Time
just runs.The feeling of aging comes when one crosses forty,however some may
not agree.But these things do happen.We tend to grey, some have hair fall
instead. Reflexes slow, eyes need reading glass and so on.Whether we like it or
not these things cannot be stopped.May be 40 plus is a age where people can
feel young as well as old.A sort of buttress.
When
this sort of realisation was going across my mind my friend Siva came up with
the idea of a get together of Petit seminar higher secondary school.I was initially
sceptical after a just finished get-together last year.But when Siva and then
Ashok said yes I had no options in accepting.It all started with this social
media called Whatsap. As a neurologist I intended to use it for neuroimaging but my friends
have conveniently overwhelmed the former.When this cropped up I sent a email to
Ganesh Kumar a successful UK based general practitioner to join WhatsApp. He
was fast enough to send a email after 1 week explaining his aversion to social
media.Suddenly he was enlightened to use it and then he wrote about the
necessity and essentiality of this cyber chat.Most of the times I don't understand
what he talks and I never had the guts to ask him what he really means.He will
stand up for you anytime.I last met Pratap in school. I asked him did we met at
PEC as well.We had a chat for 5 minutes deciphering when we met last time and
ultimately we felt time to taste briyani.I knew him as a smart guy and very
quiet boy.One has a funny feeling to estimate a person based on how he looks.In
our social media he is like a fire.Every comment of others will be dissected by
him.Pratap used to write reviews for movies and to be frank sollai a government
servant working at Pondicherry told me machi I see movies nowadays after
reading his opinion.He transcends across all strata.His timing sense in English
and Tamil both are perfect.
Some
people are quiet and do things quietly and very successfully.Srinivasaragahavan
a senior consultant at Oracle, Sampath, Damodran and Rajaseghar are all busy
people and work at Bangalore,Chennai,and USA.Taking time out,confirming for the
trip and driving down to Puducherry,hats of to them.Prabhakar and Kadiresan
are my school time buddies.I know them
in and out and their acceptance for the event is like my word.Prabhakar is a
senior manager at SBI and Kadiresan is a busy anaesthetist at Cuddalore.Savio
and Alfred are known to me since cluny days.Alfred loves dogs and his heart is
pure white.He is a honest employee at Puducherry.I had a problem with a
technical issue relating to my probation declaration.The file was dusted and
lost in Department of Personal. Savio Razorio was working in that place and I
just called him.He finished the job swiftly and that's the power of friendship.
Siva a
busy ophthalmologist at Saudi, Muthu a entrepreneur and oracle consultant and Sathesh
have several things in common.All 3 are very successful and when u sit and talk
with them we will know how much we don't know.I always learn from these three
guys.
Santhosh,
J. Sathish and Arumugam have one thing in common.Their bellies.Outstanding.Santhosh
is a business man in Russia and J.sathish is a pro in Singapore.Arumugam is a
down to earth person well known at Thirukanur and its suburbs for being a busy
and compassionate General practitioner.
We have
two tremendous tennis players who could have represented Indian Davis cup team
provided they had good grooming skills in tennis at Pondicherry.Vishnu and Siva
are these two gentleman one in construction field and the other one a naturalised US citizen now.Soupramanian who
is in business, Kumaravel the document writer all filled on easily.Kannan is a
busy man.He shuttles not only in India but it is most of the times
intercontinental.You say get together all the work is put on hold and he spends
time at the venue from the beginning till the end.Antony john started the
spirit of Petit last year and Siva continued this year.John is very mature and
to amalgamate people of different walks of life needs patience and
perseverance.Siva and John had both this.The spirit was ignited and now it has
entered the second year.Pattabi,Vinothkumar,and Ganguly joined us at the last
moment. Pattabi from Chennai,Vinoth a government servant and Ganguly works for
the benefit and at times fights for the rights of tribes.
People
from differerent walks of life with different interests,different
states,different countries,different works but the common factor which brought
them all was the spirit of Petit Seminar. Ninth august came in and 8th wasa
sleepless night.Guys started coming to Le Pondi by 11 am itself.Siva was there
along with Balaji to welcome people coming .Rooms were allocated by him in a
very professional manner.Balaji is a senior faculty at a private engineering
college at Pondicherry and he was coordinating with Siva for the entire event.All
were tired and had to take a short nap to get ready for the gala evening and
night.
At
around 5pm guys started assembling at Le Pondys beach and the fun began to
unfold.VNV Sathish a dentist at Delhi had come taken of for this event.A very
nice man with lots of knowledge especially in English.Whenever I want to read a
English novel I used to take his advise.Karunakaran had the stumps inserted and
a seven over match began.One side was lead by Karuna and other by me.Karuna is
a man from France and he is the unifying spirit cutting across all friends.Before
coming to Pondicherry he will call all and after coming he will invite us to
his farm for fun.We used to eat there and play.A person with great energy and a
brilliant allrounder.Napolean a man without any ego accepted to be wicket keeper.Wilson
and Kirubagaran just joined the fun but opted out of cricket.Kiruba has hotels
at Pondicherry.He is a computer science
graduate left a govt job to concentrate on his business.Wilson is a pious man,
a software consultant at Bangalore.He had driven his Verna just to meet us.
The
match started and Karunas team had stalwarts like Ashok,Prabhakar and the
captain himself.Our bowling was pasted all over the park and they had rattled
63 in 7overs .Even if they had said 90 we would have accepted.We tried to chase
that score and we gave a fight and lost only by 20runs.We can never beat the willy
combination of Ashok and Karuna.The flick of Prabha was like Azharuddins master
class.Ashok hit the single stump to run out Mohan.Jonty Rhodes would have been
proud of that.Vishnu and Karuna bowled very well. We had a tea break and then
the glistening pool waited for us.Aravind a senior manager at a software
company had just joined.A softspoken mild mannered gentleman.A ball match was
organised at the pool.I joined Karunas team so that we can win.Ganesh did not
enter the pool.Ganesh is a Prof of Physiology at a medical college in Chennai.He
likes to live a life of king size. A no
nonsense guy with whom I have spent lots of times together.We did splash water on him.Game went
on.It was fiercely fought.No one gave a inch.In the end it was tied.Mohan
played very well at the pool and he works for Puducherry government at the Secretariat.
 |
| The venue |
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| ARAVIND,SRINIVASARAGHAVAN,ANTONY JOHN |
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| SATHESH CALLED BABA |
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| KARUNAKARAN AND ASHOK -DANCING TO WILSON'S SONG - TILAK WATCHING - WHAT ELSE HE CAN DO |
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| Alfred,Tilak raj and Subramanian |
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| Supramanian,Tilak raj,Damodran and Rajasekar |
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| THE PARTY HAS JUST STARTED |
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| Pratap and Ashok - Skit |
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| Myself,Kadiresan and Mohan |
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| Pattabhi with the king Siva - the organiser |
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| Arumugam,Kannan,Prabhakar |
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| Sivakumar and Kumaravel |
Guys got
tired and we trekked of to the rooms to get ready for the dinner.I took a quick
shower and walked back to the private hall were our dinner was supposed to
happen.To our surprise 5 persons had decided to change the dinner into a
musical night and a night which no one should forget.Ganesh, Ashok, Karuna and
Pratap had changed the entire script of the evening into theirs. Pratap had
written beautiful punch dialogues and there was a brilliant acting by Ashok
mimicking Nayagan.Ganesh was shades of Aravindasamy and Karuna was for a change
doing supporting role. Pratap had done the entire script writing and the show
was applauded by all of us.Vodkas, Whiskey and Beer was entering and chillling
the tummies of all of us and we all became seventeen.Dance followed.People who
knew nothing danced.I never knew Kadiresan and Arumugam could dance. Guys never
became tired. All of a sudden it became ten pm and dinner buffet was spread
out.Ashok, Ganesh and Baba danced till their feet started aching.We were not
eating.It was like eating somasas at our school canteen.Ice creams were like
nanari sarbath and juices were like paneer soda which we used to drink near our
school.We have children now and I think Sivas son is going to college now.Some
of us became tired.Had a lenghthy discussion with Pattabi about Siva and kadiresan
reminded me machi mental agadha.There was another group with Kanan eating slowly and discussing things of
interest for them.At around 1230am I decided to sleep and said good night for
another ecstatic group which had reached god by now.Ashok, Abou Karuna, Ganesh
and Baba knew nothing. They were dancing through the night and in the morning I
heard they were dancing till 3am.Thats the energy of petit 89.I dozed of at the
cozy room number 124 with Arumugam.By 6am I woke up and started walking towards
the pool and everyone was asleep.Arumugam and myself had sipped a tea and then
walked to Ashoks room and we chatted for sometime.Breakfast was ready and some
just started to check out.Napolean left early and some guys left the day before
itself.Breakfast was delicious but the feeling of leaving left a pinch in the
heart.Damo, Rajasekar and myself started of after giving hugs to all our
childhood friends.
When I exited Le Pondi the thoughts of my school
days friends also came with me.I had difficulties in controlling emotions but
had to leave.The grind of Monday and the materialistic world was waiting for
me.Meikandar my spiritual guru talks about entire universe in 12 verses.He is
my guru.He does not talk about friendship even if that is included in pasam.May
be he also did not understand about friendship.There are lots of stuffs, songs
written about friends and friendship.All that is incomplete.I understood that
when I reached home and asked my mother,"send me to school again"
