Jyoti Nivas College (Autonomous) welcomed its ex-students with open arms at its recently held annual alumnae meet.
It was like a large family reunion owing to the frequent outbursts of emotions,
prolonged hugs and tears of joy that were shed.
The meet saw old students from batches starting from 1966 right up to the last batch of the college to graduate.
The ones who had seen the college decades ago recalled stories from their time while the more recent batches shed light on the changes that it had undergone.
Cherished memories and anecdotes from student life were shared; poems were
recited and suggestions were given by the alumnae to make future alumnae meets more exciting. At the meet, the date for the next meet was also finalised by the group.
All the old students expressed how the college shaped their lives and helped them grow from young students to mature adults.
They also emphasised how it not only gave them an academic education but helped them gain an overall development.
The college principal Sr Elizabeth, an alumni member herself, addressed the gathering.
“As a women’s educational institution, we are geared to empower our girl students
to become strong women and nation-builders of tomorrow. Be proud of being an alumnae of this college and be true to your alma mater,” she said.
The 88th batch of the college celebrated its 25 years of graduation in great numbers. “Being back at college is amazing. So much has changed yet a lot is still the same. One day was enough for us to still feel at home in the surroundings. We too have gone through so much changes in our lives,” said Anita Sethi, a student from the 88th batch.
She added, “We were young girls when we graduated and went out into the world seeking fame and fortune.
Today, 25 years later, we are still young at heart and have our career, family and friends and a good education to thank for it all. We got a warm welcome from the teachers and the principal, who was incidentally our junior in the college.”
Many were visiting the college for the first time in years while others had attended recent reunions.
Annapurna, from batch of 1974, shared her feelings, “I still feel like a student. I
can never forget the days I spent in college. Jyoti Nivas made us ready to face the world with new and different perspectives. There are many small memories that I can recall today.”
Sister Natalia, another ex-student, added, “I was happy meeting students from across batches as well as my teachers. I am eagerly looking forward to the next meet.”
The teaching faculty contributed to making the event a special one. The students were given a special souvenir to take along with them as a lovely memory of this year’s meet.