Thursday, December 9, 2010

Some things change, Most things don't

Last weekend, I was at our fifteen year alumni reunion. While I do stay in touch with some of my friends, there were many I had absolutely no contact with or at best, just on and off conversations. So, I enthusiastically signed up for the event as it was a great opportunity to reconnect. As the reunion date got closer, I began to have second thoughts about the whole event. Everyone was going to be much older, more mature and maybe too tame....that was a possibility. There was this lingering thought in my mind that it might turn into a boring gathering of middle aged folks, that it would become a forced meeting of folks who had become strangers to one other. People change, circumstances change, life changes. Things change...period.

And then, with that little iota of doubt, we all landed up at the reunion. Everyone did the formal hellos. Must admit that some hellos were not the result of instant recognition. People change and memories fade. We saw grey hair, receding hairlines, protruding bellies, widening girth.... Yes, people change and the external signs showed that most of us had. But then, it took just those few initial seconds, before things began to warm up again. We started recounting the old days and things were fast going into Action Replay mode.

The two days that followed after was an absolute blast from the past. Everyone slipped back into their "old form". The armchair philosophers still had their philosophy to show. The Sufi saints still had their cosmic theories to share. The Jim Morrisons had their music and mojo to flaunt. The conversation took a turn towards absolutely nothing of any significant relevance. The laughter grew louder. The magic reappeared. People change but not that much. Deep down, at the core of it all, the real person still resides. The real person does not disappear. At best it is latent, but in the company of old friends, it resurfaces. And resurface it did with a vengeance and all the taming that life had managed in the last fifteen odd years were lost. As the party went on, it grew wilder. Everyone was fifteen years younger now and probably, the only reminder of age for some folks were the creaking bones. It was just like we started right where we had left off fifteen years ago !!!

Well, really, not much changes. There were a few enthusiastic folks who made the reunion happen. Actually, when I think about it, it is the same enthusiastic bunch that made things happen back then too. And, one person in particular, Mr T pulled the logistics and all of it together. Our entire group can't thank him enough for that...he believed in the fact that this reunion was a great idea...had no doubts and made it happen. From skeptics like me, thank you for making it happen. I came back thinking.......Some things change, Most things don't. And, hey, that is a great feeling that will keep us going till our next reunion.

Enjoy the new high. Hapak, Hapak

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