25 years later..

I was busy trying to hide the white hair that had unanimously proliferated on my head and dark circles that had matured under my eyes over a period of time. I was deciding what clothes to wear between- too dressy or too crazy, the two extremes I normally swing between nowadays! And my mind was full of memories naïve and untouched. The whatsapp group ‘25^th year reunion’ was at its peak with laughter being the mandatory etiquette, mixed in with nonsensical banter and wordplay. Nostalgia and childhood were being personified on the chat group :). I packed my bag and flew down to see the 30 odd faces come alive from the whatsapp group!  

August 11^th 2018… the faces started unfolding at the school campus. Some met with a formal handshake, some met with a hug and a tinge of awkwardness, some were hugs with a lot of love and smiles, and some were clumsy hugs which probably had so much more to say. ‘Finally’ we all had met and today the school seemed smaller and easily manageable :) Like when you climb a mountain and reach the summit, there is a moment you have to inhale and feel it, I just sat down on the steps for a few minutes and sank in this feeling of being together.

We spent some time at the school in one of classrooms and caught up with each other. Some were into teaching, some had walked away from corporate life, some were on a sabbatical, some were home makers, etc etc. But really, nothing mattered :) For me the present couldn’t change the way I saw that person, because the memories I had, had subconsciously traveled into my head and heart and were stuck there like a thick coating of mucus; unwilling to move!

We then had a get together and lunch with few of our teachers. Again for them we had not moved an inch farther than the last day of school .They spoke to us with as much authority as a mother would do and nothing that we had achieved after school made enough sense to brag to them about! I also got a peck on the cheek from one of my favourite teachers and that definitely was a reverse adrenaline rush all the way back to Xth std:) We finally bade farewell to them and headed to the resort we were going to spend the rest of the time at.

The resort was an hour’s drive from the restaurant and we got into respective cars accommodating all of us to the resort. Creating something constructive and gossip, both are means to bond people together. Today gossip was a front runner as time together was less and an unwritten universal need to bond much more. Amidst stories, pranks, gossip and goading we reached the resort.  

The resort was a beautiful place where there was a landscaped garden around the property, a river flowing in and stretch of sandy beach spread out to capture the sun rise and sunset. We all girls ended up piling in on one room and there began the girl talk with no filters and full stops :) Nature’s bounty around hardly contributed to the awesome feeling we all reflected on each other - of being  beautiful, funny, talented, zealful and a riot :) !  Somewhere I had completely forgotten my multiple identities and had camouflaged with the present.  

We then met for the officially planned part of the reunion, thanks to all the work done by the organizing committee. There was quick sprint through school photos,previous reunion photos, mini meetings photos, and also collages of our younger selves and current beings. The smiles on our faces had started to shine. A random partner was previously designated and we were to introduce him/her to the group. Thanks to the conservative atmosphere we schooled in, this was a good ice breaker to get to know your classmate. Of all the introductions we went through, designations and company names, ring no bell today (after just 2 weeks). However funny anecdotes narrated has got added on the mucus which was already there!

The floor soon broke into a dance floor with everyone’s favourite numbers being played in the background. There were some awesome dancers in the group, whom we all just looked at in awe :) , some others whose mind was dancing but the body quite didn’t match up, and others who didn’t care who was watching and just danced as a means for the body to express itself!  Any which ways, we all held each other together and danced away to all our favourite numbers :) Drinks and dance continued for couple of hours. We all had really warmed up to each other literally sweating and stinking after the dance :)

We had dinner at 10.30 in the night and chatted and chatted and chatted through dinner. A small session of antakshari and dumbcharades was played after dinner. There were a few who were genuinely interested in playing, in maintaining the energy of the group. Some others were into a reflective mode… I caught a pair of eyes just staring at another unaware pair and smiling beautifully:) Most of the group retired after this, though around 12-15 of us couldn’t let go.  

We then moved to the area where a stagnant stretch of the river entered the property and there were steps where you could sit. A small boat was stationed there, just rocking itself to the mild winds that blew its way. The night was dark with no moon. There was dim light around the property and we were sitting there, fragmented but together. There was no agenda, or objective planned any more. But we all were just there..

There was a spontaneous mimicry session by one of our talented friends that broke the silence into laughter. I sang a few songs that just came together at that moment and it felt really nice to express it. Another friend beautifully and spontaneously danced to movie songs and it all felt magical and out of this world! There was no urge to capture it, rather we just lived those moments … now etched within us as new memories.

At 3.45 in the morning, I decided to let go, as I had a flight to catch later in the morning. I walked away feeling pain and happiness in unison, just like I did on the day of the Xth std farewell. I had some work to catch up on, did that and finally tried to sleep at 5 in the morning. It was the non rapid eye movement stage of sleep where I was not drifting away from consciousness very often:) 6 am I finally decided to get up and freshen. 

I packed my bag with all the physical things and a bunch of soulful new memories. I caught up with the remaining zombies, who had stayed up the whole night and watched a lovely sunrise by the beach, that I missed :).  Breakfast counter opened at 7.30 am.  I had a quick grab and 8 ‘o clock the taxi was ready to take me to the airport.

A tight emotional hug came from one of closest friends and I couldn’t hold on either. We decided to meet more often.. I bade farewell to all others and felt there was so much more to talk to each one of them, and that the day had ended far too soon. We hugged better this time and promised to be in touch more often.

As I drove away, I felt like a 40 year old tree that had grown big and tall towards the sky, but in reminiscence looked back to find the seed I once was... The one that tossed and turned around, trying to find its own foot. Until one day it held on and started having its own roots. Those roots that helped source all that was needed to survive back then.....Those roots that will always be part of me and who I am.... 

Thank you all dear friends......