Before we know what is what another year has gone by. When we first met at the Stu C last year it was on the 19th of Jan. and then on the 6th of June. We thought we’d meet around Dasshera time. In fact I was the one who suggested it because Bulbul’s wedding was planned around then. The wedding took place on Dasshera day itself, the 9th of October, and several of our friends turned up. But, as the bride’s mother, I was so busy that I had no time to chit-chat with them.
And some more time went by. And once again it was another drizzly, rainy, squelchy day that we all met once again. This time the venue was the Sukhna Lake. The Lake Club, rather. And there were 12 of us who got together – Ranjit Sohal was visiting from Texas. The others were Mandy the Girl who came from Delhi expecially for the lunch, Mandy the boy, Diwakar, Sudhir, Ranjana, Meera, Pinker, and Kobita (who, we discovered recently, has settled down in Zirakpur with her family. Then there was an MP Singh who was called Byron then in 1974. And there was Sanjiv Tiwari. And I. That makes 12. Like the 12 apostles? Sitting down, not for the last supper but for a lunch that hopefully will be followed by many more lunches.
The Lake was calm. A blue-grey-silver sheen, stoically facing the sharp drizzle. The sailboats, patiently lined up along the edge were made an endeavor to be colorfully gay despite the weather. Some of the boats were in the shape of ducks or birds. And there were those real ducks, too, quacking somewhere in the misty haze.
This part of the Lake is always very peaceful. You can sit there for hours together and listen to the lapping waters, the gentle breeze, and the rustle of leaves. Close to you are the potted plants in full bloom, particularly the bougainvillea with its bright pinks and oranges. In the distance are the Kasauli hills outlining the horizon.
Pinker was a bit late, tied up as he remains with affairs of the state! He walked down to the venue and joined us as we sat chatting over drinks and snacks. Kobita has been away for many years and was happy to see that she was not the only person who has changed (she was lamenting the extra kilos gained over the last few years but Diwakar was in close competition!. She is Kobita Mandal now. Her husband and her daughter, Priyanjali, had come to drop her.
Kitty could not come. She has been unwell and had just returned from eyebrows and Delhi after medical tests and was not feeling strong enough to make it to the lunch. We are all concerned about her and hope that she recovers soon. Baby was held up, too, and could not come although she called in between several times. She and her husband had to attend the wedding of a very close friend’s daughter. By the time they got free we had wound up.
MP Singh is very tall – I do not remember him from 1974, perhaps because he was in the other section. They say he was called Byron. Sure, looking at his appearance he does seem to belong to the pages of literary history. Tall, with a slight stop, longish hair falling in bangs, a high forehead, bushy eyebrows – more Victorian rather than Byronic, so I thought. Anyway, he is with Excise and taxation. Apparently he has been in Chandigarh for some time but for some mysterious reason we all never banged into each other.
Sudhir was in great spirits. He took charge of the situation with amazing efficiency. Ordered our drinks and snacks in a jiffy while the rest of us were still debating – should we, should we not – and then proceeded to chat amiably with everyone. Complimented on his managerial skills he shrugged it off modestly saying, “It’s best to get it out of the way. Over and done with!”
“Are you still called Pataudi, Sudhir?”
“Oh, yes, always have been!” he grins.
Retirement seems to have done him good. He looks relaxed and happy.
Meera and Ranjana (like me and Sanjiv) have been around in Chandigarh all the time. The four of us are the ‘campus ppl’. Meera has retired recently and keeps herself busy with a lot of things. For instance, she still guest-lectures on the campus, so her mornings are busy. Then she has a great Solah-sector Kitty with her neighbors and they all meet occasionally. In the evenings she walks (either alone or with friends or her sister) in the Rose Garden. But much of the walk is taken up with the exchange of pleasantries – she meets almost everyone from Solah Sector and everyone seems to know her! Last week Rajana and I accompanied her for a film in PVR. Enjoyed it – Amir is great in Ghajini.
Which reminds me, folks, retirement ain’t such a bad idea after all. I would not have thought so a couple of years ago. Bur lately I have seen several 60+ people who are very happy becoming ‘senior citizens’. Why? Because of the freebies – railway concession and other discounts offered to them wherever they go. This realization came to me even more strongly when Meera, Ranjana and I went for the film. Meera, being ‘senior citizen’, was given free snacks and coffee – a nice hot brownie and a cuppa cappocino. You bet she would have finished it off on her own, leaving us drooling, but then she realized that she was dependent on us for the ride back home, so she shared it with us – the brownie was yum!
So, as I was saying, it ain’t a bad idea any more, getting old. You get a free coffee and muffin when you go for a movie. And if you ain’t dependent on anyone for a ride back home you can even have it all to yourself! What say?
The next among us to retire will be Sanjiv – although he still looks youthful, despite his grey hair – and Ranjana. The lure of those muffins will keep you going, buddies!
Mandy the girl – Maninder, although no one calls her that – had come straight from the Shatabdi. She is staying over at Kitty’s place. Her smile is the same, so is her geniality. And she is still thin like she was – painfully thin, in fact. We remembered the time, 35 years ago, when her parents used to drop her off at the department in their old green colored Volkswagen. It was a moody car and sometimes it would throw a tantrum in the middle of the road. So Mandy would have to get off and ‘maro the handle’ – to make it start. In other words, she would have to crank it up manually, there on the busy road, invariably with a large audience watching with curiosity.
Ranjit, however, is the one who had come the greatest distance. He is not the Ranjit Sohal of 1974 who had done his Masters in English. Ask him and you will be surprised when he tells you he is an electronics engineer. You are zapped. How come? He explains – you see, my brother was there – he is an engineer and he sponsored me – I started working for him – then I did a couple of courses – and then presto I became an engineer! Well, ok, sounds simple, although not everyone does that, I guess. He has been in the US for almost three decades now but his heart remains here, in India. Whenever he gets the chance he rushes back and spends as much time as possible in Chandigarh.
Mandy the boy is a great one for bringing people together. In fact he has remained in touch with the maximum number of our batchmates. While we all sat chatting he quickly called up some others who were missing and passed the phone around so that we could exchange hellos.
Highlights of the afternoon:
Kobita kept asking Pinker what his present designation is. He, being the non-bragging sort, hemmed and hawed and gave evasive answers but she wasn’t satisfied. And then he said—“you know, I am a big Don here.” She still didn’t understand.. then I told her – “he’s a side-kick, you know. He’s working for a boss but he’s the sidey.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “And the boss is. …”
“Never mind, Pinker,” I tell him. “For us you are the boss. Say, what is it you’d like? Willdo.”
And then Pinker is reminded of his fave dialoge from 1974 – “Boss, yes, boss (pronounced ‘bass’} Rosie ka khoon ho gaya hai.”
So, Pinka ji, batao, Rosie ka khoon karma hai. Rosie, Rodie, kissi ka bhi khoon karma hai to bolo….
Much laughter at that.
Another story that regales us comes from Ranjit Sohal who, very nostalgically narrated his first and only date in Chandigarh.
[TO BE CONTINUED....]
Break ke baad phir milengey!
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