We passed out of the Baldwin Girls’ High School in 1969, the year mankind landed on the moon for the first time. What a coincidence, then, that our 50th reunion took place in 2019, the year of Chandrayaan-2.
On November 28, some of us from the ‘69 batch met in the school campus, proudly dressed in blue, the school colour. Some had flown in for the event from as far away as London and Toronto. Excitement ran high as we greeted each other, after weeks of finding each other, discussing plans and making arrangements for the big day.
Remarks about how much each ‘girl’ had changed or remained the same since her school days could be heard.
A walk around the campus caused nostalgia to overwhelm us; we recollected the wide-open spaces, the colonial–style buildings with wide porticos, wooden staircases and high, arched windows. The march of time, the space crunch and the increased student strength had brought about a sea change. We also met Asha Das, the principal of the school, and some staff members and enjoyed talking to them.
Later, we had a luncheon at a club nearby. After we sang the school hymn together, each person spoke briefly about aspects of her life such as family, achievements, significant moments, her interests and so on. That was when we realized that our zest for life remained admirably intact despite the fact that several years had rolled by. We also had a quiz about our school life, where we prodded our memory for answers.
Half a century is a long time! We have enjoyed good times and weathered many storms in the intervening years but the camaraderie we share is a balm for the soul. With the customary photo sessions and promises to stay in touch, the events of a wonderful day stay etched in our minds.
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