Beating the Retreat!!!

I must admit beating the retreat is a bit too fancy. An old fashioned Auld Lang Syne would be enough . But then a writer should be allowed some poetic licence. Besides I am a bit vain!
Yugesh started the retreat by leaving for Doon yesterday. It was a bit melodramatic by our standards. We have legendary communication skills. We call it chatting. After the first hug, each is confined to his or her bedroom . We LOL when we want to laugh and if it is hilarious maybe A ROFL or a LMAO. So what if we are in the same house. We all are happily there with our laptops with each camping in his or her bedroom. Laptop is almost as important part of our life as our ears and eyes and internet as important for our survival as the air we breathe.
So naturally I was expecting he would be expressing his sadness with one of the familiar emoticons we are comfortable dealing. So I was a bit taken aback when he came to my room and said that he was feeling sad and may perhaps shed a tear or two if his mom cried.
Now this was something years of training as a ‘Chacha ‘hadn’t prepared me for. Just a few hours back he had given me the ultimate compliment any uncle can expect. He called me his friend ! ( Again that was on orkut! And not personally to me). what more can I want. I think probably I did some things right when he was growing. Now the age of being uncle was over.
So I gave him the best advise I could give as a friend.
I told him that there was no shame in crying. And if he wanted to bawl like a baby whose bottle of milk has been snatched, be my guest. Only tell me in advance so I can sit in the car before this lachrymose moment.
Luckily nothing of that sort happened and we left for the station pretending happiness. The train was awfully late and by the time it arrived there was only one emotion left – sleep.
Today it is my turn. I will sing the Auld Lang Syne just as we did one wintery night in Glasgow , Scotland. I will remember all those lovely people holding hands and singing in a circle as they bid me goodbye :
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And there’s a hand my trustyfriend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
I am going to Kolkata , the city of my birth. This time I shall be there for three days , time enough to explore. Maybe I will look for "Purano shei diner kotha" (Memories of the Good Old Days) composed by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, he drew inspiration from Auld Lang Syne and wrote this beautiful piece.
All good things have to come to an end. And so is this time. All that will be left are memories!
Hope that Yugesh regains his humor once he is back and amongst the exciting world of books, sessionals and practicals things we lesser mortals cant enjoy!
Hope this brings a LoL on his face or better still LMAO!
But as for me tonight, I cant guarantee. I may be bawling like a baby! I have seen stranger things happening.