It was the Mother of All Reunions! Elphinstone Collegians Got High on Friendship, Affection and Nostalgia!

Friday, January 4, 2019
Bombay

It was the Mother of All Reunions! Elphinstone Collegians Got High on Friendship, Affection and Nostalgia!

     Namaste from Bombay!
     D-Day had finally arrived! After four whole months of unmitigated nostalgia, unabashed reminiscences, cheerful banter and characteristic humor, the day was upon us when we, proud alumni of what was at one time Bombay's most sought-after college for the Humanities and Liberals Arts, actually got together in the flesh.  We embraced, we hugged, we kissed, we gasped, we oohed, we aahed, we posed, we group-hugged...we had such a blast! But, I am getting ahead of myself.
     My day began with the happy anticipation of what lay in store. I awoke at 5.30 am and began blogging and reading my Twitter feed and The Times online. I had resolved to take the whole day easy so I kept my schedule light. After breakfast of muesli and coffee, I watched Death in Holy Orders and really did enjoy it. This rather delayed me so that by the time I  got dressed and left for the gym, it was later than usual. I had a good hour's workout and got back home. I decided to make a couple of calls for future interviews that will take place only after my return from South India. I spent a while on my computer. I managed to get a couple of tasks done and then put my mind to what I would wear for the big night.
     Believe me, a wardrobe does take some figuring out. I would be seeing many of my classmates after exactly forty years! There was no knowing if they would even recognize me. Also, I was not sure exactly how people would dress.  The dress code said Smart Casual. But Indian women are known for going overboard--seriously, after decades of living in America, where the slapping on of a pair of shoes is considered getting dolled up, I have returned to a country where the women only wait for an excuse to go the whole nine yards. So I was pretty sure that the best outfit I had carried with me in my minimalist wardrobe would not be over-the top. Eventually I chose black trousers, a black shell and the Armani blazer that I had worn for Christmas. With some of my vintage jewelry from the 1950s, my Clarks patent leather shoes from London and my Hermes Kelly bag, it would do just fine.
     I then stopped to have lunch: fish curry, fried Fish (Rawas) and cauliflower with peas. All delicious! It is nice to have Valerie's meal service at my door once again as service has resumed after the Holidays. After lunch, I left for Dad's, as I had to pick up a form from him that had to be scanned and emailed to an RBI staff-member. That errand done, I got back home, sent off the form and decided to take a short nap.
      When I awoke, it was time for tea and cake and then a shower.  I soon got dressed and left, found a rickshaw and connected with my ride--someone called Bahmini would be picking me up. I met her at the Bandra Junction right opposite the HP petrol pump and, as planned, she and a lady called Geeta, came in an Uber. We arrived at the venue, the Willingdon Sports Club at 7.45 pm.

A Reunion to Remember!
     From the minute I stepped into the Willingdon, I could feel excitement in the air--it was palpable. Our wonderful venue--the lawns overlooking the golf links--was so beautifully lit and decorated. The Organizing Committee (OC) gave us a classy night and left no stone unturned to make it memorable. It is said that God is in the details and the OC did themselves proud. From soup to nuts--it was fantabulous: from name tags which we received as we entered to a goodie bag (a box of Dr. Writers' dark chocolates) which we received as we left, not a detail was overlooked.
     The first person I ran into was Dr. Shakuntala Bharvani (Shakun to me), my professor of English and, over the years, a very close friend. Sadly, I was not yet in photography mode--so she is the one person with whom I do not have a picture.
     The second person I ran into was Lita Fonseca Menezes to whom I said Hello as my friend Louella told me to do so (I believe they are related!). Lita's older sister is married to Victor Menezes, former CEO of Citibank, who, I believe is also related to my friend Ian from New Jersey. We caught up for a bit before I slipped off to get a Gin and Tonic. I also ran into my friend Vaman who looked very pleased with himself at the feat he had pulled off (we got this enviable venue because he is a member of this prestigious club and a member of the OC).
     Then, I spotted a whole bunch of professors--many of whom have, over the years, become close friends of mine as we also became colleagues who shared the same profession. We took a lot of pictures together. My Ph.D. mentor Vrinda Nabar was also there and after hugs and kisses, we moved on with promises to get together again towards the end of Jan. Seriously, Vrinda does not look a day older than she did when I saw her for the first time back in Bombay soon after getting her Masters from St Annes College, Oxford.        
      Eventually, I made my way to the table with the pennant 1978 on it--the year of our graduation. And that was when the classmate reunions began. It was lovely, that's all I can say. I met classmates who have become founders and owners of their own software companies (Farhat in Zurich), founders and owners of their own media companies (Maneck in Bombay), CEOs and owners of their own companies (Vaman and Vijay in Bombay), high-profile attorneys (Sanobar), Civil Service Officers (Y.P.. Singh). We took many pictures and spoke nineteen to the dozen. I also circulated with former classmates who were one year senior to me--English majors all. I met Coomi, Anita, Margaret, Romar--all of whom became academics (professors at the University of Bombay or at local colleges) Irshad (a blind student who now works for the Sikkim Government in Gangtok--I remember him so well taking down his lecture notes in Braille), Ragini (she used to be such a riot in class, unafraid of anyone and totally uninhibited!), Malvika (a well-known journalist).
     There were starters that were passed around but I think most folks were simply too excited to eat! There was also a single singer who kept belting out retro numbers--from our zamana--but although there was a dance floor, I think everyone was too excited to dance! Later on, I did see that the dance floor was being used but by the time Romar asked me to dance, there was not an inch of space left on it anymore! Too bad!
     I also went off to the 1975 Table to meet the folks who have invited me to join them at the beach resort of Alibagh tomorrow. There I met a whole lot of folks that were introduced to me by my friend Beena who had pulled me into this reunion in the first place. Beena's Dad and mine had both worked at the RBI and we had grown up together in the same colony in Bombay Central. Through her, I met Ramita, the person who owns the sprawling bungalow at Alibagh in which we will be staying for one night. I also met Yash and Rajiv, the two guys who have been doing so much talking on the group chat. Oh and I was amazed to find that when they read my name on my name tag so many folks said 'Oh, so you are Rochelle! You have been so active on the group chat'. And I barely was really! I thought that others were far more voluble! Still,  it was great to be recognized for the nostalgic contribution I have made to the chat pool.
     Best part of all was meeting so many of my professors and being able to say Thank-You to them for making me what I am today. To tell Prof. Mangala Sardeshpande that her French classes inspired me to go to France and acquire fluency in French; to tell Prof. Laxmi Vyas that everything she taught me in Geography so many years ago is now making sense as I traverse the world and reflect upon climate change; to tell Prof. Soonu Kapadia (now also a close friend) that so many of her students from Cathedral High School have gone on to become my students at NYU!...all of that was simply priceless! I wish I'd had more time with all of them--but it was tough to divide oneself among the 380 total participants who were present.
     Dinner was all sorts of food in a grand buffet. I ate a bit of Date and Orange Salad, Fish in Orange Sauce, Chicken Shahjehani, Paneer Achari and I saved enough room for the praline toffee that I enjoyed with chocolate mousse for dessert. I have to say that for once, the food was the least exciting thing for me!
     Floating on a nostalgic high that can only come from renewal of old friendships forged at a time when we were adolescents still struggling to find our place in the world, it is hard for me to find words to attach to the sentiments I experienced as folks from across a wide span of ages came together under the common umbrella of having received higher education in one of the finest institutions in India. The oldest participant was 94 years old (Bhau Phansalkar), there was former Indian Test cricketer Madhav Apte (Vaman's Dad), Chief Justice of India Sujata Manohar and any number of tycoons--mover and shakers who have retired and are enjoying the fruits of their decades of hard work and entrepreneurship. I have to say that being a professor in the US carried its own cache and I was pleasantly surprised by the adulation with which my contemporaries looked up to NYU. I guess I could say that all the cliches one has read about for ages in the US--about the kind of emotions a college reunion can evoke--were felt by me in fullest measure tonight. I feel profoundly privileged that I was present on the occasion and can safely say that I am certain I shall never see its likes again. The gratitude I felt towards the Organizing Committee members who worked on this project for a whole year with the kind of devotion it takes to arrange the wedding of a family member was hard to put into words.
     Throughout the evening, I kept thinking about my mother who had insisted I enroll in Elphinstone rather than the Jesuit St. Xavier's College (to which all Catholic students gravitated). She told me that since I'd already had 11 years of Catholic convent education, I should broaden my horizons and go to a more cosmopolitan college.  I realize now, in these day when multi-cultural education is the trend, how far ahead of her time she was.  She had no idea that Elphinstone had the best English Department in the city (maybe even in the country) or that I would find inspiration there among all my Oxonian professors to go on to Oxford myself! But there you have it! Thanks Mum. Somehow your wisdom kicked in and thankfully, I was not obstinate enough to go against your far better judgment.
     Towards the end of the evening, I had a huge scare as I could not find my bag anywhere.  Many attempts to go back to the table at which I was sitting in order to find it drew a blank. Long story short, it was on the same chair at which I had left it. Someone was sitting on the chair and despite several requests to check their chairs, refused to budge enough to look behind her! I did feel very shaken as, apart from everything else, my bag contained my house keys and I kept wondering how I would get inside my flat without my bag!
     A man named Raju gave Bahmini, Geeta and myself a ride back home in his car and it was exactly 1.00 am when I reviewed my whatsapp chat and found that people had already started posting pictures and Thank-You notices! But by 1.10 am, I switched off my light as I had a day-long excursion to Alibagh ahead of me.
     Suffice it to say, that I felt deeply blessed to have been in Bombay when this extraordinary event took place.
     Until tomorrow...