Yesterday once more

I made plans to attend the function and was lucky to get a lift with another alumnus. Wedrove all the way from Goregaon to Colaba. Even with no major traffic hiccups it took us a full two hours and we were late by half an hour. So, on reaching the Railway Officers Club we quickly parked our vehicle and headed straight towards the poolside where the meet was planned.

We entered the gate expecting to see a big function and a large gathering. But there was none. Just a small cluster of people standing, discussing and nursing their drinks. Had we reached the wrong spot? A quick clarification assured us we had not. I had expected to see a big throng of alumni and was disappointed at the turnout. I started questioning my decision to attend.

Then one gentleman came towards us and asked us to join the group. “Hi Rajeev!” came a voice from behind. As I turned my back I was looking into a so very familiar face. His name was almost on my lips. But not quite! “Arrey, I am Gautam.” Yes, yes, yes, I now remembered. He then introduced me to others. Both of us were soon lost in disinterring our past,oblivious of many a shriek of surprise around. And when we returned to the present, the number around the pool had surged, all bubbling with enthusiasm. There was excitement everywhere.

Meeting old pals after a gap of several years was like renewing old bonds. The meet also gave us a wonderful opportunity to forge new bonds. The feeling of belonging to the same alma mater had brought all of them together that evening, their hectic schedules notwithstanding. It was amusing to see them recollecting and reliving their halcyon college days, shedding all their pretensions and transcending all barriers of age and profession. You could see a special glow on their faces, a shine in their eyes as they recounted traits of their teachers and cited personal anecdotes from their college days. Their yearning for academic depth was palpable with their display of child-like inquisitiveness. It was real fun meeting one’s contemporaries. I was pleased to learn that many from the alumni had risen quite high up the corporateladder.

There were quite a few islands of conversation and a lot of cross talk. Suddenly, a tall, bespectacled, grey-haired figure appeared at the entrance. Some people rushed to receive him. A hush descended as people became curious to know who this gentleman was. This extremely modest, unassuming, and soft-spoken person became the cynosure of all eyes. This man from the class of 1957 has a large following, especially among the intellectuals in our country. It is said that even Amartya Sen never fails to call him up when he is in town. Yes, he is Krishna Raj, Editor, Economic and Political

Weekly.