By Col Nirmal Mahajan (Retd)
Dehradun, 12 Nov: There is nothing better in the world than to have a reunion of old friends. It always brings tears of joy, nostalgia – going down memory lane. Veterans of the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), who had passed out as part of the 27 NDA (National Defence Academy) Course are having a gala periodic get together in Dehradun from 15 to 18 November.
Most of these officers are around 75 years old, having retired more than 15-20 years ago. Since then, these officers have been meeting, accompanied by their wives, every year. The last few meets were held in Amritsar, Jaipur and Baroda. This time, the four-day itinerary includes sight-seeing, meeting old friends and having long, never-ending Gupp-Shupp sessions, compulsory singing of ever popular number, the course song, ‘Gorrey Gorrey Bankey Chhorey’, and reciting celebrated actor, the late Rajkumar’s dialogues of the movie Waqt (Chinoy Seth, Jinkay Ghar…). Promila Mahajan and Satti Chahal will entertain the group with foot-tapping melodious songs of the sixties and seventies. The group will also go to the Buddha Temple in Clement Town, stroll in Mussoorie, as well as take part in Ganga Aarti at the Parmarth Ashram on the Banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh.
During their stay, they will visit the 614 EME Battalion and meet young EME serving officers led by CO Colonel Pathania and their lady wives. They are also being felicitated by Chairman of the Aryan School and Wheezal Labs, Simi Gupta, on 16 November. Captain Saurabh and his wife, Nidhi, have also invited the whole group on 16 November.
Generals Manmohan Baidwan, Satti Chahal, Brigadiers Paramjit, Adlakha, and Colonels Surender Sharma, Sudhir Gupta, Nirmal Mahajan form part of this reunion group. Aruna Logani, Sukhi Chahal, Amita Alakkha, Sunanda Sharma, Balbir and Promila Mahajan are the ladies comprising the group. Sukhi Chahal and Amita Alakkha are official photographers of the veterans’ group. Missed will be Generals Vinay Malhotra, Chander Logani, Colonels Suren Sial, Beekay Singh and Capt Vinod Batra, who all are in their heavenly abode.
The group will depart on 18 November with the intent to meet again within a year at some other exotic place like Dehradun.
