Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Reaching out to old friends

M. Harish Govind

SAYING IT WITH CARDS: How do I greet my best friend on the Friendship Day? At a cards shop in Thiruvananthapuram. - Photo: S. Gopakumar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is an occasion to reach out for the hand of friendship. International Friendship Day, celebrated on the first Sunday of August, may not have caught popular fancy here like Valentine's Day, but that hardly bothered alumni groups, an umpteen number of whom are vibrant and prefer to set their own agenda.

The e-group of the 1982 batch at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, for instance, popped to attention when the oil platform at Bombay High caught fire on July 27. There was a buzz of messages, expressing sorrow for the victims and asking whether any friends or relatives were affected. There was a collective sigh of relief when the exchange confirmed that two batch-mates had not been on the platform as feared when the tragedy occurred.

Last month, an old boy of the Sainik School, Kazhakkuttom, a brigadier, passed away in Kashmir and the website of the alumni association was flooded with condolence messages from across the country and abroad.

On Republic Day in 2002, the campus of the Government Model School in the capital witnessed a unique event. Some 160 students of the 1977 batch got together and attended `classes' once again, for old times' sake. The students, all in their mid-30's, were in school uniform and the classes were engaged by their former teachers, more than 50 of whom were in attendance.

Alumni groups have helped to keep the embers of friendship glowing among people who share the same past and memories. An architect and an NIT old boy, K. V. Vinod, says e-grouping enables his batch-mates to keep in touch and get together at least once in a while. "We have a system whereby we meet along with our families 25 years after passing out from the college. This is the occasion we are all looking forward to."

The Sainik School Old Boys Association was set up 36 years ago and has a membership of 1,600, scattered all over the world. It organises a `reunion' meeting every June. Says Prem C. Pillai, secretary: "We are a strong fraternity, caste or creed no bar. I am sending Friendship Day messages to our members, just to remind them of the occasion."

President of the friendship association of the St. Joseph's School in the capital, M. N. Prasad, former Chairman of the Railway Board, says the main purpose of setting up the association 10 years ago was to promote the feeling of fraternity associated with the alma mater. The Loyola School here also has an active alumni association that is as old as the school.

Krishnaprasad Sreedhar, psychologist, points out that friendship groups create a sense of belonging, a vital human need. Research has increasingly shown that an individual's mental as well as physical health are dependent on the social support system. "We all have an innate need for reassurance from others, whether it is the spouse, relatives or friends. That is also the reason why married people tend to live longer," he says.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Reaching out to old friends
`Government interfering in SEC work'
Focus on Silent Valley
On track with a handbook
UDF in a quandary
`Prime Minister's speech an attempt to highlight benefits of British Raj'
BJP outlines strategy for local polls
The super cop is back in action
154 arrested in combing operations
KFRI identified as FAO centre
Balagokulam competitions
`Government to organise global education meet'
Rail service
Love knows no bounds
Around the City
In Tiruvananthapuram Today
Reader's Mail

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu