Homecoming- 10 year Reunion @ SCMHRD, Pune

By Juhi Bansal

So this last weekend we all headed to Pune (husband and daughter in tow) for my 10 year reunion or what is also known as the Homecoming organized by our very own Scmhrd AlumniGlobal. As is usual in such cases, I sat and reminisced my life in campus a decade ago and also mused on how all of us have changed over these years.

Me– As far as the physical attributes are concerned I am almost the same weight as I was in campus and my hair is the same length too (both have seen their ups and downs over the years though) although I’ve become more fitness conscious as have my friends. As for the other things- Did I study too much? Did I not have enough fun? Did I make friends? Did I land the right placement? Have I achieved my dreams in the last 10 years? Whatever be the answers to these questions, I know for a fact that I wouldn’t want to relive even a second of my life differently. I am what I am today because of this chain of events and I am truly happy with the outcome.

The batchmates-we’ve been friends for years- some we’ve managed to keep in constant touch with but mostly we know whats happening in each others lives because of social media. Nothing came as a surprise- spouses, kids or job changes (ofcourse the instagram filters can do wonders to receding hairlines and protruding bellies and you only feel the full effect in person!). The surprise was how instantly we reconnected with each other. It was like the last 10 years had never happened. We were back in our twenties, pulling legs, laughing at bad jokes and hugging the distances off. But, that’s the beauty of a residential course. You leave your families and homes and start anew- make new friends and family in the process. When you spend 24 hours together, you learn to live despite all the quarrels and disagreements. So, 10 years or 20, there is little doubt, the distance both physical and figurative, will dissolve like it was never there.

Spouses- There were some spouses (like mine) who accompanied their partners. While we laughed and danced and partied they watched the kids. They got up in the middle of a performance if the baby needed a change. They made sure we had our fun and we caught up with the old gang without worrying about anything else. Then there were those who couldn’t make it but they made sure their partners travelled to Pune without a worry. They took care of the house so that their spouses could visit their alma-maters.

Goals– We all had 10 year goals when we were graduating. Infact, we used to laugh that when we meet on our 10-year reunion each one of us would have achieved so and so much. (Not attending the reunion was never even in the scene that time. I guess we never took into account kids and families). It was heartening to see how most of us feel so differently now about lives and careers and most importantly “success”. Most of us have changed career paths, some have taken up entrepreneurship and some are on a sabbatical to lead their family lives to the fullest.

It’s takes a village to do what we are doing, to conquer the world. We are each others village (some more than the others) but we’re there for each other and that’s what matters.

Whether we’re resting on our laurels or working harder towards bigger goals- we’ve found our happy space- all of us. There are no CGPAs, day zeroes/fifteens or first/last benches separating us anymore.

The journey is truly the reward!