The 1976 batch of the oldest Kendriya Vidyalaya in Thiruvananthapuram recreates the school assembly at their get-together

Nirmala P tied reddish ribbons connected her plaits and checked herself successful the reflector erstwhile more. Her blue-and-white salwar-kameez was ironed, the achromatic duppatta pinned to her kameez. Then she pinned her badge, pulled up her achromatic socks and was acceptable to conscionable her classmates. She boarded the autobus with her classmates, and the 66-year-old travelled backmost successful time. She was backmost successful schoolhouse astatine Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, successful Thiruvananthapuram, the oldest Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) successful Kerala.

It was 1976 erstwhile more. Thirty students of the batch celebrated the aureate jubilee of their passing retired from Secondary School. Fifteen men and 15 women travelled to Fragrant Nature Retreat and Resort successful Paravur, astir 53 kilometres from Thiruvananthapuram, for the occasion. There were radical from Australia, Europe and West Asia who flew down to Thiruvananthapuram for the occasion.

“It was fantastic,” says Ushadevi Muraleedharan, who had travelled from Goa to Thiruvananthapuram for the gathering. With her was her classmate Daisy John. She says erstwhile they each got together, the years conscionable fell back.

Then determination radical from Prayagraj, Secunderabad and Kochi. Rekha Santhosh says, “It was our classmate Group Captain (retd) Vinod Shankar, a erstwhile combatant aviator successful the Indian Air Force, who had planned the full event. He suggested that we recreate the greeting assembly we utilized to person astatine school.”

So the 30 participants went buying to bargain the uniforms they utilized to deterioration successful the Seventies. Some of them got it tailored portion immoderate were capable to bargain it from stores that merchantability uniforms successful the city. Vinod bought 30 of the schoolhouse badges that are successful usage present arsenic the ones they had utilized were nary longer available.

S Krishnaswamy, who utilized to beryllium the schoolhouse leader, laughs erstwhile helium says that the relation of starring the Assembly came backmost people erstwhile helium faced his classmates.

Ushadevi and Rema KP recited the prayers and the schoolhouse pledge. “There was nary clip for a rehearsal. I was disquieted since I had not recited the KV supplication aft I near school. I had ever been a portion of the radical that utilized to recite the supplication each time and possibly it was determination successful my subconscious. We began the slogan ‘Thamasoma Jyothirgamaya...’ and past everything conscionable fell into place!” Ushadevi exclaims.

Vinod explains that they were the past batch to implicit the 10 positive 1 strategy of the Central Board of Secondary Education.

Adds Vinod, “I was 1 of the archetypal from the schoolhouse to alert the fighters. When we were successful Class XI, determination was immoderate contented astatine Arya Central School, besides astatine Pattom, and the students who had joined Class XI determination were transferred to Kendriya Vidyalaya. So, we were a reasonably ample batch. In those days, classes successful KV were from Class 5 and immoderate of our classmates had studied successful Arya from Classes 1 to 4 and joined KV successful Class 5. So astir of america knew each other.”

Some of the women successful the radical already had met a fewer times aft they formed a radical connected WhatsApp. So it was not hard to recognise each other.

Nirmala says Beena Kurup, a classmate, had been diligently collecting the contacts of her classmates erstwhile she was surviving successful Mumbai. “By the clip astir of our classmates surviving extracurricular Kerala had travel backmost to Thiruvananthapuram aft retirement, we were already successful interaction with each other. I managed to recognise Sabu John, a classmate I had past seen 50 years ago!”

“But we did request assistance to place immoderate of the boys,” admits Rekha. She laughs and adds, “Yes, we inactive notation to each different arsenic the boys and the girls!”

A fewer of them had adjacent brought immoderate keepsakes. While Panicker M Philip came with the alloy container that helium utilized successful school, Daisy had her biology grounds publication with her.

But they each accidental successful 1 dependable that erstwhile the introductions were over, the years conscionable got swept distant successful the flood of reminiscences and stories that followed.

Fourteen spouses besides joined the classmates. In the evening, they had a taste lawsuit successful which immoderate of the erstwhile students showcased their talents.

“It was astonishing however each of america could commencement talking arsenic if we had conscionable met yesterday. The girls successful the radical utilized to conscionable up regularly but this 1 was special. We had specified a gathering successful 2012,” says Usha.

With the occurrence of this gathering inactive caller successful their minds, the erstwhile classmates are present readying to drawback up much regularly to spell backmost to their schoolhouse days again.