Nostalgia drives us!
♫ अलबेले दिन प्यारे, मेरे बिछड़े साथ सहारे, हाय कहाँ गये…
आँखों के उजियारे, मेरी सुनी रात के तारे, हाय कहाँ गये…
कोई लौटा दे मेरे बीते हुए दिन, बीते हुए दिन वो हाय, प्यारे पल छिन... कोई लौटा दे मेरे बीते हुए दिन... ♪
Over
the past few years, there has been lot of brouhaha over the much anticipated Achche Din... some good days, promised
by politicians. While most are bickering over the belied expectations there are
more of us recreating the Achche din
on our own.
Nostalgia
plays an important part in our lives. We just love to relive our past. What
else explains the numerous Alumni meets happening across our lives, throughout
the year?
There
was a time when the word ‘Alumni’ denoted the group of classmates from one’s alma
mater - mostly from school and college, now all that has changed.
Groups,
start with WhatsApp, the social media cross-platform messaging application,
which has virtually revolutionized communication. We have groups for friends
from school, college, sports team, literary club, socializing club, the café club,
kitty party club, colleagues at current work
place, former colleagues and of course multiple permutations for family and
extended families, just to name a few.
These
then get extended to catching up on memories from the past. I have been part of
an Alumni meet of school mates, most of us meeting after 30 years. We had a
wonderful time regaling memories of the innocent age, of naughty pranks and
errant homework to strict teachers and playful memories. That was such a enriching
experience that we thought we should meet more often. Though it never happened
at the frequency we expected it to, but we were all connected through the daily
whatsapp messages, sharing jokes, news, happenings and lots of friendly banter.
Well,
that’s not all, I was soon participating in my literary club’s Alumni meet, a
first of its kind in 49 years of the club’s existence. A meet-up, where members
from different eras, met and exchanged memories of a different kind of achche din, had dinner and dispersed. No,
we didn’t end with that – we revived the club, brought in new blood, created
more groups and more meet-ups started happening. Did someone say - Jaane kahan gaye woh din, well… not
really, there is always a repeat. The Golden Jubilee is round the corner.
Among the other active groups that I am part of is the
club cricket team. I played with them for over a decade - some exciting cricket. There were loads of fun - lots of wins and losses. Most importantly - tons of memories. The not-so-ageing cricketers meet often too. Some of the best memories of growing up years however were the time spent with local friends at the dingy Irani café in the colony. We now have a ‘Good Luck Café’ whatsapp group, named after the erstwhile joint. Yes, we too meet often, an alumnus of sorts. We discuss everything on earth from sports to politics to movies and careers, over numerous chai and unending 'whiff of fresh air'.
Not to forget the exclusive and elite groups of ex colleagues - some funny, some intellectual, some boring - but mostly bitchy!
While the
number of whatsapp groups run into dozens for some, for some it’s just a
handful – but we all believe in the adage – No man is an island. We thrive in
groups and the social activities are part of our everyday life, may be the
degree of involvement varies.
I started this nostalgic journey with... ♫ Koyi
lautaa de mere, beete huye din,beete huye
din wo mere pyaare pal chhin... ♪ ~ heart
touching lyrics by Shailendra for the 1964 Hindi film 'Door Gagan Ki Chhaon
Mein', made immortal by Kishore Kumar's mellifluous voice. Re-lived through the
unending greets, meets, get-togethers, parties, picnics and more!
So
what are you waiting for – Achche Din? Go create one yourself - go nostalgic - walk down the
memory lane! Who knows, you might even end up meeting your first crush! On that note I sign off with the lines… ♪ कहीं करती होगी, वो मेरा इंतज़ार... जिसकी तमन्ना में, फिरता हूँ बेक़रार…! ♫
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Pics courtesy: Internet
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