Reliving the good old times

Anxiety, excitement and contentment were writ large on the faces at the meeting. There were among the audience friends who had last met 20 years ago, those who were meeting after 15 years and some seeing each other after a couple of years. Business cards were exchanged, new ties were forged and the old memories relived.

While some of the old Carmelites had gone on to achieve high positions and status, others were happy settling down with their families. What most people had to say was that it was a pleasure to return to the Carmel family and feel the old times once again.

Sreedevi Nair, who was also a former faculty member of the Department of Botany and held the position of the NCC Officer in college, was the chief guest. She recalled the days she spent in college. She said that there was a lot of fun in addition to learning. She said that the Carmelites did well in striking a balance between academics and extra curricular activities. She said, “I studied in MCC from 1951 to 1953 and later came back to teach in the same college. A lot has changed around the college and there are so many buildings today. We had just one building,” she said.

More than the meeting, alumni were restless to get out and mingle with their old friends. Uma, now a medical transcriptionist who did her pre university in 1981 and 1982 said, “It’s always a pleasure to meet old friends. Most of them are mothers and grandmothers now. Thanks to cellphones we can at least keep in touch. MCC retains the warmth it had then,” she said and added, “I get to make a new friend every time I come for the alumni meet.”

Sunitha Rao, a part of the 1978 batch said that it was a prestige to get into MCC those days. “We would cycle up the driveway and often bunk classes and sit around in the driveway. Most of our studying happened in college and I would study very less at home. It was a pleasure to study with friends,” she said.  

There was also a dance performance by the students.