“Memories of the Greatest Reunion” by Ariya de Silva

The profession with a prefix ‘Noble’, even the royalty would lower their sway  

Fifty long years of hard slog, amidst rain, hot sun, freezing snow or cold spray

  A super batch of medicos toiled sake of humanity, here at home & a few far away

Returned with friends to relive their impressive past, in a truly memorable way

The milieu is pretty, gorged with heavenly scent, delighting the Resort, ‘Eden Spa’ 

 Southerly winds rocked in harmony flowers & buds, dancing on tree tops near & far  

Mixing soft pollens with the nippy morning dew and produced a heavenly aroma

 To salute the deeds of prodigious sons and daughters of beloved mother Sri Lanka 

  Butterflies & bees forgot for once, to visit the nectary to fill their bags of honey,

  Instead flocked to the resort to please us, and danced waggling their empty tummy

  Babies on mothers’ laps, seeing our fun & frolic, smiled, giggled and blethered friskily

   Ignoring copious pouring milk from ‘melons’, in mums’, covered in bras cagily 

Dwellers in tiny tree hutches, eagerly came out in hot Sun, sat to stare   Patiently on the watched, with their large eye balls, focus on the grand affair

Birds busted out of nests, danced to their songs, exhibiting amorous ‘love play’ 

 Splashing flower petals and pollens, ignored their usual morning bites & prey 

Fish big and small busy in the sea, in rivers, rivulets and brooks near and far

Formed gentle ripples lovingly, sniffing, cajoling and enticing, for one look extra

Beat of their fins, sprayed drops & split the colours of Sun rays to form a rainbow 

Thus did their very best to delight us & and converted our hearts, to a fervent altar

     Water falls from hill tops rushed nonstop, jumping through stones and rocks, 

   Slowed down in the meadow at the resort, to share our fun, with thievery peeps & checks

     The monarch of planets, sent energy beams in form of brightest pure white rays   

  To rejuvenate us, as well to peep at our beautiful damsels romping on pastures and pools!

The Event Report Oct 24th to 26th – 2014

      By far the best batch of medicos entered the medical school, Colombo Held their reunion golden, ceremoniously in Beruwala, at the ‘Resort Eden’ 

For this gathering of famous, distinctive medical men and women, Some with their better halves, gleefully joined, 1964 batch mates, eighty seven!

 

Returning to our own ‘Bethlehem’ of the medical world, was amazing and wonderful

As I opened the door to enter, saw the bunch of wriggling mates with gleeful smiles

Being unable to pick which one to meet first and to let go my pent up feelings and give hugs

I got the same feeling of that of a mosquito entering a nudist camp with plush red hot boobs!

Flashed back fond memories as we sat on respective seats of the lecture hall physiology

Remembered like yesterday, Professor Koch, saying that we were the ‘cream of the society’

For making this gathering of my beloved mates in such a fantastic ambience

Please accept my heartfelt gratitude and thanks to the RU organizing committee

It was truly a magnificent titanic affair, pretty colossal

Like of which so far unheard of, and surely there was none parallel

Everyone was eager to meet their mates, after so many decades

Initial task however, was to get the name correctly of the bubbling buddies  

Anoja started the forum giving the agenda and the house keeping points Aley got us in stitches reminding how he became brave to speak in English

The beaver of the batch Lakshman, underlined the programme’s, dos and do-nots,

Narme and CJ too gave glimpses indicating how our three days would progress

 Walking through our library was poignant as I passed the seat I used to sit

Reminded my days as I saw some poor students fallen asleep on the book

I had a smile as fifty years ago I never thought I would make it

When we think back it wasn’t as bleak as we as students thought and felt!  

It was yet another great idea, RU organising committee had planned

To offer to the library copies of Text Books, written by our own mates

In addition, the offer of twenty or so scholarships to the needy students

Was truly a magnanimous gesture our most generous batch mates made 

Current staff were admirably gracious and were very cooperative

Continuing the glorious trend of our professors and Academics

Anoja and many others must have had a very positive influence

We were even treated for tasty cinnamon buns and Milo milk refreshments!

Thirty odd Kilo meters, our journey from Colombo to Beruwala Hotel

I am not alone to say this, became the most entertaining track to trail

Knowing the lyrics and history of film songs, ‘Kadavunu poronduwa’ to date,

Playing his guitar like a professional, Esiri sang in his most melodious voice

While Deepthi, Mahendra, Swana, Shakut and others joining the chorus

 What a pleasant surprise the welcome at the hotel was

Traditional drummers and Kandyan dancing men and girls

Escorted us to the hotel on a carefully laid red carpet

Glamorous welcome I have ever experienced, the most

In all my seventy years of life and truly very elated, I felt!  

Almost all of us were around or soon becoming septuagenarians

The failing memory was the killjoy, unlike the youthful former days

Some alas showed the savagery of time slightly more than the others

Yet with a hint secretly whispered, recognised correctly all our mates

Learnt how to boost the morale with a white lie, everyone abode

‘Oh you’ve not changed a bit, please tell me, how you did’

The sweetest thing we yarned to hear, came out from every buddy  

Diplomacy was rampant as all tried to make each other very happy

 A bouquet of flowers to those who toiled to make the occasion possible

Professor Anoja of Pharmo and ethical fame was the skipper astute

Lakshman and Aley handled finances, bookings and things many more

CJ did a stupendous job, spreading across the globe, the ‘RU gospel’

Narme, editor in chief, did rationalize contents of the souvenir very well

There were aspects which made our souvenir great, grand and unique

Firstly the acumen of the editorial team, Anoja. Lakshman and Narme

New ideas from so many, like the ‘then and now’ photos and the ‘mini bios’

For which Dharma and Wimal did a painstakingly difficult job collecting details

Poetry corner, memories and appreciations of our teachers and mentors

Photos, and jokes especially from Titus, elucidating the richness of our past years

 One other striking thing striking about our ‘souvenir golden’

Was the absence of commercial ads and no outside interventions

We are proud and grateful to have two willing, affable mates

Wije and Seelan who bore entirely the batch souvenir expenses

 

Dharma, Wimal and Selvaranee sorted out affairs in the U.S.

                                          CJ, Praxy and yours truly, managed to energise the Britishers

Mahilal, Mahendra, Nimal and Seelan removed cobwebs from the Aussies

Ana, Indira and MLD in Canada, Ruthraj in NZ inspired respective mates

Of all the mates who made our reunion a spectacular event

Core contribution of a few stand well above the wall parapet

From the first day to the last, every single aspect of this mammoth event

Laky, Shanti, Narme, Anoja, and Aley our heroes, on that there’s no contest  

Let me thank on behalf of the batch to all their spouses

They worked hard and were the catalysts for the RU success

Those who came to the party decorated the gathering with their graces

Special mention is made for those spouses of batch mates

Who were intensely involved in organising and setting this party colossus?

  Faizal Zavir mesmerized enire Beruwala with his divine music

Gaspar sponsored the Friday evening karaoke performances

Esiri Karu sang yesteryear Sinhala euphony, tingling auditory senses

Deepthi delighted thewhole place with her flute and Baila dances

Must mention here a line about our batch ‘cake queen’

Selvarani,  produces a delightful cake in our every reunion

 Praxy’s contribution to the RU also need a special mention

She was a useful busy body, a facilitator to keep things moving

Her after dinner speech following the Gala ceremony was a good ‘thanksgiving’

More importantly supervised arrival of foreign liquor under the guidance of Seelan

 Hotel accommodations, refreshments and the food were class first

Smiling faces of all the staff and the atmosphere was excellent

The milieu of the venue was excellent rates were so low it was a steal

Must thank the committee and our Sam, for finding a jewel of a Hotel

 It was humbling and a fantastic experence on Saturday to share a meal with us

Great Prof. Priyani De Soysa our beloved teacher at an age eighty nine plus

With Dr Ana Soysa former ENT surgeon, the arrangement to be amongst us

Yet another grand mile stone and showed our committee’s Sterling Class

   It was not just song and dance and food for the tummy they did arrange

To rid the cob-webs from our brains scientific meeting Prof Anoja was in charge

Chosen were five top class respected medical giants in their respective fields

And a joker also was given a chance to put the gathered crowd in ‘nine stitches’

 

Most memorable, hilarious and enjoyable part of our Golden reunion

No doubt was the hurriedly arranged drama show ‘the block concert’

Each country was given to produce a drama or two in this event

The USA team won everyone’s heart on that there was no conflict.

 

 Anslem compered the concert with his usual command and the professional touch

Some characters were so good there performances could match any professional act

Dharma’s performance of a pregnant lady going through a twin confinement

Obstetrician, Banda used scientific jargon to translated all filth uttered by the patient 

  Also cannot get over how ‘pretty nurse’ Perumal, for contraceptive used a Panadol tablet 

  Gaspar, Chandra, Narme, Aley, Mahilal, Eddie, Soma, Banda, Piching, and Willy,

Damayanthi, Deepthi, Rose, Anoja, Indrajee, and many others agile, like Donney

Danced to the sixties music through the night and created an ambience heavenly

Those of us with croaky voices and creaky joints, just watched, yet felt very jolly

Taking the group photo alas, had a set back with stops and starts

Rain gods were unkind to us but none of us were deterred 

First with spouses then on our own, dodging the falling rain drops

Somehow we did stand together shoulder to shoulder all in one shot

 

  As they say ‘All good things must come to an end’

After three wonderful days we had to say ‘Good buy’

Just like the scenes of hugs and tears when siblings do apart

Each one with tear filled eyes was sad to let go mates and part

 

 Having returned to the four corners of the globe, quite depressed and sad

We desperately try to hold on to incidences and faces; the dream experienced

I for one feel like a baby whose favourite toy has been rudely snatched

Without doubt everyone wants soon the RU64 committee, a repeat enacted

Finally please forgive me if I have omitted to mention important events

My memory is not as good as my student days is now rapidly wining

Contents here are obviously very remote from the wonderful happening

If there are omissions consider me not as a batch mate rather as a sibling

 Ariya