Cool n Calm HBD wishes to Cool n Calm Mauritian Friend SUDESH APPADOO

Better half of Each Other,
Stay Blessed with richness of Love n Luck

Dear friend SUDESH APPADOO aka APPU  BHAI a cool, calm and well mannered elder brother type of perfect gentleman boy wish you lots and lots of joyful returns of the day. Have lots of fun-filled birthday celebration with family and friends.

Memories of my all Mauritian friends will remain fresh in my heart.

When, in 1991, we were still in the mid of the process of admission to LNCPE, while boys were queued for the meal in the mess, Boys were staring at each other as a potential competitior and atmosphere was full of exuberance. Among boys some were giants some were liliputians miniatures, some were fussy and outgoing some were gracious and submissive, some were impressive and some were very impressive.

For me coming to LNCPE was like a transformation for me as i was from a small village like city and I had never stepped out of my city before that.I was finding this all exotically bizarre as before that I hadn't seen or heard anybody face to face from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andrha, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunchal, Asam, Goa, Pondicheri before, but here now I was surrounded by boys from those unkown foreign like places.

Busy Boys at Camp site

Then I overheard from somewhere that there are Boys from foreign countries also. Hearing this was a big big amazement for me, so my eyes started searching every nook and corner of the mess but I couldn't find anybody looking like a foreigner in the mess queue or among the boys having meal there.

I was from a place which was gateway to many tourist places, so since my childhood I had been looking at tourist from foreign who used to be some too extra fair and lovely with some unusual way of talking and eating. So keeping that picture of a foreigner in my mind I was looking around the mess, but I couldn't find any such person there.

There were all like me, some were even with darker shades than me and some were more uncooked and more curde than me.

When admission were done, then I heard someone was saying, they are the foreigners. I looked at them, they were three boys from Mauritius. But to me they never looked like foreigners as their looks and names like SUDESH APPADOO, SUKHEN LAL and VINAY were no way different than us and amazing thing was that SUKHEN from them was very fluent in Hindi also.

Among them VINAY was a cute and gracefully smart boy who was attracting fair amount of attention from girls also. SUKHEN LAL was a muscularly built footballer with fluency in Hindi and great outgoing qualities, while SUDESH APPADOO was a cool and calm well mannered elder brother type of matured boy, a perfect gentleman.

Interestingly the all three Mauritian folks were allotted SHIVAJI HOUSE but for classes 

VINAY and SUKHEN were alloted section B but APPADOO got section A with us. As his and mine roll number was somewhere in the bottom of the list so he too was sitting somewhere in backside rows in my vicinity. So looking at my foreigner classmate was a different feeling altogether. In beginning boys used to talk to Appadoo with lots of curiosity but to me it looked bit bigger task as English speaking was a hurdle for me. So to talk to him,  first I used to make some English sentences in my notebook then I would repeat the same to talk to him.

May this togetherness remain blessed forever 

But soon I realised that he is not much different from us and gradually restrictions of formalities were blown away and soon boys like Madari, Sahi, Basu, Pummy were telling some infamously famous slang words and phrases to Appadoo and a fun yaatra had started for us. But still Appadoo also was too shy and too well mannered to use any fun-filled dirty slang. He was iconically well mannered boy out of our three Mauritian friends. 

Appadoo was not as outgoing as much SUKHEN was. But one day he got stuck in situation where he was forced to sing.

Perfect Celebration

In beginning days of first year Jafri Mam, who used to teach us Sociology and her pet words were the WHOLE SOCIETY, was taking a recreational games' period in KABADDI stadium. But before class could begin rain started so she made us to sit in the shades of stadium. Sitting on the top stairs under shade the the wet campus was looking very inviting under the drizzle but mam engaged us in some Antaxari type recreational game in which if you if you get caught with a Buzz then you had to sing a song. Game begun and, soon number of boys and girls got caught and they sang or did an act on public demand.

The period was going to get over. But before the period could get over Appadoo was caught and it was declared that after Appadoo we would disperse. Appadoo was asked to sing a song.

Appadoo the senior super shy boy got up hesitantly with no idea to perform, standing infront of us. Boys asked him to sing a song so that we could disperse. Jafri Mam also insisted on him. Appadoo looking quiet confused, Finding no way to let off he said, "Okay, I'll sing the National Anthem of Mauritius."

APPADOO with his camp unit

Listening to this Mam too got surprised but she gave him a go ahead signal. But before Appadoo could begin, Mam asked everyone to stand-up as a gesture to pay respect and dignity to National Anthem of any nation, after all she was teaching the WHOLE SOCIETY.

So everyone stood up in attention, Appadoo gracefully sang the Mauritian National Anthem, we understood nothing but we paid the best respect to the National Anthem of the land which was very close to our hearts also as roots of large part of the Mauritian people lies in India. To a great extent India and Mauritius share same Roots and Blood. Appadoo looked relieved and happy.

Appu learning Cycle Riding

Dear Appu was closely connected to a happy micro group comprised of Sanjukta, Usha, Dhirendra, Guno and Saji. This group so self confined group that it didnt allow many to fit in that intact group. On weekends this group would visit the market and places like a family with APPU as its Grandpa.

I silently learned qualities of being calm, humble and tolerant from Dear Appadoo.

Bhai Appadoo it was a privilege and part of destiny that we were with you for sometime, otherwise a village bound boy like me could never think of studying with a boy from a different country and different continent.

Stay Blessed n Lucky

Convey my Love and Regards to VINAY and my football mate SUKHEN also.

LIVE n LOVE, LUCK IS A BONUS

Have lots of fun-filled birthday celebration with family and friends.

Be blessed with richness of Love and Luck.

Stay blessed my dear SOUDESH APPADOO aka APPU  BHAI 

Thanks for staying in my heart and mind, 

You are one of my most precious find.

Unforgettably yours,

Friend of bit different kind 

: Vijay Bisht