When Sujay invited me to a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland to celebrate a milestone birthday with some friends, I thought it would be
a small group of four or five friends who would get together for a weekend of
fun and golf. Well, this was hardly a boys weekend out - it was more a
destination wedding-like-celebration with (what seemed like) 35-40 close
friends of the Kango family invited to spend an highly choreographed weekend in Edinburgh.
Hemanshu and I, at Winton Castle with Kalindi and Sujay Kango,
celebrating 30 years of their engagement
In the annals of friendship celebrations, I think this one will go down as one of the big ones. Kalindi and Sujay went extraordinarily out of their way to make this celebration a grand one. For starters, just like a wedding, every thing was choreographed to a T. So much so that for one of the events there was even a dress code announced! Of course, as is my wont, I ignored the itinerary/instructions and realized my faux pas upon landing in Edinburgh!! Yes yes, I’m guilty as charged…one can take the horse to the water but... etc etc., nevertheless, within every mistake resides an opportunity and mine came in the form of a tartan bow tie that rescued me. And now I can claim to belong to the ‘Stewart clan’ (of Mary Queen of Scotts fame no less)!
As celebrations go, this reminded me of my days in Pharma. Every day was meticulously planned, starting with a set time for breakfast, a set time for departure and and sets of activities to participate in. The Kangos even included a small memento which will remind us of the celebration for years to come.
Included among various activities were a visit to Edinburgh castle, a visit to Edinburgh underground (ghost tour) a round of golf at St. Andrew’s and a trip to a distillery, all led by a guide, who had been hired for the entire trip. There was even some free time built in for some R&R for those who needed it.
The highlight of the trip was the dinner at Winton castle where we got to participate in the sport of falconry! It was exciting to learn about this sport of rich and famous, but alas a dying art. The birds were gorgeous and as a bonus, so was the handler!
Naresh handling a bird of prey with tender love and care
Of course the main highlight of the event was people - the Kango friends and family.
It was so great to see Komal and Sonal after such a long time. I came to know the sisters when they were little kids - Sonal was 10 years old when I first met her - soon she will become a full fledged veterinarian going into practice. If she chooses to live any where close to New Jersey, I will be taking my cats to her.
Komal has blossomed into such a beautiful young lady, always smiling, casting a spell on everyone with her beautiful smile. Both sisters participated in the event enthusiastically, intermingling with everyone such that I never felt we were seeing them after a long time. Kalindi and Sujay must be really proud of their daughters.
For me, the highlight was seeing Kaku (Sujay's mother) in good spirits. In spite of her advanced age she was right there, participating in all the events intermingling with the younger crowd and reining over the event.
And finally, this event brought me closer to so many of Sujay's friends - whether it is the boisterous Nikhil and Ram or the laid back Charu. I had heard these names many times in conversations, but did not have the occasion of meet many of these friends. After meeting these guys now it is clear that Sujay and Kalindi have gone through life collecting friends the way one collects jewels. Each and everyone of these friends is truly a gem and I can see why the Kangos wanted to spend time with them together.
Standing in front of the Temple of Golf
I could say something about Golf at St. Andrews, but I am quite certain that Golf Gods like Payne Stewart, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan must be rolling in their graves (with laughter, mind you) after watching my performance. In other words, about my performance the less I say, the better it is. If it wasn't Hemant's power drives, Hemanshu's deft putting, and Makrand’s caddy guided precision hits, I would still be at the course, struggling to get through the front nine!
The best thing I did at the golf course was take pictures!!
Yet, the whiskey tour following the round of golf sufficiently numbed my pain and the day ended rather peacefully with a good desi dinner.
I am grateful to the Kango family that they included me in this wonderful gathering. More than being invited to the event, it is heartening to know that Kalindi and Sujay consider me worthy of their friendship. It amazes me that our friendship has lasted over a decade and I truly hope that this friendship will remain strong for another couple decades.
Kango family, the best is yet to come. I hope you get to celebrate many such events in the years to come surrounded by your friends and family. Thanks for a great experience - I am certain I will cherish the memories for years.
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