90 Never Looked So Graceful!

Can you still look charming at ninety when your knees wobble?

Can you still be as graceful?

Can you retain the poise which you had decades ago?

Yes you can if you are Savita Bhargava- Ghumakkad's aunt who recently celebrated her 90th birthday with family and friends in Delhi.  She continues to be as charming as ever. I travelled from Hyderabad not to miss the family event. Sharing few pictures of the milestone event.

Here is a short video  clip of some of the guests from overseas and India in animated conversations.

The Invite

Sharing below the invite by the nonagenarian's children. To make the event memorable and to enable Savita Mami to meet all the guests and spend some quality time, the 90th Birthday celebrations were spread over two days. The guest lists on the two days were mutually exclusive. A brilliant idea! Well done Ruchi and team.

Early Life

Her daughter Ruchi Ghose writes, "Born in 1936 on 3rd September. The day she was born her father got a job. Very happy and idyllic childhood. Special to her father. Lost him one year after she got married. Has a BSc and a B.Ed. She has a gift of expression - has written stories and commentaries for many programs. Dances and sings with ease."

Few pictures of yesteryears courtesy Ruchi.

   

Geetika - Joy In Music

Her passion for music led her to start Geetika in Kolkata in 1976. A group of women who sought joy in music. They got together once a week to sing. Geetika still exists in Kolkata and Delhi. They have the most fabulous collection of music ( लोकगीत folk songs) and many original compositions. They present wonderful programs from time to time. She has played a huge role in conceptualising and curating many of these. An exclusive event for the Geetika friends was held a day earlier where they presented Mami with a specially curated booklet.

Ruchi adds, "Her hobbies - she is an excellent seamstress and always stitched our frocks. She has six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Most of all she is special to many many people."

Forever Young Granny

Ruchi continues, "She refuses to grow old - is interested in so many things. Her grand children adore her - in their eyes she is the best cook and worlds best granny- can do no wrong. When they were young they used to go to Delhi alone for summer holidays. Summers with granny form their fondest memories."

Surprise in Bengaluru

Savita Mami and Jolly Mama live in Bengaluru. Four months ago, I had the pleasure of giving her a surprise visit. The surprise formed the opening part of Ghumakkad's post linked below;

Thriving on Surprises - sharing a picture and a video of the surprise visit. Mami can be seen knitting a sweater for her grand children,

Dancing At Eighty

Savita Mami is an accomplished dancer. Ten years ago, despite aching knees she performed at her niece's wedding while seated on a chair! Sounds incredible? Browse the story below and see few of the pictures and a video to admire Mami's grace.

Dancing At Eighty - Grace has no age!

Special thanks are due to Ruchi Ghose, Mami's eldest offspring for all the inputs including the vintage photographs.

I felt truly blessed to have been part of the celebrations. May Savita Mami enjoy many more years of good health so that we get to attend such parties again and again.

Thanks for browsing. Stay connected and do leave a comment. It encourages us.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Ruchi Ghose/ Secunderabad and New Delhi/ 14th September 2026

#90thBirthday #Grace #charm #poise #music #dance #GreatGranny #ForverYoung #abhinaya #SavitaBhargava #RuchiGhose #GhumakkadHarsh #ghumakkadhb #JoyOfMusic #geetika

Walking Behind A Waterfall

 This is a guest story from USA by Akanksha, our daughter.

Silver Falls State Park is the largest state park in Oregon, famous for its scenic waterfalls and lush forests. It covers over 9,000 acres and sits near the city of Silverton, about 20 miles east of Salem. Readers from India may be familiar with a town in Tamil Nadu having the same name.

Sharing below few pictures and a video taken by Akanksha while hiking solo in the Park.

Sharing below a short video to give you a feel of being 'in' the waterfall.

Here is another short video of the waterfall.

She flew down from San Francisco to Oregon. See the aerial shot of the Golden Gate Bridge taken by her. Isn't it simply stunning?

Key Features of the Park

Trail of Ten Falls: A famous 7.2-mile walking path takes hikers past ten distinct waterfalls.

Walk Behind Waterfalls: Four of the waterfalls feature large rock alcoves that let you walk directly behind the falling water. This is the trail Akanksha, our daughter, did solo a few days back. 

South Falls: This is the most popular waterfall in the park, plunging 177 feet.

Double Falls: At 178 feet, this remote spot is the tallest waterfall in the park.

Other Activities

Hiking: The park offers over 24 miles of walking and hiking trails.

Mountain Biking: Visitors can use a dedicated 4-mile bike path.

Horseback Riding: There are 14 miles of specialized horse trails.

Camping: The park provides overnight tent sites, RV spaces, and cabins.

Practical Information

Location: East of Salem and a short drive from Portland.

Passes: A day-use parking permit or an Oregon State Parks annual pass is required.

Readers may plan their visit through the Oregon State Parks.

We thank Akanksha for sharing the stunning pictures including the aerial shot of the Golden Gate Bridge. She has previously also written guest stories for this blog.

Thanks for browsing. 

Stay connected and do leave a comment to encourage us. 

  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Akanksha Bhargava/ Oregon and Secunderabad/ 11th September 2026

#waterfalls #SilverFallsStatePark #Oregon #USA #hiking #solo #woman #WalkinBehindAWaterfall #Alcove #greenwoods #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #Akanksha #GuestStory #salem 

They Taught Us More Than Lessons

Why do you remember an MBA Prof?

Academic brilliance!

Sure! But do you remember all brilliant Profs?

No. 

Then whom do you remember even after few years and why?

Perhaps, those Profs who listened to us.

All Profs have two ears. What's so special about listening?

I mean we remember those who were empathetic to us.

You mean they tolerated indiscipline in the class?

No, far from it. In fact we remember a Prof who was very strict and would admonish us for disturbing the class and would not tolerate any indiscipline.

But as adults, you don't like to be ticked off.

Yes, that's the point. This teacher would later counsel us and fathom the cause of our immature behaviour.

What about teachers who put up boards for 'visiting' hours? They tried to inculcate time management habit in you.

We hated such Profs. On the other hand, we remember the Prof who had an open-door policy for students.

But a Prof also needs privacy for research and self-study.

Agreed. But we feel students' accessibility should be a higher priority for any Prof.

Any other characteristic of a Prof which you remember?

Oh yes! We paid extra attention to a Prof who narrated real-life stories rather than the boring slides. We also felt valued when a Prof called us by name and helped us improve our self-confidence and the overall personality. A Prof  who taught us more than lessons!

The above conversation is not AI-generated. It is based on the interaction with the students over the years.

Whether you are a teacher or a student past or present, ask yourself where do you fit in? And you will find realism in above conversation. Of course there are many other reasons why we remember a teacher. But we wanted to keep our story short.

Happy Teacher's Day 2026 to all my teachers, students, colleagues, parents, family and friends. Ghumakkad-the-teacher is grateful to each one of you for enriching his life.

Sharing below few pictures and links to our earlier stories on Teacher's Day

Teachers Other Than Teachers - Can Nature, trees, birds, pets, sickness, bereavement also be our teachers? What do we learn from them?

Do Teachers Get Bored? - far from it! There is always action all around. Click the link to browse an outdoor activity with MBA students and lessons from a forest!

A Teacher Keeps Learning - that is the best part! A teacher learns more from the students.

Harsh@IBS - Journey of a different kind. Browse this story for multiple activities which Ghumakkad did along with his students and faculty colleagues at IBS Hyderabad.

A teacher is like an explorer, out in the open!

If the story has triggered some nostalgia about your former teacher, do share. Because 'They Taught Us More Than Lessons'.

Postscript 6th September 2026.

A regular reader, fellow BITSian and an IT-pro all her life wrote the following poem yesterday. Sharing with her permission:

Great composition, straight from the heart. Am sure many readers will relate to it.

Thanks much Radhika.

End of Postscript------ 

Thanks for browsing.

Stay connected and do leave a comment to encourage us.

   --- Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 5th Sep 2026/Secunderabad

#TeachersDay2026 #gratitude #impactinglives #MBA #touchinglives #discipline #empathy #student #opendoor #accesstoteachers #approachability #highereducation #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #shapingyoungminds #futureofIndia