I was to stay with an old classmate, Gordon Aldridge, and his wife,Gly, in Brighton-on-Sea. I was met by Gordon at the concourse gate and we took a bus ride to Brighton by way of Gatwick airport. Gly came through as being a very straight-from-the-shoulder type of person and we got on famously from the word ‘go.’ Prior to the day of the reunion in London, I basked in the luxury of relaxing and enjoying the Sussex countryside and marveling at its beautiful Downs. Don Tanner, another mate of ours, joined us for the day on the 7 th . Together we three old school friends drove around some great scenic routes as we caught up with each other’s past histories and present realities. We stopped for a pint of bitter and a pork pie at a quaint wayside pub and got really nostalgic about our association of more than fifty years earlier. This was, in reality, a prelude to the real “thing” that was to follow.

The weather had been very kind and I took the credit for bringing it with me! The morning of the 9 th dawned with clear blue skies and a very bracing air that I was relishing after the oppressive summer heat of Kolkata. Gly accompanied Gordon and I to the OPA Lunch. The three of us took the non-stop express train to London’s Victoria Terminus, and from there, by way of the underground, to Marble Arch, our ultimate destination. The Cumberland Hotel, the venue for our meeting, was just a doorstep away from the underground station exit emerging on Oxford Street.

Inside the hotel foyer one began to notice a proliferation of OP ties and blazers and it hit me then that this was the moment for which I had traveled this far. The special registration desk, manned by two very charming ladies, further confirmed this fact. I was instantly transported back fifty four years to St.Paul’s School, Darjeeling, where I had spent many years with some of the unrecognizable faces I was about to confront. In a daze I completed the formalities and was immediately confronted by many eager OPs wanting to know who I am, or rather, who I was! The name- tags we were all asked to sport were a bit small for those with failing eyesight to read! However, this problem was rapidly overcome as one began to recognize names and faces from the past and old memories came drifting back in a flood of emotions.

My first thoughts on this were about the differences with other OP get-togethers that we are used to attending in our part of the world. Here, I am one of the senior-most OPs around and, therefore, one of the oldest members. On that morning in the Cumberland Hotel it struck me that this was very different. I was one amongst a multitude of my peers, some of whom were several years my senior; some my contemporaries, most were very much my junior. After all, I am the only one from my Class who is in India! I felt good that I was no longer a freak! It was good to be amongst old friends, to relive our past glories, and be reminded of little incidents that remain etched in our memories of SPS and Darjeeling.

At last I met Arshak (Judy) Sarkissian, the man responsible for getting all the people together that morning. We had communicated with each other often on the Internet and we got along famously from the start. Both he and his mate, Dipak Ray, did a great job of organizing the show It was Arshak’s friendly demeanor that set the tone for the reunion. We presented him with a special OPA banner that the London branch can use for all their functions and we contributed House rosettes that were worn on the lapels by all and were much appreciated. A. K. Roy had brought a selection of OPA accessories that were separately displayed and sold during the function. Thanks to the OP of Sikh origin and now resident in the UK, whose name has escaped me for the moment, we were able to sell almost everything on display. Maybe in future we should pay more attention to this possibility.

The morning was spent in sharing a drink with old friends and making new ones. I was personally delighted to come across familiar faces like John and Leon Martin, Norbert Heinly, Ivan Simon, Mack Pachaian, Ernie Hagger, John Jenkins, Brian Morgan, Peter Lawrence, Tony Davies, Ian Innes, Ken Pearce, Keith (Jumbo) Lewis, Don Tanner, Michael and David Medland, Kishore Assomull, Pratul Ray, Nora and Betty Elloy, James Clarke, David and Judy Hunt (Goddard), Pateman (I have forgotten his first name), and many more, who I remembered. Several Staff members from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s were also present but none from our time except Mrs. Elloy. David and Sally Gibbs came from Ireland to be at the reunion and preside over the proceedings. Gordon and I had a great time playing “guess who?” all around. Although the majority of the participants appeared to be of the 40’s and 50’s and 60’s vintage, there were quite a number of younger OP’s who are mostly resident in the UK and other parts of Europe. When A K returns, we should get a clearer picture of who were actually there, from the registration list.

At 12.30 pm sharp (in good Paulite tradition!), David Gibbs said Grace, Fasle Khundkar (1954) toasted the Queen and the President of India and Lunch followed. What a spread of good Indian delicacies there were in the buffet laid out in the center, accompanied by good red and white wines at the tables. The dessert buffet that followed was equally delectable. At the end of that repast signaled by David’s recital of “Bene dicto bene dicato” everyone was in a jovial mood. We all retired to an adjoining hall for the formal part of the reunion which started at 3.00pm.

After a well thought-out welcoming speech by Fasle Khundkar, Arshak Sarkissian announced the structure of the new committee and the names of its members that will run the London branch of the OPA. This was followed by my visual presentation through the latest slides (only a week old) of SPS and Darjeeling as they are today. I did not offer many comments and let the actual pictures do the talking. It was David Hunt’s projector and his deft handling of the machinery that made for a smooth presentation. It was left to the audience to draw their own conclusions but, judging from the reactions that followed afterwards, most of them were horrified by the marked deterioration of both the township and School. Ken Pearce, who had recently visited Darjeeling and the School, then gave an eye witness account of the dismal state of affairs and appealed to those who are contemplating a visit to keep an open mind on what they may find. The formalities were followed by tea at 4.00 pm and the “Sentimental Journey” was brought to a close by the full-throated rendition of the School Song by all the nostalgia bitten OP’s present. A truly memorable day, lit up by the presence of about 150 OPs, some wives and a few guests, drew to an end amid emotional farewells and the promise to meet again in the near future.

For all my friends who were not able to be present at this memorable reunion I can only fill you in on names and a few anecdotes. I cannot even begin to describe the high emotions that flowed throughout the day that, alas, lasted only a few short hours from 11am to 5.30pm.

How would you feel when you are confronted by John Martin, School Captain in 1942, sporting a wide grin and his fading school-cap with the Prefects’ stripes, the Colour’s mitre and the Captain’s tassel? Or when Brian Morgan, my House Captain in 1945 and the 100yards sprinting champion, recognizes me in a flash but I have a problem in matching my memory of him with the rather generously endowed figure I see in front of me? Or when I find myself standing next to a person, bereft of all his hair and sporting a billiard-ball top and a vaguely familiar smile, who I discover to be Keith Lewis, better known to my peers as “Jumbo”? Or when a silver-haired upright man, bespectacled, and looking very dapper in a three-piece grey suit, turns out to be “Mack” Pashaian who now spells his name “Pachaian”? Or when Don Tanner introduces me to his charming wife Jannie and I feel I have known her all along? Or when Mrs. Nora Elloy sees me after forty years and hails me with, “Dilip you rascal, where have you been all these years?” Or when Betty Elloy from her wheelchair reminds me of the time I nearly had a seizure from wheeling her down a steep incline only a fortnight after a surgery for appendicitis!? Or when Prat Ray recognizes me but says that for sake of prudence he will not introduce me to his attractive Scottish wife!? Or when my good friend Leon Martin talks of all his girl friends to whom I used to carry messages back and forth from him? Or when Norbert ”Yank” Heinley invites me to share his room with him at the London Hilton and is visibly disappointed because I have to decline?……… If I could properly describe all the deep emotions that engulfed me at those moments that I was able to share with close friends of yesteryear, only then could I even begin to tell you about the thrills of the journey into the past. As I said, it was really good to have made the trip and worth every penny that was spent on it. Will I get the chance to attend another fantastic happening as this one? I sincerely hope so and I shall implore all you good friends who missed out this time to plan from now to be there at the next one.

MONITI MELIORA SEQUAMUR

DILIP CHATTERJEE - Lw. 47
VICE PRESIDENT - OPA