A college reunion!

Hi Friends!

I can't say if this is just a newly found enthusiasm or a genuine desire to log my experiences and feelings. But clearly, I'm not under any illusion that starting a blog is like opening an outlet for my creative urge (?) that was latent in me in all these years! Some may be cursing and muttering under their breath for going through this monolog just because it is obligatory for them to read !
This is the third time I'm promising to be more matter of fact and try to keep it short. Twice, I couldn't do that. this time I'll do.
It's much more than the pleasure of meeting the classmates; It's excitement unlimited; it's a thrill to recall incidents that took place 50 years ago! It is difficult to visualise the slim beautiful girls of yesteryears as matronly looking ,grey (many dyed) haired grandmothers. They too would be harbouring reciprocal feelings when they meet the 'boys'!
We were just 7 boys and 26 girls. Of these 3 are no more.
Quite unlike of the present day classmates, we had kept a reasonable distance from the girls; boys kept a low profile; may be we're a bit shy. The ineraction was limited to mostly monosyllables , a smile or just a nod! even that was rare. So it is least surprising that we didn't have any knowledge of the whereabouts of all these ladies. I had regular contact with only one person- who retired as the dean of Calicut university Students welfare, Prof.Aniyan. Once Aniyan came into contact with Dr. Jose Paul who had retired and settled down in Aluva. And , from then onwards, the flood gates of information about our classmates opened up, the addresses and phone numbers started pouring in.
Dr. Jose Paul is an extraordinary person. A born optimist, the word 'No' has no place in his lexicon. After his graduation he joined Cochin PortTrust, took his doctorate in shipping from Cardiff Un iversity and became the chairman of Goa Port trust and Dy Chairman of Bombay Port. He was ready to go to any extent to gather information about everyone in our class and he did it too. It was an awesome task which he managed admirably well. Not only he phoned up every one, he visited each of us personally accompanied by his wife Rita. He also insisted that having got the phone numbers, we should talkto each of our classmates! It worked wonders because, when we met with some, it was not with any trepidation or apprehension ,but with great longing just as if we're meeting our long lost friend, literally!
The spouses were extremely eager, and in many respects often surpassed our classmates in their excitement, in meeting and talking over phone.
Jose has fixed Sept 27th as D-day of our 1st meeting. We're yet to finalise on the venue though tentatively,we have the historical and the picturesque Bolghaty Palace hotel in our mind. This is an event by itself in the history of Maharaja's college, Ernakulam because this is happening after 50 years!

More about this after our meeting!1
So long
Murali