always stays in our collective memories, so distinguishable from the hundreds of candid pics and mug shots taken over 2-3 days. Standing there, you’re reminded of that passing out black and white group pic. That time when school ended and this dosti ka safar began. And you’re grateful to be there, alive and still kicking ass. The faces haven’t changed much, except now there’s more gray hair and bald heads seen. But sab itni fit hai. Awesome.
As always, the largest group flew in from Delhi. As we gathered at Terminal 1, Delhi airport, anyone could have assumed these guys and girls were headed to a destination wedding. But destination weddings are no match for destination reunions. I love the concept. Thank you, OC – The past OC for initiating and making every reunion better, and the present OC for giving us an experience that sets the standards very high.
It’s been 3 weeks since the reunion. I’m sure all of you have your favourite memory/memories. The thing about memories is that they come to you randomly. Maybe that’s why this post is not in chronological order of what happened at Rohetgarh, but more about random mini events there.
My favourite memory? I saw stars, hundreds of them. I saw a galaxy. A camel ride that I’d wish lasted longer. To watch a star-lit sky, you have to lie down on the ground. But we were almost lying down on a camel-driven cart, moving slowly along a path we had no idea where it would lead. It led to what seemed like a movie set from Indiana Jones. Mashaals, folk singers, graceful dancers, daru aur dost. Sab sitaron tale. The Shikar night will remain in our memories forever.
The best part about catching with school friends is that you can catch up from where you left. No gila shikwa. Try doing that a destination wedding!
Walking around, you pick up snippets of dialogues, some about school, some talk about kids, a little bit of health issues, but mostly random banter. And laughter.
There’s something else we always bring back from reunions besides memories. The goodies bag!
First, the bag itself – loved the logo and the colour. I mentioned about us being identically dressed – that was the blue-threaded waistcoat. Kya fitting thi, bhai. The pouch of yesteryear candies. What a carefully curated collection!
Every bag also contained a lovely book of poems written by Vaishali. To be read at leisure. Diving down deeper, I discovered a Tohl leather handbag, a fascinating stone cup, and then something that we’ll wrap around our necks and reminisce about Rohetgarh. The nation wants to know kahan se mila aur kisne banwaya.
I also mentioned mug shots. They’re something to treasure. Thank you, KB. And also thank you for that heartbreaking AV tribute.
The last few pics in our Rohetgarh WhatsApp group featured batches of people departing from the venue. You’re left wondering yeh sab phir kab hoga? And then you realise that Vaishali, Manish, Kirti, Nandita and Shailendra hai na. Woh hai, toh destination reunions hote rahenge.
The Bash of 80 