Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Jul 4: Most of the fifth batch (1991 - 95) students of Dr M V Shetty College of Nursing here had not met each other during the last 25 years. They were very eager to meet one another, and a planning committee was formed to give shape to the reunion plan. Date and venue for the meet were fixed in the city and almost all the classmates had made necessary arrangements including booking of tickets. The plan was to hold the event during July 2020 in a leading hotel here in the presence of Dr M R Shetty, founder of MVST, teachers and family members.
Due to COVID - 19 pandemic, the event had to be cancelled, but the class decided to go ahead with the reunion plan by using technology. On June 20 this year, the class of 1991-95 celebrated their silver jubilee reunion virtually via Zoom. The virtual meeting started at 6 pm Indian time when it was 5.30 am in San Francisco, and 10.30 pm in Melbourne. Many also joined in from different other time zones. The virtual reunion lasted for about four hours. Thomas Mathew from Australia hosted the Zoom and Mercy Thomas from Australia and Dr Shobha Rani Shetty from Ireland were the co-hosts.
Several teachers and 42 classmates from 11 countries living in 25 cities attended the reunion. After the initial virtual meet and greet, the formal function began with prayer blessings from Rachel Prakash from Hubballi and Blessy Verghese from Dallas, USA. Dr Shobha Rani welcomed thie gathering and then the students were led down memory lane to their college days. As the experiences, celebrations, memories and community placements were collected, the people became very nostalgic. The reunion turned lively due to the shouting of famous college day slogans by some of the students.
Mercy Thomas put together a colourful slide show giving details of each and every classmate and their families. Dr Indira Santhosh from Bengaluru expressed gratitude to the teachers who were present on the occasion and also those who could not make it. Shalini James from Dallas and her daughter, Carol James, sang a melodious song dedicated to all the teachers.
Mercy Thomas presented a slide show of the video and audio messages from Dr M V Shetty Trust Management, teachers and well-wishers who could not be present. This included Dr M R Shetty, Prof Urmila Shetty, Prof Saraswati Amma and Dr Pradeep Nair.
The teachers present appreciated the effort and recalled their experiences besides sharing lighter moments. Prof (Dr) B V Kathyayani, principal, College of Nursing, NIMHANS, complimented everyone for being placed well in their profession.
Following the reunion, the graduates felt rejuvenated and grateful for the professional training that had prepared them to face life's challenges.
The participants countries and cities include
Reported By: Dr Shobha Rani Shetty, Dublin, Ireland
shobharanig@gmail.com