Reunions

For all those who considered me an ass - and an exemplary one at that - I need to say that you were all wrong. I have reason to know that donkeys the world over are marching to the UN with a petition to take strict action against the slur of being compared to me thereby bringing their entire species into disrepute. At least, they may, unless they feel that eating the petition would be a more productive use of the paper it is written on.
I am sure you must be wondering what, other than looking at myself in the mirror, set me off on wondering about my worldwide repute for asininity. For one, I went off the Chennai without issuing my preliminary warning that I would be back - and, probably, lead to a great deal of people celebrating, prematurely, their liberation from reading my posts. To cause so many people so much unhappiness today - and just a day before Christmas - is absolutely sadistic, I know, but I am sure you would rather have it done now and digest the bad news before the New Year celebrations start.
For another I am fresh from the reunion of my batch at IIM-Bangalore. To find myself in the company of scintillating stars - CXOs in all sorts of hifalutin organizations and entrepreneurs brought home to me the fact that I, above all, was the one student that IIMB would wish to quietly expunge from the rolls. Nevertheless, it was a couple of days of fun and to mingle with people without having to measure out every word (and quietly check up on Linked-in to see if they were worth the time) was a refreshing change.
The current lot of students must have had a great deal more fun watching fifty plus people wandering around moony-eyed all over the campus and indulging in activities that creaking bones had hitherto not permitted. IIMB has changed rather drastically in the last twenty-five years but so had we - and yet the connect with both the Institute and fellow batch-mates was almost instant and as live as it used to be a quarter century ago.
To give you one sample of how kind my classmates could be, I must mention the fact that none of them felt I was as bad an ass as I could be. Almost all of them agreed that, no matter how bad I was today, I could not match up to what I was when I was as student at the campus. I am grateful, guys, for that indulgence. The surprising thing was I was also alive in the memories of some of the professors. Why, they even told me in sympathetic tones that I must be finding difficulty sleeping, now that I had no lectures to attend. THAT sort of personal attention and sympathy is something one can only get from one's Alma Mater and co-students.
Thirdly - ah, that piece of asininity shall come in the next post.