Nostalgia

(Above) Photograph of DMET Teachers, contributed by Kaushik Saha Chaudhuri

Standing (L to R) S.N. Banerjee, Sri Krishna Ganguly, J Paul Mazumder, M. Biswas, A.K. Sarkar, M Saha Sitting (L to R) O.P. Mehta, D.C. Agnihotri, Subramaniam (Director), S.D Srivastava and D.K. Sanyal

(Top Left) The most awaited College admission letter, taking you back in time by whopping 52 years..!! If you notice the technological advancement in those years for accepting the offer telegraphically. (Bottom Right) Can you imagine cadets used to bring all these personal effects in the steel trunk and a bedroll.Focus on item no-18, still wondering the minute details with which the list was prepared.

Thoughts on

completion of 75 years of freedom struck

By Dr. Vis (CEO/Founder, The Viswa Group) | Roll Number 382 | Class of 1960

Firstly, I want to assure you that this will not be a sentimental message full of nostalgia about the past. You probably expect that, considering my seniority in the DMET alumni roster. This will be a message to celebrate what we have all achieved and some gentle humor.

India has completed 75 years since securing freedom from the British. This is a great record for almost a continent to stay united and celebrate togetherness.

Personally, it is even a bigger record that I have survived 63 years after passing out of DMET and in fact, 67 years after I joined DMET.

It is hard to believe the passage of time. At least 40% of my class are gone. It was a class of 50 and, most certainly, the rest of us will join the first 40% sooner or later. Where will we join our classmates? Will it be in heaven or in hell?

The situation reminds me of a joke. Wife asks the husband as to where she will go after she dies; will it be heaven or hell. The husband quickly answers that she will certainly go to hell. The wife then asks what she will find in hell. The husband answers that hell will be full of ugly creatures including monkeys.

She now asks the husband where he will go after his death, would it be hell or heaven. He quickly answers that he will of course go to heaven which will be filled with beautiful dancers and angels waiting to pamper him.

The wife has the last word when she tells him how come she will have only ugly monkeys in the present life and the next after her death while her husband will have such a good life both in this life and in the next when he goes to heaven!!!

My comment on the above story is that we DMET guys will have a good time, good company and enjoy our lives wherever we may be.

This is essentially The DMET Mantra. We came from different parts of India. We got along fine for four years and enjoyed our time in DMET. We then sailed on ships for 8 to 12 years, we saw much of the world, we interacted with multiple nationalities and cultures. We evolved a way of surviving even under the most difficult conditions.

We then came ashore and took up land-based jobs. It is an undeniable fact that we are ruling the maritime world. Maybe, the glass ceiling kept many of us from getting the top job - unlike our colleagues in the IT industry who found a way to reach the top by setting up their own companies on a global basis.

The purpose of progressive companies of today is to provide an atmosphere of growth without glass ceilings.

The question on your minds will be as to what will happen in the future.

Let me try to answer the question. You must have certainly listened to the TED talk by Robert Waldinger about an 80-year-old research program where they monitored several thousand citizens to find out their happiness levels, their longevity, and career success. The most interesting finding was that the people who lived the longest lived with family and friends and were the happiest. It is not the most successful one, it is not the most aggressive one or the most competitive one that enjoyed a long life and happiness. Also remember what Charles Darwin said that the species that survived was the one that was ready to adapt. Sustainability calls for survival skills and that again calls for ability to adapt. Let me assure you that success and failure in life is all a story that you tell yourself.

It is truly a Maya.

Poet Thomas Gray said the paths of glory lead but to the grave.

Let me leave you with the thoughts reflected in the song “let it be”. Life is worth living and it doesn’t matter how successful or otherwise we have been. If we lived a good life, had a great time with family and friends, that itself is the biggest reward. May God bless you and guide your future. ▄