Old Boy’s Association or simply OBA means different things to different people. I might also add “at different times”. Over a span of 50 years , perceptions change particularly when seen through the eyes of a student, an alumnus and as part of the school management.
In the year I joined , 1968, there were just four batches that had graduated from the school. The old boys were really boys and not old men as we see today. What was the purpose of OBA then ? For the alumni , it was a great way to keep in touch with their alma mater, particularly considering that in those days the only other way to keep in touch with anyone was through letters or snail mail as they are called now. It was good to meet your favorite teachers and give an update on your progress or seek guidance. For the teachers it is absolutely rewarding to see their wards standing on their own legs and to see them shining in various fields ; a moment of pride for any mentor.
As students , we really used to look up to our seniors as many of them were role models for us. I think, the school had a bias towards accommodating NDA cadets and OBA was scheduled keeping the academic session of NDA in mind. For most students ,at that age, NDA was always something awe inspiring . It took just four years for a boy passing out from the school to become a commissioned officer of the defense forces. Add another two years and he would have picked up the rank of captain, the same rank held by our School Headmaster ; and school Headmaster was a very big man,especially when seen from the perspective of a student.
It was not just the rank, there was a distinct change in the personality, that appealed to the young. To motivate a young boy to join the forces, it takes just one interaction with a boy who had been with you at school not many years back and has now evolved or risen to a position you hold in high esteem.
An alumni get together is also an occasion to have fun with your childhood mates , but that is something that can be organized anywhere , not necessarily at the school. Of late it is this aspect which has attained monstrous proportions.
In the earlier days , meaning in the seventies, an OBA meant a special assembly where alumni gave motivational talks , followed by a friendly game of basket ball or cricket and informal meals at the Boys Mess.
As a student, I particularly remember the OBA of 1974 , may be because we were the senior most batch then or may be because I happened to participate in the School Team vs Alumni Team cricket match. Whatever be, that’s the kind of get together I would cherish. There was a special assembly and a friendly Cricket match at what used to be Football Field No 4 , later called, Oval and now called “ xxxxx Stadium” .
We were in whites , prim and proper, for a leisurely game umpired by redoubtable duo ,Mr Venkateswaran and Mr Raghuraman. There was lighthearted banter and fun , less of competition and more of mutual appreciation. For the records, the school team won the match comfortably. Nambi got a bunch of wickets; Baburaj and I got a decent opening partnership going for the school team. I might add here that it was Baburaj who kept the score board moving while I just held on to one end. As I recall Senguttuvan kept the wickets for the Alumni and Flying officer Madheswaran , who went on to become an Air Marshall, was the main bowler.
That’s the way I like to remember an OBA; motivational talks , friendly games and simple regular meals at the Mess.
After that get together, the next one I attended was in 2004 , a good thirty years later. Everything had changed. Many of the alumni were accompanied by families, there were many cars moving about on the roads where we had seen only bicycles. The swimming pool was open to all and it looked more like an amusement park. The numbers were high and so were the alumni once it got dark.
I was attending an OBA meeting after a long time and had a lot to catch up on. Selvavinayagam and I , meeting after three decades, sat on the steps of our famous Pilliayar Koil and talked and talked. We talked about the school, ourselves and our families ; it was well past midnight when we broke off. Many of our alumni were still hanging around the mess complex , high but not dry.
I felt there was an attempt on the part of alumni to show off that they had arrived and that it was an occasion to celebrate. The music was loud and atmosphere boisterous. I cannot visualize what the then students thought of us. May be for the present lot of students , an alumnus driving a big car, and living it up was more of a role model than say someone who joined army or achieved academic excellence. Can’t say.
Subsequently we have had many fiery discussions on the Alumni Forum. While the younger lot was divided on the opinion, the older lot generally felt that it was a sober occasion and there was a definite need for restraint.
For me , the most important reason for alumni get together at the school will always be to motivate the younger lot to pursue the common values we always shared and will continue to share.