St Joseph’s alumni revive ball dance that began in 1936
BENGALURU: The Old Boys Association (OBA) of St Joseph’s Boys’ High School celebrated its centenary last year. But of course, the alumni had to finish off the year with a bang! After 15 years of celebrating the bash in the newer ‘Blue and White’ avatar, the school is now going back to the traditional ball, which has been the theme of the alumni event since 1936.
On August 31, the ‘Blue and White’ ball, a formal event with a colour theme reminiscent of the British era, will be held. The event was previously known to be a premier ball of Bengaluru.Jyotinath Ganguly, the vice president of OBA, told CE that the association decided to bring back the formal ball to celebrate the last day of its centenary “in style”. He added, “Men will come in a suit and tie and women in a cocktail dress. All Josephites and families are invited.”
Rahul Tadimalla, a member of the organising sub-committee and a ’97 batch alumnus, said the school has invited former students from around the world. “The ball is a traditional and classy event. If this one is a success, we may bring back the same theme in future as well,” he said.
The first dance was held on Sept. 5, 1936 at Baccalas Summer Garden, when Humayun Mirza, the son of Sir Mirza Ismail, erstwhile dewan of Mysore, was the chief guest, and the ‘Elite Aces’ band performed. Traditionally, a ‘Blue & White Prince’ and a ‘Blue & White Princess’ are crowned and the event also featured a ‘Made for Each Other’ couple.
During World War-II, the frequency of the event was increased to twice a year, to raise funds for those affected by the war. The revenue generated was used for charities, OBA scholarship and the school endowment fund.
Over the years, the character of the event changed, shifting from a ‘Ball’ to a ‘Bash’ with a DJ and band performances.
The ‘Old Boys’ who had participated in the sport of club swinging, which is another St Joseph’s tradition dating back to the end of the 19th century, will also be displayed at the event.The event will be held at JW Marriott from 7.30 pm onwards.