On May 29, the 1984 batch of Cathedral Primary School in Santhome will meet on the campus at 11 a.m. to relive the good old days. The organisers of the meet point out this is the first ever reunion for any batch of the institution.
Located amidst a cluster of institutions on Santhome High Road, Cathedral School would not easily ring a bell but the primary school has a few firsts to its cap.
The Tamil medium co-educational institution catered to underprivileged sections of the society and has offered the gift of education to many first-generation learners including those from the fishing community.
For many decades, the institution has served as a preparatory ground for students before they moved to Santhome Higher Secondary School, St Raphael Girls Higher Secondary School and other institutions in the neighbourhood.
Many of the early batches studied at the building attached to the premises of the Santhome Cathedral Basilica, before the school moved to a new campus located opposite the road.
According to The Hindu archives, the new building for the school was inaugurated in 2006.
The school began a century ago with just three children from the slums located nearby. The report notes that the Santhome Church used to incur huge costs of running the institute, providing uniform, stationary items, notebooks and bags to the children.
“Mid-day meals would be served. Some of us were adopted by foreigners who sent us plenty of gifts,” says Israel Devadoss, who is the main organiser.
Margaret Aaron, another batchmate, says the school encouraged them to take part in various extracuricular activities. “I remember being part of the jubilee celebration where we performed a cultural programme,” says Margaret.
Israel says he wanted to organise a reunion meet inspired by the initiatives of Santhome School alumni.
Edwin Joseph, for instance, is a Tanjore artist. The alumni adorn many professions. “As a majority of us are based in the city, it would be good to network. I hope to find the contact of other batchmates too,” says Israel, adding that they also plan to organise a meet for other batches.
For details, contact Israel Devadoss at 7395964933 | 9841728808
