How I wish I were still young; that too, in the same school where the days went by playfully with pranks; joyously with jotting down notes; and speedily with sweet sense of camaraderie… This was the common and binding thought striking the minds of all the 108 people from various walks of life, who assembled on January 26. Varied are their cultures; myriad are their lifestyles; and different are their backgrounds. Yet the thread, emotionally strong and unforgettable at that, which bound them all and brought them together, was the alma mater: The IFC High School. The occasion when the 108 old students were seen chewing the cud of memories that resurfaced from their inner hearts was the function held at the school ground. It was an exercise to relive the 1976-77 academic year; to recapture the ambience of the fag-end of the 70’s and to reconstruct the school life of the alumni.
The reunion function was the brain-child of five old students Mr. Venkatakrishnan, Ms. Kanchanamala, S. Daniel, N. Elangovan and Ms. Sumathy who happened to be living in the same vicinity, perpetuating their relationship dating back to the school days. After strenuous and tireless preparations spanning over 8 months, their endeavour resulted in the function. However, out of 200 students of the 1976-77 SSLC class batch (Old SSLC – XI Std.), they could trace only 126 students and finally 108 students showed up at the show bubbling with nostalgic memories.
The whole school scenario looked like one lifted from director Thangar Bachchan’s film, ‘Pallikoodam’. Appropriately, he graced the occasion with his presence and speech. Lyricist Pa. Vijay spoke about what was an inseparable part of school life: friendship. From mythology, he quoted the intense friendship between Karnan and Dhuriyodhanan. Several friendships have weathered lot of storms like that of political leaders Karunanidhi and M. G. Ramachandran. Film-maker Sasikumar also spoke at the function, going lyrical about friendship.
