Sangamam Times

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

Volume 1; Issue 5 October 2008

Vidya Tadanki

Sangamam Times

Who would think that something that seemed to have

logically ended years ago in 1983 would find a new be-

ginning 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 San-

gamam 25. It was the result of months of diligent plan-

ning and meticulous execution. The success was obvious

in the joyous faces of all present.

My first impression on walking into DV Manor's meet-

ing 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!

The different event locations, DV Manor, Murali For-

tunes, NHS and Bhavani Island provided a lot of oppor-

tunity to mingle and reconnect. Meeting the teachers

was very touching. It is very humbling when the teach-

ers 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 entre-

preneurs, teachers and professors, doctors and engineers.

I don't recollect meeting a lawyer but I won't be sur-

prised if we actually have one among us! The well con-

tested Mr. Sangamam and Mrs. Sangamam Crown went

to the most sportive and spirited ones! My personal fa-

vorite 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 eve-

ryone 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 re-

establish 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!

Sangamam NOSA 25 Up-date– Geetha Haravu

Acharya Devo Bhava — Sainath

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

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 pro-

ceedings, I am tempted to share with you all my experiences while

organizing the same.

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-

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

“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 simplifi-

cation but enemies of simplism when they told us that there is no short cut to suc-

cess and that the route is tough, but straight. They congratulated us for being suc-

cessful 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.

Acharya Devo Bhava (continued)

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 men-

ace! 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 Prin-

cipal 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 big-

ger 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.

Bunty…the Naughty! - Rajiv

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 organ-

izers of this mammoth

function for making

these two days a memo-

rable experience. These

two days are sure a shot

in every body’s arms and

will see us all smiling

like teenagers for an-

other ten years to come.

Mee

Yamini

yycroy@gmail.com

The Joy of Re-union — Yamini C. Roy

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 cor-

ridors 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 hospi-

tal 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 fam-

ily 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

Hi Everybody,

Nice to know that everyone had a wonderful

time.......i think the words from the dictionary........is

not apt enough to express the feeling.

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

who were behind it . I had the experience of this last

year....where I was able to meet many of them.

Saw all of u in the snaps......I will be getting a de-

tailed 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

Letters What I missed — Alice Eapen

I agree with you Alice!

Boy, did I miss a lot.

The planning and execution showed

through the pictures..

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.

It was instant time-travel:-)))

You all look so good!!

Take care and do keep the emails com-

ing!

Anu

What I missed– Anu Radha

Dear friends,

hi !

I thank each one of you all for attending

SANGAMAM 25, with your families and

making it a grand success !!

honestly it would not have been the same

had it not been for your presence and active

participation.

frankly it looked more like a family func-

tion .isn't it ?

well , all of us in the commitiee enjoyed

every moment of the two days and will

cherish in the years to come !!

in the past week, we have been recieving

mails of appreciation, making all our ef-

forts worthwhile, thanx a lot once

again .

finally i would like to say,

THREE CHEERS TO NOSA-1983 , SAN-

GAMAM25 !!

.yours,

Madhav.Rao

Letter 3 -Madhav

To Sangamam25 Commit-

tee,

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.

I truly felt sad for not being there for the second

day to share more time and memories with our

friends.

Perhaps this is a unique event in our school's his-

tory.

All the credit goes to the committee for organiz-

ing and hosting.

Of course my hearty congrats to all of the batch-

mates (especially with families) who attended

without which the event would not have been so

colorful and successful.

I sincerely hope that the fun would not die with

one re-union.

Hoping for more of these in the future.

Thanks for everything!

G. Ravi

Letter 4 — Ravi Gudapati

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 meticu-

lously.

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 ques-

tioning 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 , get-

ting 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 ra-

jkumar.

looking ahead for Sangamam26 as early as

possible.

Yours srinivas tikkisett

Letter 5 — Tikki Setty

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, Ra-

jiv,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 Pro-

fessor 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...? Deenisigada-

raga. . manchi rojulanni la-

tukkunochchi putukkuna yel-

lipothai manam matuku

malleppuda ani yeduruchus-

tavundala .... intaki mallep-

pudasha. ...???? .

.love.. vinay

Letter 6 — Vinay

Three cheers to the commitee for making the impossible possi-

ble. (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 sanga-

mam'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 out-

look,our Treauserer Mr.Govind,who managed all the Money

with his Brains and made it look so simple in handling the suc-

cess 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 ef-

fort...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 end-

ing enthu,for work or for Dance or for Yelling)

These 4 are the super power Men behind the Thunderous Win-

ning 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 end-

less comments,which inspired us all.

Sandhya rani for her silent job which made all the Media cov-

erage 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 Har-

mony 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 lov-

ing 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 min-

ute,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 7 — Raj Kumar

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 week-

end. Kudos to the committee for mak-

ing this happen.

PS: Vidya, as always, I am hoping you

will send a detailed recap of the events

and activities.

Best Regards MJM

Letter 8—M. J. Madhu

Letter 9 — Rajiv

Dear Friends,

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.

I would like to send out special thanks all

those who attended the Reunion on 26th and 27th 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 contrib-

uted 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. With-

out their voluntary support there would not have been

this glitter and glamour to this memorable occa-

sion. The list of them I will send them within a couple

of days.

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

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

nicknames filling the air. Many of us had a visibly different appear-

ance 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

changed and this provided the ideal solution to the problem.

The weather was refreshing with slight drizzle. The follow-

ing of our faculty joined us at the venue. Sister Nirmala, Head Mis-

tress of our school Sister Biji Philip, Sister Josy, Sister Cyril, Vijaya-

lakshmi Miss, Rukmini Miss, Sister Daisy, Sister Benigna, Sister Ma-

rina, Our PT Master Mr. Prabhakar.

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

welcome address. The programme was well anchored by our

Kavita. Three Cheers for her. Our own Professor Sainath handled

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

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 mes-

sage 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

the school to Bhavani Islands for a picnic first in the

school bus till the River and then in the boat to the Is-

lands. The excitement had no limits. Ride to the island

by boat was very pleasing. Literally they behaved like

school kids. The weather was superb. It was rain-

ing. Scene was excellent. Then evening passed by in

playing games and introduction of spouses and

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 ef-

forts, 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 our-

selves,

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

Dear Friends,

there are no words to describe these days.

I know some of you must be anxious to know how it went what

all we did.

to quote few,

Rajkumar--------speechless

Durgadhar-----------shall come agan even if it held next month

Govind-------shall dance again with friends ( never danced

before and danced for the firs time and he was the best

dancer) he entertained the audiences with his

Letter 11 — Vidya

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 11 (continue)

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 12 — MJM

Letter 13 — Rambabu

its very nice to see how sanga-

mam25 became a huge hit.It was an

instant hit,not because of

the way we celebrated it in a grand-

way,its only because of how we

forced our hearts from

few relationships to many relation-

ships,just like that.

the key to happi-

ness 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 every-

thing,it just needs that small open-

ing 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 some-

way.

t

oday we have tasted this invisible

Letter 14— Ramak-ishor Somanchi

strength just by being

what we are.the more we interact

the more we become strong.

the com-

mitee has to plan for sanga-

mam26 from tommorow onwards.

next year lets conduct in banga-

lore or hyderabad.

yours truly

ramakishore

hope u all r doing well & hope ur all in the

hangover of "SA�GAMAM"25 celebra-

tions.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 NIR-

MALA 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� A�YTHI�G 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 in-

volved directly or indirectly & made

"SA�GAMAM"25 a grand

sucess. O.K

(GOOD BYE) Don't

b dismayed @ good byes."A FARE WELL

IS �ECESSARY B4 U CA� MEET

AGAI�.A�D MEETIG AGAI�,AFTER

MOME�TS OR LIFETIME". Carry on

with sweet n precious memories..... keep

in touch..........keep smiling..................

Letter 15 — Hemarani

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 baly-

amithrula

SA�GAMAM

THANKS TO

MADHU,JAGADEESH,VIDYA,DURG

ADHAR FOR COMING ALL THE WAY

I ALSO THANK RAJKU-

MAR,GOVIND,KVD,RAJEEV,MADHA

V,ANITA,KAVITHA,SANDHYA,FOR

ORGANISING SUCH A SUCCESSFUL

FUNCTION FOR TAKING LOTS OF

EFFORTS I HAVE MISSED THE SEC-

OND DAY ENJOYMENT I HOPE IT

WILL REPEAT AGAIN AND WE WILL

GO TO SCHOOL ONCE

AGAIN. FROM S.L. SAVITHA

Letter 17 — S.L. Savitha

Dear Family,

Its time we bring out the SANGAMAM Is-

sue in all its splendor. I am getting requests

we do that before we take a BRAKE. I re-

quest 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 re-

visit your feelings please send me your reac-

tions 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 wel-

come. Anything. I request all of you hum-

bly to do so, please pass on this info to those

of you who don't ahve access to com-

puters. 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 racha-

nala kosam vechi choosthu

Letter 18 — Sundari

No1:

SANGAMAM25 LO KALISARU EN-

DARO CHINNANATI NESTALU

CHAAPARU ANDARU ENTHO PRE-

MATHO SNEHA HASTHALU

JEEVITHAMLO AVI MARAPURANI

MADHURA SMRUTULU

BHAGAVANTUDU MANAKIC-

CHINA GOPPA VARAM SNEHI-

TULU

No:2

PAATIKELLA TARUVATA MANA-

MANDARAM KALAVATAM

TEERINA OKA TEEPI KALA

AA KALASINA ANANADANIKI

SRUSHTILO YE KAVI

KATTAGALADU VELA

MANANDARI RAAKATHO PULAK-

INCHINDI NIRMALA SCHOOL

NELA

AADYANTHAM IKAPAI ILAGE

SAAGALI MANADARI ANANDA

HELA

Letter 20— Tikkisetty

Letter 19 — Vidya

Hi all! I was in two minds whether I should respond to Madhu

individually or do a group email. Well, as you can see I chose

the second one. Madhu is not a big one with group emails she

prefers individual emails if she has written so emotionally well

you know what this SANGAMAM meant for her and all of

us. Until she mentioned I didn't realize that a month had al-

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-

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

to 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

RAMBABU who inspired me to dance. He nudged me to dance and

showed how one could move. By the way, my guru Rambabu

meanwhile could only move in a straight line he appeared like a

scale moving very straight. Then I thought , hey if he could dance

and his dance is approved , I told myself, well I can dance

too.!!!! My partner was Y> Chakravarthy.We had to do a step

together which I messed it up bigtime.It was never on the beat or

right timing. But the two choreographers that Kavitha sought help

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 bet-

ter , but not one said, I should. They were for me and they just sup-

ported. In comes Govind, who was the greatest Dancer amongst

us. He just loved what he was doing. I stood behind him and

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

graceful dancer who had everthing in him the dance sense was

Krishna Reddy. Unfrotunately on the actual day he couldn't dance

because some business pressures. We missed his dance. Now

comes the other two female dancers. Anitha the silent and relent-

less worker just joined and graced the event. Meaning she and

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

Rajkumar handled my head ache. I had splitting headache an attack

of migraine and between Reji and Rajkumar the tablets ap-

peared ,thankyou gentlemen for your concern.viola my thala neppi

was gone. Jagdeesh, was there for a day then disappeared to Vi-

zaq. He criticized my dance ( I will never forget just you wait Mr.

Jagdeesh everydog has its day nuvvu dorakapova??????) Hey I am

doing this in good humor , I know Jagdeesh has huge fan following

and don't send your fans to attack me Madhavarao , was mag-

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

abuses. Ramana can be given the Naughtiest Of All title. He saw

the wrath of Kavitha many a times but Kavitha lost all the time.

Nobody could silence him .NOBODY. (( not that we wanted him to

be quiet))) this was for three days preceeding to the event. Srilak-

shmi's humor I shall do it in the next episode. Madhu( Boy) are

you satisfied. This is

for you espe-

cially. Take

Care vuntanu mar-

ranni kotha sangathu-

latho malli kal-

ustanu.

Mii 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 IN-

DIA,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 nov-

21,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 �IR-

MALA OLD STUDE�TS 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, Go-

vind, Ramana, Chakravarthy, L.srinivas &

Kanchana as a committee along with Pad-

mavathy, 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 dif-

ferent 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 KA-

DAA??!! SILVER JUBLEE JARUGU TUN-

DAA LEEDAAA??????” I said Of course ja-

rugutundi, 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 commit-

ment, 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 arti-

cle was that, it is easy to win single, but win-

ning as a team is the greatest part. It’s really

not easy as a team to make an event a success-

ful 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 sup-

port, and a big thanks to kavitha for being with

me, and all the men of the committee, I per-

sonally felt very comfortable working with

them, they are really good, supportive & un-

derstanding and I cant stop mentioning Raj

Kumar, though he is not in VZA, he’s been

with us, very encouraging and very much in-

volved 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 be-

ing with us & it gave me a complete satisfac-

tion that I have done and stood with the will of

GOD.

LOVING FRIEND,

Anita.

Dearest 12th Batch Nirmalites, Has it been

really One Month to this day that we all gath-

ered 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 com-

ing home in the school bus from Bhavani Is-

lands... 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 com-

mittee members... Madhav, Rajiv, Govind (my

official chauffer during my stay and very reali-

able..Lol), Ramana, Rambabu, KVD, Chak-

ravarthy,

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 commend-

able. 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. Spe-

cial 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 24– Y. Madhu

Letter 25 — Usharani

Tikkisetty’s Wedding

Gokurnam Trip — Ramakishore Somanchi

Charity Photos

Dear Friends: SA�GAMAM 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 Am-

plifier and 4 Speakers, costing 38,000/-. We had already purchased the system and

had donated the same to our school on 1st September.

• 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 sponsor-

ing. 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

love Rajiv

Letter 26 — Rajiv

SA�GAMAM 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 SA�GAMAM 25. It is a

pleasure to see the happy faces of the students. Madhav, RAmana, Rambabu and Chak-

ravarthy 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 SA�GAMAM 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 to-

cuh. Atealst pen aletter once ina week. Don't worry about the writing skills keeping in

tocuhis what matters.

mii Vidya

Letter 27— Vidya Tadanki