It took us 6 years for our college friends to come toegther on this August 15th. Well the pilgrimage as I term this journey lasted 2 days and we did not realise that it was time to leave. There were 10 of us who managed to reach Dhule from Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Pune and Shimla. It felt good to see the familiar faces who we had almost forgotten. Most of us had added few kilos to our weight so it may have been possible that if we were to meet randomly many of us would not have even recognised each other.
The city has changed a bit in the last 6 years but college seems to be as we left it. All building but somewhere the soul of an educational institute is missing. The vibrance which we felt when were there is simply not there anymore. The diversity of crowd during our times is also minimal. Dhule however has a new Adlabs theate (Remember Manohar, it has been bought out and converted with AC and Electronic signages like a multiplex). Roads now have dividers so less of chaos. Ganpati no longer has the swimming pool and the clientle is also not there. Prabhakar still shows films with dancing lights during song sequences. Poornima it seems now serves the best food in town.
College campus has a new computer lab however the hostels are in shambles. The toilets in the main building are without water. The only addition has been a drinking water facility in every floor. We were told that new faculty has been recruited but retaining them is an issue. Rs 1.5 Lakh is the going rate for taking admission in the college and the admissions this year are touching near 200. More money for the Gangamai Society but little is being done to improve the basics.
The good thing was that the college took the initiative to welcome its alumni to the campus on 16th August. A small felicitation function was organised where we all got an opportunity to share our career paths with students and faculty. The college authorities also planned to setup an alumni body for which an annual fund of Rs.25000/- have been earmarked by the college administration. There was also a proposal to organise a large alumni reunion to be funded by the college.
As expected the weather was good. It rained on all the days but it was a slow drizzle. The whole area green and welcoming. Somehow the people seemed to be more welcoming then what it used to be 10 years back. Duttamandir to has lost its charm. There are very few students staying in PG’s and rooms on rent in the area. Tri Murti (TMT) still exists and so does the chai ki tapris. Maurya still serves meals but the upkeep is really bad.
Overall a very memorable trip. Wish there were few more people who just could not reach due to last minute cancellations. I have uploaded photos and videos at my end. They are available at