About 22 of us old boys(some accompanied by wives) from St.Xavier's High School Patna 1956-65 Batch had a happy reunion at Patna on 16-17 November 2013.Many of us were seeing each other after 48 years - but the recognition was immediate and the chemistry instantaneous.Basic structure and general looks of most of us hadn't changed - we were older, heavier,weaker, had paunches, grey hair, bald pates,some looked more mature,others sillier ...........................
On 16th morning we had the inaugural meeting and lunch at the Bankipore Club - This club established in the year
1865 on the bank of River Ganges at Patna, Bihar.Originally
known as "European Club" and used exclusively by Europeans.The club
was renamed "Bankipore Club" as Bankipore denoted the civil station of
Patna District.
We started with registration of participants followed by a round of introductions.A 2 minutes silence was observed in memory of about 20 of our fellow classmates who were no longer in our midst on mother earth. A special cake had been ordered for the occasion which the ladies were accorded the privilege to blow the candle, cut the cake and distribute. Next was fellowship with a round of cocktails,juices & snacks followed by lunch.Post lunch we all gathered on the sprawling lawns facing the Ganges for a group photo session.
After this we all drove off in a convey of cars to the Ganga Ghat for a river cruise. We had a wonderful two hour cruise and watched the beautiful sunset. It was Kartik Purnima and after dusk we saw the full moon in all her glory. We also had the good fortune to view the special Arti on the Ganga Ghat on the auspicious occasion of Kartik Purnima.
After the cruise we all dispersed to our various homes & hotels only to reassemble at the Hotel Chanakya for cocktails and dinner which was being so graciously hosted bt Vinay Kocchar - a leading hotelier and successful businessman who also happens to be one amongst us old boys. Cocktails and snacks were served in the well stocked and brightly illuminated Takshila bar on the roof top and dinner was at open roofed terrace.
The
camaraderie and bonhomie was excellent. The men were turned out smartly
and ladies dressed in gorgeous colorful attires. We all had a grand gala time. Here are some pics of
the adventures of Day one:
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| Brigadier Amarendra Singh regaling the ladies at Bankipore Club |
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| Exchanging cards -L to R : Amarendra Aingh, Prabhat Sinha, Dinesh Mishra (green checked kurta) Priyadarshi (smiling),Dr.Abhhaya Choudhary (blue shirt) & Professor Akhoury in grey coat. |
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| Dinesh Mishra and Prabhat Sinha (in waist coat) in bear hug |
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| Dr.Eqbal Husain & Brajeshwar Mishra |
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| Special Cake ordered for the occasion |
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| Group picture on the lawns of the bankipore Club: L to R: Anoop Grover,Anil Kishore,Binny Kocchar,Dinesh Mishra,Abhai Choudhary,Vinay Sinha,Shiladitya Sinha,Indrajit Singh |
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| Ladies: Have a relaxed chat on the lawns |
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Ladies looking satisfied with the lunch served at Bankipore Club !
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| The steam ship is ready for the cruise |
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| A group picture before embarkation |
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| The glorious sunset as captured from the steam ship |
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| The captivating moon as we saw it on Kartik Purnima day |
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| Gorgeously dressed ladies in green pink blue yellow & gold. |
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| Shiladitya & Jitendra Sahai posing for the camera while Akhoury seems to be silently enjoying a joke |
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| The weather was lovely - there was a little nip in the air. Binod Yadav,
Vinay Sinha, Amarendra & Abhai Choudhary enjoying their souffle
& ice cream. To be continued............................................................. | | |
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wow! Nothing like a reunion of old friends!
ReplyDeleteI can imagine how happy you would have been, meeting friends after so many years!
ReplyDeleteThe ladies look beautiful!
ReplyDeleteMeeting after 48 years.. wow.. that must have been a amazing reunion Ram ! Everyone looks so happy. Its so nice to meet with old friends and share happiness :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks a delightfully wonderful evening with friends, so many memories to share, so many tales to tell! I am glad you had a lot of fun time together.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ram for the excellent coverage.
ReplyDeleteAwesome..!
ReplyDeleteWonderful, after these many years. Sure you folks may have also missed out on some.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure pretty inexplicable how life may have had rolled out for each of you.
What a wonderful reunion! The ladies look gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteIt must have been a truly amazing reunion. Looks like you have all done well and prospered. I hope to visit India one day.
ReplyDeleteHappy and sad, bittersweet reunion remembering those who've passed. What a unique reunion; i.e. that it even has a boat ride. I wish my reunion had something like that.
ReplyDelete