Buddies in Sixties- What Do They Love?

What do buddies in sixties and seventies do for Diwali lunch?
They have beer.
Some more beer
They make noise. 
Lots of noise. Spouses join in too!
And?
They gobble up Kulfi! Kulfi after kulfi!
Yes, you are never too old for Kulfi.
For readers not familiar with kulfi कुल्फ़ी - it is frozen milk candy.

We had hosted a lunch for fellow BITSians at our home. Thirty odd-souls turned up and made merry. Pilani taught us team work. Therefore, we had a team game for couples. Who creates maximum smilies with given raw material- bangles, cloves, black pepper and rajma? Winners got Diwali goodies. Dress code: Ethnic.
Special thanks to Prof V Meenakshi, Faculty Coordinator, Alumni Relations and her husband Dr Aravinda Raghavan from Hyderabad campus of BITS Pilani for joining us.
The alumni ranged from the 1st batch (1964 graduate) till 2009 batch. 45 years apart- but it appeared as if we were all from the same batch!
Let the pictures do the talking.

Thanks for browsing.
Those who love kulfi- eat one more.
Those who are barred from eating sweets- share yours! 

Am also sharing below the links to earlier stories about BITS and of BITSians rocking together:
What has Changed in Pilani? And what has not!
What is so great about BITS?
BITS Alumni Global Meet
BITS 68 Conquers Kodaikanal

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 7th Nov 18/ Diwali
#Diwali #Sweets #kulfi #BITSians #BITSPilani #alumni #sixties #bondingatsixty #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #BITSAA #seventies

BITS 68 conquers Kodaikanal

What do college buddies do when they meet after 42 years?

Bear hugs.
Thumping of the back which seems endless.
ओए कहाँ था तू इतने दिन? Where were you all these days?
And similar dialogues.

Plus, they make lot of noise. 

When 25 batch mates of BITS Pilani 1968-73 batch met in Kodaikanal, they did give huge hugs to each other. But they also did many other things. Spouses too joined in.

This picture story of Ghumakkad's college buddies, gives you a feel of the 5-day alumni bash held in cool climate of Palani hills, Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu India.

Q: What do college buddies do when they meet after 42 years?

A: Go on a forest hike together.

After the exhausting hike for 64-year olds, here is their response to the question 'How was it?' See the video


A: Hop across and chill out at a Water Fall. 





A: Make lot of noise, even if you are nearing 65!
See this short video "BITS 68 Rocks".

A:  Take a morning walk together! What else do you expect from senior citizens?

A:  Celebrate it with virtual buddy across the oceans! Like with Raja Venkateswar who sent a specially recorded piece despite his disabling injury! 

We inaugurated the musical evening with Raja's rendition. See the audience here.  Video recording courtesy Ashok Suri.

A: Sing and dance.

A:  Play good old अंताक्षरी by a lake side. 
We all went for a picnic to Berijam Lake 25 kms away from Kodaikanal in a protected forest. Pictures.

A: Displaying woman power!

A: Eat and eat! Age no bar!

A: Shikara शिकारा ride in Kodaikanal Lake. 
The Carlton Hotel, where we stayed, has brought four 'Shikaras' from Kashmir for its guests in Kodaikanal. It is an exclusive experience.
For Shirish and me, it brought back memories of our visit to Kashmir in 1976-77.







A: 'Prem Kahani' Love Story-- so what if you are 65?

A: Lend an ear for Conservation Project.



A: Admire the flowers

All these flowers and many more are from the garden at Misty Cove.

A: Enjoy the beauty of Nature.

A: Warm up with bonfire.

A: Pair up with spouses!

From L-R: Javid, Dayal, Bipin Agarwals, Mittals, Dhanukas, Shahs, Ashok Gulechhas, Rathis, Neemas, Bhargavas, Chinoys, Vijay Gulechhas,  Bajajs, Safys, GS Agarwals, ML Agarwals, Talesaras, Mohandas', Somanis, Menons, Jains, Suris, Anoop and not in picture Shashi Menon and Harsha Singh.

A: Pose for group photograph.

All this was made possible by Vijay Gulechha who owns 'Misty Cove', a prime property by the lake side in Kodaikanal. It has been run as a home stay for many years. Soon it will be operated as a resort after on-going renovation is completed. Contact me for any queries.

Special thanks are due to entire Gulechha family. Here is a short thank you poem specially composed for the Gulechha family.
_____________________________________________________ 

How do you thank a Buddy

How do you thank a person

Who showers you with affection?

Who lives in a place endowed with natural beauty

And along with family, goes beyond the call of duty

To look after us during the 42^nd alumni bash

With a personal touch difficult to match

Yes, we are talking of Vijay and Vinita Gulechha and the entire family

Who created an atmosphere for  40 of us which was absolutely homely

Be it the planning of the event

Or the evening entertainment

The hike in the forest culminating in Pambar Fall

Or the picnic at Berijam Lake, we all had a ball

We thank Vaibhav, Anita, Saurabh and Divya for your warm and personal care

Your children reminded many of us of our own grandchildren who were not there

All that we would like to say-- May God bless you all

So that your togetherness and love for life grows tall.

            Once again, thanks for everything

-          The Gang of Sixty Eight/ 28^th Sept 201

_____________________________________________________ 

We all posed for a special group photograph with the family seated in the centre. See the placards in the picture.

And here is Vaibhav, who despite an injury, was up on his crutches making sure everything was perfect. Talk of dedication!

We had to bid good bye to Misty Cove-- a real paradise on earth!


Am sure, all the readers will have similar memories and experiences of their own alumni bashes. Events like this recharge you-- until the next Reunion!

Postscript: For those who missed the 40th year Reunion at BITS Pilani, here are the links (just double click)

40th year Reunion- glimpses

Bear hugs and Inauguration 

The Reunion Program and who all came

Thanks for browsing.

         - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 29th Sept 2015
           hbindia@gmail.com