Diwali Issue Sangamam Times

Sangamam Times

Volume 1; Issue 5 October 2008 ASATOMA SADGAMAYA TAMASOMA JYOTHIRGAMAYA MRITHYORMA AMRUTANGAMAYA OM SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI Darkness to Light From ignorance to Truth And from death to Immortality Let Peace prevail Everywhere

Vidya Tadanki

Sangamam Times

Sangamam NOSA 25 Update– Geetha Haravu

Acharya Devo Bhava — Sainath

Who would think that something that seemed to have logically ended years ago in 1983 would find a new beginning in 2008? I definitely did not and was amazed to find that my 2years at Nirmala High School was now opening up a lifetime of friends and memories after Sangamam 25. It was the result of months of diligent planning and meticulous execution. The success was obvious in the joyous faces of all present.

On the 26th of July 2008, a memorable occasion was observed at the

My first impression on walking into DV Manor's meeting room was on how warm and lively the place looked. The replay had started to take us back 25 years and there was a lot of catching up going on. We didn't seem to get enough of the chatting and had to be called to order on several occasions. However, conversations still kept sneaking in. Soon the reservations were gone and the carefree attitude from high school took over. You should have just heard us sing during the antakshari!

organizing the same.

D.V. Manor Plaza. Students – all batch mates of the 12th batch to pass out of the portals of Nirmala High School, Vijayawada – paid their heartfelt tributes to their teachers as a token of sincere appreciation for what they had done. Having played a major role in the entire proceedings, I am tempted to share with you all my experiences while

Indian culture and tradition has always placed the teacher on a high pedestal. The statement “Matru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava, Acharya Devo Bhava…” has been variously interpreted by scholars to define the crucial role a teacher plays in the process of shaping the lives of young students and adults alike. Alexander the great is fa-

The different event locations, DV Manor, Murali Fortunes, NHS and Bhavani Island provided a lot of opportunity to mingle and reconnect. Meeting the teachers was very touching. It is very humbling when the teachers we so looked up to now think we are great achievers. We did have a mix of great talent among us - wonderful stay-at-home moms, successful businessmen and entrepreneurs, teachers and professors, doctors and engineers. I don't recollect meeting a lawyer but I won't be surprised if we actually have one among us! The well contested Mr. Sangamam and Mrs. Sangamam Crown went to the most sportive and spirited ones! My personal favorite was the chance to visit X C classroom; it brought back wonderful memories of my high school years. To top it all, the view from Bhavani Island was stunning and a perfect venue to spend quality time with those present. I couldn't help but wish several times that everyone from our batch had made it to the reunion. It is the perfect beginning for the next phase marked by ending the first one with subtle goodbyes and promises to stay in touch and meet again. Not only did I reestablish old friendships but also got to know extended families by meeting spouses, children and friends of my friends! I truly appreciate the opportunity. My daughter summed it up very well with a simple question, "You had fun, didn't you?" Between my train ride and my flight back, with a wonderful hostess and tons of friends, yes, I certainly did have lots of fun!

mously known to have declared in admiration for Aristotle, his teacher, “I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.” While the parents give life and provide a living, the teacher gives a direction to the life and hence ensures that the child is trained enough to face the world.

To start the entire story, Kavitha, Rajiv, Ramkishore, Ramana and their group emulated the legendary Sherlock Holmes in digging up the phone numbers and addresses of several of our teachers. I am sure their experiences in this area, if penned down, would serve as a well appreciated reference manual for training sleuths! They then passed on this information to me and I got going. At first, I was very hesitant on the front of introducing myself – after all 25 long years had passed and much water would have surely flown past the Prakasam Barrage. The results nevertheless surprised me and proved how wrongly I had analysed the whole teacher-student relation.

The first person I called was Mrs. Josephine, class teacher of X A. (Some selfish fetish here – I belonged to X A!). The conversation started off as follows: “Is this Mrs. Josephine?” “Yes, speaking.”

Volume1 Issue 2

Acharya Devo Bhava (continued) “Madam, I don’t know if you will remember me. You taught me 25 years back.” (A rapid gasp of surprise) “Really! Who is speaking?” “Sainath” “Of, course I remember you. Why would I forget?” And then would follow a near perfect description of what I was famous or notorious for. If I had any false sense of inflated pride that I was sufficiently famous to be remembered for so long, it was quickly punctured when she rattled off another 10-15 names with a brief recap of their bio-data as it was 25 years back! So this was not a fluke – she really did remember many of her students who last saw her only as kids with stars in their eyes, waiting to take on the world.

The reaction from Mrs. Josephine was only an example in the sense that almost all the teachers I contacted gave a similar reaction. Ramkishore and myself planned and made it Vijayalakshmi madam’s house in Hyderabad. She had not changed much. And what we loved the most was the way she talked to us – for that hour, we were again little naughty kids in her class while she tried to pound complicated composite mathematics into our thick and resisting skulls. I could not help think that a scale/stick in her hand would have completed the picture nicely. She spoke to us about her life – her enthusiasm even now stands as an inspiration. She asked us about ours. She just wanted to know as much as possible about many of her students.

I could also contact Sr. Ancy – she is in Kolkota. And boy was she happy on getting my call! Floods on the train route from Kolkota

Acharya Devo Bhava (continued) prevented her from making the trip. Even on the day of the reunion, she called me on my cell to convey her love and best wishes to all of us. She stays in touch via email even now, forwarding me some really inspiring pieces.

Sr. Benigna was another of our beloved teacher whom I could speak and extend our invitation. She took some time – quite a long time in fact – to come to the phone. But when I spoke to her, the mystery behind the delayed reaction was solved. Sister Benigna had fractured her leg and had to limp all the way to the phone. She willingly came to the reunion despite the temporary handicap of a damaged leg. Mr. Prabhakar Rao, out PT, had just had an angiogram and was also having severe problems with his eye sight and hearing. Despite that, he came. Sir had tears in his eyes when he saw all of us and was very moved that we remembered him and wanted him to spend some time with us. Sister Nancy, out headmistress when we passed out, is now in Papua New Guinea. After several unsuccessful attempts, we managed to procure the right email id (thanks to Sr. Ancy) and brought her into the loop as well. She was thrilled and expressed her elation at being in contact with her students after such a long time. She was also kind enough to send a message for all of us, which was read out that day.

Mrs. Indira, Sr. Cyril. Sr. Josy, Sr. Marina, Mrs. Rukmini, Mr. Prabhakar Rao – a number of our teachers could be contacted and they made it to the felicitation ceremony. I am sure that more than the idea of being felicitated by folks who blew into their lives like a blast from the past, it was the joy of seeing their protégés after such a long time that propelled them to come. To see them enjoy and move around with us made our day since we knew that they were genuinely happy for us.

It was rightly said that it is quite easy to make money. But it is difficult to make a difference. That crucial input is provided by the teacher. It stays with us all our lives, to be passed on down to generations. Like Henry Adams says: “A teacher affects eternity. o one can tell where and when his/her influence stops.” On that unforgettable day at D.V. Manor Plaza we honoured our teachers for helping us shape our lives and standing on our feet. The moment was dedicated to them. But yet, they showed their selfless nature by showering admiration on us. Even as we basked in their adulation, we could not but help think that in the days when we had goals hidden behind the mists of our inexperience and no idea as to how to go about the task, they showed us the path and gave us the tools. They stood as masters of simplification but enemies of simplism when they told us that there is no short cut to success and that the route is tough, but straight. They congratulated us for being successful in our lives. But I wish to echo Karl Menninger’s words here: “What the teacher is, is more important that what he teaches.”

Our beloved teachers, we shaped our lives more by watching you than by listening to you. Every colour of our success has more than a tinge of a brush stroke from your own lives and painstaking efforts. Here is our sincere offering of gratitude to you. We shall live your endeavors through our actions and ensure that we never dishonour what you struggled to influence us with.

Bunty…the Naughty! - Rajiv It happened in the year of the Lord, 1972…may be a year here or there. At 5, Bunty was a hyperactive lad without wings, but was almost capable of flying at break neck speed. To his mother he was at flying speed to catch up, but for a toddler he was well within his limits!

Bunty was born to a Punjabi couple who escaped to South India in search of a roof after a bloody partition up in the orth in those days of formation of Two ations. The couple found solace in South, though they had their fair share of initial hiccups and bottlenecks. Being the second child, Bunty’s mother was not too inexperienced in handling the menace! Bunty was paces ahead and always made her feel more and more inexperienced…because it was an ordeal to deal with this toddler. Pulling the hair till you see stars was his favourite pastime with those petting aunties….and pulling the moustache out of shape to uncles. It was always a pleasure watching the suppressed anger of these aunties and uncles, with a tolerant face outwardly, smiling and cautiously petting next time. Bunty would throw the towel in the pool he just created on the floor, while his mother would have just sighed a relief from mopping the length and breadth of her apartment. The joyous jumps and splashing of his urine is an indication he has done the “job”. His mother always wondered how he manages his timing so well, just as he would manage the time of this crying when she sits down to eat her meal after a hectic day! It was the day when they decided to put him to a day care nursery (to get rid of this menace for a while). His parents attended the interview with the burly, bespectacled, Sister Joyce. Sister Joyce is a typically Malayali-accented, serious looking, no-nonsense Principal who screens and pores through the background and every ground possible, before nodding the final proverbial “yes” to the admission. She is known for her strict administration and stern discipline. Sister Joyce forced a smile through her otherwise serious lips, and asked if the boy knew alphabets. Bunty’s mother was proud to say he knew them almost backwards…she went on to say he knows “Baba black sheep….” But that Sister gave an indication ‘be precise in answers’. Sister Joyce gave a note pad to Bunty to write the alphabets he knows. Bunty the Naughty asked her for a bigger paper. She obliged. She had to bend her heavy torso to reach out to the last drawer of her chest, fish out a foolscap paper. She unfolded it and asked Bunty with a smile to write alphabets. Bunty gave a grin and told her he wanted a bigger paper! Annoyed, but apparently smiling Sister rang the bell for her office boy for a bigger sheet. This time she cleared the table and spread out a huge chart that almost filled her table surface. Bunty smiled and all set to write his alphabets. He took the pencil, sat on the chart, leaned fully forward and selected the top right corner of the chart and wrote “a,b,c,d..” in font size 6. Seething in anger and unable to control, Sister said “Naughty boy!”, while his parents felt helplessly embarrassed. Bunty’s acts are a compendium to write, but we shall wait for “Serial 2” ****************************************************************************** My dear friends, rolling back years to 1983, I could not help my mind slipping further into the past. Its good to look ahead…its nice to say “yesterday is history”. But the reminiscences of childhood are sweet and unique. Each one has a unique and individualized story to tell. In this story Bunty is none but yours truly….Rajiv Mahajan. I tried to change a lot since my days of 1972… I do hope all of you perceive that.

The Joy of Re-union — Yamini C. Roy The Joy of Re-union…. On 25th July 2008, a Friday RS, Geetha and I set off to Vijayawada for the looooooong awaited Re-union. Finally the thought that the wait is over has completely transformed us as enthusiastic as we were 25 years ago. 20minutes into our journey, we were told Bangalore is terrorized with a series of Bomb blasts. We all checked with our dear ones and once we ensured their safety, we got back to our “Business”, this time re-living the past from our Nirmala Days. The feeling of meeting some of our friends and teachers after 25 years was sooooooo exciting and thrilling. I quizzed Geetha on what happened after ’83.and before ’80. I am sure she wouldn’t have answered more questions in all her exams put together than what she answered in those 2-3 hours. I should appreciate her patience though… RS brought us home made Paranthas for our dinner on the train. We slept off at around half past ten, but frankly none of us could sleep. The excitement of “Sangamam 25” has won over the “sleep part”. At last, the D-Day has come. We were received by the ever smiling Vidya as we went to drop Geetha at her house. Saturday, the 26th of July 2008, we reached the Manor Plaza at around 9:30am. I was taken aback to see Rajeev Mahajan not following the dress code for the morning (White and Blue) which he mandated for all of us. The best part of the morning function was meeting all out teachers, especially Sr.Cyril and Mrs. Vijayalakshmi. I think I should now fast forward to the evening function. I was very nervous when I did the “Nonsense” show in the evening. I do not know if any of you have realized it or not. Luckily for me it worked out in my favor. I think the participants were more nervous than I was…. Next was “Mr.Sangamam”. I honestly thought I will be thrown out in the first round. I should thank Kavitha for having insisted on my participation as this had definitely raised my confidence levels. But did you all notice one thing? None of us were competing among ourselves. Each of us was trying to get out of the rounds and enjoy the evening from the other side. The dance for the number “Om Shanthi Om” brought us all on the floor and that is the best part of the evening according to me. I was watching Rambabu dancing and that motivated me to come on the dance floor. The next day was better than the first day as we visited our school to re-live the school days. I should thank all the organizers of this mammoth function for making these two days a memorable experience. These two days are sure a shot in every body’s arms and will see us all smiling like teenagers for another ten years to come.

Mee Yamini [email protected]

Shraddanjali The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living. – Marcus Tulius Cicero. Subramanyam passed away on the 17th of Sept. He fought a brave battle . Till the very end he gave a courageous fight , he called his Doctor ,” Bhai” and put his implicit faith in him. When his friends and family suggested a different hospital, he was very sensitive towards his doctor’s feelings. But the doctor convinced him to go to the next hospital. Subramanyam, was a man of great compassion. While he was in the I.C.U , his room and corridors were surrounded with elderly people praying hard and holding tears . He was loved by all these elders for they said, they were alive because of Subramanyam’s compassion. And everyone of them owed his or her life to him. Each one of these elders was taken to the hospital by Subramanyam and was given a proper treatment . He spent days and endless hours with these elders. It was his mission in life to help people who are in need especially elders. Though he never acted in plays he played the hero’s role to the hilt to the very end. While he was in the ICU his friends waited for hours and days holding vigil and giving each strength and comfort. A friend’s loss is a loss forever.

Many a times we don’t realize the greatness of a person until we experience or told about it. Thankfully we have friends who have shared this compassionate nature of our dear departed. Subramanyam leaves behind his lovely wife Niraja and two sons Chaitu an 8th grader and Bittu a 4th grader and tons of friends and family who misses him very dearly and sadly. Death comes to all. But great achievements build a monument which shall endure until the sun grows cold. Here after every Sept 17th we shall remember Subramanyam.

Sangamam Times

N E W S A R T I C L E S

Letters

What I missed– Anu Radha I agree with you Alice!

What I missed — Alice Eapen

Boy, did I miss a lot.

Hi Everybody,

The planning and execution showed through the pictures..

Nice to know that everyone had a wonderful time.......i think the words from the dictionary........is not apt enough to express the feeling.

I do hope to meet all of you some day.. may be next year or 5 years later!! Thank you R.Srinivas: for sharing the pictures.

From the mails received i understand right from the beginning to the end everything was meticulously planned and well organized..... Hats of to the people It was instant time-travel:-))) who were behind it . I had the experience of this last You all look so good!! year....where I was able to meet many of them. Saw all of u in the snaps......I will be getting a detailed report from Reji when i meet him next. Talked to Vidya & Geetha. Really missed everything...........my loss is a heavy loss With lots of love Alice Eapen

Take care and do keep the emails coming! Anu

Letter 3 -Madhav

Letter 4 — Ravi Gudapati To Sangamam25 Committee,

Dear friends, hi ! I thank each one of you all for attending SANGAMAM 25, with your families and making it a grand success !!

Thanks to the whole committee for making this event memorable. Adding to Raj Kumar's excellent recollection of events, I was fascinated to see so much of passion among all of us.

honestly it would not have been the same had it not been for your presence and active I truly felt sad for not being there for the second participation. day to share more time and memories with our frankly it looked more like a family func- friends. tion .isn't it ? Perhaps this is a unique event in our school's hiswell , all of us in the commitiee enjoyed tory. every moment of the two days and will All the credit goes to the committee for organizcherish in the years to come !! ing and hosting. in the past week, we have been recieving mails of appreciation, making all our efOf course my hearty congrats to all of the batchforts worthwhile, thanx a lot once mates (especially with families) who attended without which the event would not have been so again . colorful and successful. finally i would like to say, I sincerely hope that the fun would not die with THREE CHEERS TO NOSA-1983 , SAN- one re-union. GAMAM25 !! .yours, Hoping for more of these in the future. Madhav.Rao

Thanks for everything! G. Ravi

Letter 5 — Tikki Setty hi all , first i would like to congratulate one and every body who made sangamam25 a most memeorable event in every body's life. Those who have not attended missed a lot in life. Thanks to every one on the forefront and behind who not only made a great planning of sangamam25,but executed it meticulously. Apart from the excellent and very good rated events we had those 2 days,the most cute and memeorable event was that, one and every one at the age of 40 behaving like kids in "x' class old 'c'section,also while playing musical chairs at bhavani islands. i beleive that 'X'c regained and enjoyed its past glory again after 25 years. children of some of our friends were struck in shock and surprise at the class door innocently staring at their parents and questioning themselves 'is this my father /mother who pose to be damn strict at home and enforce hell of dicipline on every petty issue and grabbing their happiness. While sitting in 'x" c it made me remember Sr.lancy a lot who had extreme love and affection to her class students but sometimes couldn't hold from an inevitable scolding when other teachers complained on us of the notorious acts. Thanks to vidya who played the role of the class teacher for 20mins i suppose and made us have a reel of the past events. For me the 2ndday ended with a fantastic joke from rajkumar which went on as follows. while onthe way return from bhavani islands , getting ready to baord the boat ,one of us asked what would happen if the boat starts sinking inthe mid way. raj kumar instantly replied that nothing is going to happen as Govind would do a small amount of pranayama and gets lifted up in water and save every one of us

extending a seat for every body on his back. Thus the day ended with a humour of rajkumar. looking ahead for Sangamam26 as early as possible. Yours srinivas tikkisett

Letter 6 — Vinay Friends.. YOU HAVE SEEN THE CROWD... NOW WATCH THE LEADER ...SANGAMAM25. .!! FIRST OF ITS KIND. I am sorry that i could not react immediately as i am still in the " jetlag " of sangamam25. (just notice the time i am putting u guys my mail...!) Each one of us waited for the day and as they say .... they came... they conquered... ! Yes.. the day has come and conquered all our hearts like never before..! Its all began like a beautiful dream and ended like as if the dawn has come a bit early.. how we wish to be together some more time..! I sincerely thank everyone who started with this idea and heartily congratulate one and all for making this spectacular event happen with a big bang. I consider myself so proud to be one of the member playing my part in this event. I am fortunae to be there and love to be for ever..thanks to my vja mates for not making me miss this carnival.. Coming to the committee, Madhav, chakri, kavitha, govind, Rajiv,Kvd,Kreddy, Ramana, Anitha, Rambabu . though you are among the busiest bees around, u came out of your hives and probably spent the world of time to make this happen successfully. One should not forget the efforts of Vidya, and Jagdeesh from overseas for seeing most of our friends turn up here. The Professional NatGeo TV Lensman Ramkishore and the charming Professor Sai , the cynosure madhoo , Bald & Beautiful Yamni, ever cheering raj, silent killer reji and Itsybitsy teeny weeny versatile young lady Srilakshmi.( ever young MOM..!) who made this occassion so special. I got a golden chance to meet my favourite teacher sister syril in school which i cherish for a long time. As rajiv said.. those who missed this .. yes they DiD missed a hell of an event... Friends post all the photographs that you guys have taken in the event i am longing to save them in my album and the treasure to be safe guarded.. Finally...friends thanks for making me timetravel into the childhood... .er... rather every one of us.. dont we...? Deenisigadaraga. . manchi rojulanni latukkunochchi putukkuna yellipothai manam matuku malleppuda ani yeduruchustavundala .... intaki malleppudasha. ...???? . .love.. vinay

Letter 7 — Raj Kumar Three cheers to the commitee for making the impossible possible. (With so many hurdles,in forming the commitee to the end of journey in nirmala school bus)to our school. A feet never Done by any Nirmalites ever until today and its an inspiration for the other jrs to follow. .. Well done president Madhav,who lead from the forefront,like a true KING. Not once did he showed his back for any thing n everything. Its his dynamism that lead to this victorious journey of sangamam'25. Then the secreatary Rajiv,who has the Daring and Dashing acts,which supressed all critics and lead to the saga of S'25. Coming to the Thinnest Man,in looks but FAT from his outlook,our Treauserer Mr.Govind,who managed all the Money with his Brains and made it look so simple in handling the success of S'25. Kavita Anita the Two Women behind all the hardship and toll of Time,who made it look so simple by there silent combo effort...we salute the two women for there Meticulous planning and all the Hard Work,without them, its a Meal without Spices. .three cheers to the two women behind the success of S'25. Last but never Least in getting tired up,where the two Duo's of Chakravarthy n KVD. Rambabu(the popular friend)and Ramana(with his never ending enthu,for work or for Dance or for Yelling) These 4 are the super power Men behind the Thunderous Winning Perfomance of S'25. Well Done Boys!! Last but not in looks,the Fairy looking Handsome young Dude Mr.Krishna Reddy(ex service Man) for all his support and endless comments,which inspired us all. Sandhya rani for her silent job which made all the Media coverage look so Simple job(though it isn't)!! Well done Princi'(pal). Vidya who made the formation of Sangamam(name) for the event,with her electioning skills and all the Jubiliant Editorials of S'25,without which reaching all our friends wouldn't have been possible at all. Thanx for all the Charity Works and Time spared for the Harmony of S'25. Well Done Vidya!!! Y.Madhu for all her Loving ways and for the initiative taken to participate in almost all the Events,which inspired all the rest of the Men n Women. She is so sensitive,loving n caring. Thanx Madhu for everything!!!

Jagadeesh the Man behind the Name,as he is the Author of this Name Sangamam,thanx for taking ur valuable time out for this event(as I know how difficult it was for u,to be here,in the 11th hour) He is apt for the Mr.sangamam Title and deserve a good applause for all the INDO US relations to be so smooth at S'25. Jaggs cheer up Man... Geetha Durgadhar Ravi's for coming all the way and making this journey to INDIA look so Easy,thanx all of u for ur Elegant Looks and simpler Smiles... Srilakshmi the Anchor Singer and the Most Dominating Woman of S'25. She made all those present broke into laughters forever. Also manjari with her Melodious Voice followed by Vidya's daughter Anupama,who mesmirised one n all. Sainath the professor with his darling speeches. Ramkishore with his lenses(don't miss his posting of album in net).He did look like a true professional. Rs and Yamini the two intellectuals with there humour and loving ways,conquerd one n all hearts at S'25. A scrolling Thanx to all those I named to forget like Reji and all the other people like Hari who did make up,in the last minute,surprising all.

I think I bored u all with my review of S'25. It was a saaga of journey to store for the rest of our life's. Thanq all for being there and made it look so Grand and Gala.... Regards Rajkumar

Letter 8—M. J. Madhu

of days. The actual Reunion commenced from July 26th at the en-

I wish all those attending our reunion a great time. It sure is going to be a blast. I wish you all have a memorable weekend. Kudos to the committee for making this happen.

trance of the Manor Plaza Hotel near the Registration Counter. The registration counter was truly a nostalgic site with handshakes, hugs and shouts of “ Where on the earth were you were all this time and “Hey you have put on weight and you have changed a lot “ all sorts of

PS: Vidya, as always, I am hoping you will send a detailed recap of the events and activities.

nicknames filling the air. Many of us had a visibly different appearance than the good old days of their youth so there was a bit problem in recognizing each other. But deep inside the heart no one had

Best Regards MJM

changed and this provided the ideal solution to the problem. The weather was refreshing with slight drizzle. The following of our faculty joined us at the venue. Sister Nirmala, Head Mis-

Letter 9 — Rajiv

tress of our school Sister Biji Philip, Sister Josy, Sister Cyril, Vijayalakshmi Miss, Rukmini Miss, Sister Daisy, Sister Benigna, Sister Ma-

Dear Friends,

rina, Our PT Master Mr. Prabhakar.

Firstly let me start by saying that all those of our batch members who did not attend this reunion function you missed one hell of a function.

welcome address. The programme was well anchored by our Kavita. Three Cheers for her. Our own Professor Sainath handled

I would like to send out special thanks all th

The programme was started with our President’s Madhav’s

teachers’ felicitation. Well Done Sainath. The winner of lucky dip

th

those who attended the Reunion on 26 and 27 July 2008. Special note must go out to those who really put in a big effort to travel the long distances that they did to attend the function. On behalf of the committee I would also thank the spouses and children who had attended the function as their presence truly contributed to the success of the event. I would like to thank the donors who had sent us money for the smooth conduct of the event. Without their voluntary support there would not have been this glitter and glamour to this memorable occasion. The list of them I will send them within a couple

contest cut the Cake and it was Rambabu. Rambabu also won the most popular friend contest. The programme ended with the vote of thanks by my selves and followed by gala lunch. The evening programme was simple awesome. Started with Sundari’s and srilakshmi’s song and ended with the all our members on the dance floor.. Both the events were covered by the local press and had coverage in almost all the newspapers. Congratulatory message came pouring in from the morning of 27th July. School Flashback!!!!!!!!!!!! It was one of the most amazing and awesome sights for everybody being in the school, sitting in the classrooms, playing in the ground doing all acts, which they have done in their school days.

The day had passed by in recounting the

old campus days. Thereafter the journey started from

Letter 11 — Vidya

the school to Bhavani Islands for a picnic first in the school bus till the River and then in the boat to the Is-

Dear Friends, lands. The excitement had no limits. Ride to the island there are no words to describe these days. I know some of you must be anxious to know how it went what by boat was very pleasing. Literally they behaved like all we did. to quote few, school kids. The weather was superb. It was rainRajkumar--------speechless ing. Scene was excellent. Then evening passed by in Durgadhar-----------shall come agan even if it held next month Govind-------shall dance again with friends ( never danced playing games and introduction of spouses and before and danced for the firs time and he was the best dancer) he entertained the audiences with his kids. Every one had fun at the Island and finally the

show ended at 5-00 P.M. Thanks everybody who had come and became a part of the silver jubilee function lets pray to meet again shortly!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rajiv

Letter 10 — R. Srinivas All: Thanks for such a great experience. These two days will be set in stone in all our thoughts forever. Committee members (I am much vary of missing out on anyone and hence not picking any names here): I am so proud of being your fellow Nirmalite. Without your selfless efforts, it wouldn’t have been such a great success. Kudos to the superb planning & meticulous execution. It's beyond comprehension the extent you went to make it such a grand gala affair. Most of us (including me), I believe are not so good at expressing ourselves, but from the bottom of our hearts we owe it to you all big time. Yes, indeed we had a blast!!! Thank you all. R. Srinivas

Letter 11 (continue) swaying movements. Madhu------------great time being here every second worth it . reunion over cruise was great. Madhu danced too to a song. Nirmala --------why did it have to end so fast? I shall keep you posted with photos and articles . By end of aug the aug issue shall come. I will be abck only on 14th aug. Then Ishall work hard. until then. We missed those of you couldn't make it. I shall sign off saying these were the one of the most memorable days of my life. love Vidya.

Letter 12 — MJM Dear All, I hope you all had great fun. Based on the article below this must have been a memorable event. http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/27/ stories/2008072750250200.htm I request everyone to reply back with their take on the two days and the part of the event you thought was the best. This way it will help all our classmates who wern't there be virtually there. PS: Kudos to the organizing committee for putting together such a great event. Best Regards MJM

Letter 13 — Rambabu

Letter 14— Ramakishor Somanchi its very nice to see how sangamam25 became a huge hit.It was an instant hit,not because of the way we celebrated it in a grandway,its only because of how we forced our hearts from few relationships to many relationships,just like that. the key to happiness is to connect with truth in whatever we involved with. where there is truth,there is beauty,which flows internally,like a waterfall.the heart always wants to break itself free from everything,it just needs that small opening and today everyone,by their sheer presence,helped every other,in their own way to find that elusive exit,which we are seperated from.once we are through,we are in land of freedom. we need these connections going once in a year.everyone has to give sometime for it,by giving time to your dear one's,you will be saving your very own self. when we all are surrounded by such true relationships,we are in the company of naturem,where everything is natural.the true knowledge always flows from natural things,filling up the gaps in the mind,educating everyone in someway. t oday we have tasted this invisible

strength just by being what we are.the more we interact the more we become strong. the commitee has to plan for sangamam26 from tommorow onwards. next year lets conduct in bangalore or hyderabad. yours truly ramakishore

Letter 15 — Hemarani hope u all r doing well & hope ur all in the hangover of "SAGAMAM"25 celebrations.V had gr8 fun & joy.When i entered into the hall @ D.V.manor i was so xicted & 4 a moment my mind was blank & i even 4got my name to register myself. First of all I thank my parents bcoz they dcided NIRMALA HIGH SCHOOL was the bst 4 my future.That is the reason i got so many good frenz like u & im luky 2 b 1 of u. SOME MEMORIES R REALTIES, & R BETTER THA AYTHIG THAT CA EVER HAPPE. After gr8 fun of 2 days v all were back home but minds were rotating over there.V all had "BOOST" 2 r future. I wholeheartedly thank each & every1 involved directly or indirectly & made "SAGAMAM"25 a grand sucess. O.K (GOOD BYE) Don't b dismayed @ good byes."A FARE WELL IS ECESSARY B4 U CA MEET AGAI.AD MEETIG AGAI,AFTER MOMETS OR LIFETIME". Carry on with sweet n precious memories..... keep in touch..........keep smiling..................

Letter 16 — Hemarani Sandadiga saradaga yenno yella tharvatha Gathanni tarachi tarachi gurthu chesukontu mana Mam daram elaa kalavadam Twen twamanni gadiyaaram mroguthu munduku pogaa aun Tee s, uncles dasaku vachham.o.k. Fi ne ye dasaku vasthe yemiti ? vaa Ve yenthati baghyam mana balyamithrula SAGAMAM

Letter 17 — S.L. Savitha THANKS TO MADHU,JAGADEESH,VIDYA,DURG ADHAR FOR COMING ALL THE WAY I ALSO THANK RAJKUMAR,GOVIND,KVD,RAJEEV,MADHA V,ANITA,KAVITHA,SANDHYA,FOR ORGANISING SUCH A SUCCESSFUL FUNCTION FOR TAKING LOTS OF EFFORTS I HAVE MISSED THE SECOND DAY ENJOYMENT I HOPE IT WILL REPEAT AGAIN AND WE WILL GO TO SCHOOL ONCE AGAIN. FROM S.L. SAVITHA

Letter 18 — Sundari Dear Family, Its time we bring out the SANGAMAM Issue in all its splendor. I am getting requests we do that before we take a BRAKE. I request you to send me your feelings to my add. We shall bring out a nice issue. After this it will be quaterly or half yearly. We will worry about it later. I know some of you have writtern already, if you guys wnat to revisit your feelings please send me your reactions once again. It could be your reactions or your meeting with an old f riend or a teacher mii spandanalu a funny incident which move you , class visit anything boat ride or the races, dances!! Please send me in about 5 days time. It could be in Telugu or Hindi or Englsih. Photos are most welcome. Anything. I request all of you humbly to do so, please pass on this info to those of you who don't ahve access to computers. Rezi, are you listening??? Sridhar Babu, Bellam Sridhar, Rama from Guntur, Anitha, Madhavarao , Sastry ,Rajiv, Kavita, Sainath, jagdeesh, Rajkumar, yamini, kishore,Geetha Tikkisetty,if all of you decide to pour out your feelings then we will have a great issue. Those of you who didn't make it perhaps your musings too??? Vuntanu meeru rastharu aa rachanala kosam vechi choosthu

Letter 20— Tikkisetty No1:

babu,kvd,Madhav,Jagdeesh,Ramana,Govind, KrishnaReddy,Y. Chakravarthy,Rajiv. and girls were Madhu , Anitha and yours truly joined with reluctance. Glad we did. Madhu was the first one SANGAMAM25 LO KALISARU ENto join and showed her enthu. We just followed her. I was too shy to dance and a horrible one. What made me dance was my GURU DARO CHINNANATI NESTALU RAMBABU who inspired me to dance. He nudged me to dance and showed how one could move. By the way, my guru Rambabu CHAAPARU ANDARU ENTHO PREmeanwhile could only move in a straight line he appeared like a scale moving very straight. Then I thought , hey if he could dance MATHO SNEHA HASTHALU and his dance is approved , I told myself, well I can dance too.!!!! My partner was Y> Chakravarthy.We had to do a step JEEVITHAMLO AVI MARAPURANI together which I messed it up bigtime.It was never on the beat or right timing. But the two choreographers that Kavitha sought help MADHURA SMRUTULU were extremely patient with me. I was confirmed the worst dancer. At one time I said, I will walk out so that the dance shall look betBHAGAVANTUDU MANAKICter , but not one said, I should. They were for me and they just supported. In comes Govind, who was the greatest Dancer amongst CHINA GOPPA VARAM SNEHIus. He just loved what he was doing. I stood behind him and TULU moved so that people wouldn't see me. Anyway, Govind had to move from left to right and right to left and do a NTR Step , oh it was hilarious. Please watch the video. Actually , techinically the No:2 graceful dancer who had everthing in him the dance sense was Krishna Reddy. Unfrotunately on the actual day he couldn't dance PAATIKELLA TARUVATA MANAbecause some business pressures. We missed his dance. Now comes the other two female dancers. Anitha the silent and relentMANDARAM KALAVATAM less worker just joined and graced the event. Meaning she and TEERINA OKA TEEPI KALA Madhu had all the right swings they could sway this way and that way like swans and gave no problem to the choreographers. It was laughter and loud music all the way. I can never forget, the way AA KALASINA ANANADANIKI Rajkumar handled my head ache. I had splitting headache an attack SRUSHTILO YE KAVI of migraine and between Reji and Rajkumar the tablets appeared ,thankyou gentlemen for your concern.viola my thala neppi KATTAGALADU VELA was gone. Jagdeesh, was there for a day then disappeared to Vizaq. He criticized my dance ( I will never forget just you wait Mr. MANANDARI RAAKATHO PULAKJagdeesh everydog has its day nuvvu dorakapova??????) Hey I am INCHINDI NIRMALA SCHOOL doing this in good humor , I know Jagdeesh has huge fan following and don't send your fans to attack me Madhavarao , was magNELA nanimous in offering his hotel and hospitality.Food was there all the time and friends were there to share. Ramana and Kavitha were at their best trying to out live each other in verbal AADYANTHAM IKAPAI ILAGE abuses. Ramana can be given the Naughtiest Of All title. He saw SAAGALI MANADARI ANANDA the wrath of Kavitha many a times but Kavitha lost all the time. HELA Nobody could silence him .NOBODY. (( not that we wanted him to be quiet))) this was for three days preceeding to the event. Srilakshmi's humor I shall do it in the next episode. Madhu( Boy) are you satisfied. This is for you especially. Take Hi all! I was in two minds whether I should respond to Madhu Care vuntanu marindividually or do a group email. Well, as you can see I chose ranni kotha sangathuthe second one. Madhu is not a big one with group emails she latho malli kalprefers individual emails if she has written so emotionally well ustanu. you know what this SANGAMAM meant for her and all of us. Until she mentioned I didn't realize that a month had alMii Vidya ready passed. Well, I don't want to again thank my family ( SANGAMAM family) who made this possible. I shall regale you guys with some inside scoop THE DANCE PRACTICES IN KRISHNA RESIDENCY the GREAT DANCERS on earth such as, Ram-

Letter 19 — Vidya

Letter 21 — Rajkumar Vidya, Reg our silver jubilee Re-union; All credit goes to the comitee Under Madhav's(The President) Dynamic Leadership and its 'senapati' Mr.Rajiv(The Sec) and the Kubera,Mr.Govind(The treasurer) With there Golden Team mates Kavita Anita Chakravarthy Kvd Ramana Rambabu and krishna Reddy Sandhya Rani E'banu And all those Names forgotten... They deserve an All Standing Applauds From us all,which we didn't(chala tappu chesamu)atleast in islands b4 said goodbye to each other,we shud all have thanked them,and it wud have been nice if we all stood up n gave a good applaud. Anyways things Missed can never get a second chance. Sorry for the poor acknowledgement by One n All. We could have done it not independantly(saying thanx),but collective ga cheppi unte chala Bagundedi. No words to say No words to convey Speechless!!! Congrats to the Golden Team for making it possible and for making a Mark on Reunions....to come and flow...for the next batches...to say it in our civil ways...I put it this event as a "Bench Mark" for the juniors to follow.... Salaam to the Team is all that I could say!!! For there toll of relentless TIME and Energy's spend on it,inspite of lot n lots off critics in AIR.... They prooved that nothing is impossible with a Team Work,rather than a INDIVIDUAL(who sits and

pours MUD on others.) No regrets for those missed... We had a B L A S T. Thanx for one and All friends across AP and INDIA,friends from Overseas,for making it there those two days. Thanx for all the speeches by our Batch Mates and for all the INHOUSE entertainment by them all. Hope the S A G A .... Continues and won't stop here.... Friend Ever Rajkumar

Letter 22— Y. Kavita

Letter 23 — Anita I sincerely believe that there is a mighty hand of GOD behind each and everything we do. Why I am saying this is, cause when I got the idea of starting a gathering just for our batch, I had to pray and know if it’s the will of GOD or not, so after I got the acceptance of GOD with the help of Rajiv, we were able to pool around 15 to 16 of our friends, way back in 2005 nov21,that was our 1st meeting in VZA.. After that, we kept meeting every month, and those were some of the most memorable gatherings we ever had.. 2007s reunion was one of the most amazing event we ever had. Just in 20 days we were able to gather around 89 of our friends from different parts of the world. WE MADE A RECORD I THE HISTORY OF IRMALA OLD STUDETS ASSOCIATIO. And again it was completely a team work, with the committee of 8 members; everybody played their own part in making the event a success. It was me with Rajiv, Madhav, Govind, Ramana, Chakravarthy, L.srinivas & Kanchana as a committee along with Padmavathy, Mary, Sandhya, Anjani, Kavitha, Krishna Reddy, Rambabu, and Raj Kumar & Suresh were the ones who sponsored for the event. It was really very exciting & wonderful, seeing & meeting, so many of our dear friends after a very long time. Now coming to the Big Event “SANGAMAM-2008”, it’s completely a different experience for me personnel. Actually I didn’t want to get involved in the committee, & again just because of the Leading of GOD, I really got into it. Don’t think I am bringing too much of GOD into this, I am not a Fanatic, he is more real to me than anybody else, & I know if GOD is with us no man or power can stop us. In March 2008 when we really formed the committee and started having some oppo-

sition from some of our friends Rajiv asked me “NEE KU DIVYA SHAKTI UNDI KADAA??!! SILVER JUBLEE JARUGU TUNDAA LEEDAAA??????” I said Of course jarugutundi, as some of U know; we had gone through lots of pressure in making this event. The success of the whole event goes to the unity of the committee. It’s the commitment, dedication, sincerity of the committee which made the event a grand success, each & every member of the committee had played an important role along with the Bada Dilwaala Sponsors like Raj Kumar, Jagadeesh, Vasu etc and some of our NRI friends, who really took very active role in the event, like Vidya, Madhu, Jagadeesh & other friends, from the rest of the places in India like R.Srinivas, Yamini, Sri Lakshimi, & the list goes on. In this context I want to mention about an article which I read in some paper, when “Abhinav Bindra won first gold medal for India at the Olympics 2008” , there was an article saying that, “is it great winning gold medal in single” or” is it great winning 1983 world cup for cricket(as a team)”. The conclusion of the article was that, it is easy to win single, but winning as a team is the greatest part. It’s really not easy as a team to make an event a successful one without oneness.. It’s really true, united we stand, divided we fall. Long live the unity of 12th Batch. And I personally want to thank each & every one who stood by us and who supported us and who attended the event. And my special thanks to Shanthi for being my spiritual support, and a big thanks to kavitha for being with me, and all the men of the committee, I personally felt very comfortable working with them, they are really good, supportive & understanding and I cant stop mentioning Raj Kumar, though he is not in VZA, he’s been

with us, very encouraging and very much involved in each & every matter concerning the event.”Sorry if I forgot to mention any of my dear friends” Above all I want to thank GOD for being with us & it gave me a complete satisfaction that I have done and stood with the will of GOD. LOVING FRIEND, Anita.

Letter 24– Y. Madhu Dearest 12th Batch Nirmalites, Has it been really One Month to this day that we all gathered for our Sangamam 25? Time sure flies but the memories are still fresh and don't fade away. From the minute I stepped into Krishna Residency 3days before the reunion to join all the dear friends for dance practices to the coming home in the school bus from Bhavani Islands... these 5 days I was in "A world of irmalites 12th Batch" ....just us and no one else... all I remember is the laughter, hello's and hi's echoing, warm hugs n shake hands, teary eyes and SMILES everywhere. Thanks to all 90+ friends who were present on this special occasion with their families and giving each one of us a life time of memories. I would like to thank the core n extended committee members... Madhav, Rajiv, Govind (my official chauffer during my stay and very realiable..Lol), Ramana, Rambabu, KVD, Chakravarthy,

Jagdeesh, K.Reddy, Rajkumar, Sainath, Kavitha, Anitha, Sandhya and Vidya for all the dedication and commitment to make this event so successful.... i'm sorry if i missed a few names here... The "UNITED FRONT" of the committee members is very commendable. Good, bad or ugly... they handled it all in such grace and modesty. Great Job !!! The hospitality and the love that was showered on me n the kids is treasured for ever. Special thanks to all the sponsors who made this event a grand gala. Thank you my dear friends, for giving me such good meories.... already waiting for my next trip to India.... until then do stay in touch... Memories Last For Ever And ever Do They Die... Friends Stay Together And ever Say Goodbye... Lots of love to One n All Madhu

Letter 25 — Usharani

Tikkisetty’s Wedding

Gokurnam Trip — Ramakishore Somanchi

Charity Photos

Letter 26 — Rajiv Dear Friends: SAGAMAM 25 CHARITY ACTIVITIES Charity begins at school!!!!!!. Hence we had conducted a research and found that the public address system at our school was very old and the efficiency of the sound was very poor. We decided to donate a public address system, consisting of 1 Amplifier and 4 Speakers, costing 38,000/-. We had already purchased the system and had donated the same to our school on 1st September.

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We have been able to provide 200 Tiffin boxes worth Rs. 12,000/- to the poor domestic workers. Our beloved Sister Nirmala has appealed us for for sponsoring. The programme was held at our school on 17th August. •

We have also funded a sum of Rs. 10,000/- towars part of the tution fees of Venkat Rao's (our school ice cream vendor) Son, who is pursuing his engineering course in a local engineering college

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love Rajiv

Letter 27— Vidya Tadanki SAGAMAM 25 CHARITY PART 2 Friends, In continuation of Rajiv's letter with the fudns collected form overseas , 1) Rs 25,000 was given to MarisStella College 2) Rs 15,000 was give to a girls orphanage for a water filter 3)Rs 1 Lakh and 20 thousand was given to 8 municipal schools in Vijayawada. Their basic needs like almairaiah , safe boxes were taken care. Each school was given Rs 15,000 to buythe equipment. All the 8 school principals were extremely happy withthe genoristy of SAGAMAM 25. It is a pleasure to see the happy faces of the students. Madhav, RAmana, Rambabu and Chakravarthy and I visited few schools where the equipment was given. They recd us cordially and we were all really impressed the way Madhav our president jspoke. He takes aftet his father . Extremely good orator. Infact to one of the schools the corporator also came to thank the SAGAMAM team. Photos shall be posted shortly. I guess the school motto ahs been well executed. TRUTH JOY SERVICE Truth --------------------------we ahve sustained our friendships for 25 years joy__________________celebrating the reunion withfriendsand families Service -------------------------Charity that was mentioned. Arent' we lcuky lot that we are part of a great batch. God Bless us all. Please keep in tocuh. Atealst pen aletter once ina week. Don't worry about the writing skills keeping in tocuhis what matters. mii Vidya