BITSAA – Silicon Valley Chapter – 1st Diwali Reunion

Saturday, October 28, 2006

by Sagnik Nandy

[ Click here for photos and video of the reunion ]

It all started with an email. "BITSAA is organizing a Diwali gathering," it said. I wasn't sure what to expect out of it. Neither was I sure of any of the whats, wheres and hows of the matter. However, just three weeks after that initial email, was a Saturday evening that saw almost two hundred people come together, laugh, cheer and relive some golden years of their lives. There was music, dances, games, more music, laughter, reminisces and above all, the very familiar infectious Pilani spirit that we are all so fond of. The BITSians had pulled off another trick. In three weeks they had gathered enough people and resources to organize an event that brought people from different ages, backgrounds and interests together and yet made all of them feel happy and super excited about it.

By 645 pm the ICC auditorium was full to the last seat. One could hear a positive buzz in the air already. Ever familiar terms from good old Pilani were blowing in the air and people were seen catching up with old friends and making new ones. The evening began with a quick round of introduction and games that set the mood for the rest of the evening - that of pure, unadulterated fun and entertainment. The latest (and the greatest) episode of the Sandpaper was officially launched in the presence of the chief editor Ashish Garg and people were given a preview of what to expect from the latest chapter of the alumni magazine.

The festivities officially began with Bandits, a Bay Area based music band accompanied by several BITSian musicians, taking charge of the stage. They began with the soft theme tune from Sholay and followed it up with the catchy Dhoom Machaley anthem. By the time the song ended there was enough Dhoom in the room with children and adults joining in to shake their legs with the rocking number. Koi Kahey, sung in a thunderous way by Bharath, Prashant and Saurabh and Hum Dum Suniyo Re just added to the energy. By the time Nithya finished crooning Aaaja Aaaja, the audience had more than agreed to answer her call and come down to the stage area. Paper rockets and praises for the singers and musicians were seen flying in abundance and it was just like being back in one of the magical Music Nights from back in the days. When the hour long medley of colorful numbers finally ended, everyone was craving for more.

A quick dinner followed. Rice, naans, curries, dessert and very spicy BITSian memories were flowing all over the place. People who went to Pilani across different decades met up and bonded. Old wingies were seen catching up and spilling amusing beans from their days in the desert. Spouses were made privy to hitherto unknown stories about the college days of their partners. Children were given a crash course in BITSian lingo and suddenly it almost appeared that everyone was back in Pilani, reliving some glorious days of their lives.

Some quick games followed after dinner. Non BITSian better halves of BITSians were called on stage and quizzed about Pilani. The audience joined in to grill the contestants with questions ranging from "What does ANC stand for" to "What is Pappu best known for?" This was followed by some more games, with several audience members sharing funny incidents from their BITSian days. The laughter and camaraderie was the perfect setup for the next set of events - the Dance Medley and the Antakshari. When Shastri and his friends took over the stage and grooved to a mix of Hindi and regional numbers, the audience went wild. For those who missed this masterpiece amalgamation, one had to be there to witness the energy these people exhibited. By the time the medley finished, Shastri had a bigger fan following than some of the leading movie stars of our country.

This was followed by the Antakshari, conducted by none other than Saurabh Sharma - the Man himself. For those who don't know Saurabh, let's just say that he is a legend of sorts. Not only was he the winner of the famous Antakshari Show on TV, he also went on to become a full time Radio Jockey after his days in BITS. So when he took over the reigns of the event, the bar of expectations was definitely raised. Not only did Saurabh meet these expectations, he raised the bar to a new high for events like this in the future. There were video rounds, buzzer rounds and other rounds that made the teams and the audience members scan through years of Hindi music knowledge. Oh, what an event it was!

"All good things must come to an end," the adage goes and the evening was no exception. The rocking night came to a rocking end with Laxmi and her group of dancers performing to the Rang De Basanti number. However, by then it was not just the dancers on stage but hundreds of them off stage who were dancing as well and everybody was amazed how four hours just whisked past by. The guy sitting next to me from the early 90s batch summed it up best. "We should have this every month," he said, and I could not agree more.

So to those who made it for this gala event - thank you and we promise to make this the first of many such gatherings. To those who missed it - well, as we just said, we will have many more of these so that you don't feel bad for missing this one. And finally, to the institution that brought together some of the best and most enthud minds of India together and paved way for this night, we have only one thing to say - Thank you BITS, Pilani and we all miss you.

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