Another Reunion

Not long after the last reunion, we were planning a get together, for yet another dear friend, who announced her visit, with great excitement. Her short stay, though packed with urgent things to do, accommodated a lunch with her old school mates. And we were pleasantly surprised when one more friend, from overseas, joined us.

Those who left the city when young, to seek their fortune, often return eagerly, with a longing to relive the past. Hoping to revisit old memories, they expressed a desire to dine, at the much acclaimed Koshy’s restaurant, and all of us concurred .The iconic Parade cafe, known for it’s famous brunch, appams and stew, still has people waiting for a table on Sundays, several decades later.

Reaching the restaurant brought to mind, an age gone by. The early days, when young women in gowns, with parasols, women in Kanjeevaram sarees, decked in gold, men in their Sunday suit, a hat and a pocket watch, strolling down those quaint old streets, for a scrumptious meal at Koshy’s, after the Sunday mass.

More recently, the times when we were young, a Sunday brunch at Koshy’s, a treat only to celebrate special occasions and festivals. Followed by ice cream, kwality’s or Lakeview, depending on the significance of the celebration. After which came the much awaited trip to cubbon park, the train ride. Oh those days, were not so long ago, only half a century ago !

Today we seated ourselves, expecting to be taken back in time, to enjoy those moments we left behind. After relishing a delectable meal, we walked down Church street, trying to retrace our steps, trying to find the footprints of our youth, on the street that once belonged to us.

A moment, when time stood still, when we were in our teens once again. The familiar shops selling their wares, the knick knacks and the bric-à-brac. The smiling faces we once recognised, the exhilarating freedom, of being masters of our fate. A time when each moment was fun, with precious little to do, but enjoy, a time when the world was still ours to conquer.

Walking now on the sidewalk, to a rhythm long forgotten, we felt momentarily displaced, from another age. The faces that swarmed, no longer friendly, the shops we once frequented, nonexistent, the small cafés and eateries we patronised, vanished. The once lazy, quiet streets were gone, replaced by the grating noise of traffic, why even crossing the road, was a great challenge.

Time, an ever flowing stream, brings constant, inevitable change. We occasionally step out of the flow, hoping to recapture, memorable moments of the past. Often disappointed, at times even despairing,, we find not that which can never be again . But it was just a brief misstep, a passing one. Soon we were back in the flow. Sipping coffee at the new and fashionable RCB cafe, laughing and talking, enjoying ourselves, we were once again, stars of our time. We maybe sixty plus, but definitely adaptable.