The ballroom of the Park Hotel in Delhi came alive with memories and musings as an incredible community gathered together to celebrate 50 years of Inlaks - of a vision that inspired them and grew from strength to strength backed by their enduring support.

Guests at the lunch

The event began with Priyanka Varma, Country Director of Inlaks, welcoming all the guests and recalling the moment, when she had joined the Foundation and Chairperson Azad Shivdasani had asked her to build a strong alumni network - "one that can lean on each other as much or as little", in his words.

She realised that the common experience and what binds Inlaks' diverse alumni together is their regard for, and unstinting support to, the Foundation. She expressed gratitude to the alumni as well as the many friends and collaborators who had stood by them throughout this long journey, inviting them to share their thoughts on this special milestone.

Trustee Vir Sanghvi speaking on the occasion

Trustee Vir Sanghvi spoke about how his association with Inlaks came into being, followed by alumni from various decades, including 1984 Scholar Somak Raychaudhury, 1980 Scholar Geeta Luthra, 2017 Scholar Anushka Siddiqui and 1988 Scholar Ratnadeep Lal, sharing what the Foundation meant to them. They recalled the warmth of the Shivdasani family, their interview anecdotes and experiences abroad, the moments and memories that had stayed with them, and what they felt made Inlaks, Inlaks. Priyanka then read out a beautiful poem penned by 1979 Scholar Shri Prakash for the occasion.

(From T-L: Alumni Somak Raychaudhary, Geeta Luthra, Ratnadeep Lal and Anusha Siddiqui sharing their thoughts on the occasion

Trustee Olympia Shivdasani addressing the audience

Trustee Olympia Shivdasani expressed her joy at seeing the alumni community together at these events and discovering more about everyone's journeys, new chapters in their careers and more.

Trustee Vir Chauhan shared his thoughts on the occasion

Trustee Vir Chauhan credited the alumni community's commitment as the reason of the Foundation's success, and spoke fondly about the many bonds formed over the last five decades in a trip down memory lane. He expressed admiration for the time and care put in by the Shivdasani family over the generations, and recalled the contributions of many, including its previous Chairperson Count Nicolo Sella di Monteluce, trustee Sudhir Anand, Colin Lucas, 1977 Scholar Anmol Vellani, 1980 Scholar Geeta Luthra, 1991 Scholar Manisha Parekh and more.

The Foundation had also brought out analog photo albums from its archives for the alumni to go through, and the afternoon was spent poring over photos, recalling everyone's younger selves and old memories.

Alumna Manisha Parekh and others enjoying the Inlaks photo albums

In a special surprise, a short film created specially for the 50th year of Inlaks was showcased, sparking warm smiles and applause. With a cake cutting led by alumni (it's a 50th birthday, after all!), the formal event concluded and was followed by lunch, where the conversations continued well into the afternoon, with promises of reconnecting made, and new plans and ideas discussed.

Vir Chauhan, Vibha Chauhan, Amita Malkani, Olympia Shivdasani, Geeta Luthra and Priyanka Varma at the cake cutting

The anniversary celebrations shall continue with meet-ups in other cities over the course of the year, and we hope to see the alumni community turn up in full strength, as always.

Enjoy a sneak peek into the afternoon's revelries here.