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Memories that last forever
SUDHA UMASHANKER
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It was a nostalgic trip for the alumni of the Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, Church Park, when they recently gathered for the alumni meet.
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IT MUST have been difficult for the 300-odd former students of the Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School-Church Park, who braved the heat to attend the alumni meet on July 21, to not be nostalgic.
As they congregated in the school premises for the launch of the Alumni Association and the second Parent Teacher Association being formed after 40 years, for almost everyone the rush of memories was overpowering.
"Hi! You must be so and so. Remember when we got into trouble for eating in class." "Ms. Hema, you haven't changed one bit." "Sister Clare, how good to see you!" Greetings such as these were exchanged that Saturday afternoon.
Each student had a bagful of memories to share — of being taken under the wing of Miss Isaak, the junior nursery teacher ; of manually stencilling the words `Welcome' or `Good Morning' in front of the pergola leading to the convent and filling the letters with flowers; ; of getting into trouble for not doing home work or drinking water straight from the taps; of trailing behind the Principals, Sister Josepha and Sister Celine, for a hug or some sweets; of praying at the beautiful chapel regardless of one's faith; of cheering at the annual sports day; ; of practising for the tactical march perfected by Mrs. Simon; of being taught Mrs. Edwards, Miss. Hema, Mrs. Mathias, Mrs. Nathan, Mrs. Lalitha Subramaniam, Mrs. Saraswathi, Mrs. Soudamani, Mrs. Chellappa, Mr. Narasimhachari, the Sanskrit master with his trademark tuft and panchakatcham, and Mr. Handel Manuel, who taught us Western music...
ThePresentation Convent-Church Park, on Mount Road, has produced many successful women who today are in positions of power in every walk of life. The Convent of the Presentation Sisters was founded by Nano Nagle in Cork, Ireland, in 1775. Though born into an affluent family, Nano Nagle heard the call of God "in the cry of the poor who were ignorant, ridden in superstition and had no faith in God", and decided to dedicate her life to the cause of Catholic education. From Cork, the Presentation Sisters spread their roots far and wide and came to India in 1842, setting up schools, hospitals and dispensaries in many parts of the country.
The Sacred Heart Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Madras, was one such, established on September 8, 1909. In 1910, the school received recognition as Middle School under the European code to work under the Madras Education Rules as an Indian school with 137 children on the roll.
From an SSLC school, the Sacred Heart School became a private matriculation school, affiliated to the University of Madras in 1952. While originally the school catered for the elite and "aimed at the acquisition of behaviouristic ideals to conform to a genteel society", from the late 1970s the need was felt to reach out to the less privileged as well through the medium of Tamil. This section, which was started in 1980 with 36 pupils, now has more than 600 students and is housed in a separate building.
At the meeting on Saturday, Asha Ram Mohan outlined programmes in the pipeline and gave details of the forthcoming reunions. In Sr. Clare's opinion, the Alumni Association was long felt. Mallika Srinivasan, director, TAFE, said the school serves as a welcome haven and a refuge from the cruel competitive world that we live in. Church Park nurtures its students and enables each of them to leave with a sense of pride.
Jayanthi Natarajan, Member of Parliament, said in a world that was divisive, it was beautiful to find an institution that brings people together. "It's an institution of tremendous power because it is bound by ties of love." She didn't recall having studied in the real sense but only of having a lot of fun, and reckoned that she must have gained knowledge by a process of osmosis.
Among the many things that Dr. Kamala Selvaraj remembered were being taught to pray and turn to a higher power during a crisis. Kumar Vale, one of the few male students present, complimented the school for the way it was being run. Miss Hema, who taught Science for many years, had a word of advice. "India has a great heritage but is steeped in poverty. Go forth and help two to three children and India will be a better country."
Vidya Singh and Uma Antony put up a presentation that traced the history and growth of the school. Sr. Marie Anne, the present principal and the driving force behind the get-together, said it was an occasion to come together both for fellowship and to see what could be done for the institution, in particular, and society, at large.
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