Alma mater always matters

We were the class of '96. The unanimous thought on our minds that first day was how much this investment we had made in a business school would pay off. The school was reputed, but it had not yet charted the path of tremendous success that it enjoys today.

We had come from different corners of India and were thrown in together for a tumultuous ride over those two years. Several hours were spent pouring over Kotler's Principles of Marketing and trying to grasp the Fundamentals of Financial Management. These were interspersed with the usual thrills of campus life — mimicking our dear professors, laughing at each other's jokes or the feverish teamwork for inter-collegiate competitions.

We had drawn close not only to one another in our batch, but also to the ‘seniors' and ‘juniors'. We made trusted friends, and some, like me, went on to marry that special someone they had met at the school. At the end of the management programme, we all parted with promises to stay in touch. Going out into the real world, we were soon drowned in busy careers and the daily demands of family life.

The ties with our college mates were kept alive through mails or phone calls. And, with Facebook, we are inundated everyday with news about each other's lives, from all over the world. We remark about how cute their kids look or feel secretly pleased to see that their waistlines have expanded out of proportion, just like ours.

It was only in last September, that my husband and I finally got the opportunity to visit the college where we had met. We were aware that it had metamorphosed into a highly acclaimed institution and also expanded tremendously. We were unsure whether anyone would recognise us, after 13 long years ...

Strong bonds

However, the warm reception which greeted us, made it feel like returning home after a long stay abroad.. We were thrilled to discover that many of our dear professors were still teaching at the school. They took time out of their schedules to welcome us with beaming faces. Their smiles grew broader when they saw our two kids, as well. We were escorted around the huge campus and proudly introduced as ‘past students'.

The laughter and easy chatter seemed as though we had never been away. Back in Dubai, we were still basking in the warmth of that visit, when along comes another pleasant surprise. An alumni meeting was organised in Dubai, with the intention of forming a support group, which is so missed in a foreign country.

This meeting had the same ‘family feel' and it was attended by spouses, children, et al. Some of our teachers had flown in from India and mentioned in their speeches that their greatest joy was to see all of us doing well and pursuing successful careers. Some of us noted that all those lectures on interpersonal skills and presentation skills had helped.

Our alma mater clearly stood apart in the sense of belonging and camaraderie it had fostered over all these years. The investment we had made back then had paid off in more ways than expected!

Fyna Ashwath is a writer based in Dubai.