Former students of one of the most prestigious and progressive schools of Fiji held a get-together in Australia last month.
It was reportedly one of a kind and encouraged the alumni to organise similar events in the coming years, covering former students of the School residing in the region.
The reunion comprised Class of 77 of the Nehru Memorial Primary School.
The Suva based Gujarat Education Society (GES) owns and manages three primary schools, including the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Primary School, the Nehru Memorial Primary School and the Indira Gandhi Memorial Primary School. It also runs the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School.
These institutions are named in homage to respectively the Father of Indian Nation Mahatma Gandhi, first Prime Minister of Independent India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and his illustrious daughter and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The alumni are justifiably proud of their education, heritage and discipline imparted to them.
The reunion was held at the Thai Pothong Restaurant, Newtown, Sydney on March 24, 2012. Among the guests were former teachers Sharma, Mrs Shyam, Mrs Nand, Rajni Kumar and the wife and relatives of the former headmaster, Amar Singh.
Organised by Arveen Sharma (Canberra), Jane Roy-Murphy, Joyti Sharma (Sydney), Dr Nalini Rao (Perth), Dr Yogesh Rathod (Auckland) and Umesh Ranchod (Wellington), the event included speeches, entertainment and dinner.
“The main purpose of the reunion was to re-establish contact and reflect on the good old days of our school life in Suva. It provided an excellent opportunity to remember the past and recollect happy childhood memories and carefree days at the Nehru Memorial Primary School,” the organisers said.
“As life progresses, the number of people who have known you for a long time or have known you at key moments of your life reduces. This made the evening especially valuable, perhaps in ways that the guests had not realised.”
The next reunion, organised by Class of 80s, students Dev Chopra, Ritesh Kumar and Manjit Chopra, will be held over the next 18 to 24 months.
“It would be a bigger and better event and the current committee members will support it as patrons. We are keen to promote the growth of the alumni of the Nehru Memorial Primary School in Sydney and extend its network in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji,” the organisers said.
For further information, email exnmps@gmail.com
