News: Suzy Fontes

Daijiworld Media Network

Muscat, May 25: The first of its kind Agnesian reunion in Muscat held at the Golden Oasis Hotel on May 18 to greet and honour Sr Dr Jeswina, principal of the College, along with Dr Meera Aranha, convener of the St Agnes Centenary Project and Wilma Pais, core committee member of the Centenary Project, turned into a festive evening with stories of past spicing up the plans for the centennial project.

Organised and hosted by the Mangalorean Catholic Centre of the Parish - MCCP, the reunion set the stage for Muscat to play an active role in the ongoing centenary activities and plans.

Agnesian alumni, who attended the reunion with their spouses and children, were treated to light-hearted repartee from Sr Jeswina, who invited guests – empowered Agnesians, as she called them - to share their memories of college days.

While the talk, invariably, shifted to the unforgettable influence of the ‘Honeymoon Tree’ in the campus, the quintessential presence of ‘Chaddi Peter’ at the gate and the incurable rounds of 'Aloysian' boys around the area, the focus of the meet was completely on the ‘Centennial Memory Block’, which, when completed, will set a benchmark for other institutions in and around Mangalore to emulate.

The informal setting of the evening was enlivened by Clarence Donald Pinto, an ex-Aloysian. He introduced the guests from Mangaluru and the MCCP presidents, who took the initiative to provide a local platform for the events that, will lead to the centenary celebrations. Sr Jeswina, Dr Aranha and Wilma Pais were accompanied on the stage by MCCP patron Stanley T H Fernandes, fondly known as Dattu by all, 26th MCCP president Sunil Furtado and the new 27th president Ajith Walder. Eula Pinto, a long standing benefactor of MCCP and an Agnesian alumnus, was honoured for her unstinted support.

Presenting a PowerPoint presentation of the ongoing work for the centenary celebrations, with the spotlight on the much publicised flash dance of students alongside the faculty and the principal, Dr Aranha quipped, "For 100 years, nuns have made us dance; now it is our chance to make them dance." The guffaws that followed set the tone for the evening, which drew everyone in like a large family.

Dr Aranha presented details of the centenary celebrations and the Centennial Memory Block. The alumni present on the occasion were exhorted to make this dream project a reality by contributing symbolic bricks to raise the structure without any hitches.

Welcoming the guests, Sunil Furtado, the outgoing president of MCCP, spoke of his association with St Agnes, that began when his sister joined the college as a student, and extolled the virtues of the institution which is celebrated for its quality of education and the values ingrained in the students, not forgetting its credentials as the first women’s college on West Coast of India.

The evening culminated with a formal vote of thanks from Ajith Walder, the incoming president of MCCP, to all the people involved in making the Reunion a success, including the team from Mangalore and local supporters, Mariette Fernandes and Jessie Pereira, who contacted Agnesians in Muscat and looped them in for the planned reunion. Special mention was made of Vijay D’Cunha, who coordinated the venue for the event and the menu for the evening.

In response to the vote of thanks, Sr Jeswina took to the mike to credit Stanley Fernandes for hosting them and sacrificing his time and effort to make their visit a success. She further called on all the attendees to make their contribution to the centennial cause and give back to their alma mater what they gained during their student days.

Following the speeches and the photograph session, all the attendees snacked on the scrumptious array of finger food and bid adieu, until they meet again to see St Agnes College wear its centennial crown in 2021.

Agnesians in Oman who are not the part of the group yet are requested to join the group by sending their details on WhatsApp to Viola Pinto on 00968 92300598.