West Coast of the U.S., I mean. We met in Bangalore, then they left for California, and came back to meet us yesterday- June 9, 2026. Pushkar is a nephew, son of my cousin Baby (Prabha), and his wife Veena is from Pune. They have two kids now, and they have grown up. Rajvi and Raghav are in High School and Middle School, respectively. There was a lot of banter, and some food.
On June 1st, we met with cousins who were available in Pune. The purpose was two-fold. To celebrate the birthday of our youngest aunt, mother of our host Jyotsna, and to remember Nikhil, my nephew whom we lost unexpectedly in a helicopter accident in Atlanta USA. The second came out of the blue, and we were still coming to terms with it.
Some of the cousins/families present.
Continuing the series of meets with meethi meethi batein.. this time with an alumna of Kirloskar Institute, Sudeshna Ray Srivastava. Saying goodbye to Kolkata in a couple of days, on a sweet note. She is also a friend of Nishka Rathi, from KIAMS days. I have been meeting Nishka on and off.
Minds and bodies.. it was a physical meet of a music group that I am a part of. In a member's own farm house near Mumbai. Beautiful setting, a karaoke mic, and us 10 enthusiastic people. Phir kya tha? It was non-stop fun with antakshari, singing songs, and lots of eats-our host is also into the catering business! Pics won't do justice, but.. here they are.
It was wonderful to meet some ex-colleagues from IMT Nagpur, some students I knew and more that I did not, at the alum meet last evening at the Orchid, Pune. Alcom managed it well.
It was good to hear and feel the nostalgia that students felt for their Alma Mater, and promising to help improve its Branding and standing in the crowd of B schools. Many alumni are now in a position to influence hiring from their companies in diverse areas, so that's an obvious way to do it. But also participating in multiple ways through doing well in your career, going back for guest lectures or taking part in admission interviews, helping with case studies, and so on..
Some pics-
Another alum.
This was my wife's school, in Pune. Their batchmates and spouses had a meet in Parbhani, in Maharashtra. My first visit to the town.
It was a great experience, with one NRI couple and many from Pune, Mumbai or nearby places like Aurangabad or Amravati participating.
There was a lot of reminiscing, leg-pulling, nostalgia and of course, singing and dancing. I was happy to meet a couple of professors, some agriculturists, and a few businesspeople and home-makers too. We had a few gender discourses and some party games organised by the Coconut Lagoon, a resort where we stayed.
There was also a taste of Sindhi and Gujarati food, along with local specialities. Dal pakwan is one I remember. Also a Hurda party and green chick peas- harbara. Bullock cart and horse rides were available for interested people.
The weather was perfect, not too cold or warm. The conversations too.
Had an amazing meet with alums of two Hyderabad Public Schools in Bangalore a couple of years ago. Or was it a year ago? Anyway, point is, we are going to have a meeting of my branch of the school, Ramanthapur, soon. My batch got out (alive) in 1977, and lots of us are still alive and kicking.. not all, though.
We have had the usual careers, and some have had unusual ones too- like a Chef in Canada. Kartik. And a couple of entrepreneurs in the U.S. Of course, a lot of corporate jobs as well. A smaller set of us met about 2 years ago, but this is likely to be a bigger group, with Bangalore, Indore and Mumbai represented. Apart from the US.
It was tough recognising a few the last time around. Hope it gets easier now, before the BIG FADE happens!
An innovative idea put into action by Shailaja Gupta Kapoor, a former student from IIM Indore, now in Bangalore. We have over 100 members, and an active WhatsApp group. There are some get-togethers physically. One such was delayed by Covid, but happened yesterday. Some pics. Met a lot of alums from IIMC, IIMK, Shillong, Lucknow and Bangalore. Many were surprised when told that I had taught at their institute!
There is this bubbly student from IIM Indore, who had a brilliant idea, of connecting alums of different IIMs in Bangalore, for fun and networking. She also runs a Youtube channel called IIM Community. I am not boasting, but I shot a video for the channel on Personal Branding too. If you want to watch, here's the link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdBOh4JntM4
But this is about a meet she organised at 2 days' notice. I went, and had fun meeting some new young friends, and discussing life, hobbies, IIM campuses, faculty, and more. Glimpses.
The group.. Pritam, varun, ..Anjani Kumar and the rest. (above)
Saw the third and final part of this film in a theatre. Good acting, direction. Keeps you gripped, and the suspense is so good it can go ei...
