Tuesday 12 August 2008

REUNIONS

Reunion, that was the flavour of the last one month.

It all started when an ex-colleague came home with his mother to invite us to his wedding. We were very happy, and messages and phone calls started flying between other colleagues, most of whom have left the jobs too, and me to plan and go to the wedding reception at Injambakkam, outside the city.

It was wonderful to meet one another at the reception, with a buffet on the lawns. (I loved the sensation of the crunchy, crisp grass under my feet.) It was almost like old times, when we used to have annual get-togethers and let our hair down. We then always had a lot to talk about, but now, I found that we were really a motley disjointed group, without the common bond of work to hold us together. But it was great to catch up with one another and make promises to meet again soon – which we will when another young ex-colleague gets married this month. We took a keepsake picture, all of us with JP and his bride, and our editor Vincent, with photographer Saravanan also rushing up to join the group and pose on his knee.
The next one was with my Trivandrum friends of my Pre-University days, with whom I have managed to keep in touch. Lakshmi, who lives there, and I have been in constant touch, and do get to meet often, mostly when she visits Chennai. This time her daughter-in-law Gopika wanted to surprise her with a get-together of her friends for lunch. She arranged the rendezvous at a very nice place in Gopalapuram, called Amethyst. Apart from me, whom Lakshmi knew was coming, there were two other friends, Kanthi and Vijayam. It was rewarding to see the jaw-dropping amazement on Lakshmi’s face when they turned up.

The ambience was lovely at Sundar Mahal, the old summer palace of the Raja of Jeyapore, with its colonial style architecture amid a lot of greenery. Tables were laid in the huge verandahs, shaded by various plants and creepers, and in the open air too. The place is an art gallery and boutique as well, and there are many tourists from abroad patronising it. The food is aimed to cater to their tastes, and, though we stumbled when it came to ordering, because Lakshmi avoids onions and garlic, the final order was satisfactory.

But food was only secondary that day to us, the years just fell off and to us it seemed that we were back in the grounds of Women’s College in Trivandrum, in the 1960s. Old stories were told and retold, memories rekindled, absent friends remembered and laughter prevailed. We chattered and giggled, and felt like the teenagers we used to be, not in the least like respectable women this side of sixty. We were on a high!

The exercise was so successful that we decided to do it again, with more friends.

Then last week came a card by courier post. And the handwriting on the cover thrilled me, it was from Judy. Here was the friend whom I had been trying to locate for the last six years – she had simply disappeared from the face of the earth, or so it seemed to me, after coming to Chennai from Hyderabad for my son’s wedding. We had studied together in Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, and been in touch over the years after we graduated in 1966. She had misplaced my address when she moved, and so we lost one another. My daughter-in-law’s mother who then lived in Hyderabad had done her utmost to trace her, but without success. Now fortunately Judy found my address (helps when you live at the same place for 40 years) and sent me the invitation to her son’s wedding this week. I called her and after exchanging the latest, promised not to lose one another again.

And a couple of days after that, a call from Nalini, the third member of our group, completed the circle. Nalini, living in the US for the last 40 years was visiting India, and calling me from Delhi. She is not coming to Chennai this time, she said, but is going to Hyderabad. Surely she will meet Judy – will I too? Watch this space. The three of us met last at my wedding!

Now I am wondering if my horoscope last month might have read, among other things, “Meeting old friends is on the cards”. Old is the key word – one doesn’t get them that old nowadays, as Bob Hope said of his best friend Bing Crosby.

9 comments:

Viji said...

Surreal - I am reading your post and talking to Nalini ; also caught in the same traffic snarl in monsoon marooned Mumbai - looking at Nalini's photograph ; oh she is so beautiful and sounds just the same -after some forty years - and Judy ! Raji , this post is incomplete without the picture , THE PICTURE of the three of you RajiNaliniJudy ; how these names trip off the tongue so smoothly ..here's to maybe another meeting at another wedding in Hyderabad

Resmi... said...

No wonder you took a long time to make the post. The thought is worth it. Its lovely to see those pictures from the 1960's and how well you have treasured them. Well now I am thinking, would I be able to make such a post 40 years later...

Anonymous said...

How lovely, Raji.
When it rains (reunions), it pours, doesn't it?
I have to say, the 40+ years have been very kind to you - you don't look very different!!
Kamini.

hantan said...

I remember you attending one of these reunions.. exactly the time when i was giving u a surprise visit and you gave me a surprise.. and when you spoke about it on the other day we actually we met, kn and me cud see the spark when u spoke abt it.. knew ths post was coming, but it exceeded my expectations..

bless me with similar reunions aunty :)

Indrani said...

I too caught up with my college mates recently, it is a great feeling and I can feel your pulse. Wish you very happy times ahead.

dnr said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kat said...

Looks you had lots of fun in the reunion. Sounded Baby's day out :-)

kallu said...

Great Raji. You should check out some astrological prediction to see if they are right some times.
But sounds like a great month.

Maddy said...

Pirandhanaal vaazthukkal ungalukku.