Friendship … and our Blog: going! going!......
Mahendra "Speedy" Gonsalkorale
"What are friends for? They are there to remind each and every one of us of the imperfections which surround us, of the vagaries of human nature, the unpleasantness of which man is capable, the meanness, the narrowness, the hypocrisy of society, and they also teach us to forgive but never forget. We should be lost without friendship" - Peter Ustinov.
"But to me, Friends also remind us of the innate goodness of Man and the eventual success of those who persist and believe in themselves and their fellow beings. Without friends, our lives would have been so much poorer. All of us are part of a global network of humanity—a supportive network that sustains us. Family is important, but so are Friends".- Mahendra Gonsalkoale
It has been almost 60 years since we entered the faculty. We have done our best to keep in touch in spite of barriers, both artificial and natural. We may have felt a need to move on, putting our past behind us and building a new future. In doing so, we lost some friends but built new friendships; this was to be expected as life unfolded.
We have formed groupings within us based on where we live and our own interests. Our circles have widened, and we kept in touch in varying degrees, but the criterion to do so had to be much wider than “he/she was my batch colleague”. The bonds that we had, even if they were very strong, could not always survive as we drifted in this ocean of life. We may not feel the need to rekindle the relationship. But we were always pleasant when we saw each other and took delight in reminiscing on a critical period of our lives. A significant number have passed away and we still recall them with fondness.
Let us be realistic; we all have priorities. There is never enough time to do what we wish to do, and looking at the blog may not be a priority. Like a good restaurant, if we enjoy the experience, we will come back!
Accessing the blog may not be a priority, and to me, what is important in the final analysis is not just how frequently we keep in touch but our ability to pick up and continue from where we left off and to help each other when the opportunity or need arises.
I am proud that we have done so. I am proud of our Blog, which Lucky created, and I helped maintain. However, it cannot last forever. The readership is dwindling, and this should not surprise us.
The Blog was born in 2011, and its 13-year existence is surely an indication of its success. But we must prepare ourselves for its quiet and dignified exit like the bright Sun slowly disappearing into the sea on the darkening horizon.
PS: I will shortly start posting to celebrate our annual Remembrance Day, which is on the 30th of May.
Mahendra
ReplyDeleteWell done !
I agree with you that ' family is important, so are friends.
We should be thankful to Lucky for initiating our Blog and Mahendra for doing a great job continuing Lucky's work and also keeping the Blog alive. This keeps our batchmates together. The response in taking part in our Blog is dwindling down as batchmates are leaving us gradually. I wish more batchmates would take part in our Blog as life is short.
How ever it is good that we are communicating with each other via two WhatsApp groups, one in Sri Lanka and the other in UK.
We should be thankful to Pram for organizing get to gethers in Sri Lanka and in UK. It is nice to meet each other and reminise the past.
Let's hope that more batchmates will take part in our Blog and help Mahendra to keep it alive.
Long live our Blog !
Chira
Dear Mahendra,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the thought provoking article on the need for friends.
The bonds that you share with your friends are different but as important and supportive as those you have with your family.
Your efforts to maintain this blog is much appreciated.
Manel
We have to be thankful to both Lucky and Mahendra, for the creation of the Blogspot as well as it's sustenance. We have a RC 54 WhatsApp group which is quite active and an annual reunion which dates back to the 1960s. The reunion is usually over the weekend of the Big Match; initially it was on Friday night but latterly it is on Sunday over drinks and lunch. I think such reunions are a part of Sri Lankan culture, not seen much in other countries. When I inquire from my friends regarding their classmates and batchmates, most of them wonder what I am talking about!
ReplyDeleteOne of the great concepts attributed to Buddhist philosophy is the one of impermanence. In simple terms " nothing is forever". But let us enjoy the friendship that this forum brings to life. As the ability to multitask gradually fades away with age, although important, keeping the lines of communication open has become just another 'chore'. I dont visit the blog often as I did before. When I do I enjoy reading and do my best to comment. There is still life in the blog and has a lot of heart too.
ReplyDeleteLet us keep going until the last to leave switches off the light.
‘I listen to all kinds of music - New music, Old music, Music of my colleagues, everything’ trough the what’s up group - news, opinions, jokes, photos, things to ponder, all this makes me feel lucky and connected.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lucky for making it possible, Mahen for maintaining it, Sanath for making it colourful and busy and Pramilla fo keeping the UK group together.
I am sure the Group will go on till it switches off on its own. It is a golden thread that keeps us all connected, both past and present. What a privilege.
Best wishes
Thank you Mahen, for starting this discussion about fate of the blog. "To be or not to be, that is the question..."
ReplyDeleteWe've done well all this time, but as interest lags it is difficult for our current indomitable blog administrator to continue monitoring the blog. I believe there is a lot of work that he has to do behind the scenes, which most of us know nothing about, like keeping the scammers, trolls and cybercriminals at bay.
I think I began accessing and contributing to the blog a few years after it was set up by Lucky. It was wonderful to reconnect with people in the UK, whom I don't meet often like Nihal, Mahen, Razaque and Zita, who were actively contributing to the blog. I also reconnected with those down under like Rohini (Senaratne) Anandaraja and Kumar G. Then there were others like Bora who popped in now and then. Comments were made by many and they were all very enjoyable. I managed to see some of the friends in person whenever I visited Sri Lanka.
Perhaps now our engines are running out of gas, or we need more naps during the day! Sitting at the computer to access the blog and see what is going on is one more thing to do during the day. Making comments is not always easy for some. I think there are many who look at the blog, enjoy the contributions, but refrain from commenting for multiple reasons.
There is no question in my mind that the blog has kept our friendships alive far longer than they may have otherwise. This is a tremendous positive factor in our lives. More and more studies are revealing that exercise and social connections are most important as we age. I am most grateful to Lucky for having started this project and to Mahen for keeping the blog alive.
What should we do? I suggest that we let it run its course. If it fizzles out, so be it. But it is nice to have a forum where we can share an experience, an idea, or something creative. If Mahen can keep it going without expending too much energy, that will be great.
Let's not pull the plug, just yet.
Although it is sad to witness the gradual demise of the Blog, it is heartening to know that other methods of communication are being used to keep in touch such as the WhatsApp groups, Pram's Forever 62 group, email groups etc. Srianee, the Blog won't disappear just yet! It will last as long as it is needed and used. My thanks to contributors like the late Zita, the late Razaque, Lucky, Kumar G, Bora, Sriani, Pram, Sumathi, Sanath Lama, Suri, Chira , Manil, Manel, Indra Ana, Rohini Ana, Douglas M, Rajan R (Patas) and of course old stalwarts Nihal (ND) and Srianee (Bunter),who have done so much.
ReplyDeleteNow more than ever, every contact with friends is precious and one to to cherish and remember. Hang on to those precious moments as long as possible. When we remember those who have left us you know exactly what I mean.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
Hi this is Suri
ReplyDeleteI want to add my sentiments to those who have commented earlier.
We are indeed blessed that we have been able to keep in touch via the Blog - the Brain Child of our dear Lucky. I Salute you Speedy for the tremendous effort you are have made to nurture and keep it alive for 13 years.
Though the active participation has indeed diminished, I am certain that there are many who access it but refrain from commenting.
So let's continue to support it and keep up our virtual contact as long as possible as physical reunions become more and more difficult .