Gulmohurians back to basics after 35 years in Steel City
Summer vacations once meant Mysore. Tickets booked months in advance, three trains stitched together the journey, and with each change my heart raced faster. Those two months were freedom—sunlit days, laughter, and the joy of being far from school. But the return to Jamshedpur was always the saddest part. I hated going back. The thought of classrooms, rules, and routine felt heavy, like a curtain closing on happiness. Only the smell of new textbooks, the crisp pages of notebooks, and the round tins of polish—black for shoes, white for canvas—softened the blow. Those scents became bittersweet reminders that summer had ended.
This year, Revibe91 turned everything upside down. Again, I booked tickets months in advance, counting down each day. But this time, it was Jamshedpur that pulled me forward. The school, the batchmates, the familiar corridors—they became the destination of joy. I arrived with a heart full of excitement, and when it was time to leave, the heaviness returned, just as it once did when leaving Mysore. The fragrance of school was back, not in ink and polish, but in laughter, reunion, and memories that felt alive again. The difference was gratitude.
As a child, I never thought to thank Jamshedpur. I only saw it as the place that ended my summers. But this time, I did. And in that moment, the circle closed—the sadness of childhood transformed into a deeper love, a reverse vibe that will stay with me forever. Revibe91 was more than a reunion; it was a rediscovery of bonds and a celebration of shared journeys. Emotions ran deep as classmates remembered those teachers and classmates who were no longer with us, offering sobbing tributes that reminded everyone of life’s fragility and the strength of friendship.
Beyond nostalgia, Revibe91 also became a platform for envisioning the future. Out of the warmth of reunion emerged a collective purpose: “Gratitude for Gulmohur.” This new CSR initiative seeks to support underprivileged children in pursuing their dreams, extending the spirit of gratitude beyond the walls of the school. It was a powerful reminder that reunions are not only about remembering what was, but also about shaping what can be.
In the end, Revibe91 stitched together past and present, childhood and adulthood, endings and beginnings. The reverse vibe transformed nostalgia into a living legacy—proof that memories, when revisited with love, can inspire futures filled with hope. (First-person account by the author, an alumnus of Gulmohur High School, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, where the 1991 class 10th batch reunited for the first time after 35 years. About 75 batch-mates from across the US, UK, Dubai and Indian cities gathered for the December 26-28, 2025 Revibe 91 extravaganza)
