For Old Times’ Sake…

This morning, Sun News had something interesting for me. The 1958 batch of medicos from Stanley Medical College, Chennai, had an alumni/ alumnae meet after 50 years. Out of the 108 of Class58, only 55 attended …28 are no more…

Reminded me of a Malayalam movie I had seen ( and thoroughly enjoyed, last year) called Classmates . It was about the alumni meet of a class ten years after graduation. The movie was a superhit…but what I also enjoyed was an interview on TV with the alumni of CMS College, Kottayam who had their meet after some decades during the shoot of the film in the CMS campus. It was wonderful to see so many senior citizens reminisce about their campus days… With the lack of inhibition that comes with age, they discussed, romances, the way they tried to woo college beauties and of cutting / bunking classes…

A year or two earlier, my brother had a get together of his batch-mates of Victoria College, Palghat in Malampuzha… and on one of my visits to Bangalore, I watched the CD of that get together… All those youngsters ( many were junior to me and some of my batch…) looked forty plus… many had become bald, and quite a few sported paunches representing their wealth or the beer they had guzzled over the years… But the joy of meeting one another was so good to watch. The women of their batch were conspicuous by their absence… But then again, when we were in Victoria College, though we were very friendly with the guys, we never hung around with them… We talked, we teased each other, we rooted and hooted each other during college events but there weren’t many social gatherings of boys and girls….unless someone was romantically involved…and then it was hush hush… or fleeting trysts in the canteen or under the tree in the sports ground…or the dark aisles of the library…

Today’s youth have no inhibitions about getting together… Birthday treats in Pizza Huts and Malls, picnics and outings a k a ‘industrial visits’ or ‘field trips’ are the normal stuff college memories are made of. In fact, my 1995 batch of boys and girls from the small town called Bhadravathi have regular meets…in Bangalore, Mysore, in Bhadravathi… in the States where they take pains to arrange a meet and take pains to travel hours together to meet old friends… They meet at weddings, visit a batch-mate on the birth of a child, or just look in on them, if they happen to be in town… all because they keep in touch through forums like Yahoo Groups… And word spreads like bushfire about someone meeting an old English teacher… mobile numbers are happily forwarded and I get a call from someone claiming to be my ex student… now married, with a baby…or about to get married… Times when I am glad about technology and science making leaping progress… especially in the communications sector!

I wonder if there would be a get together of my batch at the Institute of English where I was of Class83 as they say… I am hardly in touch with my batch… and hardly know their whereabouts… I know Gowridasan Nair was with Asianet… R. Sreelekha IPS, the first lady IPS officer of Kerala who became an IG… I remember Chacko was a reporter for the Hindu… Sudha Pillai who was the first one to get married…even before completing MA finals was in Trivandrum… I wonder what happened to Jamuna, and Renu who was aspiring for a bank job, Anil Menon, the irrepressible imp of our batch… the pompous Pradeep and US returned Anu… I wonder if Basil pursued theological studies… I wonder where my batchmates are…

I enjoyed Erich Segal’s The Class… and wished I could be an active alumna of either Victoria College, Palghat ( Class of 81/82) or Institute of English – 82/83… Once again I am reminded of the song from ‘Nikaah’ Beete hue lamhon ki kasak saath to hogi ! Quite a different kettle of fish from today’s youth favourite ‘ Lose Control’ from Rang De Basanthi… or even a different yet fond song ‘Papa Kahthe hai Bada Naam Karega’…
For those sentimental fools like me here’s the Nikaah song!

abhi alavida mat kaho doston
na jaane phir kahaan mulaaqaat ho, kyon ki

beete hue lamhon ki kasak saath to hogi
khwaabon men hi ho, chaahe mulaaqaat to hogi

ye pyaar, ye doobi hui rangeen fizaaen
ye chahere, ye nazaare, ye javaan rrut, ye havaaen
ham jaaen kahin, in ki mahak saath to hogi
beete hue lamhon ki..................

phoolon ki tarah dil men basaae hue rakhana
yaadon ke chiraaghon ko jalaae hue rakhana
lamba hai safar is men kahin raat to hogi
beete hue lamhon ki...................

ye saath guzaare hue lamhaat ki daulat
jazbaat ki daulat, ye khyaalaat ki daulat
kuchh paas na ho, paas ye saughaat to hogi
beete hue lamhon ki.....................

Twinsmom,
You brought me back my college days!
I am looking for my class mates of college days, through websites
but I am lucky enough to have some of my classmates of school years, in touch.

sriniketan

u set me thinking though we have never met u think some of my friends would had fallen in the no more list hope not i am a very vulnerable soul who can't stand that..mm nice musings..sunkan

Dear Twinsmom
Enjoyed your post which took me down the memory lane.I have searched even in orkut.But I was hardly able to trace out any of my school or college friends.Anyway they say it is a small world after all and I am still trying.Luckily I got hold of one school friend Shobanag thru IL and was immensely happy.Let me see whether I can keep in touch with old friends thru this............

Nice, nice, very nice!

Thanks especially for reminding me about the Nikaah song. I had totally forgotten about this entire sound track. I will have to dig that tape out and listen to it on my way to work today! This sound track reminds me of my many summer vacations spent in Dehradun where my maternal uncle was posted. Wonderful days those were!

Anyway, I am digressing from memories of school days to memories of vacations!

Enjoyed your post thoroughly.

SS

TM,

I just felt so thrilled reading this piece. My kids peadiatrician, who is from the 1957 batch and professor for most of the now paeds told me about this meet, and talked about his last year alumni meet.

but reading your blog really was like an icing on the cake.

SS,

IF you want the song I can just send it across to you..I am listening...become nostalgic...

Wow remembering old times college and school days superb
Those days are the best days of our life.......
From some of the replies I have come across that many of my friends are searching for the school and college friends so I am sending you a link where I too found so many of my school and college friends and today I chat with them sometime

Search/Find old friends & buddies,trace,locate neighbours-neighbors.

All the best friends hope you too will find some friends like I found out
It really gives joy to speak with old friends

Hi Twinsmom,

Good thread, remembering our old friends from our school and college days is always a pleasure. I am very lucky to have formed wonderful friendships through my school days and happy to say we all still remain the best of friends. Our entire group from our school days remain in constant touch and they are the ones whom i turn to for encouragement, for support , for sharing happy thoughts and so much more. Though we all are far apart physically and dont get to meet each other as often as we would like to, but this being apart has also enriched our lives in different ways as we get to share different experiences from all parts of the world. We have changed physically, we have evolved emotionally, we have broadened our horizons and our families and our outlook but our thoughts always reach out to one another Saying " I am Always There for you". This is one thing that i always wish for my two daughters to find in life. GOOD FRIENDS and LASTING FRIENDSHIPS.


cheers
Jay.

Thanks a ton Shanthi! Please do send it across.
SS

Originally Posted by shanvy

SS,

IF you want the song I can just send it across to you..I am listening...become nostalgic...