The last Saturday of January 2020 at Muvattupuzha’s Nirmala College was indeed unforgettable. All the alumni right from 1953 got together to celebrate the Mega Alumni Day. Men and women—young and old, and from different walks of life—were there, all smiling their most lovely smiles. It was the yearly get-together of Nirmalites. The alumni, who were spread across various parts of the world, joined the function with their children and other family members.
Much water has flowed under the bridge since the first get-together. The college, which started in a humble way in an undeveloped area of Ernakulam district, has now grown into a well-developed temple of learning with 13 degree courses and 18 postgraduate courses. Now the campus has a new look. There were emotional outbursts and other sentimental scenes when the old mates met after many years. Some of them had never even seen each other after they completed their courses in 1956.
They walked around their old classrooms reminiscing about their follies and foibles—their former professors, their innocent love affairs, etc. A few old professors still alive and kicking too were there to add more emotional depth to the occasion. The alumni sang and hugged one another remembering the old but melodious songs they had sung together. Some of them wanted frantically to repeat the pranks they had tried in the classrooms. One former Principal Dr George James went around smiling and spoke to his old students, some of whom occupy high positions in places like the UN.
They remembered the great writer M P Narayana Pillai, who was an old student of Nirmala in the fifties. Great orators and writers Vaisakhan and George Onakkoor were some of the celebrities who had their education at Nirmala college. India’s former volleyball captain M A Kuriakose was there to talk about the state of the sport in the country now.
Some of them remembered the founder of the college Mar Augustine Kandathil, the former archbishop of Ernakulam. The laymen who played a great role in the formation of the college like Advocates Abraham Vadakkel and P K Thomas too were also remembered. Indeed it was a great day to keep in our hearts.