THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 20 girl cadets at the Sainik School Kazhakoottam (SSKZM) were an elated lot on Saturday. It was the first reunion of the 53rd Old Boys Association (OBA) in their school since the induction of girl students. The occasion also saw the most senior student of the first batch of 1965 and the most junior student of the 2022 batch coming together.
The first batch of 10 girl cadets had joined SSKZM last September. But due to the two-year hiatus on account of the coronavirus pandemic, they were disappointed about not being able to attend offline classes. Much to the glee of the 20 girl cadets, including the second batch inducted this year, regular school sessions began two weeks ago. On Saturday, Afrah Fathima, a seventh grader from Thonnakkal, was happy to meet the alumni of the prestigious school coming from various strata of society.
The 13-year-old wasbeaming with pride while speaking of her time at the SSKZM over the past two weeks. “More than academics, the school focuses on physical training. I am confident that it will keep me in good stead to achieve my dream of becoming a fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force. At the reunion, I was able to understand the depth of the alumni, who have excelled in various fields,” Afra told TNIE.
When K S Rajan, a retired engineer belonging to the 1965 batch came for the reunion, there was a commotion as the alumni decided to bring in the most junior student, Akshay S Dilshah, to meet him. A shy Akshay joined SSKZM on Thursday in Class 6, and was happy to share pleasantries with the oldest Old Boy. The OBA reunion seeks to create lifelong relationships with the alumni in order to advance in the mission of lifetime connection and networking between the school and the alumni, and among the alumni themselves.