An Evening To Remember

The dawn of 12th Dec ’09 saw a flurry of activity. There were people running in different directions to pick people up and there was the usual arrangements that needed to be looked into as the evening bash was to be held at Duda’s farm. Spirits were the obvious priority as khana to roz khate hain. The rendezvous point was the Narmada Club. As we picked up some perfect ice for a perfect evening frantic calls came in from Duda who since sunset , was really very thirsty.

At the entrance to Narmada Club the batch 77 cut quite a picture. There were squeals and shouts to see the toll taken by 32 years! Shapes, sizes, hairlines, marital status, social status….so much had changed yet at that evening it was the good old days once again. It did not take even a second for all to slip back to 77 completely oblivious to the staring on lookers who were wondering at the most inappropriate behavior of the almost senior citizens. It took the spouses a couple of nudges to get the batch to move towards Duda’s farm.

Duda’s farm had the trade mark chicken coop as we entered and then we moved into his den known for many misadventures, characteristic of Duda. The guys got cracking the moment they disembarked unable to hold back their thirst any longer. For that evening, everybody decided to let go and have a drink. Even Inder obliged us with a wine though Anjana persisted with a nimbu paani. Ummi had a drink too which was photographed for posterity as she is very active in the “temperance” activities of the Church. After the initial ‘who is doing what’ was over, Frankie made an appearance with his badly tuned guitar. Then it was song and song and song beginning with “those were the days”, “loves a lonely song” and then the good old “chalte chalte……..” That we sang in tune or rhythm did not matter. All that mattered was that we sang and Frankie grinned and put up bravely with the various keys and notes of the singers. Abhijeet, though not a part of the 77 batch became an inseparable part . Organising parties to perfection using all his resources to make the reunion a memorable one. Abhijeet, you are such a sweet heart! Well it was a riotous evening and I was glad that Narendra did not bring his daughter along. I had warned Narendra but then he was in an adventurous mood and perhaps wanted to prove to his daughter that he was a “happening and rocking dad” contrary to his serious lawyer- author image. The impressionable girl would have been exposed to not so savory anecdotes and language. We broke up close to midnight only to promise to meet as soon as we woke up the next day.

Never in my life have I experienced so much of uninhibited fun. All of us mature, could take jibes and poke fun at each other with no holds barred. To quote Duda, the next day a lot of his plants had withered and about thirty fowls had dropped dead out of shame and embarrassment as they had never been exposed to such raw and crass vocabulary!