ANOTHER LONDON MINI-REUNION - 7th AUGUST 2024
Report by Dr Nihal D Amerasekera
Once again, on the 7th of August, Pram hurriedly organised a reunion of our batch of 62 before her return to Sri Lanka. It was held at the iconic Royal Society of Medicine in London. Pram had booked an exclusive room for our lunch, which was elegantly decorated for the occasion. We met at 12 p.m. on a hot, sunny day.
We looked beyond the grey hairs, the lines and furrows in our faces and the extra pounds to embrace our friends from way back. After the warm greetings and handshakes, we sat down for lunch.
Harshi and Harsha Boralessa have been regulars at our meetings and, as always, wonderful company. Rupa and Susil Attale decided to grace us with their presence all the way from Farnborough. Sirima and Sunil are regulars at our meetings in London, too. Sushila Canagasabay brought with her some interesting stories. Her experiences on board a flight being called upon to help out as a doctor out of the blue were absolutely hilarious. Being the only medicine available, It seems she doled out diazepam-like Smarties. Sushila has the wonderful ability to relate a story. Her comical tales kept us in stitches. Harsha Boralessa, too, was his usual self with a fund of hilarious anecdotes.
This was a great occasion and a nostalgic one, which we all enjoyed. After a sumptuous meal and delightful company, it was sad to say goodbye. Every reunion has its own lesson to impart, and we come away deeply grateful to the organiser for giving us an experience we would treasure. Our thanks to our marvellous hostess, Pram, without whom none of the London reunions would have happened. We wish her a safe journey home.
Vow! What a happy bunch. I am sorry I couldn’t make it! Pram has to make another trip before end of this year to meet all of us in Uk together!
ReplyDeleteThank you anonymous for commenting. Hope you will reveal yourself in the fullness of time. Best wishes.
Deletethanks ND for a super account of all that happened on the 7 th. we all had a super time
ReplyDeleteyes the Wimpole room at the RSM is perfect for a gathering like. ours. lets hope the September. 7 th get together goes off well.
The reunion was such a great event It is my pleasure Pram. Thank you for organising and also commenting.
DeleteNihal
ReplyDeleteYou are great writer as well as a great narrator. I can imagine the jabbering that went on and the enjoyment you had with all those around you.
I am also looking forward to meeting all of you on the 7th of September. This is one of the attractions for me to arrive in England.
Chira
We look forward to seeing you in September. Have a safe trip.
ReplyDeleteNihal thank you for your interesting write about the get together at the RSM on 7th August 2024. You are indeed a great writer.
ReplyDeleteIt was lovely to see see everyone and have a laugh!
Warm Wishes
Dhushy
Dhushy
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment. It was so lovely to see you at the RSM and contribute to the fun and laughter at our gathering. You are indeed a part of our 1962 batch community and most welcome to our events as always.
Hi Nihal
ReplyDeleteThank you very much your accurate and stylish post. I fully agree with your comment, "Conversation flowed freely, never a dull moment, sumptuous meal etc”. Sushila’s stories were hilarious. I tried to persuade her to publish them on our Blog however she said she was too busy. I enjoyed the company of Sunil, Atale and yourself. I also had an interesting chat with Dushy and Sukunthular. Pram: a big thank you for organizing this reunion. Harshi and I had a great time.
Hi Bora
DeleteYou certainly have the wonderful ability to drift towards the lighter side of life and take us with you. Several of those present accepted the invitation to join in. The result was a lot of fun and laughter which made this reunion one of the liveliest we’ve had.
As the dessert was to be served Bora had the enviable task of dividing 3 scoops of ice cream into 2. After much dialogue and discussion 2 bowls and 2 spoons did the trick. This amusing episode ended amicably.
Dear Pram
ReplyDeleteThank you for organising a lovely get together in a very prestigious venue. I enjoyed meeting you all.
In this occasion the cohesion was greater than other times. We managed to chat with all. All of you have varied interests. It was interesting to talk to Bora and Sunil.
Thank you for including the spouses of your departed colleagues.
Love and Best Wishes
God Bless
Dhushyx
Hope you have a safe trip back to SL
Many thanks Dushy. You are always part of our group and you will remain that way forever. Love pram
DeleteDear ND,
ReplyDeleteAt daybreak today, I was standing on the porch relishing the cool of the morn and the beauty of the river Ross flowing gently. The leaves of the ancient trees rustled from time to time.Three youths were walking briskly on the path skirting the river.One girl turned towards me smiling and waved. Her friendliness overwhelmed me.
ND, I thank you and the blog mates for maintaining and fostering the friendship of our group. Your writings fan the flickering flames of ardour of our tribe.
Buddha was asked by his devoted disciple whether having good friends is half the Noble Path. Buddha replied, having good friends isn’t half the holy life. Having good friends is the whole of the Holy Life.
Kumar
Dear Kumar
ReplyDeleteIt is so lovely to hear from you and to read your comment so well written. It’s a warm humid day in London as we bask in the sunshine of a summer we thought would never come. We blamed global warming and human carelessness.
As I have said the reunion was wonderful and a reminder of the friendships and good times of long ago. Our tribe has dwindled in number and we feel the loss deeply. But we have learnt to accept the inevitable and to make the best of the present.
We were ever so fortunate to spend our childhood in a peaceful Ceylon now just a distant memory. I still dream of those halcyon days watching cricket under the Mara trees at Campbell Park. It is when we arrived at our teen years that politics got murky and selfishness took over the world.
I wish you would comment and contribute regularly to our blog and help keep it alive. I am pretty certain you can find a way to overcome the gremlins of the digital world to keep us informed and also entertained by your brilliant penmanship.
Stay with us my friend we need you now, more than ever.