Delhi Reunion
The March Delhi reunion was the first stage of the Headmaster’s extensive Easter tour.
Arvind Khanna kindly hosted the dinner party and the venue, on the top floor of the Oberoi hotel, was sensational. We assembled for pre-dinner drinks on the open air balcony with wonderful views over the Delhi Golf Club. There was an interesting mixture of OMs, parents and prospective parents present and they all greatly appreciated the chance to meet our new Headmaster Craig and his wife Penny. When we moved inside we took the chance to show the Group the new dvd that the OM society had produced and it went down very well.
25 people sat down to enjoy a sumptuous feast that had been provided so generously by Arvind. Stories were swapped, memories of the past rekindled and it was nice to here the latest news of the fortunes of our Delhi OMs. They and the prospective parents present also took the opportunity to discover from Craig what direction Millfield was moving in. It was late in the evening when the party dispersed and I certainly got the impression that the evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all present.
The next day, Abbas and Vinu Baig invited Craig, Penny and myself to lunch, followed by an exhibition of their daughter Sheenagh`s art at the home of the British High Commissioner in Delhi. They were extremely grateful that Millfield had encouraged and nurtured Sheenagh’s talent for Art. This was my first visit to India and I could have not been made more welcome so well by everyone that I met. They were very pro-Millfield and they greatly appreciated the fact that the School and the Old Millfieldian Society had organised the event in Delhi.
Rod Speed
Mumbai Reunion
As part of his Easter World-wide Tour the Headmaster joined John Davies in Mumbai on 7th April. All arrangements were beautifully co-ordinated by Mukul Raja (Former Parent), Branch Honorary Secretary, and supported by his wife, Kiran, and son, Purav (1976-2003*; Butleigh), now a professional tennis player on the international circuit. On the first evening, a dinner-party at Mukul’s house gave the opportunity to meet several OMs, including Ajit Singh (1957-59; Chindit), Chairman of the Branch and his wife, Anjali, Roosi Modi (1964-66; Orchards), current and prospective parents, as well as the British Deputy High Commissioner and the Principal of a local high school. This was a splendid start to the visit. The main Branch Reunion, on the following evening at a Mumbai restaurant was a grand affair with over 40 present, OMs, former, current and prospective parents as well as a sprinkling of current pupils, some guests having travelled from as far afield as Bangalore and Bangkok. A genuine ‘Millfield mix’. After short films about Millfield and the OM Society were shown, Ajit, who was at Millfield over 50 years ago and the ‘earliest’ OM present, spoke most eloquently about his time at Millfield and how important that had been in shaping his life. He urged all present to spread far and wide in India news of wondrous Millfield. Subsequent speeches by John and Craig were very much ‘after the Lord Mayor’s Show’. The whole event was a memorable Millfield reunion and the Headmaster promised to return to Mumbai within two years, when a visit to Bangalore might also be on the cards. The Branch is fortunate indeed to have Ajit and Mukul as Chairman and Secretary respectively.