Silver Warriors Kolkata GTG

Kolkata – Sunderbans – Gangasagar

15 – 20 March 2026

An ode to the Silver Warriors, a mad Collective…

“One of the biggest certainties of life, other than death, and the surest fire way to induce even the role model adults of high society and governance to descend into adolescence behavioral displays, is by throwing them into the company of their early life adolescence peer group.” - Col RS Sidhu

Preamble – Definition of a Coursemate

The Silver Warriors Kolkata GTG, held amidst the ‘Agent Orange’ induced spreading conflagration in the Levant and India’s near abroad, best showcases the country’s singular geopolitical achievement, of standing tall as the only symbol of regional stability and strength amidst burning chaos, and being courted by all the protagonists.

Preparations for this major event were underway for more than the past six months, and not one cautionary opinion was voiced by any participant, urging calling off the show, despite the alarmist viewpoints being subscribed in the social and mainstream media on the debilitating impact of energy shortages on the day to day life and travel and tourism industry. That is the strength of the Coursemates Collective, who in their more active lifetime have witnessed all and done all.

For the benefit of the uninitiated, a “Coursemate is one who has intimate knowledge of your inner core, is nonjudgmental of your motives, can lie unhesitatingly to pull you out of tight corner, will willingly share his last smoke and peg with you, take your call at any time of day or night even if not in touch for decades, and keeps you grounded by exercising the privilege to call you a B****** with no offence given or taken, or, in simple vernacular ‘woh shakshiyat jise saat khoon maaf”!

15th March – Kolkata

There was a time in the not too distant past when Bengal was adorned with the coveted crown of possessing the most progressive outlook towards life, a time when Bengal moved culturally two decades ahead of times than rest of India. That crown, for now, adorns the Gujjus, the first to come up with the ahead of times ‘Maitri Karar’ agreement, that gave a legal facade to the plain and simple live-in relationships!

Stephen P Cohen in his book ‘India Emerging Power’, famously quips on the cultural and psychological construct of ‘being a Bengali’. He states that a lone Bengali will likely be a poet, two of them a debating forum, three together a publishing house comprising author, publisher, and a critic, and a gathering of four or more of them will likely invite imposition of the erstwhile Section 144 CrPC!!!

The lobby of The Lalit Great Eastern at Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal, witnessed an ‘unordinary’ gathering of ‘Manchilds’ and their lady chaperones, on 15th of March, as 28 couples on either side of the rim of 70 years, with spritely gait that belied their age, started arriving from across the length and breadth of India; from J&K in the North to Kerala in the South, Punjab and Gujarat to the West, to Bengal in the East, and the heartland states of mainland India.

This smart set of Ladies and ‘Manchilds’ exuded an undefinable aura mix of experience that comes from advanced age and of having seen all and done all; and yet possessing the innocence of a child unspoilt by adult human follies.

The welcome of these Silver Warriors, the ‘name de guirre’ of SS (NT) 25 – (Tech) 16, at The Lalit was befittingly orchestrated under the eagle sharp but benign eyes of our ‘Royal Bengal Tigers’ quartet couples, Shivani & Shashank Ganguly, Shukla & Tapan Basu, Brototi & Rana Chatterjee, and Ratna & Tapas Bandhopadhyay. 

They were thoughtfully and gracefully attired in traditional dress, that displayed uniformity as well as individuality, through artfully designed common colour scheme but with differing patterns!

The joy of meeting pre-commission training companions was on distinctive display. It was as if time had come to a standstill; fusing, in some cases, a time span of nearly half a century. It was a most apt and practical display of Einstein’s theory of relativity, that time warps and slows when encountering strong gravitational forces. After all what force can exercise a stronger magnetic pull than that of a Coursemate!

The evening opened up with a walk through time, at the Victoria Memorial ‘son et lumiere’ show. On Sundays the show is in Bengali, a language with which most of us were not well versed. But it did not dim our enthusiasm; after all the Indian Army is a unique potpourri of cultures and languages, enabling us to understand the broad gist of what was being spoken. The visuals stepped in further to enable our grasp of the story unfolding on the magnificent backdrop of the Victoria Memorial.

We returned to The Lalit for the eagerly awaited show of the day, the pre-dinner catching up with the happenings of the Collective. The solemnity of remembering those who have preceded us to the heavenly abode, the joys of family life, the struggles with the bodily failings, and for those more fortunate, continuing exploits in the physical and cerebral realms.

The seemingly frail in appearance Deva, who continues to blaze the arena year round in the marathons.

Golf aficionados Rana Chatterji, Manjeet Samra and Dharmendra, alongside Rajinder Behl, there’s rarely a golf course round the globe he has not played on.

Raju, and Ganesh, vocalists who can put any stage afire, duly supported by Yoginder Mathur a real ‘rasique’ with the mike on the stage.

Sudhir, an amazing reel shooter of wildlife, nature, and of human complexities.

Rakesh, who continues to find newer Himalayan landscapes to explore on motorcycle, while producing offbeat viewpoints on geopolitical affairs.

Vijay Chibber, our very own reincarnation of Dhanvantri Vaidh.

Charcoal, oil, water colour artist par excellence APS Cheema.

16th March – Sunderbans

“The Silver Warriors, through their extensive geographical spread across India and collective professional expertise apart from the military domain, in the sectors of banking & finance, legal profession, police and administrative services, hospitality, civil aviation, manufacturing, corporate affairs, agriculture, education, alternative therapies, transport, religious leader (!!!), real estate development, and other varied entrepreneur ventures, are privileged to better know the pulse of the nation.”

But even these role models from their respective domains, proved to be no exception to the dictum enunciated at the beginning.

So, it was an exuberant, nay unruly, group of ‘Manchilds’, chaperoned by their now anxious spouses, that boarded the buses for the scheduled journey and overnight stay at Sunderbans.

The spouses had good cause to be anxious, as the standard gestures of raised eyebrows, frowns, and sotto voiced commands routinely employed to keep the husbands leashed to their will, were proving ineffectual! Having learnt from bitter past experience, they were resigned to this 72 hours of uncharacteristic rebellious attitude of their husbands during the annual coursemates GTG. By now they were clear that the magnetic pull of the coursemates collective was more powerful than their individual magical spells!!!

Sundarbans, a UNESCO heritage site, and located 100 odd kilometres from Calcutta, is a maze of 102 mangrove islands spread over 10,000 sq kms, teeming with exotic bird and animal life. It is a unique expanse of salt-tolerant mangroves, primarily comprising Sundari trees with roots that enable breathing in the brackish tidal waters. It is also home to the Gangetic Dolphins, Ridley Turtles, and the famed Royal Bengal Tigers numbering 102 during their last census held in 2025.

This riverine maze is fed by the waters of rivers Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Meghna, and the tidal waves emanating from the bordering Bay of Bengal, that rise and fall by upto 2 - 3 mtrs. 62% of these mangrove islands are in Bangladesh and the rest within India. Of the 102 islands in India, 54 are inhabited, while the rest are now protected under the Forest Act.

To us the Sundarbans appeared to be the marine equivalent of the maze of the ‘beharh’ ravines along the Chambal river in Bhind and Morena districts. Once you are in, there’s no getting out without an experienced guide.

The journey by bus took us three and a half hours to the ferry point. By twelve o’ clock, embarked on two boats, we were off on our Sundarbans boat safari. Enroute, we took onboard forest guides to navigate the maze of marine waterways.

It was a unique five hours experience, though a bit monotonous towards the end. Our lunch was onboard, and we lodged for the night at an island resort.

The evening was an exciting medley of tribal folk dance, and musical entertainment presented by our in-house talent.

17th March - Sundarbans & Kolkata

“Travelling the Sundarbans is akin to sensing the ‘Power of Silence’, where the whispering wind, the gurgling tidal currents, and the mesmerising throb of the boat engine, all combine to overpower the ceaseless chatter of the mind into Stillness.”

Experiencing the Sundarbans can be a deeply meditative experience. The islands within the maze of marine waterways replicate the powerful magnetic appeal of the web of stars overhead; the mangrove forests that have withstood countless cyclonic storms since eternity, highlight the strength hidden in their stillness; and the teeming animal, avian, and marine life that this vastness shelters brings to fore the life giving force that thrives herein.

In sync with the above thought process, the day for the Silver Warrior Collective was devoted towards contemplative leisure. The silence following the overnight storm further set the mood for the day.

The day was well begun with a leisurely ‘bed tea’ in the central lawn, spiced with small talk of escapades from the days spent together at the OTS.

Dot at noontime we embarked on the boats for our return journey and onboard lunch. We entered Kolkata at its peak traffic rush hour. The madness of civilisation stood starkly at odds with the sublime green environs of the Sundarbans.

It was a relief to enter the portals of The Lalit Great Eastern Hotel Kolkata, an island of serene sanity in the midst of the cacophony of horns, motor engines, and polluted roads of Kolkata. It is one of the oldest iconic heritage structure of Kolkata, that traces its origins to 1840 CE, coinciding with the rise of East India Company in India. It has had a chequered history from its heydays of being termed as the ‘Jewel of the East’, to its closure in 2005, before being resurrected in its current avatar as The Lalit.

The dinner time once again reverberated to the sound of drums and music, as the Bacchus enthused Silvers danced the evening away.

18th March – Kolkata

The general sense about the day of commissioning is best expressed in this powerful verse of Pratap Raju…

‘Kaun kehta hai ki sitaron ko chhu nahi sakte,
Hamne toh taron ko kandhe par rakha hai!’

The day dawned bright and clear, reminiscent of the 18th of March of the year 1978, the day of commissioning for the 214 stalwarts of SS (NT) 25 – (Tech) 16 Course at OTS Madras.

A sumptuous breakfast, and off we went for an expansive tour of some of the iconic landmarks of Kolkata including the Writers Building, that housed the office of the Chief Minister of West Bengal, and currently undergoing renovation; 18 Lal Bazaar, the majestic Police Headquarters of Kolkata; Eden Garden cricket stadium with a seating capacity of 68,000 spectators; Howrah Bridge, a 26,500 tons of high tensile steel cantilever structure constructed sans nuts and bolts, which offers passage to more than a lakh vehicles daily.

We found Kolkata as a city comfortable with the stark contrasts that it presents to first timers; where elegance exists side by side with decadence; rich cultural roots thrive alongside chicanery; grandiose structures stand amidst crumbling neighbourhood; the display of serenity on the faces of its masses despite the chaos of a teeming city with inadequate civic infrastructure; the orderliness in the overall scheme of things, despite the visible disorder.

Our next stop was the Dakshinapam shopping complex, which boasts as the most expansive one roof destination for clothes in kantha, jamrani, and ajrakh works, and unique wooden and metallic handicrafts and curios. It was 2 pm by the time we returned to The Great Eastern to a sumptuous meal of authentic Bengali cuisine.

The 18th March Dinner at AOI, Fort William, Kolkata was the coup de main event, where the curtains were drawn on the GTG to the collective chant of ‘Chalte chalte mere yeh geet yaad rakhna kabhi alvida na kehna…’

But not before some scintillating display of Bengal culture by the ‘Nari Shakti’ trio of Brototi, Ratna, and Shukla, representing Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, with great aplomb. It was a performance to remember, that exposed us to the deep roots of our ancient culture.

The GTG as a whole was therapeutic, refreshingly invigorating, brought a glow to our faces, and infused fresh ‘prana’ into all present. Towards the close, even the gait had become sprightlier, and the very aura stronger. Those who had walked in with support, walked out without aid. All negative energies got banished.

Some of the major calls taken were, the Chandigarh Silvers to host the 2027 GTG, a green signal to the Chennai Silvers to prepare framework for the Golden Jubilee GTG 2028 at Chennai, and the city centric routine GTGs to be intimated across the main group for advance information.

There were learnings as well. The ‘Nari Shakti’ came across as a reckonable force even in this fourth quarter stage of life. Hopefully we shall see greater involvement of our ‘Nari Shakti’ in future GTGs.

There were personal learnings too. A few of us learnt to differentiate between Tapos and Tapan, and Tapan Basu and Tapan Chatterji. That Bannerjee may also be referred as Bandhopadhyay, Chatterji as Chattopadhyay, Mukherjee as Mukhopadhyay, and so on!!!

But the biggest revelation was the Bengali prose, “Mukheje kutil boro Bondibati sada, Tar opore bose ache Chatto maharaja.”

A heartfelt thank you with a big round of applause to ‘Bangbandhus’ Shivani & Shashank Ganguly, Shukla & Tapan Basu, Brototi & Rana Chatterjee, and Ratna & Tapos Bandhopadhyay, you shall ever be in our hearts. We enthusiastically Salute you for continuously outperforming yourselves every fresh day, and for your dedication in making the occasion one to be remembered…

Till we meet next…

19 - 20 March Gangasagar

“Char dham bar-bar, Gangasagar ek bar!”

While the curtains were called on the Silver Warriors GTG 2026, with the grand finale Dinner at AOI, Fort William, some eighteen Silvers and their spouses were keen to extend their Kolkata stay for a dip at Gangasagar. So the tour to Sagar island was planned as an adjunct to the GTG, under the aegis of Tapan Basu and Ashish Das, who assumed the honorific title of ‘Coordinator’ for this journey!

19^th of March 2026 is the first of the ‘Chaitra Navratras’, and some of the more spiritually inclined Silvers and their spouses, looked at being in Kolkata at this auspicious time a sign from the ‘Brahm’ to take a dip at Gangasagar. So off we went on this pilgrimage to wash away our sins of omission and commission, to continue life with a clean slate.

Sagar island lies in the delta region of the river Ganga, called Hooghly river in West Bengal. It is a 105 kms, four hours journey by road from Kolkata upto Harwood Point, where the travellers embark on a 45 minutes ferry ride to reach Kachuberia jetty on the island. Thence, it takes another 45 minutes taxi/bus journey to reach Gangasagar, the point where Ganga finally merges with the waters of the Bay of Bengal on the Southern end of this 290 odd sq kms island. It takes six hours to complete the whole journey.

The Silvers departed from Kolkata by around 0800 h on 19th March, in two groups, as you can trust the Silver Warriors to complicate the affairs. Ashish Das assumed the responsibility to ‘coordinate’ the Silvers group moving by taxi, private boat, and stay at an ashram. Tapan Basu was the ‘coordinator’ for those Silvers travelling by a hired bus, government ferry, and staying at a hotel. Then there was a third sub-group who were with Tapan for the move, but with Ashish for the stay on the island!!! Interesting, isn’t it! Kudos to the two Silvers coordinators, who handled these intricacies with aplomb.

The Sagar island also holds a Kolkata Port Trust pilot change over station, where the incoming ships report to take onboard pilots to navigate the ship through the narrow maritime Hooghly channel to the ports of Haldia, Diamond Harbour, and Kolkata. Roughly 30 odd major ships move inwards on this maritime journey, monthly.

We gainfully spent the evening hours exploring the island on taxis. An interesting facet of Sagar island is the presence of a beautiful ‘Nag’ temple, devoted to worship of serpents. The east of India is the source point of ‘Nari Shakti’ in the Kali form of Durga, as well as ‘Nag Shakti’, the shape changing netherworld beings blessed with supernatural powers. This temple did have a palpable flow of energy. Cultivation of ‘paan’ leaves, and tourism are the major source of income for the inhabitants of this island.

The Kapil Muni ashram, roughly 500 mtrs inland from the Gangasagar bathing point on the beach, is another major religious attraction for the visitors. It is the belief that the curse of Kapil Muni on the 60,000 family members of the then King Sagar, was the root cause that put into motion the sequence of events leading to the descent of Ganga from its heavenly abode to the Himalayas on earth, and onwards flow to Gangasagar.

Taking a dip at the confluence point of Ganga and Sagar is believed to wash away all sins of an eternity, especially during the period of ‘Makarsakranti’ in mid-January, when the Sun starts its annual northward movement cycle. Taking a holy dip at the Gangasagar, offering ‘anjali’ to the Sun, followed by paying obeisance at the Kapil Muni temple completes the religious ritual.

The Silvers began arriving at the Gangasagar beach in twos and threes from 0600 h onwards, in time to take the holy dip in the intermingled river-ocean waters, and pay salutation to the rising sun, a shimmering orange ball playing hide and seek from behind partial cloud cover. Thereafter we proceeded to the nearby Kapil Muni temple for completing the religious rituals.

Post-breakfast the Silvers commenced their return journey by 0930 hrs.

It was a blessed group of Silvers who returned to Kolkata by dusk of 20th March, to undertake the onward return journeys to their respective permanent residential abodes.

Thank you, Ashish and Tapan for your commendable coordination efforts of an intricate journey!

‘Ahm Brahmasmi’