KOCHI: The St.Teresa’s College students of the 1975 batch of graduates met at a hotel at Tripunithura to commemorate forty years since they left their college. The all-girl meet was a blend of euphoria and nostalgia when the sixty-year-old mothers and grandmothers exchanged notes on the diverse routes they had traversed in life.
Some had met often, others seldom and some none at all. So the identification tags proved handy for them to recognise each other. The chasm of passing years vanished in seconds!
One of the organisers Laila said, “My friends, Tasneem, Pankajam, Diana, Geetha, Sarah, Rosemary and myself meet often. We were in different parts of the globe for more than twenty years. Kochi was the base which helped us to connect with each other. The idea of a reunion struck during one of our meetings.”
The team spread the word mostly through their contacts, which was picked up by the others.
“Coordinating and organising was not without hitches,” said Tasneem. “Some could not be traced. Others could not confirm their attendance so arranging the food and gifts was tricky. But the enthusiasm showed by most of the classmates kept up our spirits.” With Diana as the Master of Ceremonies the function took off on a solemn note when the girls prayed for the departed souls of class mates, as well as the victims of the Chennai disaster.
They remembered their mentors who moulded them and counted their blessings in life.
And then, the ball started rolling. Osteoporosis and arthritis took a backseat as they swayed and swirled to the tunes of Abba and the Beatles. The jamming session became innovative as Rita incorporated a few classical dance steps!
Her ottamtullal song on marital life raised many a laugh. Crooners Diana, Pankajam Jayadevi and Dr. Mary took up old numbers of Jim Reeves, Mary Hopkin, Carpenters and Harry Belafonte.
The popular 1968 song, ‘Those were the days my friend’ by Mary Hopkin struck a nostalgic chord in many a heart. The girls sashayed down the floor while participating in games like identifying the person wearing the sexiest blouse, or maximum bangles or the most grey haired or the person wearing high heels!
Lunch was sumptuous as everyone gorged without a care to diabetes and lipid profile levels!
Diana requested everyone to participate in the Teresian Whatsapp Group and recounted how the group had helped her when there was a crisis in her family.
“We Teresians will be there for each other, when you need a shoulder to cry on. The extended family may not always be available when you feel lonely,” she said.
The day ended with tea and snacks and a thoughtful gift for everyone.
It was a cushion cover highlighting friendship with the following inscription: ‘Friends are the fruitcake of our lives. Some are nutty, some are soaked in alcohol, some firm, some sweet, but altogether they are great to have in our lives.” Which is the Teresian Mantra.