It was our college batch of 1980 reunion, an important milestone in our lives. This laborious task of searching us out, sending invites, booking our hotel, planning our programmes was accomplished only because of the four musketeers, who flew in and out of Goa tirelessly to make it a grand success. No table was left unturned! It was also about blowing the whistle to keep us mad caps sane, because most of us mentally were in college once again !!
It was one of the most rewarding and inspiring experiences of my life, when we felt unbuckled and celebrated our togetherness.For me it was a good thirty five years which had slipped by, a toast to our great camaraderie. A trip we were looking forward to with bated breath of excitement. Three days of merriment and getting to know each other once again!
I have visited Goa many times before, but for me this time was very unique and special. Movies with a Goan backdrop always fascinated me.like : Bobby, Sagar and Finding Fanny . This time we were lucky enough to see those parts of Goa which had stood still in a time warp.The 18th century Palacio Do Deao , Quepem where a priest from Portugal set foot few centuries ago and later became a Cardinal. In fact he was the founder of a little town on the bank of the river. He blended the Portugese and Goan culture and taught the people many trades for their upliftment. The palace was known for its tiered gardens and the awesome beauty of its river. A place to stand still, close your eyes and reminiscence the yesteryears.
We looked beyond the lashing monsoons, the gusty winds and the tidal waves.We had so much fun and frolic packed with cruises and sightseeing, all boxed into a treasure trunk for keeps. Around midnight if you were an owl you could see a bunch of a staggering 40,stomachs filled to the brim looking out for antacids and crashing into beds like sacks of potatoes, only to resurrect the next morning!
I love Goa for all its good things, it's chilled out people, music, exotic food and it's therapeutic sea breeze. We were lucky enough to dine and wine at a few gastronomical temples like ' NOSTALGIA ' at RAIA and 'KUDOS' . Bibinca, my favourite, high - calorie dessert is made best by the owner of NOSTALGIA. 'COCONUT CREEK' was fantastic with superb food. We were also fortunate to dine at Wendell's beautiful bungalow. Jerome and Wendell made the evening very special for each of us.
It was Nirvana sitting under the swaying coconut palms in that balmy weather holding a bottle of chilled beer. Our foggy brains were cleared and definitely a few more years were added to our lives !
The reunion we were looking forward to with such gusto, counting every second that passed is now history, but we are already waiting in anticipation for the next get together.
My immense gratitude to Shatbhi, Wahid, Wendell and our ever enthusiastic treasurer Rajiv Malla who tore the skies to make this happen. Also, a BIG, BIG thank you to our HUSBANDS who stayed back and allowed us to have such great fun!!! Another word of appreciation to the government of Goa who are doing up the facades of old Portugese buildings thereby trying to preserve their culture.
Some of us have done well in various professions and are celebrities now, we are immensely proud of you Shatbhi, Wendell and Ashrafi. Please pardon if I have missed out on any other eminent personalities (including me ;) )
Those of you who missed out on the reunion for frivolous reasons, the loss is entirely yours. We are
proud of those of you who crossed the barriers of continents and made it to the reunion. Oh! By the
way guys, we did find 'FENNY' , the coconut and the cashew on this trip!!!
It was one of the most rewarding and inspiring experiences of my life, when we felt unbuckled and celebrated our togetherness.For me it was a good thirty five years which had slipped by, a toast to our great camaraderie. A trip we were looking forward to with bated breath of excitement. Three days of merriment and getting to know each other once again!
I have visited Goa many times before, but for me this time was very unique and special. Movies with a Goan backdrop always fascinated me.like : Bobby, Sagar and Finding Fanny . This time we were lucky enough to see those parts of Goa which had stood still in a time warp.The 18th century Palacio Do Deao , Quepem where a priest from Portugal set foot few centuries ago and later became a Cardinal. In fact he was the founder of a little town on the bank of the river. He blended the Portugese and Goan culture and taught the people many trades for their upliftment. The palace was known for its tiered gardens and the awesome beauty of its river. A place to stand still, close your eyes and reminiscence the yesteryears.
We looked beyond the lashing monsoons, the gusty winds and the tidal waves.We had so much fun and frolic packed with cruises and sightseeing, all boxed into a treasure trunk for keeps. Around midnight if you were an owl you could see a bunch of a staggering 40,stomachs filled to the brim looking out for antacids and crashing into beds like sacks of potatoes, only to resurrect the next morning!
I love Goa for all its good things, it's chilled out people, music, exotic food and it's therapeutic sea breeze. We were lucky enough to dine and wine at a few gastronomical temples like ' NOSTALGIA ' at RAIA and 'KUDOS' . Bibinca, my favourite, high - calorie dessert is made best by the owner of NOSTALGIA. 'COCONUT CREEK' was fantastic with superb food. We were also fortunate to dine at Wendell's beautiful bungalow. Jerome and Wendell made the evening very special for each of us.
It was Nirvana sitting under the swaying coconut palms in that balmy weather holding a bottle of chilled beer. Our foggy brains were cleared and definitely a few more years were added to our lives !
The reunion we were looking forward to with such gusto, counting every second that passed is now history, but we are already waiting in anticipation for the next get together.
My immense gratitude to Shatbhi, Wahid, Wendell and our ever enthusiastic treasurer Rajiv Malla who tore the skies to make this happen. Also, a BIG, BIG thank you to our HUSBANDS who stayed back and allowed us to have such great fun!!! Another word of appreciation to the government of Goa who are doing up the facades of old Portugese buildings thereby trying to preserve their culture.
Some of us have done well in various professions and are celebrities now, we are immensely proud of you Shatbhi, Wendell and Ashrafi. Please pardon if I have missed out on any other eminent personalities (including me ;) )
Those of you who missed out on the reunion for frivolous reasons, the loss is entirely yours. We are
proud of those of you who crossed the barriers of continents and made it to the reunion. Oh! By the
way guys, we did find 'FENNY' , the coconut and the cashew on this trip!!!
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