Report: Oswald M D'Souza
Pics: Sampan D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, Feb 7: It was a day of nostalgic, mixed feelings for the former students of St Aloysius and St Agnes College/Schools of Mangaluru on Friday February 6 when they met for the long-awaited “Reunion 2015” held at the scenic Golden Tulip Al Jazira Hotel and Resort after almost two years.
It was a moment of joy, laughter and tears for the former students to reminiscence their golden past they spent at the corridors of their respective institutions. They gathered along with their families for a day of fun and frolic from all over UAE, and from parts of other Gulf countries and India.
The organizers lived up to their promise of giving their comrades and their families the quality entertainment throughout the day.
The bright sunny day with a fantastic cool weather interspersed with chilly winds added extra glamour to the day’s nonstop activities and entertainment.
The ambience of the lush green location, the stunning stage and the dance floor gave the event an added attraction giving scope to dance and merriment.
The day’s proceedings started with All Aloysian-Agnesian band playing soft music to raise the tempo of the day.
The arrival of the seasoned master of ceremony Errol Goveas gave a boost to the event as he took over as the main anchor of the event.
The eye-catching opening ceremony with Agnesian and Aloysian committee members who had worked so hard for the success of the event arrived at the centre stage to the beating of drums and with colourful balloons and pom poms. It was a unique presentation with Mariel and Wilson, chairpersons for the respective institutions, holding the flags representing their institutions and marching towards the dais as part of the inaugural ceremony.
A beautiful welcome inaugural dance was presented by youngsters Evane, Carina, Deanne, Dealle and Cleona, much to the appreciation of the audience.
Wilson Samuel, the chairperson for the Aloysians for 2015 event, welcomed the gathering on behalf of both Agnesians and Aloysians and elaborated the path they tread and their achievement in helping the poor students back home since the commencement of the alumni movement in the UAE. He thanked the sponsors and well-wishers and appreciated the efforts and hard work put in by their dedicated committee members since the past months.
Respective College Anthems of both colleges were sung and the colourful orange and white balloons were released symbolically marking the inaugural of the event. Messages from both college school authorities were read.
Presence of the rector Fr Denzil Lobo and the principal of St Aloysius College Fr Swebert D'Silva enhanced the spirit of the day's event.
In his message Fr Denzil Lobo sang a melodious Spanish song instead of conventional speech conveying his message.
During the occasion a moment of silence was observed in honour of the late Neil D’Souza, the founder committee member and also the first master of ceremony of the alumni movement in the UAE who passed away recently.
After the formal ceremony it was time for fun.
The live music provided by all Aloysian/Agnesian band proved to be an instant hit. The combination of eastern, western including English, Hindi, Konkani, Tulu, Kannada, Sri Lankan songs catering for the taste of both young and old raised the pulse of the event.
Simultaneously various games competitions were held on the adjacent ground comprising mixed groups of Aloysians and Agnesians and it proved to be entertaining competition and turned out to be a ice breaker for the holiday crowd
The eventful day also witnessed variety of entertainment including the famous Mangaluruan tiger dance, couple game, fruit carving competition etc. for the young and the old which was hilarious and fun to watch adding Mangaluruan flavor to the event. Large number of couples and children took part in the entertaining competitions and brought in their best fromm everyone.
During the break, the main sponsors, associate sponsor, co-sponsors, support sponsors were felicitated.
Bingo, novelty dance, lucky draws, raffle draws and spot prizes kept the crowd eager and alert right during the whole day. There were loads of prizes for grabs.
The organizers of the re-union took the opportunity to aptly honour veteran Jerome Paul Pereira the founder of Aloysian Reunion movement in the UAE in 1997. His initiative and motivation has kept the reunion movement alive throughout these years. A memento was presented to him by Fr Denzil and Fr Swebert along with other two founder members Oswald M. D'souza, Ronald D'Cunha and the Aloysian Chairpreson Wilson samuel.
The novelty dance too had attractive prizes, it was an excellent opportunity for the attendees to mingle with each other.
The foot tapping music provided by Aloysian Agnesian band kept the audience on their toes and gave ample opportunity for the young and old to dance to their hearts content. The western and Eastern fusion music was much appreciated.
The selective music played by DJ Joel kept the audience busy on the dance floor. The children were kept occupied throught the day by means of face painting, clowns, henna and jumping castle with lot of gifts and goodies to take home.
Mariel Andrade, chairperson for Agnesians proposed the vote of thanks.
The master compere Errol Goveas did a splendid job with his unique style keeping the audience on their toes and proved once again why he is a much sought after MC.
The last session of the day – the ever popular Baila session and DJ music stole the show was the ultimate, wherein the crowd became ecstatic and wanted more as the final number was played. The whole crowd joined for the dance swaying and dancing to the tune of the fantastic electrifying western and eastern music provided by the band and the DJ Joel.
At the end of the day the crowd did not want to leave the floor, asking for more. The day’s event concluded at 7.45 pm
The Agnesian Aloysian Band comprising and of professional and experienced musicians both male and female proved once again that they were the best. Their efforts in providing quality music with their outstanding performance was appreciated. The new female vocalists proved their mettle on the stage by their super rendition of songs throughout the day. They provided, popular English, Hindi, Kannada, and Konkani numbers and the crowd thoroughly enjoyed. For the first time opportunity was given to the children of Agnesian and Aloysians to sing and play music, who made justice proving their talent.
The sumptuous lunch was served in the afternoon.
The reunion provided ample time for the alumni and alumnae to mingle freely with their fellow classmates and former schoolmates, exchanging and sharing views. It was indeed a memorable event and a day to remember for long time to come. The organizers efforts to bring together such a mammoth crowd of nearly 700 former students and their families and achieving success in fulfilling their promise are commendable.
As per tradition Agnesians and Aloysians will forward their contributions after the event to their respective institutions towards betterment of the needy and deserving students.
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