JOIN USThe good old days
The reunion of the Mount Carmel College (MCC) 1990 batch was held recently. It heard the happy and nostalgic voices of over 150 Carmelites, as they came together from across the globe to recollect their memories and reconnect after 25 years.
Nisha Prabhu Rebello, the president of the Mount Carmel Student Union of 1990, spurred into action by sending frequent reminders to the former students ahead of the programme. Thus began the Herculean effort of locating, contacting and informing batchmates about the event.
Many students from the batch are working in diverse industries across the world and are, in their own unique way, not only adapting, contributing to and redefining these industries but are playing the role of trail blazers in their fields as well. The batch collected a substantial amount of money, which will be donated to the college for a specific purpose. As part of the programme, a tree was planted in the campus as well.
The proud Carmelites took this opportunity to pay their respects to the college and the faculty members for their effort and contribution in shaping their lives. They presented them with tokens of appreciation and Nisha, in her characteristic style, set the tone for the day with her warm and positive welcome address. The chief guest, Sr Genevieve, spoke beautifully about what MCC has stood for and how the students embody that spirit. Many faculty members spoke too and were touched by the thoughtfulness and gratitude shown by the students.
The reunion included a cultural programme by the students. Anchored by Kavitha Vasanth, who kept the audience entertained throughout, this included a musical session with Nisha on the keyboard, Gauri Narain Melkote (who came from Atlanta) on the drums, and Ravinder Pawar (who came from Sydney) on the vocals. There was also a graceful dance performance by Raji and team. While everyone reminisced about their college days, Ravinder, Sandhya Nair, Anuradha Gopinath and Adele Bina Braganza spoke about their most memorable experiences.
Corporate trainer, coach and counsellor, Ian Faria, spoke about dealing with the ups and downs of life with equanimity. Pain, he said, makes one stronger and more resilient and hence, one must accept it as an agent of transformation as it makes them a better person.
All attendees were given a souvenir — a photograph of students and faculty taken just before the start of the programme. An elaborate lunch on the campus made the trip down memory lane even more enjoyable.
The evening saw the ‘girls’ letting their hair down and showing off some stylish moves on the dance floor. The retro mood for the party was set by the DJ, who played the music of the 80s and transported everyone back to college days.
At the end of the day, a set of tired yet happy ‘girls’ couldn’t help but wonder why it had taken them so many years to reconnect and have such a delightful timetogether.