It seems that it happened only yesterday. A bunch of teenaged girls moving into a new phase of life after the relative shelter of their school, St Francis Xavier’s Girls’ High School, Cleveland Town in Bengaluru, where they had spent most of their childhood. Fifty years later, a small part of this bunch meet again to relive those memories, friendships and bonds.
For some of us, it is all of 50 years! Considering it has been half a century ago, the memories are still as fresh as ever, remembering some outstanding teachers who have shaped our early years…Mrs Suares, Mrs Duckworth, Mother Denise, Mother Constance, Mrs Da Costa, Mrs Rosario, Mrs Dias and Mrs Dawson. Then came high school and that is when we got the grilling from Rajeshwari, our Hindi Teacher, Kelkar, in Physics, Mrs Umrigar, Mother Sacred Heart, Ms Correa, Mrs Nair and not forgetting Doreen Suares, our games teacher who took us from one successful tournament to the next, be it athletics, basketball or hockey.
Sports Day was always special with the four houses vying for top spot. St Joseph’s, St Catherine’s, St Teresa’s and St Xavier’s…the cheers, boos, laughter and especially the school anthem still ring in our ears. Visiting the school brought back such nostalgic memories. We were swept back to being 16 again.
The Chapel holds a special place in all our hearts…whatever religious group we came from, more because of its iconic architecture than any indoctrination. We don’t remember a day when differences were made because of our ethnic or religious backgrounds.
It was not just academics and sports that were honed, there was music and dance, art and crafts and girl guides, inter-school sports, fancy fetes and excursions. What more could a child growing up want? Not all of us came from affluent homes, but there was always someone, at one time or another who would be around to share their tiffin boxes or offer sweet treats on their birthdays, not to forget the annual concerts and Prize Day.
We could not have wished for a better life growing up in the 60s. Thanks to our association with our Alma Mater, it was here that we spent our early years. Once we left SFX (as we dearly call our school), we went our separate ways — to universities and institutions within India and abroad. Some chose the traditional path of marriage, soon to be followed by motherhood. Whatever our choices, wherever our paths took us, the nostalgia of our youth never left us and as and when we could, we would connect with those who stayed on in Bangalore to catch up for a coffee and chat at a café or time permitting, a delightful lunch buffet.
As always we have our core group who get a party going. Coordinating has been made easy these days with electronic tools, which I may add, we have all kept abreast of much to the amusement of our children and grandchildren. Asha Vasvani, a busy realtor; Maya Anand manager of a renowned law practice; Elsie Noronha a busy housewife, mother and grandmother; Barbara Viegas, the communicator designate of the group, Neethi Narayan, the WhatsApp expert and Hermie Sequeira, who recently relocated to Bangalore after 30 plus years abroad. It was a fun get-together with a luncheon at the KGA, followed by a visit to SFX and we ended on a high on the 31st floor of the Bangalore WTC – High Ultra Lounge. Memories were exchanged and grief shared for two of our classmates who have passed away.
People meet, spend some part of their lives together and then move on. But it is a special bond that endures for 50 years — a bond that the ‘Golden Girls’ of St Francis Xavier class of ’66 will cherish forever.
(The author can be contacted on ds1951@gmail.com)