“A student’s bond with his/her school and teachers never breaks,” says Jhansi Rani, Geography teacher of TVS Matriculation School. “The importance of school and teachers is realized only after one is out of the institution.” Many old students came back to their alma mater to relive their ‘uniform days’ and last Sunday evening was a moment to cherish when the three-day annual fest of the Lakshmi Old Student’s Association (LOSA) reached its grand finale. As students, teachers, friends and classmates met after a long time, recollections and emotions marked the evening.
The culminating event, ‘Costumes of India’, saw young girls and guys taking it to the stage in fashionable outfits. The interschool event was being held for the 26th time and this time over 30 schools participated from across the state, in nearly 42 events.
Summing it up, Mahesh Chabbria, the president of LOSA, says, “I have nurtured LOSA like a kid and it’s now 26 years old. The event reflects our sentiments and emotions attached to this institution.” Apart from nearly 30 students of the organizing batch, the efforts of many senior alumni members and a turnout of many other old students made the evening memorable.
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Uma Ramesh, Principal of the school, says, “I feel happy when my old students recognize me and however big they have become they still seem like kids to me. I give lot of importance to LOSA as it brings back memories. It’s nice to know that many students in spite of reaching great heights in life hold high respect and regard for teachers.”
Gururajan, Commerce teacher for 32 years and presently the Vice Principal, says, “When old students revisit, it shows the unshakeable love they have for the school. Many of them often say that the kind of love and care they got in school is difficult to find elsewhere.” He adds that some of the alumni who have settled abroad have come back and put their children in the school. “I am teaching the second generation now. Sons and daughters of my old students study in my class.”
Vignesh, a student of the 2006 batch, now a software professional in Chennai, never misses a LOSA event. “I take off from work every year and make it a point to be here for the event.” Rajalakshmi, an old student of the 1986 batch, works as history teacher at the school. She says, “Being both a student and a teacher in the same school is a great feeling.”
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Karthikeyan, a member of the organizing batch, says, “I have come all the way from my college at Philippines only to enjoy being with my school mates. We have worked for over a month for the event and we feel proud of our school and its heritage.”
Some students do point out that over the last three years the response of old students has dropped because of busy schedules at college and also as many have left for faraway places. Yet, the zest with which the event is carried out every year is amazing. A bunch of old bench-mates chat in a corner while a once studious student Sindhuja, now settled in London, recalls her classroom days. “On my first visit to London, I remembered my sixth grade when my geography teacher taught us the world map explaining where England was.” As break-time buddies take a break again, the jokes and laughter echo across the playground.