A bunch of old students of Class Four - Division A of Holy Angels’ Convent (HAC) are all set for a trip back to their school days. Quite literally, in fact. Come October 31, 50 years after they graduated from primary school, some 32 students, both men and women of the 1960-65/66 batch, will catch a ride on one of the city’s famed double-decker buses from Kowdiar and make their way to the school for a day of fun, laughter and memories. Among them are well-known entrepreneurs, businessmen, scientists, bureaucrats, doctors, engineers…
“Most of us either joined HAC’s kindergarten – known as the ‘baby class’ – in 1960 or Class One a couple of years later and together we passed out of primary school in 1965-66. We were a bunch of children sailing through the A division of the beautiful school, which gave us our first lessons outside our homes. Back then, we cried together, sang together, repeated nursery rhymes in unison, ran up and down the old wooden spiral staircase together, saw movies in the assembly hall… and struck up friendships that have lasted five decades,” says textile entrepreneur Sushil Raj, who is coordinating the get-together with some of his classmates.
The idea for the get-together started when three of the old students met up at Sushil’s house, which led to another meeting, on July 4, to be exact, this time with a few women of the batch too. One of the classmates, Usha Devi, managing director, Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation, says: “We all parted ways after Class Four but when we met up again, there was so much camaraderie, that was as if the 50 year gap didn’t even exist!”
The men and women were so enthusiastic about their days in HAC that they wanted to get together with more of their classmates. “The school authorities gave us access to the register for Class One, 1962, and we got the names of many of the 400 or so students in the entire batch [in divisions A-F]. From that list we whittled it down to those in A division. Then, during Onam, 26 of us former classmates, who are based in Kerala, got together for a scrumptious sadya,” say Sushil and Usha. For this meet, another six classmates, who live outside the state, will also be joining them, taking the count to 13 women and 19 men.
The old students, though, wanted to celebrate the occasion with the current generation. As such, on the same day, at 9.30 a.m., they are organising an ‘Innovative Challenge Competition’ for class nine and class 10 students of the school and for students of other city schools such as St. Mary’s Pattom, St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School, Model School, Fort High School, and Cotton Hill Girls H.S., institutions that date back to at least 50 years when they were in school. “One of our classmates, David Gonzales, who was the SSLC first rank holder for our batch and a former director of General Motors, now a businessman based in Kuala Lumpur, came up with the idea for a competition where a team of five students have to present an innovative product or service. The best ideas will win the Abdul Kalam trophy and attractive cash prizes,” says Sushil Raj.
Following the contest and an elaborate lunch on the premises, the old students will meet the headmistress of the school and staff members, past and present. “We are particularly looking forward to meeting Mrs. Sylvi, who was one of the teachers in baby class. She is in her late 70s and is presently in Bangalore. We’ve also located our Four A class teacher, Sister Magdalene, in a convent in Mumbai, and we will be video chatting with her,” adds Sushil.
The celebration will come to a close with another double-decker bus ride, this time from HAC to Shanghumughom beach accompanied by the teachers of the school, and a gala dinner in the evening for the classmates.
