A torch with a tall leaping tongue of fire is evocative — think Olympics. Passed on, it signifies a sense of continuity, collaboration and community. A torch with dry cells do not make for a similarly arresting picture. However, the alumni of PS High School (PSHS) have managed those three Cs despite having settled for a torch of the garden variety.
In 2019, when the school’s 1969 batch had their golden-jubilee reunion, the tradition of passing on the torch to the next batch saw the light. Through this act, a batch symbolically transfers the responsibility of improving the school’s infrastructure to the one next in line to celebrate its fiftieth-year meet-up.
The school tie being strong, a good number of batches would be in for the long haul, chipping in with support from time to time, but when the torch finds a batch in its golden-jubilee year, a massive effort is tacitly expected of it.
Three successive batches have had a taste of this new tradition, and with each doing justice to it, the school now has improved classrooms with better chairs and tables and smartboards (1969 batch); a well-appointed computer lab with 22 new computers and related-lab facilities (1970 batch); and recently, a block of new restrooms with hugely upgraded facilities (1971 batch).
The modest torch with dry cells has been a huge motivator. Here is an illustration.
Dr. U.V. Ramakrishnan from the 1970 batch, lives at Appu Street where he also has a practice as a pulmonologist, besides being attached to a private hospital.
He recalls that when the 1969 batch had their golden jubilee celebrations, the school management sent for him.
“The ‘69 batch passed the torch on to me,” says Dr. Ramakrishnan, adding that the responsibilities with him were a tad more demanding — because, he had to start from the scratch, having to stitch together a 1970-batch alumni group.
“As I was a doctor, the school administration was able to contact me,” he explains. “The 1971 batch had started meeting., within 30 years of passing out of school. They were building their contacts slowly, whereas we did not do that. Fortunately, some of my batchmates were in the same locality. Catching hold of them, I spread the word about having to build a 1970-batch alumini group, through them. Today, the 1970-batch alumni group is over 40 members old, and we stay connected over WhatsApp. In February 2020 (12 in attendance), we conducted one meet and in early-March (when the number doubled), another. By no stretch of the imagination are these a golden-jubilee reunion. The idea has been in cold storage, and when the threat from the pandemic subsides, we would have it organised. As our batch stretches up to ‘G’ section, with each having around 40 students, our alumni group has to obviously grow bigger.”
Though the pandemic has moved their grand reunion, the 1970 batch has managed to “pass on the torch”.
“During the second meeting, in early-March, 2020, we formed a core group and we went around the campus with headmistress R. Kala, looking into various things that required attention. The computer lab being one of them, we made it the focus of our project. The computers had mostly aged 12 to 15 years. We raised close to ₹ 6 lakh, with which we managed to donate 22 brand-new computers, items necessary to run a computer lab, an Air-Conditioning unit, wall fans and a vacuum cleaner. From my end, I also passed on some sanitary equipment,” says Dr. Ramakrishnan.
On this new practice that is three batches old, KVS Gopalakrishnan, secretary of PS High School and the PS Educational Society, says “It ensures continuity in both service to the alma mater and also connectivity between one batch and another; and continues the chain. The handing over of the torch like a baton has happened only among the 1969, 70 and 71 batches, but the golden jubilee reunions have been going on since 1990 when the 1940 celebrated theirs. For the last 30 years, the golden-jubilee reunions have been happening, and sometimes, the batches may also meet for their 25th and 20th year reunion in an informal manner. Even before the reunion happens, they get in touch with the headmistress or the secretary to find out what they could do for the school.”
Dr. Ramakrishnan lauds earlier batches that have made impressive contributions, though they had no “torch” to spur them on.
He gives an example: “My brother UV Babu is from the 1964 batch and I know that they have made a difference by taking care of old teachers.”
