Memory lane – First reunion after 33 years!

Memory lane – First reunion after 33 years!

A surprise call was the starting of it all. A call with a question – “We are planning to do a reunion, would you be interested?” The issue seems simple enough for an equally simple answer of yes, but the emotions behind it is utterly unfathomable. The very first reunion of the 1984 batch B.Com students of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College took place on the 16th and 17th of December with an air of excitement. After all, it was a huge Christmas present that came early!

Cutting the cake

The 1984 A section

The 1984 B section

The batchmates walked up the steps of Hotel Kidiyoor on the evening of the 16th night wondering who they would meet as the surprises in store we’re just beginning. To jog participants memories, the black and white class group photos were pulled up from their magazine archives. Division A and B did not exist 33 years later, but everyone including my mother had fun trying to guess who is who. The ravages of time had changed almost everyone. There were a few classmates, batch mates and hostel mates who didn’t change one bit and there were others who changed a great deal. Guessing was good after all.

After 33 years, the first reunion

Convening with the professors

The informal evening progressed with a round of introductions and a fantastic icebreaker. The first condition of this icebreaker was that all the batchmates leave formality outside the door. With that in place, the conversations indeed started to flow. After a beautiful dinner, the party had begun! With singing and games, the ‘84 batch had a blast. The strict rules of college days wherein boys and girls would keep their distance was also a topic of discussion. Along with getting to know about each one’s family and current residence, the conversation kept on going.

It was fun to see the roles reversed when I went to pick my mother up late in the night. It was me that day, reminding her it was way past her usual bedtime. The smile on her face and the stories of that day were completely worth it.

My mother as the captain of the sports team

Roll Call 1

The next day was the day of the formal functions. More alumni joined the celebrations at the Geethanjali Hall at the MGM College premises. Each one walked into the campus, opening a door of memories, friendships and lessons. The big surprise of the day was when their previous lectures walked into the hall. You could feel the pride of the teachers who walked into a room full of students groomed by them doing well in their lives. It was like seeing their lives’ work bloom in front of them. The greetings and the introductions were finalised with a group photo along with the teachers.

The jokes were in flow throughout mixed in with the serious lessons and nostalgic memories. The professors and students recounted their memories. It is funny what the mind can remember! The naughtiness, the classrooms and all the things that one thought were not important were up and centre. After 33 years, you would think that the professors would have forgotten a few things, only to realise that they see through you every time. Despite, what happened during college days, the professors felt extremely happy and satisfied to be honoured and recognised in an usually thankless job!

Roll Call 2

The cake and desserts

With professors talents coming to the forefront, surprises did not finish for the day. Games of sari draping for the boys and more kept the crowd on their feet. The walk down memory lane with a presentation of the old and the new was refreshing and exciting. To see my mother and her friends at my age was an outlook I never thought I would see. Bringing together almost the whole batch of 1984 graduates and getting this reunion going was one of the best things that I think could happen to the entire batch in 2017! If it were an early Christmas and New Year gift, it came wrapped in shining paper with a huge bow on top. The end of the year brought together old relationships to a new beginning for a new 2018!

Welcoming the B.Com batch

As a tribute to the 1984 B.Com graduates of MGM College,

Reunion 33

What would you do when you meet
Friends after thirty-three years sweet
You sit down, chat and gossip along
Share a meal, dance, sing a song

Marveling the changes time has made
The world wonders of three decades
But back in the campus and classroom
Memories gently come back in bloom

The hostels, the library and the ground
The artwork behind the books found
The teachers’ service and unbound joy
With every other successful student ploy

With pride, they carry MGM with them
Finding within themselves a gem
A journey of thirty-three years long
May it be for a few lifetimes strong

A big shout out to the organisers and the core committee who brought together this successful reunion in 4 months including managing to rediscover 75 classmates from scratch out of which 66 classmates were in person for this gathering!