___________
___________
THE LAWRENCE SCHOOL – LOVEDALE
CLASS OF 1971 – GOLDEN JUBILEE REUNION
(7th January 2023 to 12th January 2023)
Memories of the Reunion by Vikram Karve
____________
PROGRAMME FOR THE REUNION (07 to 12 January 2023)
_________
Saturday 07 January 2023
_________
Check-in to Gem Park Ooty from 12:00 Noon onwards (for those arriving via Bangalore)
Minibus departing Coimbatore Airport to Ooty at 12:00 Noon (for those arriving via Coimbatore)
Tea Halt at Wellington Gymkhana.
Check-in to Gem Park on Arrival at Ooty.
Cocktails and Dinner 7 PM at The Ootacamund Club (Ooty Club) (Dress Code – Lounge Suit or Jacket and Tie)
_________
Sunday 08 January 2023
_________
Drive from Gem Park Ooty to Lawrence School Lovedale after Breakfast to arrive in school at 10:30 AM.
Tea at Junior School with the HM (Head-Master)
Trek to Smith’s Cave and Waterfall.
On return from Trek – Lunch in Junior School.
Walk around school campus.
(There is a movie crew on campus this day – hence – certain restrictions)
Group Photo of “Class of 1971” in front of the iconic Clock Tower and Senior School Main Building.
Return to Gem Park.
6 PM : Visit Classmate’s Home in Coonoor for High Tea and see a magnificent Heritage Bungalow.
7 PM : Cocktails and Badaga Themed Dinner at the Coonoor Club.
_________
Monday 09 January 2023
_________
Drive to Pykara Lake after breakfast for a Picnic.
Boating, Picnic and Lunch at Pykara Lake.
Shopping in Ooty (optional)
7 PM : Dinner and Dance at The Culinarium Ketti.
_________
Tuesday 10 January 2023
_________
Check out of Gem Park Ooty and depart at 08:30 AM by Minibus to Kerala.
Brief Halt at Wellington to see Staff College Museum.
Lunch Halt at Annapoorna Coimbatore.
Tea and Refreshment Halts near Thrissur and Ernakulam.
Arrive at Resort Abad Whispering Palms Kumarakom by evening.
Check-in and Dinner at Resort in Kumarakom Kerala.
__________
Wednesday 11 January 2023
__________
After a typical Kerala Breakfast – drive to the local markets and shops – enroute to the Houseboat Landing.
Spend the entire day on the Houseboat cruising in Vembanad Lake and Backwaters.
Food and Fresh Toddy on the Houseboat.
Fresh Prawns, Seafood (especially Karimeen) Snacks and Sumptuous Kerala Style Lunch.
On Return to Resort – Tea and a Swim – and Massage if desired.
7 PM : Farewell Dinner Whispering Palms
________
Thursday 12 January 2023
________
Check-out after Breakfast.
Say “Good Bye” to those leaving early.
Leave by Minibus for Tour of Cochin (including Fort Cochin, Old Town, Dutch Palace etc.) and Ernakulam Town.
Evening Snacks.
Late Evening : Drop at Cochin International Airport for Return Flight.
__________
VIGNETTES OF THE REUNION
__________
___________
PROLOGUE
__________
Before I tell you about our wonderful reunion – let me make a confession.
Apropos of the Class of 1971 reunion – my role was akin to that of “Yossarian” of Catch-22 – and – while participating in various events of the reunion – I probably had the same feelings as Yossarian may have experienced when he visited the officers’ club that he did not help build.
I am sure you have read Catch-22.
All Officers posted in Pianosa decide to build a club on their own and they put in a tremendous amount of effort to build a good Officers’ Club in Pianosa.
However – the sole exception is Yossarian – who is proud of his ability to avoid work – he contributes nothing to help build the club – he does not go for even a single day to work on building the officers’ club.
But once the Officers’ Club is ready – Yossarian visits the club almost every day – and he makes maximum use of the facilities – which he had not helped build.
Let me quote a paragraph from Catch-22 which encapsulates this sentiment (emphasis mine):
“Actually there were many officers’ clubs that Yossarian had not helped build – but he was proudest of the one on Pianosa.
It was a sturdy and complex monument to his powers of determination.
Yossarian never went there to help until it was finished – then he went there often – so pleased was he with the large, fine, rambling shingled building.
It was a truly splendid building – and – Yossarian throbbed with a mighty sense of accomplishment each time he gazed at it – and reflected that – none of the work that had gone into it was his…”
___________
For me – it was a similar equation as far as the reunion was concerned.
Ranjit – from “Down Under” – was the “prime mover” of the reunion – coordinating everything with his indefatigable initiative – and motivating classmates to attend the reunion.
Madan – unassuming and assiduous – organized the Kerala leg, our transportation – and so much more – especially the “beverages”.
Some of our classmates hosted wonderful evenings of stimulating cocktails and sumptuous dinners at Ooty Club, Coonoor Club and The Culinarium – and – thanks to the redoubtable “Team Bunty” – we enjoyed an unforgettable day of boating and picnicking at Pykara Lake.
Everyone contributed – I must have been the sole exception.
Effort-wise – I contributed nothing – but – as far as enjoyment was concerned – I was at the forefront – thoroughly enjoying myself to the hilt – eating, drinking, merrymaking and participating in every event with joy, fervor and full gusto.
In hindsight – I feel that the least I can do – as my miniscule contribution – is to write about the reunion on my blog – as a memoir and record for posterity.
________
In the next part – I will write about our visit to the school on the 8th of January 2023.
And then – I shall try and tell you about all the events.
Meanwhile – here is a group photo of the “Classy Class of 1971”
________
________
Sunday – the 8th of January 2023
“CLASSY” CLASS OF 1971 VISITS LAWRENCE SCHOOL LOVEDALE
______
“Team Ranjit” – who had meticulously planned the itinerary and events of the reunion – he had sent us the program for the entire reunion by email well in advance.
_________
The program for January 8, 2023 read:
_________
Drive from our Hotel in Ooty to Lovedale after Breakfast to arrive in School at 10:30 AM – Tea at Junior School with the Head-Master – Trek to Smith’s Cave – Spend time in School – Lunch in Junior School (There is a Movie Crew in the Campus on this day – hence certain restrictions)
_________
The last bit was dampener to our eagerness to visit all parts of the school – especially the senior school – large hall – where we had our daily assembly and events – our classrooms and labs – the magnificent dining hall – the dormitories of Aravali, Nilgiri, Sumeru and Vindhya Houses – where we lived – and the beautiful heritage environs of the iconic heritage senior school building – which you can see in the picture above.
Luckily – my wife and I – we had seen all these parts of the school when we had visited the school around 25 years earlier in the 1990’s – and when I had visited the school a few years earlier during a work tour to the Nilgiris.
It was a lovely bright Sunday Morning – and – we – the “Classy” Class of 1971 dressed up in our classy “Class of 1971” T-Shirts.
__________
___________
These lovely “Class of 1971” T-Shirts were designed by “Team Ranjit” – who had got our sizes in advance by email and taken initiative to get these lovely T-Shirts made and personally handed them to us on the previous evening in Ootacamund Club.
___________
Here is picture of us at our hotel in “Class of 1971” T-Shirts before we started for Lovedale.
__________
After a group photo at our hotel in Ooty – we drove down the picturesque road to Lovedale – past the quaint Lovedale Railway Station (on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway) – crossing the railway line – up the road to the main gate of Lawrence School, Lovedale.
The Head-Master (HM) and his Team were there to receive us. We were delighted to see some young students (boys and girls of 11th Class) who were going to be with us. They informed us that classes for 11th and 12th had commenced after the winter break and the rest of the school would reopen later after the winter holidays.
__________
Here is a picture of the Main Gate of Lawrence School.
__________
We walked down from the Main Gate to the Junior School – there were electric carts for those who didn’t prefer to walk the longish distance – but – everyone preferred to walk – as the surroundings evoked a sense of nostalgia and the weather was beautiful.
__________
On our way – we noticed that the Tuck Shop and Lower Flat were the same as in 1971 (almost 52 years ago)
_________
And – as we walked ahead – we were surprised to see the new Junior School.
_________
The Junior School we had lived in – it no longer existed – and – in its place was a set of modern aesthetically designed buildings (the new Junior School)
___________
As I stood on the lawns – where “Kailas House” once existed – I remembered the day in January 1966 – when as a 9-year-old boy – I stood at this very spot – waving goodbye to my parents – who had driven away in a taxi – leaving me in boarding school – where I would study for the next 6 years till December 1971 – when I would pass out after completing ISC (Senior Cambridge) – as those days – the academic session for us was from January to December.
_________
Here are some pictures of the new junior school and the old junior school in which we studied around 57 years ago.
________
Here are our pictures of Kailas House Junior School (circa 1966)
An improved version of the above picture
_________
The Head-Master (HM) had graciously joined us for cup of Tea and Cake along with a few girl and boy students.
_________
__________
After tea – the Head-Master (HM) took us to see his magnificent house – it is still the same marvelous heritage building – so aesthetically designed and beautifully maintained.
__________
__________
Now – it was time for the “Trek” to Smith’s Cave.
Well – the trek turned out to be the most challenging and strenuous outdoor activity most of us had ventured in recent years (we were all on the wrong side of 60 – approaching 70)
The HM and some students (boys and girls of Class 11) – they accompanied us “Old Lawrencians” (Class of 1971) – for the trek to Smith’s Cave.
We walked from Junior School past the Stables to the Cemetery.
___________
___________
Then – we turned right – on the path – our junior school cross-country route – that skirted the hill – and – ended on the green “downs” – where the cross-country ended – after the water jumps – the low-water jumps and the high-water jump.
(The senior school cross-country route was much longer – starting below hospital flat near Lovedale Railway Station – and then – we had to run around the entire 700-acre campus of the school – past Lovedale Lake – and – after some distance – joining the junior school cross-country route – at the end of the path on which we were walking – and then – run towards the green “downs” and the water-jumps where the cross-country ended)
As we walked on a slight downhill slope – the path became narrower – and – the earth below was damp and slushy – and the forest vegetation became denser and denser. It seemed it had rained a few days earlier and due to the dense forest cover – there was hardly any sunlight reaching the ground.
As the going got tougher and tougher – Shomir – who was leading the way – told me that he had taken me for a hike to Smith’s Cave for the first time in 1966 (52 years ago)
To be honest – I didn’t recall the hike – and I said so.
Shomir said that those days – the forest wasn’t so dense.
Over the years – due the efforts of the school forestation drive – the fauna and flora had proliferated – yes – not only was it a dense “jungle” – but – there was plenty of wild life too – yes – even the population of wild animals had increased.
In our time – we students used to freely trek in the forests of Lovedale – and even “raid” the orchards nearby – but now – such adventurous escapades were forbidden for students – especially due the presence of wild animals – and also due to increased safety awareness.
So – none of the students present with us had visited Smith’s Cave – and they were quite excited to come with us on the Trek.
The wild forest was quite dense – in fact – so much so – that we couldn’t even properly discern the narrow trail through the dense forest to Smith’s Cave – a diversion to the right from the path on which we were walking.
__________
__________
__________
Luckily – the HM had positioned a guide at the beginning of the steep trail which was quite treacherous due the dense vegetation and soggy ground – which made it quite slippery – and we had to break branches of trees and shrubs and use them as makeshift sticks to steady ourselves in case we slipped.
We moved down slowly and carefully – in single file – and despite all the care – we did lose balance and slip once in a while – but luckily – there was nothing serious.
The girl students helped the ladies negotiate the way on the steep downward slope of the rather dicey trail to Smith’s Cave.
The trek seemed never-ending – and – as we climbed down – one thought entered our minds – that we would have to climb up all the way to reach back.
After some time – we heard the sound of gushing water – a fast flowing stream – maybe a waterfall – and we anticipated that our destination – Smith’s Cave and Waterfall – was nearby.
But – it seemed an illusion – and – we had to hike quite a distance – cross a marshy and slippery stream – and then – we reached our destination – Smith’s Cave and Waterfall.
A classmate claimed that there was a cave ahead too – and – in a sudden rush of “josh” (spirit of adventure) – he tried to cross the stream below the waterfall by jumping on stones – but he slipped – he fell into the stream- and – he had to be fished out. Luckily – he wasn’t hurt much – and – it was decided that it was prudent not to take such foolhardy risks in view of our age (we were all in our late 60’s nearing 70)
Here are some pictures of Smith’s Cave and Waterfall.
__________
__________
__________
Smith’s Cave and Waterfall was indeed a beautiful place and the arduous trek was worth it.
If the way down the slippery slope was dicey – the way back – up the steep gradient was a test of our heart and lung capacity. From time to time – we were breathless – and had to rest to recoup.
It was a big relief for all of us when we reached the starting point of the trek – the cemetery – where we took some pictures.
__________
__________
__________
We then returned to junior school for a rather “frugal” yet tasty school menu lunch.
_________
_________
After lunch we walked up to senior school for our group photo in front of the iconic clock tower.
Till now – it had been bright and sunny – but suddenly – the weather turned cold and it became misty.
As we walked from Junior School – up the steps – to Senior School – passing familiar landmarks in the iconic heritage buildings where we had spent our formative years – words cannot describe the emotions we felt as we were overcome by nostalgia.
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
(you can see Middle Flat below and Top Flat in the distance)
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
After the group photo and a stroll on the lawns – it was time to walk back to the main gate and catch our bus back to our hotel in Ooty – of course – after buying souvenirs at the Old Lawrencian Souvenir Shop near the main gate.
__________
__________
As I had mentioned in the beginning – there was a film shoot in senior school in the morning – so – we couldn’t visit our classrooms, dormitories, dining hall, large hall, “big bog” etc. – which we would have loved to do so. Also – though we did talk informally with a few students during the trek to Smith’s Cave – we would have loved to interact with the staff and students and share our experiences. Notwithstanding this minor nostalgic yearning – I must say that it was a most memorable, heartwarming and enjoyable visit to our alma mater – by the Class of 1971 – around 52 years after we passed out of its portals. We are indeed grateful to the Head-Master, Staff and Students for their warm hospitality which made our visit such a delightful and remarkable experience.
________
________
Here are two pictures of Lawrence School Lovedale
_________
________
________
THE FIRST DAY OF THE REUNION
Saturday – the 7th of January 2023
TRAVELLING TO OOTY AND EVENING AT OOTACAMUND CLUB
________
I have told you about our visit to the school on 08 January 2023 above.
As far as Day 1 is concerned (07 January 2023) – to start with – I will just post a few pictures and a video.
As they say – “a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words”
So – here are a few pictures of the first day of the reunion.
________
________
__________
It was a most memorable first day of the Lawrence School Lovedale Class of 1971 reunion.
Some of us were meeting for the first time since passing out of the school in 1971 – after nearly 52 years.
There was so much to talk.
It was a picturesque drive from Coimbatore to Ooty via Kotagiri and Wellington.
And than – a lovely evening of bonhomie, fellowship and camaraderie at the Ootacamund Club.
A great start to the “Golden Jubilee” Reunion of the Class of 1971 of The Lawrence School Lovedale.
___________
To Be Continued…
I will tell you about our lovely evening in Coonoor culminating in dinner at Coonoor Club, our Boating Picnic at Pykara Lake, Dinner with Music and Dance at The Culinarium Ketti and the lovely time we had in Kumarakom Kerala in subsequent blog posts
___________
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
________
Parts of this Blog Post have been posted by me earlier in my blogs at URLs:
https://karve.wordpress.com/2023/01/18/lawrence-school-lovedale-class-of-1971-reunion-part-1/
https://karve.wordpress.com/2023/01/28/lawrence-school-lovedale-class-of-1971-reunion-part-2/
______________
Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)
_____________
Vikram Karve 
Please comment. I appreciate your feedback.