Jalu – Picnic

Jalu – The other name of Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College , students of

this college have been passing out since last 50 years. They have spread all across the
globe. In western part of India On 26th Dec'10 some 44 of them along with their
family joined at the Shruti farm near New Panvel for their much awaited annual Jalu-
Picnic.

The journey to the spot started much early at 6:30 in the morning. The Bus went on
collecting each one of them from east to west all over the Mumbai city. To save time
some of them came on their own car but the bus journey was simply different.

Some older students as old as 63 years of age today are all so jovial like the Alma
mater years.

All were speaking the language of the olden days. As the bus was picking them up
from one spot to the other some were found to be missing at the pick up spot. When
Sudipta's batch mate Gopinath confirmed that Sh Sudipta was a habitual 'late latif' in
the college days a huge roar of laughter followed.

On the way the Sun rose above the horizon near Anushakti nagar. At Vashi station
another big group got in to the bus. The last group was picked up at the Kharghar
station. The bus was completely filled up now.

The spouses and the children are all very amazed seeing their otherwise dull husband
or Papa so jolly and childish at this age. It is the passion for the alma mater which
makes everyone in the bus so happy and scintillating with jalu feelings. It's the heart
to heart connection which makes the jaluties & their families so happy. The physical
pain , the strain of long night duty all evaporates at the touch of jalu feelings. It's only
heart which can make a man happy even when he is intensely tired and exhausted.

Such a bundle of energetic people cannot be contained in a bus for so long. Luckily
the spot was not far away and well before 9'O clock the bus reached the spot.

The breakfast was already prepared and was about to be served as the party reached.
But Ananda Mukherjee had a different idea to start it. It was his birthday so he
brought a big cake to celebrate his birthday at the venue.

Happy birthday to you, Ananda.

Immediately after cake a delicious breakfast was served .

All were eager to start the jalu-thek as they used to do 10 , 20 or 30 years back in the
alma mater days but Tapan-da wanted to complete the games for kids and the ladies
before that.

So it was. Joydeep ,Tapanda and Myself conducted all the games and after that the
jalu thek was started at the adjacent orchard garden of the farm.

The sun gradually rose to the sky but the thick orchard garden made a complete shade
over head such that not a single rays of sun reached our thek. It was cool and
comfortable altogether.

The thek continued meanwhile hard and soft drinks were served for all. Some better
halves too joined with drinks. All the discussion were related to the good old college
days. Who did what and how someone overcame a difficult examination after a night
out at a friend's house at Jalpaiguri town . Some one talked about some wired
mathematics professor who made a paper so tough that no one could pass it.

Some were of 33 years age and some were of 63 years age but all were talking at the
same bandwidth. Jalu is so powerful that it can evaporate such huge age gap in no
time.

Some of them are very big achiever in life while some are moderate achiever but in
the Jalu thek all are on the same label and all speak the same language. All are
college buddies . Tomorrow while they go back to their original life they will be
different again but today in this Jalu-thek it is the alma mater which has made each
one of them equal.

I remember in one jalu thek ,two were from same batch , they also happen to be
working for the same organization but one happen to be the boss while the other was
his subordinate. But in the jalu thek they were completely different and were
behaving as natural buddies.

At 3 PM the lunch was served. Some very senior jalu secretly stole a cat nap after
lunch.

The post lunch thek continued till 5:30 PM when the call for tea was given. Some one
spilled tea on his dress while speaking and sipping together. Sometimes I feel strange
how they can speak so much in one afternoon. Are they behaving real or this is what
all the jalu wants to be in reality !

Perhaps it's not logic or simple earthly argument , it's the rule of heart. The brain can
do so many things but it's only heart which can carry out the most impossible tasks of
life – to be one's own self , to be real. It's not the drink , not the place , nor the
sumptuous food which has made them so charming and scintillating . It is the jalu
feeling which has transformed them like that.

It proves that they still love to be ruled by heart. They still listen to their heart. Their
professional life has not made them mechanical and it still can take a huge back seat
when jalu calls them.

At 6:30 someone blew a huge whistle to call it a day. Time has come to board on the
bus again and to go back to the daily life again.

From tomorrow the life will start again in the same routine way but at the corner of
heart a bell will be tingling slowly but definitely to remind us all that we all love jalu
and we will meet again for jalu.

Till then bye bye..

S. Bera
Jalu-86