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I really didn't know what to expect and so it was with some trepidation and a measure of anxious anticipation that I approached the Mayfair Rooms that evening.. It was the opening night of our 3-day Reunion kick-off and the monumental traffic jam that delayed us on Marine Drive did nothing to calm my nerves.
Juliana (my wife of 33 years) and I entered the banquet room and we were met by a sea of male and female faces, mostly unrecognizable.. I was sure that I was in the wrong place, but a sizeable placard reading "Cathedral Class of 54 Reunion" assured me otherwise.
I held on to Juliana's hand tightly and wended my way through the crowd. Then a shout went up "Anthony Ramsinh"!! and I got sucked into the hugging and kissing that followed and that was virtually the last I saw of Juliana for the rest of the evening.
I had met some of the girls at Bentley's Hotel the previous day and so I immediately sought refuge in their company till I could regain my composure. I was simply overwhelmed by the outpouring of camaraderie. There was an immediate lump in my throat and my eyes welled.
But before I continue... let's go back to the night before at Bentley's. I entered Room 24 to be faced by six women talking simultaneously above the din of the air-conditioner. It took them a couple of minutes to realize that a member of the opposite sex had appeared in their midst.
Sadhana Shah (now Madhusudhan) recognized the intruder first; "Anthony", she shrieked, "My Brother"!! (yes, we were born on the same day, virtually at the same time and in the same city!!) High fives, back slaps and several hugs later I was released into the curious gaze of the other five women.
Nilina Pillai (Parker) was reclining on the bed a la Cleopatra and she looked me up and down like a dog with its new master. I was waiting for some sign of approval but there was none forthcoming. Later on I found out that she was sizing up my legs! Having appeared in shorts (it was an awfully humid day in Mumbai) she was convinced that I had indeed been a good athlete. We looked at each other for a while and then she said quite matter-of-factly, "You can call me B". I thought to myself that I wouldn’t mind calling this very elegant and charming lady C or D!! We seemed to hit it off right then and I can tell you she remained the most entertaining and sweetest person throughout. In saying this I must also include Sadhana and Gracie Hayeem (Bent Lerno) in the same breath.
Gracie did not realize I was in the room till she emerged from the shower; hair all wet and looking like a very alluring tussled doll. I got another wet bear hug. That set the tone for a simply wonderful three days that followed. After a long, long, 50 years, time stood still; and we were giggly teens once again. We looked at ancient black and white photographs, bubbled with excitement, laughed and held hands. Oh, my! How I loved these girls. My long lost sisters...
Now, getting back to Mayfair Rooms.
My eyes made contact with a group of handsome, graying, balding men, standing tall with commanding personalities. I picked them off one by one... Pratap Dundh, Ravi Jaitley, Saleem Fazalbhoy, Sohrab Mehta, Darab Dubash, Arun Shenoy, Rumi Kapadia, Perminder Singh, Jal Tata, Aziz Jairazbhoy, Vasant Khandke, Soli Davar and last but not least, Suhas Phadke. There were many, many others, and do forgive me if I have failed to mention them.
Before going any further, I simply must mention Suhas Phadke. I was, quite frankly speaking, utterly astounded by what he had produced, literally out of nothing. This Reunion rode on his shoulders... perhaps accounting for why he had shrunk so much! And, of course, most certainly, the same credit goes for the gallant efforts of his female counterpart, Sadhana Madhusudhan, who also appeared dwarfed by the weight of this monumental get-together. ALL HATS OFF AND CONGRATULATIONS TO THEM!! Thank you! Thank you!
As I mingled and my excitement grew with each moment, I couldn’t help feeling that a pair of eyes had been following me around the hall. I looked to my left and there she was, halfway across the room as girlishly good-looking as she was when I last said goodbye to her in 1954. She stood in a corner, shy as she always was, willowy as she always was, lovely as she always was. The wisp of grey hair made her look more elegant than ever. She stopped me dead in my tracks! Yes, Armaity Mody (now Patel) I'm talking about you! My legs shook and my heart missed a beat. Need I say more?
But I have yet to arrive at the icing on the cake. They say that the best gal is always saved for the last, and so when she sidled up to me and whispered, "Anthony, you don't remember me, do you?", I lied to my teeth and half swore that I did. She looked me in the eye (enough to melt any man) and firmly announced, "I'm Mary Balsara"!!
I remember hiding in the school corridors and watching her very curvaceous walk, green girdle dangling invitingly from her well-proportioned hips. And, believe me, she was still just the same. Oh! how I wanted the proverbial Genie to sit on my shoulder at that moment and grant me Three Wishes. With Mary around, any man in his right senses would ask for fours! I left Mary with much reluctance, to grab a plate and get my dinner, and as I walked around the buffet table my thought temporarily reverted to Bentley's again, and the fact that Homa Shirazi had not had much communication with me since the previous day. I was jolted out of my thought when I found her next to me saying, "How come you have not danced with me?"
I looked skywards (silently apologised to dear Tara) and trotted on to the dance floor with her. Here was another absolutely wonderful person who hadn't changed at all.. Still the same mysteriously attractive girl that she always was. I could feel Tara's smiling presence around us as we waltzed.
St. Thomas' Cathedral was packed to capacity and the air was charged with high emotion. I sat amongst famous names... Zarine Lam, Ratan Lalkaka, Foy Nissen and Mr. Godrej himself. What else could one ask for? The current set of Boys and Girls looked gracefully neat in their uniforms. The Prefects displayed the utmost courtesy and cordiality and the Congregation rose in unison as the finely tuned school choir belted out the opening hymn. The Service went off without a single hitch; like it always has. Mr. Godrej addressed the gathering and reminded us of who we were and what we represented. We were ambassadors of goodwill, astuteness, gamesmanship, integrity and above all - Indian Pride - all over the world. Our emphatic rendering of the School Song confirmed his words.
It was a short car ride from St. Thomas' Cathedral to the Girl's School where we partook of much needed coffee and snacks and I bought myself a couple of mementoes that the Girls were selling. I now proudly do my gardening with a cap that reads CATHEDRALITE.
After this brief stop at the Girl's School we hopped across the street to the Boy's School and except for the addition of a few more floors, the place hadn’t changed a bit. I could have been 14 years old all over again. As a matter of fact I was a kid all over again. I expected a tennis ball to come right at me any minute and I would dodge around Ravi Jaitly and score a goal. Don't we all remember the good old Lemon Drop Footer Tournament in the Quad?
I smiled to myself, completely lost in deep 50 year thought and I was jolted back to present reality by someone summoning me for a group photograph.
Photography completed, we went upstairs to view a long lost, hidden Chapel that had been discovered when new construction began. It had a strange aura about it. It was telling me something. It presented my imagination with memorable pictures...boxing matches downstairs, gymnastics in the old shed, cricket nets on the side, lunch boxes being opened, hymns in the morning, wonderful Masters teaching us, evening dances in the Hall, stealing an illegal smoke in the Prefect's Room...I prayed for all of us alive and departed...then I said, "Farewell Sacred Sanctuary"...knelt with head bowed and left.
Arnavaz, Nilina, Zarrin and Saleem hosted the CCI lunch that followed the Service. It was food par excellence with these two gentlemen playing the perfect, attentive hosts. I found myself cosily sandwiched between B, Sadhana, Gracie, Homa and Mary, which is exactly where I wanted to be!!
After a short nap, a quick shower and a change of garb, we were up at Darab Dubash's spectacular home on Warden Road. Darab's wife, Sudha, proved an outstanding hostess who had paid attention to the minutest detail. The stunning array of priceless artifacts bore testimony to her impeccable taste. She was as gracious as she was charming, and the entire evening proved a culturally perfect event with a dramatic backdrop. The mood of casual elegance and subtle romance was set as soon as one opened the Dubash's front door...
Ravi Jaitly was to be seen in seemingly amorous conversation with old flame, Mary. At next glance, his arms were around her!
Homa lounged on a garden chair gazing up at the night sky through the coconut palms. I could imagine who she was looking for. The very debonair Mohammed Anees flitted from lady to lady making polite princely conversation but he didn't wander too far out of R R's sights! Dante Mody teased the ladies too!!!
Most unfortunately, Rahul Bajaj's luncheon at the Taj the next day had to be cancelled or the merriment generated hitherto would have reached new heights. (Ed: Rahul had an unavoidable trip to the US just at this time.)
However, the coup-de-grace was still in the offing. And this came the same evening by way of a thunderous keyboard performance by Rumi Kapadia who put Rachmaninoff and Beethoven through their paces. Rumi has a deftly gentle touch. His fingers moved over the keys as smooth as silk and his chord movements would have silenced even the harshest critics. I would imagine he was just as accomplished an FRCS. Truly a COL-LEAGUE in his very own LEAGUE!
And so a much-anticipated, a much-heralded, a much-honoured Reunion had come to a close. But wait. It was far too soon to say goodbye. We simply could not let go of each other. Just three days in 50 years! Unacceptable!
And so the remaining handful of us decided to rendezvous at the Taj Mahal Hotel after the Recital.
Sixteen hyper, over-the-hill school kids descended on the Shamiana Coffee Shop much to the chagrin of the the other patrons. All decor (and decency) was thrown to the wind as the restaurant band approached our raucous table. Gracie sprang into action doing the Wiggie Wiggle, in her sleek lime green silk ensemble; spurring the musical trio into a frenzy. It was seconds later that a usually sedate and unruffled Rumi threw a scarf around Gracie's neck, slithered up to her and proceeded to perform a mock Matador two-step. This was the signal for the other 14 to pour onto the floor and really shake it up! The hotel's other foreign guests followed suit and the Shamiana rocked as it never had before. Even the Chief Chef came running out of his kitchen to watch this incredulous sight.
A portly Baniya patron fell of his seat in a dizzy heap trying to keep his eyes focused on Mary's tantalisingly twitching hips.
The usually placid Shamiana had been "shook", "rocked" and "hip-hopped" to the ground! It was well past midnight when our young-at-heart group called it a day. Had we now had enough? No, sir.
Mohammed Anees had summoned us to a party at his Altamount Road residence the next night! Another evening of "togetherness" ensued. Another terrific dinner. Another terrific Host and Hostess. Another night of fun and frolic. Another memorable moment...the moment when we met "Rof" Sonavala, our beloved School Captain who had left hospital that very day after a serious illness and come directly to the party. His presence completed a beautiful picture.
And I cannot sign off without mentioning the illustrious "Chinky" Ahuja, my former neighbour and Commandant of the Sea Cadet Corps, and a huge surprise for me, meeting Marina Wadia (Jhaveri) sister of my dear old friend Pesi Wadia.
Now the picture was thoroughly complete. The memories reinvented. Yesterday became today. Tomorrow became never. My mind captured a photograph for eternity. These moments would live forever.
We are in the Evening of our lives. But Oh! what a Morning and Afternoon we've had. Till we meet again in the labyrinth of Time...Adieu, Au Revoir, Ciao...but never Goodbye.
And some of those who could not attend:
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