Agnesian - Aloysian Reunion Rocks UAE
Daijiworld Media Network
Report by : Oswald M. D’Souza
Pictures by: Naveen Frank
Abu Dhabi – Feb, 11: It was a day of nostalgic mixed feelings for the former students of St. Aloysius and St. Agnes College/Schools of Mangalore on Friday 11 February 2011 when they met together for a long awaited reunion held at the picturesque Golden Tulip Al Jazira Hotel and Resort after almost two years.
It was a moment of joy, laughter and tears for the former students to reminiscence their golden past they spent at the corridors of their respective institutions. They gathered along with their families for a day of fun and frolic from all over UAE and some travelled from other gulf countries.
The bright sunny day with a fantastic cool weather interspersed with chilly winds added extra glamour to the day’s programme.
The ambience of the location, the stunning stage gave the event an added attraction.
The day’s proceedings started with All Aloysian-Agnesian band playing soft music to raise the tempo of the day.
It was arrival of the live wire Master of Ceremony Errol Goveas, gave a boost to the event when he took over as the main anchor of the event.
The eye-catching opening ceremony with young children with lit lamps, followed by Agnesians and Aloysians carrying the flag of their respective colleges marched towards the dais as part of the inaugural ceremony.
B.M. Ashraf – the current Chairperson for Aloysians for 2011 event, welcomed the gathering and explained the path they tread since the start of Alumni movement in the UAE. He appreciated the efforts and hard work put in by his dedicated committee members since the past months. Much to the delight of the audience , Ashraf equated the importance of St Aloysius Institutions of Mangalore to that of the Burj Kalifa of the UAE.
Joyce Menezes read out the message from the Principal of St. Agnes College, Mangalore Rev Sr Marie Prem D’souza. In her message, Sr Marie Prem sent her blessings and good wishes and expressed her gratefulness to the Alma Mater for all the help and support to the Institute.
Fr Swebert D’Silva - Principal of St. Aloysius College Mangalore, who had arrived especially as the guest of honour to the event also thanked the old students for moral and financial support. He also updated the gathering on the steady development of the Institute. Rev Fr. Denzil Lobo, the Director of AIMIT, delivered his message to the alumni gathered of this prestigious college. He also updated the gathering on the college facilities including the new campus at Beeri, which has come up beautifully.
College Anthems of both colleges were sung by the former students of the respective colleges.
Just after the formal ceremony it was time for fun.
The live music provided by All Aloysian/Agnesian band proved to be an instant success. The combination of eastern, western including English, Hindi, Konkani, Tulu, Kannada, Sri Lankan songs catering for the taste of both young and old raised the pulse of the event.
The Valentine theme provided an extra glamour to the already glamorous event. As an ice breaker a valentine game for the couples was held which was hilarious adding fun to the occasion.
During course of the programme a tug war contest was held between Agnesians and Aloysians and turned out to be the ultimate winners.
The eventful day also witnessed variety of entertainment including the dance competition for the youngsters. It was a competition with a difference, that kept the audience spell bound . Various teams brought in their best, displaying flair and grace.
There were three groups who participated in the dance competition showcasing their talents and was a treat to watch. Variety of dance forms were on display including salsa, disco, jive, baila, cha cha, line dancing etc. Every group competed with each other for supremacy and was a delight to watch. It was fun all the way.
The judges had a tough task to select the best performers. CAPITAL STEPPERS from Abu Dhabi bagged the first place while NAKA MUKA of Sharjah came second and THE FEET BEET of Dubai came a close third.
The Main Sponsors, Associate Sponsor, Co-Sponsors, Support sponsors were were felicitated.
Housie housie, Lucky draws, Raffle draws and spot prizes kept the crowd eager and alert right throughout the day. There were lot of prizes for grabs.
The Novelty dance too had attractive prizes, it was an excellent opportunity for the attendees to mingle with each other.
The foot tapping music provided by Aloysian Agnesian band kept the audience on their toes and gave ample opportunity for the young and old to dance to their hearts content.
The children kept occupied throught the day by means of face painting, clowns and jumping castles with lot of gifts and goodies to take home.
Geanette Dsouza proposed the vote of thanks.
Errol Goveas, the charismatic Master of Ceremony did a splendid job by his unique style keeping audience on their toes.
The last session of the day – the ever popular Baila session stole the show and was the ultimate, wherein the crowd became ecstatic and wanted more as the final number was played. The whole crowd joined for the dance swaying and dancing to the tune of the fantastic music provided by the band.
It was indeed a memorable event and a day to remember for long time to come. The organizers had worked hard to make this event a great success and have to be applauded.