Dear Alumni friends,

Annual Dinner 2019 -Namma ELSA was once again a joyous celebration as our reunion dinners have always been. It has left us with an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments and learnings of ELSA over the last year. Refer to the AV https://youtu.be/uMH1vzT_RVE

As a reflective musing, we have become even more grateful for being able to serve this wonderful alumni association. We need you to now give your full support to the next EC and to ELSA activities.

Elections are in process and all registered members of ELSA must vote. This is a voluntary body yet requires our time and commitment. So let us all do our bit, get online and press the icon on 12 names. The ELSA AGM is being held on September 14th at LSR, and is an opportunity to meet and move forward with greater optimism. Some important items will be tabled that will further strengthen our network. All ELSA members are invited to join. It will also give you an opportunity to meet and congratulate new members of EC 2019-21.

And as always, let us remind you that membership of ELSA is the best way to support and be part of our growing network. We encourage you to consider referring ELSA to fellow alumni or even sponsoring someone that you know would be happy to get ELSA membership.

Specifics on AGM have been shared below and will be forthcoming in the next few days as well.

See you on Sep 14th,
Vinita
EC ELSA President 2017-19

Date: Saturday, 14th September 2019
Venue: Manju Bharat Ram Conference Room, 1st Floor, New Block, LSR College, Lajpat Nagar IV, New Delhi – 110 024

Schedule:
9.30 – 10.10am On the spot voting for ELSA Members
9.30am – 10.15am Registration for AGM
10.15am – 11.15am Annual General Meeting of the ELSA Association and the election result
11.15am – 11.30am: Tea
11.30am – 12.30pm: A Walk down Memory Lane at LSR by Principal Dr. Suman Sharma

Regarding the AGM:

• Please arrive on time and factor in enough time to park your cars, reach the Manju Bharat Ram Auditorium (New Block), and register.
• The AGM will start at 10.15 am sharp and you may not enter once the meeting has been called to order.
• Remember to carry your ELSA Membership Cards with you. Those of you who haven’t received your cards yet should carry some form of identification.
• The AGM Registration Desk will be in the foyer outside the Manju Bharat Ram Auditorium, New Block. Please register and collect the Agenda.
• Those present who have not voted online for the elections will have the opportunity to do so before the AGM. Election results for the ELSA Association Executive Committee 2019-21 will be announced at the AGM.
• If you have friends who are LSR alumni and have not yet become members, they can do so at the Membership Enrolment Desk by filling a form and paying their Membership Fee before the AGM. To attend the AGM, they must do this on the day before 10.15am and must pay their full membership fee.
• The AGM will end at 11.15 am and will be followed by tea and snacks. A walk around the college campus will be conducted by the Principal, for those who are interested.

PLEASE NOTE: ONLY REGISTERED ELSA MEMBERS CAN ATTEND THE AGM

We are embarking on a new chapter this coming week and would appreciate your support!

From 9-13 September 2019, ELSA members can vote for a 12 member Executive Committee of their choice for the next two years. This year we have 15 outstanding ladies whose manifestos have been shared with you on mail. Now is your chance to vote for your preferred candidates.

Go on our website
http://www.lsralumna.org/elsa-ec-election2019.php and sign up using your member ID log in credentials. Select ‘VOTING’ on the right hand side of the ELSA Election page. Please make sure you select exactly 12 names from the list. You also have the option of clicking on each candidate’s name if you would like to know her better.

Please encourage members around you to take a few minutes and vote for our Association.. each vote counts!

Voting begins 12am midnight on 9 September!

Nearly one month on, and we’re still flush with the bonds forged by the Namma ELSA Annual Dinner held on the 10th of August 2019. It would be impossible to capture every exhilarating, empowering, frustrating, brilliant moment, but here we try and bring you snapshots that convey a bit of the magical essence that was our journey.

Having organised the last few dinners in Delhi, the EC felt it was time to make the annual reunion dinner more inclusive: Bangalore being the oldest chapter was the first choice. From there started the Namma ELSA journey. When the idea of ELSA Bangalore hosting the Annual Dinner was broached by Chapter President Vandana Sarin, there were lots of questions amongst the Chapter members about what it would entail, the opportunity cost to our chapter and whether we could draw a meaningful group of participants. As we scoped the possibility of hosting the dinner by drawing up shoestring budgets and more cautiously optimistic ones and visiting potential venues, the team-think and buy-in happened unnoticed.

The team was clear about the theme from the start. ELSA Bangalore was committed to the theme of sustainability and it factored into discussions with venues and influenced our thinking. Out of this was born the Tree of Life motif, the Dress Code which celebrated the old and rejected fast fashion, and the 60-Day Challenge.

The skepticism and side-eyed concern turned into planning meetings where the sky was the limit and the approach was why not. From the bare bones of an abstract sketch rose teams of beavering enthusiasts, who not only buoyed their own mates, but also lit fires under other teams. Planning meetings culminated in video sessions where our heartfelt invitations were sent out into the world.

As the event flow team held its third in-person iteration with speakers such as Vinita Bali, the decor team magicked our motif in rich textures and colours. The event team did a pub dry run, in addition to planning the Nrityagram visit, the Taneira shopping, the Coorg getaway, the Lalbagh walk and MTR breakfast. The larger ELSA community was drawn in through contributions to the ELSA playlist, memories and moment’s takeaways, and the Heritage sari storytelling.

Meeting after meeting with agendas from registration to sponsorship, organising Add-a-Holiday events, from venue and menu tastings to handwriting the handmade seed paper food tags - all effort was poured into the event by umpteen hands and minds. It all crescendoed with the college song and a poem written for the process and its dream. We celebrated the Golden and Silver girls with ELSA-baked cakes and ELSA-designed stoles and challenged each other to commit ourselves to the 60-Day Sustainability Challenge.

The waterflow of passion created not just an Annual Dinner that we are all so proud of, but it also forged into tempered steel the purpose and the love that we Chapter members feel for each other and our association. Truly the spirit of ONE ELSA!

Bengaluru Pub Crawl

The 6th Edition of the ELSA Annual Dinner was kick started on 9th August with about 30 ELSAs attending the Pub Crawl in Indiranagar, Bangalore. The ELSA Bangalore Chapter organised the pub-crawl as a pre-cursor to the overall celebrations! From a brewery tour to dancing till our feet hurt, the 6-hrs long pub-crawl saw it all! The pub-crawl was spread over 3 places, namely - Toit, Arena Brew Kitchen, and Milanos. These places were overflowing with the finest food choices and the ladies had their fair share of drinks too! The grand finale was obviously a trip to Milano Ice cream since there's no better cure for a hangover than ice cream!

Lal Bagh Visit

A visit to the famous Lal Bagh Gardens in Bangalore was scheduled for an eager group of Elsas on Sunday, 11th August 2019. About 25 of us were counted and recounted, advised and shepherded by Linika and Nilu. Quite a task!

We met at the Lal Bagh gate at 6.45am and, what do you know, out came homemade filter coffee! Wondrous start…. Our guide Vijay Thiruvadi then took over as shepherd and professor, and we could not have wished for anyone better. His encyclopedic knowledge knew no bounds and all of us came out feeling hugely satisfied and much enlightened.

History came to life. The ancient trees bore living testament to centuries past. Stones as old as the planet itself. Sculptures of stone and wood. Rare and beautiful plants. All these may have passed us by if it was not for the passion of the narrator. At times we could not help but applaud. The venerable gentleman took it humbly in his stride and moved us on, determined to get us to breakfast on time.

Breakfast was at MTR and it was a continued celebration of history, with Mr. Thiruvadi filling us in with the background of the famous restaurant and it’s delicious food. Bangloreans tell us that one visit is not enough. And we know why!

Trip to NRITYAGRAM

Set in an idyllic atmosphere, Nrityagram is 35 km away from central Bangalore. As arranged, we arrived at noon, all together in a bus especially hired for this occasion and went straight into the dance hall to catch the Nrityagram students practice for their annual show. Mesmerised, we watched the sinuous movements of the students dance in perfect Odissi style, getting up only when they took a break. We then went on a guided tour of the place, originally conceived of by Protima Gauri and designed by the famous architect Gerard De Cunha. Meandering through abstract sculptures, open dance halls and greenery we ended up at their beautiful amphitheater. We then had lunch, lovingly cooked by the Nrityagram Ammas. The homemade pickles were a super hit.

The day was coming to a close, but we ELSAs had just one more thing to celebrate. A surprise cake was rolled in and the birthday girl, MG, was made to cut it while we all sang for her. A lovely end to a lovely day!

Trip to Coorg
12-14 August 2019

The camaraderie felt on our way to Coorg was immediate. We were all looking forward to the break, but it was only once we drove up to the Heritage cottage that the feeling of being in paradise hit us. From the entrance of the plantation, tall crotons in resplendent colours greeted us. Towering trees and coffee shrubs surrounded us till we reached the AMA plantation cottage.

It was the most breathtaking sight, through the mist and the clearing drizzle, to see the distant Mysore hills, silver oaks and the vibrant flowers all around. The 150-year old bungalow is beautiful in its setting, overlooking hills on one side and tall trees on the other end that provided shade to the coffee shrubs.

We embarked on a botany and bird watching trail with an amazing guide who could ape bird sounds. This was followed by a plantation trail the next day, through a coffee plantation where pepper creepers and cardamom plants grow together, adding to the taste of the coffee. This further enriched our experience.

With the awesome company of fellow Elsas and the amazing hospitality of everyone at the cottage, we had Diganta Chakraborty and the amazing Chef Dharma taking great care of us. Pampered and well looked after, we reluctantly left the cottage to get back to reality from the dream we were in for those three days far. Thank you for every bit of our wonderful experience. -Sonia Walia

Lucknow: As they say, baby steps lead to greater heights, so this was our baby step today. ELSAs in Lucknow met for the first time in August! So, here we begin the ELSA Lucknow Chapters! In the pic are Kamna Kamal Maahi, Ruchika Kumar, Monisha Bhargava and Bhavna Suman.

Pune: The visit of Vandana Sarin from Bangalore happily led to a meeting of Elsa Pune on 23rd August 2019 most of whom were meeting for the first time! The group met at the lovely outdoor section of the Italian restaurant Darios, in leafy Koregaon Park, cool and green in the monsoons with a peacock walking by adding to its charm! As seen in the picture from right to left are Vandana Kohli and Maneka both visiting from Mumbai, Brinda Gill, Vinita Dang Mohoni, Ramma, Vandana Sarin and Anjali Byce. The `girls’ happily connected with each other even as they were from different courses and decades at college and had not met before. Ah! The special connect of having studied at LSR!

Dehradun:
The Dehradun chapter met on the evening of 3rd September for coffee and gupshup!


Canada: The ELSA CANADA group had its 2nd meet up on 25th August for a picnic on a beautiful Sunday afternoon with 10 of us (and some of our spouses) in attendance! Special thanks to Poonam Gupta for taking the lead on coordinating the get together!

USA: ELSAs from New Jersey met up in June at Chef's Table, Edison for what turned out to be a very extended and fun lunch!

Bangalore

On popular demand, and for those who missed out .. Lalbagh walk with Vijay Thiruvady, is planned again for the 22nd September. 22 Elsas have already signed up for rhe event. These botanical gardens, spread over 180 acres, in the middle of the city serve as the much needed lungs for the city. Possibly every tree in Bangalore , native or exotic has had some connection with LalBagh. The walk will end with breakfast at the iconic Mavalli Tiffin Room (MTR) where we learnt about the origins of the rava idli during our visit last time. Looking forward to being served filter kapi in silver tumblers once again.
To register mail elsabangalore@gmail.com

On behalf of the ELSA family we warmly welcome our new members