By Kanwar Dhindsa(VBD ’99)

 All Aboard The “Challenge” ! Dinner and Dance Cruise on 22nd September 2018 Toronto officially became a chapter this summer, there was much to celebrate. With Heady’s first visit to Canada, we were ready for the second reunion of the year, thanks to our enthusiastic chapter coordinator, Anjum Siddiqui (NGD ’87). 

An extraordinary evening was planned for the celebrations as we chartered a sailboat, and exclusive souvenirs were created for the meetup. The event initially seemed like an ambitious experiment to many, but closer to the date we were completely sold out with 70 people including OS and family, and Heady on the sailboat. A big salute to the two out-of-towners, Raj Bans (VGD ’82) who had made a special trip from Montreal with her son, and to Sanil Juneja (VBD ’00), who had come with his wife and kids from Windsor and made a weekend of it in Toronto. 

Heady, Mr. Vinay Pande, too had a hectic weekend! He flew in that afternoon from Montreal after attending the Round Square Conference. We received him at the airport and duly reached him to his host Jhujhar Mangat (HBD’00). 

It was officially the first day of fall and there was a chill in the air, but we were also blessed with clear skies and crisp evening sunshine. We sailed towards the orange sky, with its beautiful reflection in the water and the breath-taking backdrop of the Toronto skyline. Everyone quietly observed the spectacular views as we listened to Heady’s speech. As it grew dark, the lights of downtown and an almost full moon illuminated over the water, champagne was popped and we all raised a toast to Heady and Sanawar. A new era with a stronger international presence was being unveiled for Sanawar.

The party took off with a bang as the bar was finally thrown open. The upper deck of the sailboat was perfect for those willing to embrace the fall weather, while the lower level was mostly dominated by the OS kids, who loving their little pirate gifts complete with eye patch and earrings, (courtesy the organisers) and ran around brandishing their plastic swords yelling “shiver me timbers!!!” – They were pirates on a real ship, couldn’t get any better! 

The upper deck adjoining the bar was transformed into the dance floor for the evening as the DJ played some wonderful numbers. A few of us took to the dance floor on catchy Bhangra beats while rest were busy mingling. Many stories were swapped—of relocating to foreign lands and memories of the Sanawar of our youth. 

There was a beeline to meet Heady, either to reconnect with him or to get to know him better. Dr. Nazli Siddiqui, fondly remembered as Docy, was the other guest of honour, and she too was busy reconnecting with her admirers. 

The action continued with a busy bar and free-flowing kabobs, salsa and cheese platters. A delicious continental dinner was laid out on the lower deck, followed by an assorted pastries selection for desserts followed by tea and coffee, for those willing to tear themselves away from the bar Eventually everyone found their way down to the food counters. 

All too soon we had docked—the evening seemed very short or perhaps we were just having such a great time. Many refused to leave or have the party end so soon. So the celebration was moved to a brewery nearby called ‘Amsterdam on the water’. But let the name not fool you—there was nothing Amsterdam about it! There was Heady at the big table, people were having their last drinks, and gradually the crowd dispersed. The thank yous and goodbyes took forever as there was always one last story or joke to share! It was an extraordinary evening as everyone reconnected with each other and were touched once more, by Sanawar, that most fascinating chapter of our lives. It was more than a perfect evening for any Sanawarian at the other end of the globe.