DEAR ALL
A Golden
Reunion: Fifty Years Laughs, and Many Tears!
Well, wasn't June 21st to 23rd, 2025, a
trip down the memory lane ! Our Golden Jubilee reunion for the 55 Regular
and 39 Technical courses was less of a gathering and more of a full-blown
time warp. From the moment we stepped foot back on familiar ground (and into
our rooms in Keran coy!) until we reluctantly moved to the airport, it was a
beautiful blur of memories, old and new.
Back to the
Barracks (and a Punch in the Gut!)
The ice-breaking lunch at VB Mess was a
riot. Fifty years, folks! It's amazing how much a hairline recedes, a waistline
expands, and a face wrinkles in half a century. I’ll admit, I made the mistake
of asking one course mate, "Excuse me, who are you?" His response?
"Give you one punch in the stomach, and you'll remember!" Instantly,
it clicked. "Rashpal Singh!" I yelped, quickly adding, "No
punches, please, my memory's back!" Apparently, some things never change,
especially a good, old-fashioned course mate's sense of humor!
Tears,
Cheers, and Cockroaches
Pradeep Yadu's movie on our course was nothing short of brilliant. It beautifully wove
together five decades of our lives, making us laugh and shed tears. And speaking of tears, meeting the lady
wives of our departed course mates was incredibly moving. Their strength
and spirit in attending truly touched our hearts.
Then there was the course song by Vivek
Sohal and Pradeep Yadu – a masterpiece! It perfectly captured every single
feeling we had bubbling up inside. Seriously, hats off to those two maestros!
Pradeep, we’re eagerly awaiting that movie link in July; the family needs to
see what kind of mischief we got up to!
The dinner at Hotel Villas on the 21st
was another epic catch-up session. The stories flowed like fine wine, each one
more exaggerated and hilarious than the last, all detailing how everyone
"prospered" over the past fifty years. Some, let's just say,
prospered so much they're practically unrecognizable – physically, at least!
Waking up on June 22nd to breakfast at VB
Mess felt like stepping into a time machine. The food… it was exactly as I
remembered it from our cadet days. Well, almost. My taste buds might be a bit
more refined now, but the nostalgia hit harder than a drill Ustads boot!
Hallowed
Grounds and Hilarious Observations
The wreath-laying function was a somber
and poignant moment, giving us time to remember our brothers who are no longer
with us. It was a powerful reminder of the bonds we forged.
Our visit to the museum, Chetwode Hall, and
seeing our dossiers as Gentleman Cadets was fascinating. Who knew our
directing staff were such meticulous observers? Apparently, they saw every
little flaw. Good thing we’ve all polished up a bit since then!
And speaking of good decisions, staying in the
GC barracks of Keran Coy instead of some fancy hotel? It truly
transported us back. Though, I must admit, the bugler at 5:30 AM sharp
on both mornings was a rude (but authentic!) awakening. And don't even get me
started on the GC Sahayaks – they were definitely more efficient than
the ones we had!
Oddly enough, I don't recall being plagued by cockroaches
and mosquitoes during our cadet days. They must have been there, lurking in
the shadows, but it took fifty years and a reunion for them to finally make
their grand appearance!
The thoughtful inclusion of cycles near the
companies was a stroke of brilliance. It allowed us to explore
"our" campus much better during our spare time. And seeing the entire
Chittore Company barracks still standing exactly as we left them fifty years
ago? A truly heartwarming feeling.
The Grand
Finale and the Great Escape!
The Golden Jubilee dinner at NOI was
the perfect capstone, giving us even more time to reconnect and laugh until our
sides hurt. A massive, heartfelt thank you to Shakti Gurung, Mrs. Gurung,
and Ramesh Nawani. Organizing this reunion must have been more complex than
Operation Rising Lion and Operation Sindhoor combined! And a personal thanks
for letting me sneak in at the last minute – you guys are the best!
And the merchandise! The IMA mugs,
T-shirts, Jap caps, and the Singarh Chronicle – the logistics of getting
all that sorted was Herculean. The accounting was more complex than the Indian
economy during turbulent times. I hope there are no audit objections for
sorting out in the next reunion.
Compliments to DVS Kadyan, Tej Singh Dalal,
and SJ Singh for the superb Singarh function.
Tej your work
on the The Singarh chronicles was
impeccable – beautifully prepared, edited, and published.
And as for SJ Singh, I'm officially
recommending him for a PVSM for maintaining such strict discipline in
our WhatsApp group. And perhaps a PVSM Bar for his superb command and
control in the Keran guest rooms and for masterfully navigating that bus from
Keran Coy to various locations. Traveling in that bus was a joy!
We managed a phenomenal 90% success rate
in getting course mates back in the bus, after various functions, which is
simply outstanding! Though, I recall one occasion where our success rate was a
staggering 110%. One overly joyous (read: thoroughly drenched in
nostalgia, and perhaps something else!) course mate was spotted looking for
Imphal Company in the Keran lines. We gently guided him back to the right path.
I sincerely hope he made it home!
Until We
Meet Again…
Saying goodbye on June 23rd was
incredibly difficult. The camaraderie, the laughter, the sheer joy of being
together again – it was hard to let go. But I have no doubt we’ll cross paths
again as one course, somewhere down the road.
As fate would have it, five of us ended up on
the same flight to Pune from Dun airport. We were all headed to Gate 4. Then
there was our one Pune course mate at Gate no 8, heading to Pune via Mumbai,
then catching a cab to Pune, completely unaware there was a direct flight at
the same time. Bless his heart! We hope he eventually made it home, perhaps a
little more adventurously than the rest of us!
Once again, a massive thank you to everyone,
including the wonderful ladies, for making this reunion a truly joyous
function, a heartwarming homecoming, and an unforgettable journey down memory
lane.
Here's to meeting again as a course sometime
soon! And all the very best to each of you in your future endeavours!
Warmly,
Hemant and Uttara Mahajan
Thanks Hemant for the GJC Round-up with crystal clear explanation and most aptly dramatised that a person like me who missed the grand event had a picturised view of the happenings there.
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