To Hyderabad and back

My class mate Uma Patnaik (pet named Lambu by friends because of his height), head filled with electronics, covers it with a hat, we met after 43 years at Jaipur in the year 2016, in a get together of our batch mates.

I was asked, when I said I am going for the wedding of my friend’s son, they tried to correct me, you mean grandson’S ? I said no, Son’s. None of us are old enough to have grandchildren of marriageable age. These days children get married on their own terms. Their priorities are different, they would like their career to reach a place, good earnings, own house, car before they take the plunge . Parents keep worrying about the age and are in a hurry to finish off their responsibility. Children put them on the wait mode.

Three months ago, we had a similar case, my friend Mahapatro, after a long wait, finally got a yes from his son, Shashwat. Many of us landed in Bhubaneswar. We are friends for life, we don’t need an invitation, who ever can be there will be there.

Since we had a check in to the hotel around 1 PM, I had decided to go to my relatives house until then. When I called Bijay, who lives in the BHEL colony, he suggested, to go to his house. I get down at kacheguda station, take an electric local train, called NMTS and get down at lingampally. It avoided a long travel by road, the local station being close to his house, it made things easy for him to pick me up. Spending time with him, looking back, was a bonus in this trip. Indira, his spouse, joined us in the afternoon, returned from Sister’s daughters marriage in Puri. Our good side of the trip began from here itself.

We came to Hyderabad, to attend the wedding of Uma Patnaik and Sanju’s son, arranged with excellence, by the super lady, Sanjuktha, his wife.

Nishant and Niharika (the couple) Nishant and mother Sanjuktha,

I am sure Lambu has played a lesser role, since there was not much of electronics in the whole affair

Turbanised ( Shanthi and Arup, Shalika andSuresh , Rajan and Prema, Nina and Nimai)

Rajan, Nimai, Bijoy, Suresh, Arup

Mahapatro, Menon, Bebortha, Roy Mehta, Patnaik, the couple, Sanjuktha, Shanthi, Nina, Indira, Shalika, Prema

Shanthi, Nina, Sanjuktha, Prema, Shalika

He made sure, the lighting and the sound system, worked perfect.
He is brand into himself, an elegant sight to see him move around, tall and erect, in a black suit with a hat on.

Thats UMA with his hat on with Nimai Bebortha

The Mehendi, the sangeeth, the previous day with good food, made a wonderful evening. We met the lovely young couple, the would bes. The next day, it happened, the wedding took place, and 4 of our batchmates, Nimai, Arup, Suresh, Bijay with our spouses were on the Barathi side, turbanated.

The boy was not on a horse for a change, he was seated in a vintage car in the back seat, and UMA, the father, in the front seat, lead by music and dance.

Groom with his sister and Lambu in the front seat

Groom with his sister’s kid

We had a wonderful time.

Before we checked out of the hotel after the event, I had a touching experience.
Mr Kalyanasamy, 84 years of age, came to meet me, with a bouquet.
We were meeting for the first time, the common factor was, both of us worked in MECON.
He was in a senior position, in Ranchi and I, a junior in Bangalore.

He brings out a newsletter for ex-meconians, Vishranth Vani and sometimes I write in them.
He reads my blogs and likes them. We exchange lot of information and we see that our interest are common.
It is the first time in my life somebody took the pains (he calls it pleasure), to meet me, just me, a nobody.
I am placing it at top of the list of my special moments in my life.
Thank you, Sir, emotionally , yours, Rajendra Menon.

With Sri Kalyanaswamy

We moved to Maku’s (Padmadasan), my son-in-laws brother, and were received by Devika, and her mother Geetha and his little son, Raghav.

Just lazed around and talked and watched cricket in the TV. Hyderabad , a major technology centre, famous mosque charminar, historical Golkunda fort and many other sites, though I did not visit any of them, this time.
My impression about Hyderabad changed, I liked the cosmopolitan crowd and everybody I talked to had good things to say about the people and security, except for the 4 months in summer, the heat and then the other 8 months, they have no complaints about the weather.

Prema, Geetha, Devika, Maku, little Raghav, and self

One knowledge got added, when I pressed the tube for the tooth paste on to my brush, that vicco, just do not make paste, it even makes skin cream. Yuk.