The Hindu : Kerala News : An old friend

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Monday, Aug 11, 2008
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Kerala

An old friend — the college campus

The alumni meet at Farook College was a time to catch up on long-lost campus camaraderie.

It was a wistful pilgrimage down memory lane for hundreds of former students of Farook College as they came down for ‘FOStalgia Diamond,’ the alumni meet organised by the Farook College Old Students’ Association (FOSA) here on Sunday.

Elaborate arrangements had been made by the organisers to welcome the former students of the college back to the campus which claims to have alumni spread across the world.

After registration and the formal inauguration, participants scattered in small groups and busied themselves with catching up on long lost campus camaraderie. The meet turned live with sudden eruptions of laughter, expressions of surprises and silent profusion of nostalgic yearnings. The ubiquitous casuarina trees stood mute witness to the scene.

There were politicians, historians, businessmen, media persons, cine-celebrities and taxi-drivers among them — all united by their alma mater. Participants were seen strolling through the corridors outside their old classrooms and reintroducing themselves to the teachers with a fresh sheen of humility on their face.

Television reporters jostled for bytes from celebrity alumni while others looked on, lost in nostalgic memories of the good old days. Some alumnae were seen hurrying to hug a long lost friend in a sudden effusion of emotion after spotting them at a distance.

The meet also marked the beginning of the college’s diamond jubilee celebration, which starts in August this year. Members had arrived from various cities such as Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi, besides those representing the overseas units of FOSA in the U.S., Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. “More than 1,000 members registered for the meet by forenoon and we are moved by the response,” said FOSA secretary E.P. Imbichi Koya.

A directory of FOSA — ‘Who is Who’ — was released during the meet. Several projects undertaken by various overseas units of FOSA were also inaugurated on the occasion. The cultural programme in the evening was opened by film maker T.V. Chandran, himself is an alumnus of the Collage.

Jabir Mushthari

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